Settling In

About time I update you all on my settling in process.

First - the weather here has been great. It's cloudy in the morning until about noon and then the sun comes out. At night it's usually down in the 50's and then by the afternoon it's up to the 60's or 70's. This weekend is supposed to be a hot one though - almost to the 90's! Doesn't sound too bad for those of you back home in Virginia who are enduring the 100 degree temperatures, but we don't have air conditioning here, so 90 degrees isn't pleasant.

Second - I have really enjoyed experimenting with cooking! Last night I made Tammy's "Little Cheddar Meatloaves" and Aunt Nancy's "President Reagan's Favorite Mac & Cheese." Both were a huge success and a big hit with Luke and his roommate. The night before I made Creamy Chicken Enchiladas which so far are Luke's favorite. Tonight I am making Mary's Mexican Vegetable Soup, which I know won't be half as good as when Mary makes it!

The downside to all this cooking is the cleaning up. It's not too bad but I feel like all I do every day is cook, do dishes, switch laundry, and put things away. Not too bad, but I can see how after years of this, I might go insane.

Now, the only reason I've been doing all the cooking and cleaning is that I haven't been working HOWEVER.... I got hired to nanny for a family on post with two little boys. I am looking forward to actually waking up and heading to work every morning. I didn't think I'd miss working, but I do. I start nannying on Monday and will probably be with this family through the school year. I am also going to add my name to the substitute teacher lists in the area so that on my days off I can make a little extra money at the schools!

This Sunday I move in with the Hickok family. They live in Puyallup - about 25-30 minutes from Luke and my job on post. The drive won't be pleasant (I'll have to leave the house by 7AM), but I am really looking forward to spending some time with the Hickok's. They have gone above and beyond in generosity and there's no way to thank them enough.

On Monday, Luke and I start our pre-marital counseling with Pastor Ron Kearns at New Hope Community Church in Lakewood. Last Sunday, Luke and I went to church there, but were 30 minutes late, so we may have missed a decent chunk of the singing and sermon. On our way to church, Luke's car was making an awful noise, almost like a helicopter was hovering over us. I thought it might be a flat tire so we got out and checked, but it wasn't. Luke said his tire was loose and shaky so we turned around, took the car to Jiffy Lube and took my car. I was determined to make it to church, so we went even though we were late. We talked to Pastor Ron after church and set up pre-marital counseling and were really blown away by the welcome we received. We're both really looking forward to spending more time getting to know our new church family.

Luke's mom and brother arrive a week from today. We're both really excited to see them and explore the area together. We are planning trips to Tacoma, Olympia, Seattle, the San Juan Islands, and some other little places around here. Should be fun! There will definitely be a blog post updating everyone on our explorations!

For now, I should go get some fresh air. The sun finally came out and I want to go for a walk... maybe even a jog... around this beautiful neighborhood. Have a great weekend, everyone!