Moving In, Time With Friends

I took my sweet time after we were done with training on Thursday the 26th. Cleaning up took a while, and then I had to eat too... more salad at Ruby Tuesday's for a late lunch... then I headed out to Little Creek Rd and found a respectable auto care center for getting my oil changed. They needed it for over an hour, so I took care of a few things while I waited. Across the street was the furniture store that had the dresser I wanted. Went in and purchased it. Then I had some dinner next door at "Cagney's American Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor" with "Old Country Cook'n". Their menu is much like Cracker Barrel, but without the country store. Had chicken and dumplings, and a small scoop of strawberry ice cream. I loved their decor... they had a model train running on an elevated track around the room... and they were big into old movie posters. :) Before returning to get the car, I stopped at a couple of nearby thrift stores too. A busy evening!

The big day was Friday the 27th! I couldn't get off the ship fast enough, even though we were let out early, I was so excited! Went straight to the housing office at my branch a little early for my "pick up the key" meeting. Only had to wait a few minutes, and then I was signing the final form, getting my pool passes, getting the info packet, and walking out the door with my keys. Checked out the house with the agent, arranged for a new toilet seat and for the lawn to be mowed... and then I changed after she left in order to go to Wing King in Virginia Beach to say good-bye to Glen (STG2) who just left the ship for the last time. Hung out for about an hour, then stopped by a Walmart for a shower curtain, bathmat, and things of that nature.

Then it was time to go pick up the U-Haul truck. Deja-Vu - learning to drive on our old 1970s GMC suburban (nicknamed "Blueberry") around the year 2000. Took me a while to get used to feeling out the right place in the lane as I drove with traffic... Thankfully, I used highways instead of I-64 while I went to get the furniture. Picked up the sofa, love-seat and table/chairs (new in box) on Virginia Beach Blvd, then swung by Freedom Furniture on Little Creek Rd. for the dresser. Didn't take long at all... but the guy who said he'd help me unload the truck at my house got confused about what time I needed him... and was unavailable. I picked up a load from my self-storage, unloaded it, then managed to find neighbors to help me unload the big stuff. It was a huge relief to be done with it all (after I returned the truck on time a few minutes later); I got a little emotional as I talked to Mike that night (partly because the Internet wasn't working either), but it made me feel a whole lot better to talk to him. Took a wonderful first shower in my new home, then fell asleep for the first time on a very comfy queen mattress of my own.

Saturday was neat! Spent the morning working on getting the table and chairs assembled. Very easy to figure out, it just took time with there being 5 big pieces. Also sorted out the mess of stuff from storage, looking for dishes... to no avail. Did a lot of sweeping up, and figured out what was wrong with the Internet after I finally called Cox... I typed the code in too early, and I was missing a coaxial cable. Before heading out to stay the night with friends in the country, I picked up another load from self-storage.

Kristin was best friends with my oldest sister back in the late 90s. She got baptized at our church and even lived with us for a while. She recalled watching WENN with us even, so it was easier to tell her about how I fell in love with Mike. :) She and her husband have a beautiful house, way out in the country. Took me about 40 minutes to get there. They were having a photographer come over that evening for new pictures for their adoption profile. I was able to help out, blocking the afternoon sunshine from their faces with a lighting screen. Dinner was an excellent beef pot roast and yummy veggies... and then Kristin and I had a couple fruity drinks on the porch as we talked and watched the sunset. Came inside, had another round, as well as some ice cream as we watched the first episode of John Adams. Sweet fun! Was very tired though... even fell asleep on chat later on!

Sunday we went to their church together (great sermon about the Lord's ultimate power over evil), and then had lunch at a southwestern burrito place very similar to Chipotle, called Moe's. Then I drove home, unpacked the load I picked up the day before, figured out the Internet (because I got a cable at Walmart on the way home), and then made my way downtown for the Norfolk Tides baseball game. Gosh, only $20 tickets, $5 parking across the street... and a beautiful stadium. Much smaller, of course, but I liked the atmosphere much better then at the Majors. It certainly helped that it was a good game... they led 7-2 by the end of the 2nd inning! Final score was Tides 8, Bulls 7, in a nearly-blown save in the ninth. But what fun! I had a hotdog, some popcorn and a big lemonade in a collectible Tides cup. Oh, and it only takes me 15 minutes to get there from home too. :)

Monday afternoon and evening (last night), I worked on getting the coffee table and bookcase put together. Had to get a a screwdriver at the NEX in order to finish... and that ended up taking more time than I thought. Got stuff for washing the dishes, a couple pans for baking, and a garden hose to clean out my very dirty garbage bin sometime. The people who lived here before didn't take care of everything. Had dinner at "Firehouse Subs" at the NEX food-court, and when I got home (around 8ish) I finished up with my furniture.

Whew! This upcoming weekend, I think I'll take it easy!
Jw