We're trying to find a new norm, now that all of our household items are here & we're unpacked... JC should start his job in earnest next week (he's been on permissive TDY to get our household business squared away, which has been nice, don't get me wrong, but...) ... and I think we're ALL ready!  :p

Hannah started school, and is doing as well as to be expected.  Socially, she's sound.  Academically, she's getting there.  This school seems pretty advanced, and she's clamoring to catch up to where these kids are, learning all the lingo and the teacher's processes, but I feel confident that she'll continue to do great.  She's riding the bus for the first time ever, and loves it.  She is antsy to get out of the house in the morning to walk to the bus stop alone... I can see it from our front windows, so she's not REALLY alone, but shhhhh.... don't tell her!  :)

And then there's Ian... he will start part-day pre-K this Friday at the CDC here on post... it's going to cost a bit of money, but how much is my sanity worth... really.  :p  He needs the interaction with other children, and I need the time to rest or clean or whatever else I can come up with.  I'm ready!  :)

So, there ya go!  We're "Home Sweet Home" finally, and can't wait to venture out more in this absolutely gorgeous part of America!

So we've been in Maryland for exactly 5 days... and you might be saying, "How on Earth could you have had enough time to collect preliminary thoughts on your new locale??"

We haven't had phone, internet, or cable TV in those 5 days, people.  We've explored.  We've experienced.  We've stared all agog at the Marylanders in their prime, and have laughed and/or cried at their antics.  Trust me.  We've had plenty of time to develop thoughts.  :p

First, I must brag on my family... it is no easy feat to drive two vehicles, slogged down with the "absolute necessities" that you don't want the packers to take away and/or they aren't authorized to move (such as the toiletries, batteries, & light bulbs of your life), with 2 children.  I kept whispering to myself, "Thank God we don't have pets!  Thank God we don't have pets!" as we sped through the 8 states & 3 days it took to get to here.  It could've been horrendously excruciating... after all, Ian's only been potty-trained for a short 5 months & Hannah's NEVER been known for her quiet traveling skills.  We managed, though, and they were FANTASTIC.  I tried to make the trip as fun as I could for Hannah, who is now old enough to appreciate things... one bright spot was when we were leaving Springfield, MO on our 2nd day of travel and she read a sign that said, "Come visit our Vacuum Museum!" She read it aloud, and I said, "Hannah, we'd totally go there, but I heard it sucks."  *rimshot*  She didn't get my joke, of course, 'til she thought about it a second... but I guarantee you that she'll remember it and use it on her friends.  ;)

So, I digress.  We were trucking along and doing fine... yes, we took our time to get here, but that was intentional since we didn't know how well they'd wind up doing, AND it is EXHAUSTING to drive that far!!  I don't know how truck drivers do it (well, I KNOW how they do it, since my daddy was one back in the day, but... anywho)... we pulled into Frederick mid-afternoon on the 3rd day after experiencing the most beautiful, yet excruciating descent from the Alleghenies (I guess that's what they were... haven't really filled myself in on ALL the geographic points in the area)... we checked into a motel and immediately set out to see what was going on... this town was founded in 1745, which baffles me... BEFORE the nation was a nation!  Therefore, the streets in the historic downtown area are | this wide | which is slightly harrowing when your husband is driving his big ole Texas truck in front of you... :p

We have yet to truly explore Frederick proper, aside from putting our GPS to use in trying to locate this kind of business, or that... but we have done things like hopped into the Kia and gone to Gettysburg, just 'cause we could... hopped on a train and gone into DC, just 'cause we could...

I tell ya, it's surreal to be so close to history.

But it's not all peaches and roses.  For one thing, the Marylanders (I wonder if that's really what they're called??  I say it because it's funny, not because it's accurate!) drive like maniacs.  Even though we're in a relatively calm part of the state, in the sticks, even, they're all balls to the wall when it comes to getting from point A to point B.  I find my "German road aggression" coming back to play... not that I'm unsafe, not that I'm feeling road ragey... I'm just more aggressive.  It's kill or be killed out here, after all!  We're amused with the level of obviousness to the road signs, too.  There are signs that are so specific, they're amusing.  "Left Turn Yield on Red. Left Turn Permitted After Stop" is probably my favorite... but there are others that I can't get in my head right now... It's also amusing how we can go from literally driving in an urban setting to farmland, complete with cows, in a matter of blocks.  Hannah's school is one of those areas... pretty, prim, and proper respectable neighborhood, next door to moo-cows.  :p

All-in-all, though, we're enjoying our new digs and our new surroundings. We're happy that there's tons to do on the fly, especially since JC is one of those "I'm bored" types... we have learned, though, that Ian is still a little too young to enjoy the urban exploration/history lessons that our area offers, so we're going to have to tag-team those excursions a little bit.

Our household goods arrive on Wednesday, and then I'll be swimming in paper and boxes and furniture... can't wait.  My house looks like a refugee camp with all the air mattresses and folding furniture.  :p

I lied... I said you were not going to hear from me 'til I was in Maryland, but I'm still in Texas.  I forgot to update on the whole carpet cleaning charge debacle from move-out at Ft. Hood.  We were very upset about it, but as it turned out, we only owed $59.  Score.  Some times things DO work out.  :p

PCS Leave...

We're currently on PCS leave, and  mere days away from our trek to Maryland... while I don't look forward to the drive, I am ready to get to our new house and begin life anew!!

You just don't know how much the "things" in your life contribute to your overall happiness 'til you're not around them!  I want to make jewelry, but don't have my stuff to do it, and am fighting my urge to go buy new stuff to make it with!  :p

Next time you hear from me, I'll be a Marylander by name, but still a Texan through-and-through!