Getting to know the community.

Back home in Georgia, one of my favorite things to do was to invite the girls over for a lunch date.   Not because I'm a gourmet by any means, but because I had a love for entertaining and being around my girls.  

For the most part, these lunches were during the school year... for obvious reasons.  

The fewer kids, the more adult conversation we could get in.

And who doesn't love a little adult conversation?

Since I've been here in Arizona, I haven't met many friends, but the few ladies I do know, I decided to invite over for lunch today.  

Didn't happen.  Had to cancel when Hubs told me he needed a chaperone to his MRI.  Since there were no other options, I had to take the job.

Lunch cancelled.

Well, my neighbor didn't get my 2 voicemails and the 1 text message I left on her cell and she came over with a plate of yaki mandu.  If you've never tried this dish you need to RUN to the closest Korean restaurant and place an order for at least a dozen!  

Anywho, I was very apologetic for not having the lunch and not getting the message to her about the cancellation.  But I assured her that her yaki mandu would NOT go to waste!

I told her that I would reschedule and she was more than happy to hear that.  She started telling me how lonely she was and how for the first 4 months of her living here on Ft. Huachuca, she didn't talk to ANYONE.  She told me that now, other than the people at her church, she really doesn't know anyone in this area except me.

She's been here a little longer than I have. 

Now, last week, I decided to start a Facebook page called Huachuca Wives.  I wanted to put together a page that illustrated all of the things that there are to do in this small community and the near by areas.  I wanted to put together a page where spouses could meet other spouses, form friendships and share information.  It's hard to live in a small, community in the middle desert and it's hard to find things to do.

I'm starting to gain members.  I'm up to 29, which is great.  There was one comment similar to the conversation with my neighbor where a wife here on Ft. Huachuca talked about how she'd been here (...) months and she hadn't met many people.  This got my wheels turning.  There has to be many more that feel this way.  There has to be many spouse that just want to get out of the house and meet people, right?

So the page will offer tons of community information.  I spend the better part of my morning after my walk looking for things to do in the community to share with others  I also hope to get some of these ladies together soon.  We'll see.  For now, I want to focus on getting the word out of things to do in the area.  I know how it is when you have days where you just seem trapped in the house in the middle of the desert.

I'm already glued to the internet for many many hours of the day, so I figure why not use my love for social media to help others, well, push away from the social media table and get to know their community?

Am I becoming... GULP... OUTDOORSY?

This morning I allowed all of the kids to intrude on my morning walk.  Normally they're asleep (or at least 2 out of 3) so I usually take to dog out for a minimum of a 40 minute walk. Today, I woke up the boys to put the trash cans out on the curb because it's trash day.  

Oh did I mention we got blue recycling cans this past weekend?  I was pretty excited because when we first moved in I asked the Command why we were not recycling and I was told that it just wasn't in the budget.  In my opinion the benefits of recycling had to outweigh the cash and was sure to cost the post less in the long run, but who can argue with the Garrison Commander?  Anywho, 4 months later and VOILA!  Blue recycling cans!  YAY! (Why things like this excite me, I don't know.)

Anyway, I got the kids up and let them ride their bikes while Ginger and I did a speed walk.  I even had it in me to take a longer route than normal AND run on the way back.  I have to admit, I expected lots of complaints from Thing One and Thing Two, but they were actually pretty good on their bikes.  I'm sure they wouldn't have made it on foot.  

The idea of waking them up in the morning is not a bad idea.  They get in some exercise, we get to spend some time together and they begin to learn the importance of living a healthy life.  I'm just starting to learn this so I'm hoping to get it instilled in them early.

On the other hand, on the mornings that I don't take CJ with me (I take him because he does the least amount of complaining), the walks are my "me time" to think and organize my day while enjoying music via online radio all the way from Savannah, GA. It happens to be my FAVE radio station, even though I haven't lived in the Savannah area in years.  If you love Hip Hip and R&B and you love today's music mixed in with greats from the 90s on up, listen here:
http://tunein.com/radio/E-93-931-s28412/

There are so many things to do and so little time to do it.  The summer has flown by and it almost feels as if I just haven't done ENOUGH with the kids this summer.   The last two weeks have been much of nothing exciting.  I'm glad that the weather is changing and thanks to the monsoon season, it's not scorching hot outside anymore.  

