Ghettoville

After 3 days of driving we are finally here. Unfortunately we can't move into the house until tomorrow. So we've been staying in a hotel. It was a long drive, but the kids did awesome and the scenery was beautiful. The whole way, it was so pretty. And then we got into Fayetteville. Total ghetto!!! All the sudden this depression hit me and I couldn't help but wonder where fate had taken us. As I was resisting the urge to lock my doors I had to keep reminding myself that this is where the Lord wants us. Then we got to our hotel. All of our previous hotels on the trip have been awesome. We felt spoiled. When we walked into this one, we knew right away that even though we paid just as much for it, it was not going to even compair to the others. But still, we were okay with it, until closer inspection. At first I would have compaired it to Motel 6 or some other hotel that you can stay in for around $30 a night. Then we started noticing all the bugs inside the room. Which we thought could just be because we are in North Carolina and we were warned about the bugs. But inside our room?? Then we thought, "Why do they have the AC blaring? Yes it is really hot outside, but it is freezing in here and the ceiling fan is going to". We decided this morning it must be because of all the MOLD!! I think they were trying to dry it out or something.

This should have been our first clue here. This is the ourside of the door. Looks a bit like forced entry or something. A little disturbing if you ask me.

Here is the cupboard that our teeny tiny fridge was kept. Notice the grime on the top corner and how the one door won't close all the way. Very classy.

Here's the inside of that cupboard. Notice the mold in the corners there. Nice.

And then there is the shower. There just are no words. This is the wall above the shower. Notice how the tile is not even. Kind of a rough patch up job don't ya think?? In fact if you push on it you can feel give. I am quite certain that it would cave in if ended up leaning against it for some reason. I don't know why they had to patch it, nor to I want to.

Here is a closer look at part of it. You can actually see inside the wall through those cracks.
I don't know what's behind there, but I was afraid something was gonna break through and eat me while I was showering.

And this is the drain of the tub. What is that? Seriously!

But I think what disturbed me the most was seeing my children's feet after they walked around the room with bare feet. I wish I would have taken a picture, but I never got time. They were BLACK! Just from walking around on the carpet. I know it was from the carpet, because they had a bath as soon as we got settled in. We noticed how black their feet were right before bed time and we hadn't left the room. It was seriously disgusting. Mike was ready to pack up and move to a different hotel but we would have been late for church if we did that and we would have had to drive separately since we wouldn't have had anywhere to put all the stuff from the car. After church he decided we should at least get a new room, but then decided it was pointless to move all our stuff when we are checking out pretty early tomorrow anyways. Plus there is no guarantee any of their other rooms are gonna be any different. I will be glad to get out of here and into our house though.

On a more positive note, we met lots of nice people at church today. And we got to see more of Fayetteville which seems to not be as ghettoish as what we saw driving in. AND we got to drive by our house and see the neighborhood we will be living in. I was surprised to find a very nice neighborhood. I'm excited.

It is good to have the first week of church over with. I hate moving to new places and being the new person. But it went pretty well. And it was interesting to see a family ward incorporate the 'linger longer'. The last time I went to one of those was in my last singles ward and they did it on fast Sunday. Here they do it on the last Sunday of the month. It was extra nice since we didn't prepare for meals today. So it saved us having to figure out lunch. However, we will have to break the Sabbath for dinner. I know, I know. I'm going to hell! Oh wait, I think that's what this hotel room is.

Jiggle Jam Family Fest

We decided to do something fun this weekend and thought the kids would enjoy going down to crown center for the Jiggle Jam Family Fest. We were right. They had a blast. There were all sorts of booths and activities for the kids. My favorite part was the live music. The kids favorite part was the fountain.


Jacob was all excited about the bubble tent. Unfortunately the bubble solution SUCKED!! They had bubble machines blowing bubbles all over so the kids weren't real disappointed. They still had fun playing with the wands. It was mainly the adults who were complaining about how lame it was.


After we had enough of the lame bubble tent we headed up to the "Jiggle Stage" for the live music. The band playing was called "Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players". They were so much fun. Jacob and Lizzie had fun for a while, but got restless before too long and started wandering.

