MERRY CHRIST-MASS!
May Christ’s peace and blessings be with you all. If you feel alone this Christmas, head to the depths of your heart. He is waiting there for you whenever you’re ready for Him.
Here’s an extra smile for you. Imagine our doggie in the upper right hand corner of this photo. She likes to put her head through the bars of our stairwell and lick our lampshade. Don’t ask why…..
Welcome to Wright-Patt…
Last week, I ventured out of my tiny home across the street to sign in at the hospital with Caity. We have our first appointment this Thursday. Now let me explain a little to you so you can understand what a HUGE base we’re at. When you drive into the hospital area it has 8 parking lots and the entryway looks like an airport. It has a 30 foot inner ceiling and huge TV screens on the walls that look like arrival/departure information screens, but no… Instead it’s got doctor names and lit up in order are the different appointments. You can see the appointment time blinking when they’re ready for you. Kinda sounds like they’d be overdoing it, but it’s so huge and there were so many people that it actually makes a lot of sense. Each area has at least two check in desks and two huge waiting rooms apiece. I went to the check-in desk to make an appointment for Caitlyn. (we couldn’t call because we didn’t know the number, but that’s a whole ‘nother story.)
As I explain to the receptionist about the reason we moved and signed Caitlyn up as a patient, this woman at the next desk over is going “buck-wild” (I love that word) at the poor receptionist she’s speaking to. Something about her son needing a doctors note for missing school even though he never saw the doctor that day. Apparently the receptionist she spoke to didn’t tell her what she wanted to hear. The ecstatic woman had heard my conversation with my receptionist and that I didn’t know the number for the appointment line. She pulls out a business card and wrote the appointment line number on it. She shoves herself in between me and the check-in window and thrusts the card into my hand. She puts her finger on the number and says,
“That’s the number you call so you don’t have to come all the way down here. They can’t help worth a darn anyway. Welcome to friggin’ Wright-Patterson…“ And with that- she stormed off. The two receptionists looked at each other and then turned, staring wide-eyed at me. I shrugged my shoulders and said “Next!” out loud for next waiting patient to step up to the check-in desk. =)
Now how about the phone scenario? Well, our cell phones are on roaming, so we’ve been using them minimally until we get our home phone set up. I had no idea what companies even *provide* local service. So I had Mom and Mom-in-law do a little research and we made some phone calls but all the companies we called stop providing service about a block from our house. great…
So I call the housing office asking how I can go about getting a phone book to call the local phone companies. The housing man *seriously* said
“Well, when you sign up with the phone company, they’ll provide you with a phone book.“
Me – *blinks* “Um, but I don’t know how to call them….?”
Him – “Well, hon, they’ve got their number listed in the phone book.”
Me – *blinks* “Uhhhh…..”
Him – “Oh!”
=)
Poor Dew’s been getting up at 6 am everyday for training and such. Now that might not sound like an early time to some of you 8am – 5pm’ers, but this boy is used to going to bed just minutes before you wake up because he’s been playing video games all night. =)So the first few days we here, we noticed a flood every time we used the washing machine.We decided to turn off the washing machine’s water and call maintenance for the problem. So the next day, they said they’d be over around 2:30pm. I took a shower around one and came down to a flooded hallway and washroom.As it turns out, the main drain outside was jammed, so anywhere there was a drain, the water from upstairs was coming downstairs and out any opening it could find. I called maintenance frantically when I also discovered my kitchen was sopping. The man who came was so nice and understanding about my spazzing. Then after he left I realized I hadn’t told him about our whistling toilet.Yep, you read it right.My toilet upstairs whistles when you flush the downstairs toilet. It doesn’t stop until you open up the top of the tank and jiggle the little thingy inside.
Actually, I think Derek yelled at it once *really really* loudly and it stopped. He thinks he’s Superman now. (but Batman’s better)
We’re (born to be) alive!
There’ll be more of a post in two days or less, my hands are full of baby right now. =)
Speaking of whom, guess who has her two front teeth? *tee hee!* We’re safe and alive in our new house. I have some really funny stories to share with you, but they’re all written out on my computer at home. We’re currently in Indiana at the In-law’s house and the versions of the stories I’ve written at home are quite humorous. We officially got internet 15 minutes before we left town, so when we get back to Ohio, we WILL be able to keep in contact.