Shhh, I'm about to surprise you.  

Ready?

I think I'm becoming the outdoorsy type!

Yeah, I said it.

I'm starting to actually want to do things outdoors.  

I WANT to hike to the top of the mountain.  Really, I do!  It amazes me that I'm even considering the idea, but I want to get out and hike up the mountain.  I'm inspired by the people I see doing it.  I'm not expecting it to be easy and I think that's why I want to do it.  I will never be able to climb mountains at home in GA unless I go up north, so I want to do it while I have the opportunity.

Okay, you can get off of the floor now.  I know that's a shocker because I can't hike in heels.

So stay tuned.  I have a feeling that day is coming soon!

Monsoons AND Fires? Oh, Arizona!

Late Morning today.

Must be the weather.

You know how I always say that the sun here in Arizona seems to come up way too early?

IT'S MONSOON SEASON!

The rains have finally arrived.

The day is cloudy, and other than hubs who had to be at PT at 5:30, everyone slept in until 10.  Is that amazing or what?  Well, it was amazing for me.  I haven't been able to do that since we got to this extremely bright state.

Now, while I'm excited to see some rain because of the fires, I'm sure I'll be back complaining real soon about how horrible the rain is and how I can't wait for them to go away.

But for now, Thank Goodness for the rain!

Okay, yesterday, the rain bought in some thunderstorms.  The lightening started yet another fire here on post behind the mountains behind really close to our house.

UGH!  Can't win for losing around these parts!

The Monument Fire was 90% Contained as of yesterday.  And if the rain got to the mountains, we may finally be done with it.  YAY!

This fire was put out in a hurry.  Saw lightening then heard sirens, went out to see what the commotion was only to see dark smoke coming over the mountains!  I really couldn't believe the fact that I was just panicked to no end about the HUGE Monument Fire and her goes another.

The planes were ON IT though!  Over our heads flew in the slurry plane. For those who have no idea what that is, like me, it's the stuff they drop on fires to get them under control.  They were up and fighting that fire.  I commend the firefighters for the great job they have done here.  I also see that a firefighter will never be bore in this state!  If you need a job, become an Arizona Firefighter!

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Also, my classes are DONE for this semester!

Can you believe that I have completed my first year?

Love when friends visit

I haven't had much to blog about since we moved here to AZ.

There is so little to blog about these days. 

I'm in a rut.  A repetitive rut.

Other than the fire, I have very little exciting doing on.  

I've gotta get out more!

We did get a visit from the East Coast.  Cam's 2nd and 3rd grade teacher (who was also CJ's 2nd grade teacher) came to AZ for a visit.  She toured the area with friends and made a day for us.  

I have to say, she was the best teacher for my kids and she would have taught Miss Missy if we wouldn't have moved.  She and I also became great friends over the years.

The kids were so excited to have their old teacher come to visit.  She'd promised Cam she'd come and he couldn't wait for her to get here.  

We spent the day doing mini golf and the arcade and then had dessert at the Cheesecake Factory  It was my first visit and YUM!  I had a Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake and it was so great.  CJ had the Red Velvet one and YUM!  And she had a Chocolate Sundae one and THAT I think was my fave, although they were all GREAT!  Why have I waited so long to visit that heavenly place!

Now, she's gone and I have to laugh because her pictures show her going more in Arizona in one week than we have done in the 5 months since we've been here!  I'm JEALOUS!  So, I've decided that since I have to be here in the desert, I may as well make the best of it!  

Off we go today... somewhere... anywhere!

Ft. Huachuca Wildfire update

Yesterday was a hard day.  My nerves were on edge as the winds went crazy here in Ft. Huachuca.  

On a normal day, the high winds in the 100 degree weather would have been welcomed with open arms.  The winds felt wonderful.

But on this day, the wind was the enemy.

With winds gusting up to 50mph, the fire spread like... well like WILDFIRE!  The planes were downed for most of the day for the safety of the pilots.  The winds were just too strong.  And boy did that fire take advantage of those downed planes!

Up to this point, the only thing we've been able to see from our home here on base was the smoke coming from behind the mountains.  Yesterday, the winds caused huge plumes of smoke to fill the sky again and flames were able to be seen coming over the top of the Huachuca Mountains.

