Moved in and Getting Settled...

So, our stuff came 7 days ago. Most of it, anyway. Our "hold baggage" - the small shipment, less than 1000 pounds of last-minute stuff - hasn't arrived yet. Traditionally, that one is supposed to arrive first. That's how it's designed. Not ours, though. It's supposed to come this week, but I'm still holding my breath. (It was promised 2 weeks ago.) That shipment has my Kirby vacuum in it - and I need it! :-)

There was some damage in this move. Furniture, to be exact. I am not happy about this, but fortunately it's just furniture. It can be replaced, and it will be, on the moving company's dime. It looks like one of the 17 wooden crates that our stuff was packed into was either dropped or something was dropped onto it. There was a gash in the side of the crate, and the crate didn't stand up straight, it tilted a little. I took plenty of pictures.

So far, the house is fairly unpacked. When you have 17,000 pounds of "stuff", it takes a while for everything to find its new "home" in the house. We're hoping to be in this house for a good while - at least 3 years, but we're actually hoping for a little longer - so the plan is to place this stuff in its "home" and then not move it for a long, long time.

School starts next week. Boy, are we all ready for that! I love these kids more than life, but we need a break from each other. They need to start school and make new friends, and have a life outside the house. I've been networking and trying to work the new-job angle, but it's not happening as quickly as I would like. I guess that I need to have more patience and more faith, but it is a constant struggle for me. I know that God will help me, I know He has a plan. I just need to wait for it (while trying to do everything I can to market myself and find that perfect job.)

In the meantime, unpacking continues, and I am starting to run again. Gotta get back out there and do something for Tiffany...

Getting back to "normal", one day at a time...

So, we made the move. Left Hawaii and spent some time in Ohio with family and friends that we hadn't seen in a long while.

Then, about a week and a half ago, we made it to our new destination. Virginia.

Since then, we've:

* found a house to rent. Housing on post has a crazy 12+ month waitlist. That is insane, and a rant that I will save for another day. We decided that we aren't ready to buy yet, but that's ok. We found a great house, in a great neighborhood with great schools, and the owners are retired military with ties to Ohio (OH-IO!).

*started getting familiar with Northern Virginia and DC. It is a crazy, overwhelming place, but slowly I am figuring out how to get here and there, and learning to avoid the freeways as much as possible. It is definitely an adjustment that will take some time.

* started the job hunt. It is a slow, arduous process. I don't think I'll be lucky enough to work at home, at least not at first, but to find a job in my field is something that I won't take for granted. We'll figure it out, we always do...

* had our convertible devliered to us from Hawaii (the day after we got here) and picked up the van in Baltimore last week. It is a BIG deal to the Heffners to have our own vehicles back. For those of you that don't move regularly, or haven't moved in years, I cannot begin to explain the joy I feel when I see my belongings. It's not the belongings themselves that are important to me, it is the comfort of having familiar things around you. Seeing our own vehicles makes us feel that much more at peace in a new place.

* Enrolled Abby in school, and made appointments to enroll the other 2 kids. Yes, you need appointments to enroll your child in school. I don't claim to know why, I am just following the rules.

* Registered everyone at the Army hospital here so we can get medical appointments.

* Made appointments for all 3 kids to have physicals - which VA requires before your child can actually attend school. Thankfully, we got appointments for dates before school actually starts, which is a blessing.

* spent the last 10 days (and the next 10 as well) in a hotel. Granted, it's a nice hotel, the price is decent, and they have breakfast everyday. But it's close quarters for a family of 5 and I am ready to have a place to settle into on a more permanent basis.

Life is getting back to "normal", one step at a time. It is a slow process, since we're coming from across the ocean. And the Army hasn't made it easy for us. There have been many hurdles, and I am flabbergasted at the amount of people who we meet who are supposed to be working for the government, providing answers to soldiers and their families, who say to us, "I can't help you." Really? Does the Army know that you can't help me? I wonder if they would be surprised.

I am planning to write to my Congressman a letter. Will it help? Most likely not. But, if I don't write, I will never know.

For now, the blog won't move - you'll still find us at this URL. After we're settled, I may change the name. If I do, I'll be sure my (few) readers will be able to find me.

Until then, I will post as much as possible. Our cell phones will stay the same. Stay in touch!