We've Made It!

I can't believe it--we're finally settled at Edwards. Moving out went very smoothly, and everything got packed up and on the truck with no problems.

Evan even got to help!



We arrived Nov. 8, after 7 days of driving and a little bit of time visiting with family, and are very happy to be here. When we got on base and checked in at lodging we were expecting our TLF (temporary living facility) to be just another hotel room, maybe with a kitchenette, but were overjoyed to find that it was more like a two bedroom house--complete with fenced yard, full kitchen and plenty of space to relax. It was such a blessing to be able to be out of hotel rooms!

We only stayed there for a few days, and were able to move into our brand new (literally!) house Nov. 12th. Apparently we're pretty good at moving, because we had everything that needed to be in the house unpacked that day, and as I sit here now, the house is clean (mostly--it's amazing how filthy a house thats never been lived in can be), things are in their places, and the house feels like our home. We are very, very happy.


Mike has slowly been getting acquainted with his job, which is with the 31 TES (Test and Eval Squadron) and does operational testing on aircraft including unmanned aircraft, fighters and bombers. Most likely he'll be working on the B2 bomber , although nobody has really told him yet exactly what he'll be doing, and he's still mostly working on getting his boring inprocessing done.

Evan loves his new house. He seems to really like having so much more space to run around in, (much, much more--I think we've upgraded from having around 700 sq. ft. to a little over 2000 sq. ft!) and he really likes to be able to go off and be by himself. Ithink we all do! Our yard has some grass and a lot of sand, and he has been playing out there quite a bit with all his diggers and dump trucks. I like that it is completely fenced, and I can see him from inside so I know he's safe out there. Cody is enjoying the yard as well!




Edwards is a little remote, but not as bad as everyone made it out to be! There is quite a bit of open desert, but we can see mountains off in the distance which is really nice. To get to the freeway we have to drive for about 30 minutes across desert and a dry lake bed, which is a little weird because there is literally nothing out there. From our house to the kind of things that we might want to get to off-base (Costco, Target, etc.) takes only around 45 minutes, which to us is not bad at all! I don't see why everyone was telling us that everything is so far away (with dramatic emphasis), especially because once you've driven that 45 minutes there are more stores and restaraunts than we even had access to in Massachusetts. Plus, it only takes about two minutes to drive to the commissary and BX on base, so you won't hear me complaining!

All in all, we are pretty excited to be here, and for the most part, Edwards has exceeded our expectations. And yeah, it is exceptionally sunny here and the sky is blue beyond belief. Ha!


So, all is beyond well here. On another exciting note, we are planning on driving to the Corvallis area for Thanksgiving, and we can't wait to be home for a bit! We haven't figured out what days we'll be there yet, but we are definitely coming! Yay!


Also, I'll send out change of address cards as soon as I have the time to sit down and do it. :)

busy busy busy

Note: I don't feel like writing about these pictures, but want to put them on here anyway, so I'm just going to place random pictures throughout this post. Enjoy!

Hello! We are in a whirlwind of activity in the Smith household. The other day we were driving from errand to errand in the car and Evan was in the backseat telling me that we were "busy busy". With only about a week and a half before our big move, we certainly are!

We have a lot to do, but we are really looking forward to our move to Edwards. Especially since it snowed here yesterday, and I think it's still in the 70's and 80's there. Ha! See ya New England!

We are very thankful that movers are coming to pack up and take all of our things, and are mainly focusing on cleaning, organizing, and getting rid of things that don't need to move 3,000 miles with us. While trying to keep life as normal as possible for Evan. The movers will come on the 28th and 29th, and then we will stay on base until the 1st, so Evan can go trick-or-treating. He's going to be a construction worker, and he is very excited. On the 1st, we head out on our road trip! We are planning on taking 7 or 8 days to drive out to California, and hopefully they'll be short ones--around 6 hours.

We haven't been assigned housing yet, so the most challenging thing right now is deciding what we need to bring with us. We could be living in military lodging for a while (I have our room booked for a month-- hopefully we won't need it nearly that long), and even when we do get housing, you can never be quite sure when you'll get your household goods delivered. Needless to say, we need to make sure we pack lightly, but have everything we need to keep us sane for a month or so. I'm feeling optimistic that it won't be that long.