I'd never admit this to my husband, but I began to panic.  I glued myself to the internet as the posts on Facebook updated every second and the police scanners kept everyone informed of what was happening.

Yesterday, people lost homes and businesses.  Reading to the desperation of people wondering if their homes were still standing and worried for family and friends safety was so heartbreaking...

Many of my neighbors laugh when I tell them, but my bags are packed and ready to go.  I have never been in a wildfire zone and although we are not in the pre-evacuation zone YET and the fire is still 10 miles away, I'm not taking any chances of losing or forgetting something important to me if they do call for us to leave.  These things seem to be unpredictable and, no, the winds are not blowing the Monument Fire in our direction, but when I can see flames from my house, I need to be ready to go at the drop of a dime! 

The Ft. Huachuca Wildfire

There's something to said about watching approximately 2400 acres go up in flames right in front of you. I could not believe the rush of adrenaline I had from the fear of seeing a fire start right before my eyes today.  With the Monument Fire only about 10 to 12 miles from the post, it was all I could do to keep from passing out when I saw smoke in front of the mountains closest to us instead of climbing to the peak of the ridge behind it.  

I started throwing everything I didn't want to live without in boxes and suit cases around mid afternoon today.  I'd already packed important documents, like birth certificates and tax papers, and pictures and memorable things that you just can't get back.

The clothes, well I figured I had time.  

Who woulda thunk another fire would start out of nowhere right here on base!

They put the fire out, but not before scaring me and the rest of the post half to death.  My subdivision was the closest to the fire.  

Like I said, I. watched. it. start!  

We would have been the first to go.  I glued myself to Facebook and watched the thousands of comments and updates on the fire on the Fort Huachuca page.  Thank goodness for Facebook.  It helped me to keep a level head knowing that someone was monitoring the fire's progress and keeping the families of updated.

Once the adrenaline came down, I felt like I could pass out from exhaustion!

So now, we've decided not to unpack the boxes as of yet.  The Antelope Fire, as it was named, is 100% contained and is of no threat.  In a way, it may have been a blessing in disguise as it put a barrier between us and the Monument fire by charring all of the grasslands in between us and the fire.

I've had dreams about the fire coming on base for the last few nights and haven't been able to sleep well.  I'm sure tonight will be no different.  The kids, however, seem to be taking it with a grain of salt.  They say they don't want to evacuate, but to them, they fires is more of a spectator's sport as they sit on the fence and watch it with their friends.  All they need is a bowl of popcorn!

Last night, they asked that the tenants of few other subdivisions here on base start preparing for pre-evacuation by turning on their sprinkle systems and clearing debris from their gutters.  Those areas are surrounded by more mountain than we are though, although we are actually closed to the fire.

As of now, we are okay.  This is so new to me, as I have never had to deal with wildfires.  I'm thinking I'll take the humidity of the east coast over these terrifying fires ANYDAY!

Fire near Ft. Huachuca.

I've got a lot to say today so I'm participating in Seven Clown Circus's Wordful Wednesday.  If you've got a blog, participate!  Go over and read what others who just have to talk have to say today!  Dream of fire kept me tossing and turning last night.  The wildfire has me worried.

It's only about 10 miles from our house here on base and that's quite scary! 

The Monument Fire, as they call it, started on Sunday afternoon.  I noticed it when I went outside to check on the kids that were playing around the bend in the street.  So I took a few steps to make sure that they were all together and off in the distance I looked behind my neighbor's house and say a cloud of smoke. 

Uh oh.  A new fire. I thought.  We already have one off in the distance which has been burning for about a month and a half.  The Horseshoe 2 first started back at the beginning of May.  Being that this is my first time in dry land, all of this wildfire stuff is new to me!  I was already planning my escape plan!  The fire was off in the distance and I could see it burning over the mountains.  To me that was close enough to run!

This one, however is much closer. 

Yesterday, I was on the phone with my mom on my way to the mall and she asked me about this new fire.  I told her that I'm riding in the direction of the fire and it really didn't look that bad.

I went in the mall to by Hubs' Father's Day gift, came back out about 20minutes later and my mouth dropped open at the site of a massive cloud of smoke in the mountains!

There were people stopped and staring all through the parking lot.  

The fire looked terrifyingly huge!

Okay, so I don't know why, but I was compelled to get a closer look.  We drove towards the outside of the city limits because honestly I'd never seem anything like this.  Of course, a sista like me was only gonna go so far!