Here's Lizzie clapping for the music.
Once the wandering started we decided to head over to the fountain. Lizzie ran right in and was soaked within seconds. But then she was finished and didn't want any more to do with it.


Jacob took his time getting wet. At one point Mike tried to push him in the water cause he was taking so long. He wasn't a big fan. lol. But eventually he went in on his own and was soaked. It wasn't easy tearing him away from the water. He had a blast! But we had heard good things about the band They Might Be Giants, so we dragged him away hoping he would get into the music.






No such luck. He tolerated it for about 5 minutes and was done. He liked the confetti but that was about it. Not that I blame him. We were a little disappointed in them. They were not NEARLY as entertaining as Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players. :)

Here's a little clip from the Not Ready for Naptime Players. This guy got really into it.

By the time we got the kids into the car to go home we were ALL tired and cranky. But all in all, besides me having some minor allergy issues, it was pretty darn fun. The kids had a GREAT time. It was the perfect way to spend our last Saturday in Kansas City.

At least it's not the microwave!

Now ya see it...

Now ya don't!
( I had to put up the safety gate to keep the kids away from the ginormous outlet that Lizzie could easily fit her fingers in.) We were hoping to keep it at least until Saturday so we would have time to use up all the stuff in the freezer. Poor tater tots are gonna have to go to waste, sadly. But, we needed to get it sold. We weren't expecting it to sell so fast. Mike listed it on craigslist last night and someone came and got it this morning. He had several emails about it before we went to bed. It was crazy. I guess it was a good price. :) It was priced to sell quickly though. We knew we only had a week and didn't want to chance having to give it away to one of those places that buys for super cheap and then resales it for 3 times what they paid for it. Sooo...it looks like we will be making do without it for the next week. Good thing we still have the microwave. In fact Mike and I both agreed that we'd rather go without the stove than the microwave and if something were to happen to it, we would have to make an emergent trip to the store to buy a new one quick. Sad that we can't live without it. Okay, so we could if we had to, but it would SUCK!! :)

Soon it we will also be without a fridge...assuming we can sell it as well that is. We are listing it tonight. Once that's gone we will have to make due with a cooler. Yay. That should be fun.

The Magic of New Appliances

We got a new washing machine yesterday. We were going to wait until we moved to get it, but it was on sale and we couldn't pass it up. It was a pretty good deal. They delivered it yesterday and I am in LOVE! It's awesome. My clothes actually get clean. Our old one did the job, but just barely. Forget about blankets though. They came out looking exactly like they did going in. Which sucks when you have sick, puking kids. Ugh. The new one is so quiet and it spins the clothes so well that they take half the time to dry. PLUS it managed to get Mike to do several loads of laundry last night. It must be magic!! Our steam cleaner had the same effect when we got it. He steam cleaned all the carpet in the living room. Too bad our oven didn't have the same magic when we bought it. :)
Hopefully in a few months we will be able to afford a matching dryer. For now we have to continue using our ugly old one. But at least it works. :)

Mike's Graduation Party

Mike's Aunt Lovina and Uncle Ralph threw an after graduation party for Mike. Which we really, really, REALLY appreciated. We have such wonderful family here. They all have been a huge support to us while we've been here. We love them and are gonna miss them so much. Here are some pictures from the party.

This is us just arriving.


This is the cake they got for him. It was yummy.

Mike posing with Uncle Loren and Aunt Penny.

We have been to several family gatherings since we've been here and let me tell you, they always have the best food. This was no exception. I wish I would have thought to ask for the recipe for the crock pot beef stew that someone made. I didn't even think to ask who. Stupid me. :) And Aunt Erma brought her awesome cobblers that are always a huge hit. Soooooooooooo good. My mouth is watering thinking about it.

Uncle Ralph and Aunt Lavina have a BEAUTIFUL home. It such a peaceful place. We love when we get to go visit. Here's Mom and Kacey enjoying the beautiful scenery of the front yard.

They have a fun backyard. The kids (and some adults) had fun playing.

Uncle Ralph took the kids for a ride. Jacob actually went without me or Mike. He did great and I think even had a few minutes of fun.