Happy Birthday Aunt Syndi! Happy Birthday Daddy! Chels, I miss you and I just got a phone number so call me when you get a minute. Claru, I’m SO glad you updated! Bobby, GOOD! You deserve better than Linda and George’s BS. You’ve been too faithful for the way they were treating you. Kelly Marie I heart you! Wendeho, when you get a minute, call me so I can tell you something. =)
Okay, our new home number is 937-879-4017. For whatever reason it shows up with the last name of Rieker on caller ID. (we’re working on it) Call us when you want to talk, we’ll hang up on ya and call you back. (because our long distance is free)
Tonight we had karaoke in the living room. They have this little machine and it was a BLAST. I called my Mommy at home while Bohemian Rahpsody was blaring in the background with 4 people shrieking along and she thought I was crazy. (and I’m not denying that I might just be…) I sang obnoxiously loud right along side Dew’s Momma and Sister Ally. When Derek and I first got married I was wondering how Mr. Quiet-and-Shy was ever going to survive around me. Now I see he’s grown up with women just like me throughout his whole life. I love this family!
Also, we spent all afternoon helping Mom-in-law and Pappy-in-law find a new couch. I’ve discovered a super hip shop called “Ashley’s Megastore Gallery”. Apparently it’s a chain and I’m not sure that all the stores are as hip as this one. However, they have one in the suburb of Fairborn(that’s where we technically live) and I might become a frequent shopper. One whole wall in their store was this huge light up red panel. It was COOL. If I win the lottery, I’ll just buy the store and live there. (I could jump on all the beds!) Then I’ll wait until each of you leave your homes and redecorate a room for you. It’ll be just like the home and garden shows where they come home and if they like it- great! If they don’t like it- HAHA! Too bad! We already changed it!!!
Okay, call me. We’ll be home late Sunday, so don’t call till Monday. Love you!
Talk to You Later
We’re off to build our new house. We won’t have internet or phone for awhile, but as soon as we have access again, you’ll hear from us. We leave at 5am and have to be there in time for the mover at 8 am. (that gives us an extra hour in case we hit traffic). So be happy and miss us. We really love you all so much.
Almost Wednesday
On Wednesday we’ll be moving into our new house. I’m excited but nervous. I know it’s silly to get nervous because the movers do *everything* and all I have to do is “supervise”. (meaning kick back and watch) But it happens everytime. I get a nervous feeling in my tummy and snap at my poor husband. (he’s so patient and understanding. He knows I’m quite neurotic.) I suppose I have “Monica” syndrome. (you know, from Friends?) I feel the need to control everything that isn’t within my power to control. Okay, so I’m crazy. the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. =)
Our new address is :
Derek and Amanda Williams
901 Chestnut Circle
Dayton,Ohio 45433
Assuming we get our Christmas cards unpacked, I fully intend to send them out. We also have to uncover our address book. If both items aren’t found with a reasonable mailing date, I will send you each a loving email and will profusely apologize for the lack of physical letter. (thank you for your understanding!)
As for day to day life? Well, Chelsea (sister-in-law) has had her boyfriend Allen over lately and he’s a gamer geek too. So we played Guitar Hero until our finger tips almost bled. Then played Dance Dance Revolution until my still freshly sliced open foot bled and throbbed. (I hate my need to win) We bought the “Scene It?” Friends game and pitted boys against girls. Girls won (3 times) and got me a bad reputation as a pain-in-the-ass winner. I kinda tend to get overly excited. I had the feeling Chelsea was going to throw me out of the room a few times. Fortunately I redeemed myself by making homemade chocolate chip cookies. I’m still doing the Special K diet and the portions really aren’t that small to me. I drink a cup of coffee before hand and it takes away most of my appetite. However, the girls up here make heavenly potatoes and my three (yeah, count em… THREE) servings sorta put a damper on my weight loss progress. Oh well. My husband thinks I’m hot. =)
I love you all. (so much)
PS, Mary Ann, if you read this: I can’t send you emails, your email account keeps sending them back to me. Get a different email address!!!!
PPS, Kelly Marie, I now know why you stopped posting that you were going to do a half hour of DDR. It’s a BUTT KICKER!
Hobos No More
Yesterday we went to Ohio and picked out a house on our new base. It’s 3 bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms and a den. It’s a nice layout , however the rooms are all pretty darn small. The neighborhood is pretty nice and we picked the one with the nicest yard and a pretty evergreen bush. The downside?