Because of all of this craziness, and the fact that we won't have our computer or a lot of internet access for the forseeable future, I have to warn you that I will not be blogging for awhile. Once we get moved into our house and settled, I'll be back! See you in a month or so. (hopefully less than two!)

By the way, everything is going great with the baby! She's moving around and kicking like crazy, and I am feeling pretty darn good.

Also, it's snowing again.

Guess what...

We're having a girl! I knew it.

Obviously we would've been perfectly happy either way, but we're pretty excited for a girl. Now I can start knitting.

Yay for promotions!

Congratulations Captain Smith!

You've paid your dues as an LT--and we're so proud!

In other news...

We finally found out when and where we are moving! We will be moving to Edwards AFB, California November 1st. We can't wait!
Edwards is in the Mojave desert, about 100 miles NE of LA. It will be hot and dry, and we are looking forward to the different landscape, climate and--we imagine--culture. We've enjoyed our stay in Massachusetts, but we are definitely ready to experience another part of the country.

Edwards is tasked with flight testing, among other things, and sometimes the space shuttle lands there when it needs to. Mike will (most likely) be with the 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron, which, um, tests bombers or something. Maybe. I would love to be able to say that I'm not allowed to tell you what he'll be doing, but really I just don't know.

They have a really cool patch though. Skull and crossbones--can't beat that!

So we are pleased. The timing of the move couldn't be better, with the baby due in February, and we're glad that Evan will get to go trick-or-treating with his friends and neighbors one more time before we leave. Now we just sit back and wait for the movers to come. Acutally I will be obsessively cleaning and getting rid of things, but other than that, just waiting!

Make it go away...

So, last night Cody got sprayed by a skunk. What a terrible experience. I'll tell you what--in close proximity, fresh skunk spray does not smell like what you think it smells like. It smells much, much, worse. Much worse. Unfortunately, the skunk sprayed directly underneath our bedroom window, so the smell simultaneously entered the house through the front door (thank you Cody) and the back windows.

Mike did a wonderful job of washing Cody with laundry detergent--which apparently works really well because Cody smells very pleasantly of Dreft now. I think the skunk might have sprayed more at him than on him, but he absolutely brought it into the house with him. I left all the doors and windows open today, and have been obsessively spraying febreeze in the air, but I think we're just going to have to be patient.

Did I mention that this happened around 12:30 last night? Or that it's really hard to sleep in a house that smells like fresh skunk ick? Yep. Good times in the Smith house. Luckily, Evan slept peacefully through it all, and his room is odorless. Maybe we should've slept in there!

Also, I know I'm being overly dramatic...but keep in mind that I am pregnant and

1) am allowed to be dramatic, and

2) everything smells terrible to me anyway, let alone things that actually do smell terrible. Of which I am keenly aware of.

I wish I had taken a picture of Cody and his pathetic self during his rigorous 30 minute bath last night, but I couldn't find the camera. Of course!

Now broadcasting from...

...our new computer! Oh i'm so happy. Right now, I am typing on a keyboard that has all of it's keys. Crazy, I know. We were a little worried about getting a new computer, with Evan's grabby little fingers around, but our setup seems to be safe and mildly Evan-proof so we are quite pleased with ourselves.

More importantly, a lot has been going on around here! First, we had Evan's 2nd birthday, during which great fun was had by all. We had some friends over, and Evan had some friends over, and we ate lots of cake.

mmm. Hot dogs and strawberries. Best birthday ever!

When we asked Evan what his favorite part of the day was, he said blowing out the candles (more or less).

Mike got him a little tool set, which he has been playing with non-stop since he got it. He especially likes to "fix" all his tractors and trucks, and he even knows which tool is which! Daddy's little helper. He is pretty much over the moon with all his new birthday toys.

Also, my girlfriend Jeanine came to visit and we had a blast. We got fabulous haircuts and spent a lot of time shopping, so it was a good trip. We (and Evan) spent a wonderful day at the beach, and the water was warm enough to swim in--Evan loved jumping in the waves and he made a bunch of friends there. I think we're getting spoiled with this warm beach business.

In other news...we're going to have another baby! It's due February 24, and Evan says he wants a baby sister. I don't think he knows what that means though, because when we ask him if he wants a girl or a boy he says "boy". We will be happy with whatever we have, but we are definitely excited to find out--we have an ultrasound scheduled for September 25. I'm feeling like myself again (although slightly larger), and things are good in the Smith Household!