Had to get a picture with Cathy and Mary.

And Kacey and Mom.

We couldn't keep Lizzie away from the stairs. She has become quite the climber. She had a ball on these stairs. Grandpa got this cute picture of her. Don't know how we managed to not get any pictures of grandpa. Darn it. What was I thinking!!

This is Mikes cousin Vicky and her cute daughter Lindsay. It took me a while to realize who this little girl was, because the last time we saw her she was only a few months old. Mary and I both remember holding her and cuddling with her as a baby. She got so big. She was really fun and the kids liked playing with her.

Well folks. That's all for today. Now I have the task of cleaning out the fridge and stove so we can get them sold. Should be fun. :) Laters.

Doctor Mike in the HOUSE!!

That's right folk. It's official. I'm now trying to figure out what to call him. Dr. Mike? Captain Mike? Dr. Captain. Mike? Captain. Dr. Mike? The options are endless. But whatever I call him from here on out, I am so stinkin' proud of him. He's worked so hard the last 4 years and he finally made it. Congratulations Mike. We are soooooo proud of you!

We are also very proud of Merla who graduated from nursing school last week. I loved this picture of them together and had to post it. Nurse Mary and Dr. Mike. :)

Round and Round We Go

Dr. Arnold

Okay, I know he's not technically a doctor until after graduation, but Mike got his first piece of mail today addressed to Dr. Arnold. haha. It will be even awesomer (yes I said awesomer) when it says, Dr. Arnold DO. There is something about the DO after it that makes it so much cooler. :)

What's a DO your asking? Well let me enlighten you. :)

Graduation

This is for those of you who didn't get one in the mail. Mike only ordered 20. Which, after all his family got one, didn't leave enough for all my family to get one or all of our friends. So, you will have to settle for a virtual announcement. Which really is better, because it wastes less paper and it won't take up space on your table, counter, bulletin board or whatever because you feel bad throwing it away. :) This way, it is here for you to look at whenever you want, without being an inconvenience to you.

In case you can't read that, it says Mike gets to graduate. haha. I wish you all could come. Unfortunately, even if most of you didn't live across the country we are only allowed 5 seats. Lame, I know. However, if you would like to watch it, they are streaming it on line. Let me know if you would like to watch, and I will send you he link to do so.

Rare Sighting

It's something you don't see every day. In fact I felt I needed proof or people wouldn't believe that I actually saw it. I am pretty sure it's on the endangered species list. I thought it might even be extinct, but now I know it's not. I was beginning to wonder if it EVER really existed. Like maybe it was just mythical or something. But no, it's not. It's REALLY NOT!! For those of you who have never seen it, here is what it looks like...














keep






going






your






almost









there........



























The rare laundry folding husband!!
I didn't even ASK him to. I just walked into the living room and there he was. And look...is that a SMILE on his face?!?!? Wow...what a magnificent creature!

Have you noticed how there are certain things that husbands 'forget' how to do when they get married. I mean, I'm pretty sure he did his own laundry when he was in college. lol. In his defence though, he does do other things around the house, like the dishes and taking out the garbage...occasionally. :) He has changed his fair share of diapers as well. He really is a good husband.

So much to do...

In so little time. And yet, here I am blogging about it. :) Since Mike is now officially finished with rotations and will be home all day (aside from when he goes on a house hunt or us) I plan to really get to work on stuff. between Mike being gone for a few days to house hunt and family coming graduation week, we have 3 full days to get things done. This place is no where near being guest worthy. I've made progress upstairs, but this is what we are working with down stairs.

Believe it or not this is after a month of working down there. It is hard to tell, but this is actually an organized mess. Most of this is ready to be taken to recycle or garbage or goodwill. Sadly, this is AFTER we got rid of about 12 big bags of garbage.

The laundry is mostly massage sheets that have been down there so long they smell like rancid oil and just need to be tossed. The garage on the other hand is NOT an organized mess. It's just...a mess.

It's a lot to get done in 3 days. But we HAVE to. It's going to be soooo fun. (Yes, that was sarcasm.) I can't wait to post pictures when I'm done though!! :)