But I had to snap some shots!

Scary, huh?  This sudden burst of smoke was apparently caused by a "fire storm", a period of winds from 40 to 50 mph.  Wind is the enemy right now!

Today the smoke has died down, but we're at about 5200 acres burned the last I checked. 

It's not in the least bit contained at this point, but they are working like crazy to get it under control. 

I'm just hoping the winds stay away!

Edited to say:  We are fine.  Although the fire is close, Fort Huachuca is to the north of the fire and right now the fire seems to be burning to the east.  But the winds are unpredictable, so we are still on alert.

Fires to the left! Fires to the right!

Moving to Sierra Vista has posed more problems than I care to continue to keep on complaining about... at least not in this post.  But, here's another reason that I'm sure that Arizona is going to be the death of me.

We're surrounded by wildfires. 

There has been a wildfire brewing to the east of us for the last 3 weeks.  It's been far enough at bay that I've only been slightly concerned, keeping the thought of renting a Uhaul and packing up my entire home and livelihood in the back of my mind.  

Today, I went out for a stroll around the Walmart.  Walmart gets a "the" when it's like "the" mall of the city.  It's the only thing there is to do for fun around here.  

When I left the Walmart about an hour later, (that's about my normal time of strolling the Superstore) I was standing in the parking lot surrounded by smoke.  

Now the smoke is to the southwest as well.  

This is a picture I took from my doorstep.  The smoke is coming right over the mountains.  I've seen several planes, which I'm assuming are going to assist in trying to put the fire out.  The air was filled with smoke and clouding my lungs when I went outside.  

So that's 2 fires.  One on the left of the city and one on the right.  The air is contaminated and I couldn't walk if I wanted to... not that I was planning too... but just in case I was, I couldn't.

Morning comes too early.

Up early this morning.  Sleeping after 5:30 is hard around here.  The sun comes up before 5 and when I manage to sleep longer, the construction trucks start work at before 6:30.  

Sleeping in is darn near impossible.  Is Arizona closer to the sun?  

Today, I'm heading out to buy some dark curtains for my bed room.  I don't know what has taken me so long.  We've been in this house since the end of February and I can't get a good sleep unless I sleep on the couch.

So, I'm up.  And cranky.  Wishing I was a coffee drinker.  Researching multivitamins that might give me a boost of energy in the morning.  Any suggestions?  I take my prenatal vitamins right now (before you ask, no, I'm NOT!), but as of lately, nothing I do gives me the energy or motivation to get up and workout.

Today I will also be purchasing a pair of curtains for my bathroom window.

Yesterday evening, Hubs too the boys for a bike ride.  Behind our house, they are doing a lot of construction on other houses and other structures.  Well, it was coming up on dark and when they came home, Hubs told me that they saw me in the bathroom.  The window is that frosted window that people put in bathrooms.  How much could they possibly see?  Well, Hubs took me out for a walk to that I could see for myself.  When we got up the hill behind our house, the silhouette of Cam was was jumping around in my bathroom.  I knew it was him and I could see the blue shirt he was wearing.  

Not good.  You could clearly see a person standing there and you could probably clearly tell of said person was naked or clothed.  

That window is right in front of my tub.  Luckily no one lives in the houses behind us yet, but could you imagine?

"Hey CJ!  Saw your mom in the bathroom last night.  She has some big...."

OMG!  Heading to get curtains immediately!

 

Please God, don't let me die an Arizonian!

My new motto is NO EXCUSES!  

That's for my working out and my education.  

So, let's see how long I can abide my that.  Been feeling less than motivated.

************************************************************************

Please God, don't let me die an Arizonian!

This weather is sure to kill me.  

If it doesn't kill me, I'm sure to leave here looking like an old wrinkled woman!

It's amazingly horrible how DRY this air is, how DRY my skin is and how DRY my hair is!

Living in Arizona is detrimental to my health!  

Nose - My nose is constantly burning because of the dry air and I wake up with a nose full of blood and mucus.  Eeww, I know, but this is why I think that I'm sure to end up in a casket before our two-year tour is over.  

