Home is where the Air Force sends us

It has been a crazy and tiresome week in Alamogordo New Mexico, but I am SO glad it happened. We have learned many things.. like: 
1. Kyle will get an amazing tan here. 
2. Poor Gunner and I, however, will be smelling like sunblock for the next 1-? years.
3. Transition lenses are a must.
4. Gypsum sand will get in your shoes if you even dare to look at it.
5. The water here makes even sweet tea unbearable... and our choice in restaurants will inevitably be based on who has the best water filter installed.
6. The people here are awesome, inviting, and polite... and I am so excited about making friends here.
       There are many events from this week that I could talk about, but for an update I want to focus on my 3 main goals for the trip...

 On Sunday, after lots of deliberation I decided to take a chance and visit Cloudcroft church of Christ about 30 minutes up the mountain. It is nearly impossible to research congregations in the area because they are small, keep to themselves, and have almost no online or social media presence at all. I was nervous about using my one chance to blindly attend a church I knew so little about, but I went with my gut and it worked out. The drive was breathtaking, the members were wonderful, and the scripture was sound. After church every Sunday, many of the members stay in the building for lunch and a more informal 10 minute devo presented by one of the men. We were invited to join them in food and fellowship... but as we circled up to pray for the meal laid out at the other end of the room, I realized that Gunner had broken away and was wandering by the tables. Suddenly I was holding hands with bowing strangers, and didn't want to break away, so I kept one eye on Gunner... who very nonchalantly walked over to the potluck table and got a styrofoam plate (which was actually 3 stacked together). I had to quietly let go of the hands I was holding and make my way across the circle just as Gunner was helping himself to a GIGANTIC scoop of casserole. Quite a few members of the congregation saw everything and died laughing. Gunner makes a great first impression. :)

  I had a few leads to follow up on with finding a house, but was feeling anxious because nothing felt like a sure thing. The rent here is driven way way up thanks to the German Air Force getting paid more than us.. so we get stuck paying more for pretty crummy living quarters. One house that I thought would be reasonable turned out to look way smaller in person, and need lots of TLC that I wasn't sure it would ever get from the landlord. ..Another house was too expensive and would never be ready in time. Thankfully, a chance I took a couple of months ago actually paid off in a big way. I won't go into the lengthy explanation, but I will say that 1.)It never hurts to ask, even if you think they will laugh in your face 2.)Being thorough beats being lazy every time, and 3.)Apparently being polite and courteous to people in times of great stress make you memorable to them and they might end up helping you out anyway.

  My last big project of the week was to try and determine the best place to have this baby. I had 3 hospital options and needed to research induction methods, birthing suites, quality of care, visiting policies, NICU protocol, and ease of travel to and from the location. I visited the hospital closest to our new neighborhood, hoping that they would let me peek into one of the empty rooms, and a nurse surprised me by giving me a full tour and answering all of my questions. She put my mind at ease about so many things and was genuinely interested in knowing my history, due date, birth plan, and discussing possible scenarios. I will definitely be making an appointment at that hospital as soon as possible to get the ball rolling towards having this baby, because I really don't have much time left!

  Tomorrow we will be making our way back to Arkansas where Gunner and I will sit and twiddle our thumbs until we FINALLY get to pick up Kyle!!! We are so excited and can barely stand it. An arrival date has yet to be determined but it will be soon!! SO happy!

More updates to come on this crazy adventure!!