Well, we made it! I have to say, I don't think I'd like to make a move halfway across the country ever again. But the ride was pretty smooth, and thanks to God's grace James was a complete angel. It also helped to have my Aunt Martie along for the ride. She spotted me, fed James from the backseat, and pretty much acted as a much-needed live in nanny for us the first few days in our home. We are all now pretty much experts in changing a diaper without ever moving James from the carseat, and James got pretty hooked on unsalted crackers and juice. Thankfully we arrived in town in the afternoon ( a day early, besides)..with enough time to eat at the only restaurant open past 7pm - The Lazy T Tavern. It's a bar/restaurant, and we met some interesting people while we were there, and got the low-down on half the people in the town. But the food was good, and although I was still a bit shocked by the fact that people could smoke inside the building, I was relieved that James was home asleep with my Aunt Martie watching him. Smoky bar + baby = not very happy Mama. So, it all worked out for the best.
The next day was a little crazy. We attempted to set up our phone (which was successful) but internet was a huge problem. Tim's parents and my Aunt were with us so there was a lot of hustle and bustle in the house. Our new neighbors up the street also dropped by to welcome us to the town. They brought us a crock pot of food to make Sloppy Joe's, deviled eggs, and cherry angelfood cake. It was delicious and very nice of them. It had been so long since I'd experienced such hospitality. It was a welcome change.
The next day was spent unpacking and moving yet more heavy items up the stairs. Having a 2 story house is wonderful - but whew! Quite an undertaking when moving. Our internet still wasn't working. And there was still so much we needed to do.
On Friday we finally had a chance to go down to the bank and open up an account there. There are no ATMs, so everything is done inside. Everyone there was really nice, though. We even got free popcorn! Apparently every Friday the bank makes popcorn in their old-fashioned popcorn machine. I couldn't believe this actually still happened somewhere! I felt a deep sense of relief - I was actually beginning to like it here!
Saturday of course was a whirlwind of activities being the 4th of July. We got up at the crack of dawn to make the 2 hour drive to Wichita to drop my Aunt off at the airport. Then from there on to Winfield to spend the day with Tim's family. We had a huge BBQ lunch, topped off by evening fireworks (we get a great view from the parking lot of the high school). James was pretty exhausted, but he made it through the fireworks and finally we both retired for the evening around 10pm.
Sunday we had another BBQ lunch and birthday party for Tim's brother Randy. It was a lot of fun but I was definitely ready to go home and have some quiet time...it had been such a crazy week of go-go-go...I was ready to sleep, sleep, sleep. :-)
Sunday evening we arrived at home and spent our very first night as a family in our home. It was really nice. James has been sleeping beautifully since we moved in and assembled his crib. Hardwood floors agree with him - he hasn't stopped crawling around since we got here. And he's getting fast! Kansas has definitely agreed with James. He is hugging us, kissing us, and now says "Da-da" to Tim. It's been an eventful week!
Monday we took our first trip up to Pratt as a family to go to Wal-Mart. It's a 45 minute drive, which is a bummer. But a very scenic drive, which is nice. The Wal-Mart there is super clean and not even crowded. I love it!
Yesterday the Dish Network guy came and ran a million miles of cable around the house so we could get hooked up in our bedroom. It was worth it. 4 hours later...voila! DVR and cable!!!! My life is complete.
Unfortunately, we never did get our internet to work. So we decided to buy one of those cards you stick in your laptop and you can take anywhere. This is a wonderful invention. Now we have internet no matter where we go in the country. I'll take it!
To top off our day, James took a wonderfully long nap, so he was awake in the evening. It doesn't get dark until 9pm, so we were able to take him to the park with both of us for the first time! The park is literally a one minute walk, and we had the place to ourselves. We're definitely not in Cali anymore!
After we put James to bed, we sat out on our porch, talked and watched the fireflies. There was a warm breeze blowing and we could hear the trees rustling above us. It's so nice to have so much greenery and nature right outside our doorstep. It was a great way to end our first week in Kansas!