Breathing - And, I have tried to run in the fabulous outdoor weather, only to find out that I get maybe ten steps before I'm gasping for air.  Okay, keep in mind that Sierra Vista is way above any altitude I've every lived in.  We're pretty much in the mountains.  Surrounded.  Beautiful, yes.  Ideal for running? No!  Well... especially considering the fact that's I'm not a runner.  Why am I kidding myself.

Hair - Miss Missy and I have SERIOUS hair issues.  She has lost at least 3-4 inches off of her length and mine is dry and breaking off like CRAZY!  I couldn't take it anymore so I too a trip to Sally's and spent a whole lotta money on hair products to try to regain some moisture to our dried out, damaged tresses. I'm so thin in the back that I really would probably benefit from cutting it all off and starting over.  Miss Missy, however, however would simply choke me in my sleep if I even thought about cutting her hair, so I'm working on treating it.  I never had this issue in Georgia.

Skin - OMG!  Why do I look like a LIZARD??  I have scales!  My hands are so dry because I'm constantly washing them and even though I SLATHER myself in everything from deep moisture lotions to cocoa butter to coconut oil to Vaseline, not lotions or potions seem to take the dry itch away!  I read somewhere that this kind of weather ages you fast because it sucks all the moisture out of your skin cause you to get... (gasp) WRINKLES!

SOMEONE GET ME OUTTA HERE!

I CAN'T get wrinkles!  I'm so vain!  who ever heard of a... 21 year old... yeah I said it! .... being all wrinkled?!?!

Hearing this solidifies my decision.  I'm never going outside again!  I'm going to fill my tub with cooking oil and live in it!

What's not to Like?

New State.  New House.  New Furniture.  New Mattresses.

We have finally moved out of that cramped 2 bedroom apartment and into our quarters on post.  I wouldn’t exactly call what I am living in “quarters” though.  I was an army brat, you know, and from what I remember, living on post was NOTHING like this!  (yeah, I had to use an exclamation mark because I’m excited)

               When I was a kid in Germany, the quarters were a huge 4 story building with 16 family apartments with 3 bedrooms, and laundry room and storage in the basement.  Pretty much the same when I went back as an adult.  In Ft. Stewart, we lived in a quad-townhouse.  4 families in one building 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.  I thought that was a nice house. 

               This house is a whole new ballgame!  It is HUGE!  A 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom single family home.  2500 square foot single family home with a formal living room, dining room family room and eat in kitchen.  The kitchen is open to the family room and it has granite countertops.  This house beats out my measly 1800sq. ft. house back in Georgia any day! 

                

The kids LOVE the house.  They were more excited about the house itself than they were to finally get their toys back.  They each have their own room and I have NOT had an argument between Cam and Miss Missy in the last TWO DAYS! 

Hallelujah!!

The schools and the hospital are within walking distance.  Miss Missy’s school is right across the street.  In the morning, I walk her to the corner and she crosses with the crossing guard right up to the school playground!  No work for me!  No bus.  Now waking up before the sun!

The boys go to a different school.  The schools are split K-2 and 3-5.  Their school is also within walking distance.  I can see it from my backdoor.  I walked them halfway this morning and they were at the school in no more than 8 minutes.  They are ready to ride their bikes and take that long ride by themselves, but being the protective mom that I am, I’m just not ready.  There’s tons of construction going on and I’m a little nervous about letting them be around the traffic by themselves.  They are begging to do it by themselves and I’m sure they can, but… THEY'RE MY BABIES!!!!

Okay, the cable guy is coming to turn on my cable and internet today and I’m more excited about that than anything. I’ve been without since Sunday and I’m beside myself wondering what I have missed… on Facebook… because I’m nosy like that…

It's so COLD in the AZ!

It's really amazing how COLD it is in AZ.


I'm completely surprised because apparently it is normally flip flop weather at this time of year here.  


I guess this is my WELCOME TO ARIZONA!  


It feels like Michigan here... just without the snow.

How COLD is it??


Yesterday morning when I got into the car to taxi the kids off to school, my temperature read 8.  YEAH EIGHT!  And that's after the car had been running for 30 minutes!  By the time we got the the gate at Ft. Huachuca, the temperature read 11.   


WHOOO HEAT WAVE!
 *************************************************

HOW COLD IS IT??


Had to do laundry yesterday.  Living in an apartment sucks when you have to carry all of your laundry to the laundry room.  It was absolutely freezing outside.  You'd think that I had walked a mile the way my fingers felt after walking to the next building.  Cold really does bite.  