The interior is U – G – L – Y!
The walls are standard white and the floors are the standard linoleum/ spotted tile, but all the cabinetry is a dark particle board that has been abused and not resurfaced. It’s all flat and scratched and since it’s a really dark stain, it makes the room look horrible. The lightswitch covers have been painted over one too many times and then had the paint scratched as well. Dew and I have to live here for two years. Oh joy! However, we’ve both got really high hopes for this little “fixer-upper”. The base has a “self-help” store with a variety of household replacements we can pick up for free, and trust me, I fully intend to. The funny thing is, these houses are supposedly a few years newer than the one wee lived in at the Montana base and they seem dingier. Oh well, Dew and I are in a safe neighborhood with free heating and cooling and all the security we could ever hope for, so we can’t complain. The *good* news is there’s a beautiful stiarcase that goes upstairs. It’s really not anything fancy, it just overlooks the living room and has a landing at the halfway point. It was the reason I picked this floorplan. The bathrooms are really small and the countertops are really REALLY old. So I probably won’t be taking any pictures until we fix a few things and put up our decorations to hide most of the “ugly.” =)
We have a third bedroom that we’ll set up as the guest bedroom for family to come visit. So if you’re ever in Ohio, come on over! We get the keys and get to move all of our stuff in on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, I just stepped on a large piece of metal off of one of the doggie cages and have sliced a big chunk of skin off my foot. It’s throbbing and I think I might barf… Glad you can share in my pain.
Love to all
Drop a Jean Size
I’ve been trying to keep active lately to continue with my weight loss progress. It wasn’t going so well… So I forced myself to go on a couple of 2 mile walks. I caught a cold….. Didn’t lose a pound, just gained a cold. A week long cold… So during Thanksgiving I was miserable and trying so hard to be happy around the family. They were all so good to me.
Anyhow, I came across the Special K diet. By eating their Special K cereal for two meals a day for two weeks, you can “drop a jean size in two weeks!” I’m not sure that I have the patience to eat the exact same food for two meals a day for two weeks…. But I’m getting kinda desperate. Especially since I’m still not well enough to go for walks in the chilly morning. Don’t get me wrong, the strawberry cereal is *delicious* and maybe if I was at home without all this yummy family home cooking, I could succeed easier… But they make all their meals here from scratch and they cook a *million* times better than I do. And honestly, what woman wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to eat a meal she didn’t have to cook?
Anyhow, I’m really going to try to be faithful. Unfortunately, my favorite treat shop is up here, Ritters Frozen Custard. Imagine a little slice of heaven covered in strawberry sauce for only two dollars. That’s the glory of Ritters. If I had a couple thousand dollars I would *seriously* open a shop in San Angelo. (believe me, I already checked on their investment opportunities)The best part is they are open all winter. Yeah! Oh wait… diet… Boooo…..
This is crap! When did I go from being able to eat anything I wanted without gaining a pound, to having to count calories? I’ll let you know of my progress, if any.(Darn you Ritters!) The two week diet ends December 11th.
We’re here!
We made it safely to Indiana and as luck would have it, it finally stopped raining on the day we arrived. (the forecast predicted rain all week. I’m not stupid, I’m sure it’ll start up the second I leave the house for a walk.
Grandma Williams was on a business trip and wasn’t scheduled to arrive until the following day….. but since the rain stopped, the smell of baby wafted it’s wayto her nose. She was home with us within two hours of our arrival. Caitlyn must’ve sensed an approaching Grandma because she refused to go to bed until she’d been appropriately hugged and thoroughly kissed.Then with just a pat on the back she was out cold. Derek’s half our effort to soothe her was nothing in comparison to the touch of a Grandma.
Anyhow, she’s being held as we speak and probably won’t be put down until the next time we speakl.
Derek’s decided to wait for awhile before we go get our house in Ohio. (sadness) I understand why he feels that way. The longer we wait to get the house, the longer the military will allow him to look for one. Meaning he might be in training for Christmas, thus having it off to be with family. I really want my home decorated in time for Christmas. We’ve been listening to Rat Pack Christmas since two weeks before Halloween. RIght now I’m listening to Celtic Christmas “I’ll be Home For Christmas.” Isn’t it silly the little things that make your heart feel home sick? I love you Mom and Memaw.
Okay, that’s all the update for now. Love to all.
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