In between cycles, I took the dog outside.  She's not allowed pee in the grass here.  The apartment cherishes their grass.  There's not much grass here in AZ as you an imagine.  Our little apartment complex actually has grass.  The keep it painted green.  Yeah, it's painted grass.  But the dogs are not suppose to pee or poop in the grass.  They recommend you take the dogs to poop in the rocks.  Ginger didn't like that much at first.  You know she's such a lady and she was prancing on the rocks as if they hurt her feet.  So when I walked her with me to the laundry room, she peed on the side walk.  When I went back to put the clothes in the dryer 20 minutes later, the peed on the sidewalk had frozen!  I thought I'd be frying eggs on the sidewalk here!


I know... GIVE IT SOME TIME!

Apartment life means that I have to get up in the morning and actually walk the dog.   I can't just open the back door and let her roam the yard now.  This morning, I armed myself with 2 coats (one leather, one wool), a pair of leather gloves and a velour hat.  Oh and my turtleneck sweater.  

Did I mention I have always hated turtlenecks because I feel like I'm being choked?

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How COLD is it??




Off to take the kiddies to school this morning.  Temperature was much better than yesterday.  20.  Still cold and the kids are dressed up like Eskimos.  I had to go to our storage to get their big winter coats.  It was cold when we left Georgia so I let them bring them for the trip.  Glad I did because pipes are freezing up around here.  They said the pipe froze while they were at school yesterday.  And guess what?  School was closed today.  I drove all the way on post and the school was CLOSED.  I picked today not to check my Facebook and come to find out, school was closed.  GREAT.


I could have slept in.


How cold is it?

Apparently the post tenants were asked to turn their thermostats down to 55 last night because the post is running out of gas to heat the post.  On the coldest night of the year, they ask you to turn down you heat?  

Kinda glad I'm not living on post yet.  I kinda like it cold at night, but not in the daytime.

What's great is that by Monday, it's suppose to be 69!  So I can't complain because soon enough I'm going to be complaining about the heat!

Trying to get settled in Sierra Vista.

I'm sitting here watching the travel channel show breakfast restaurants around the United States.  I should be doing some catching up on my homework, but instead I'd sitting here in this Extended Stay Hotel room salivating over all of the breakfast food I can't cook while residing in a hotel.  It's torture, I tell you.  You should have seen the size of the cinnamon rolls they serves at a restaurant called The Machine Shed in Iowa! 

The kids had their first day of school yesterday.  They were more than ready to go.  I guess they were a little tired of being cooped up in a room with their parents.  I know I would have been.  The all said they had a great day.  I was so happy to hear that.  Changing schools can be pretty hard, but they seem as if they will adjust just fine.  They all said they made friends on the first day and are so ready to go back on Monday.  Well, I mean Tuesday, as Monday we will be observing Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.  I loved the fact that Miss Missy came home and told me all about Martin Luther King and how he wanted Black people and White people to be friends and how a lady went to jail because she wanted to sit down on the bus and that wasn't fair!

I'm not asking for a Black History 101 course, but a little history at this time of year is great!

So, I bet you're wondering how I'm liking being in Sierra Vista, AZ.

Well, when we drove into Sierra Vista, I have to admit there were tears as I looked towards what looked like the most depressing place ever!

DRY DRY DRY!

Where are the TREES?

Where is the GREEN?

Okay, it's not as bad as it seems. But it's still bad.  We are still in a hotel, as I mentioned earlier, but we should be moving to an apartment for about a month on Wednesday. Then, it's on to military housing.  A brand new 4 bedroom HOUSE.  House is good.  Housing in the past has always been apartments, duplexes or quads.  HOUSE is good! I'll have to post pics it's done being built because these new houses are pretty nice.

There's an alien space craft hovering over Sierra Vista.  It's in the form of a blimp.  The first day we were here, I was like, "Oh Cool!  A blimp!"  The next day, it became creepy and I had to ask what the heck it that thing! I did a little research and found out it is an aerostat drug blimp, used to keep drugs from coming over the Mexican boarder.

Yeah, we're right next to the Mexican Boarder.

Before we moved here, a lady I didn't know came up to me at the school and told me that if I was moving to Ft. Huachuca, I need to get a gun.  Wow!  That's something to tell someone!  Then, last night Hubs told me about a lady who said she lives in a city outside Sierra Vista and that Mexicans that have crossed the boarder would come to her door and ask for water!  She said she'd give them water them call the boarder patrol.

I'm in a whole new world over here.  We're surrounded by mountain and somewhere over that mountain in Mexico.  The sun seems brighter over here.  The skies have been blue since we arrived.

I'm still not sure how to feel about this place, but I'm hoping that it gets better.  Oh, did I mention that the city pretty much closes down at 9pm?  Oh, gosh!  And I thought there was nothing to do in Hinesville!

PS. It's appears that my blog page is the only way I will be seeing and snow!

Seen enough. Take me home!

Okay, I've seen enough of Ft. Huachuca.  Can you take me home, please???

I think that the closer we got to our destination, the worse I started to feel.  It had to be the fact that the closer we got the more depressing the outdoors looked.  Is this nature?  Nature is suppose to be trees and streams and dear with their young following close behind.  The nature here is nothing but dry land.  The birds are even scarce!


We were 25 miles to Sierra Vista and out in the distance I could see the city.

THE. ENTIRE. CITY!

That's when I started to fight back tears... unsuccessfully.  I his them behind the dark shades I was wearing and remained quiet while Hubs babbled on about how much he had to do in the coming days.  All I could think about was WHAT THE HELL HAD I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO? and THERE IS NO WAY MY ALREADY FRACTURED AND BRUISED MARRIAGE WOULD SURVIVE THIS PCS. 

The city is surrounded by mountain, and rock, and cacti.

The guest lodging is Budget Motel quality.  Put me in mind of my teen years when I skipped school and....

Wait, TMI!

Stuck in a 2 bed room with 1 TV, a microwave and a little tiny fridge.  This same size room was denied to us at all of the hotels because of the fire safety policy, so how can it work for the military?  Do they not go by the fire safety policy as every other hotel in the US?

Anywho, once we went "out on the town" for dinner, I felt a little better.  The city itself is not so bad and is actually much bigger than my home town in Georgia, Hinesville.  There's a Mall.  However small, it's still a Mall!  There's a Target, Walmart, Sams, Petsmart... pretty much all of the essentials.

Soon, VERY SOON, I am going to have to find a nail shop!

But I suppose I should concern myself with the small things like getting the kids enrolled in school first, huh?

Today, we're off to find a hotel to stay in.  This is just not going to get it.  1 room, 3 kids, for at least 10 days? no privacy.  No separation.  Nuh un!  I just can't do it!

And please tell me why this cleaning lady is standing in the window with her hands cupped around her face trying to see if we have checked out??  The window is tented and she can't see in without getting close.  See, THIS is why I don't do motels with outside doors and THIS is why the Ft. Huachuca Guesthouse is beneath Budget Inn Quality!

Ready, Set, GO!

Christmas Day has come and gone.  The Kids claimed it to be, "THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!" (as I thought), and I woke up this morning to a complete mess to clean.  We used yesterday as what it was meant for.  A Day Of Rest.

And today it all begins.  I have to sort out things because the movers are coming tomorrow.

Oh, my!

THE MOVERS ARE COMING TOMORROW!

The holiday was great.  I had all of my family under one roof, which doesn't happen often since my parents' divorce.  I have to admit that we put the D in dysfunctional family!  But on Christmas, we were all Just Family.  And that was okay.

The kids were amazed at all of the things that they got for Christmas because Santa brought them things they didn't even ask for, like a 76-key electronic keyboard, which Miss Missy LOVES and we will be putting it to good use with some piano lessons once we are settled in Arizon... which then, I'm sure they will start hating the keyboard, but hey.

There was SOOOOO much stuff.  PS3 games and board games and transformers and Barbies and coloring books and puzzles and stacking cups and microscopes and bug catchers and jewelry...

Today I take down the tree.  I have never taken it down before New Year's.

Today I pack up all of the "takes" and separate from the things that the movers are packing. 

And this week is sure to be a challenge as hold back tears.

We're leaving out First House.  The house we have had for almost 6 years.

We're driving for 6 DAYS with 3 kids to the desert.

We're staying in a hotel until we can find a new home.

We're starting a new life.

READY?  SET?  GO!