we made it!

600 miles traveled,

10+ hours in the car,

4 restless (understandably) children,

1 wife who promised to stay up with her husband but ended up snoozing by mile 5,

3 different stops for gas, bathroom break, and food,

2 showings of Rio on the car dvd player,

11 chapters read on the ipad...

but....

WE MADE IT TO UH-GIN-YA!!! (that's how Jack says Virginia)

I'm beat and a little deflated as the search for a place to live is not going at all like we had hoped, so I'm just going to share the thoughts that are bouncing around this head of mine. You can thank me later.

....the Norfolk area is a a crazy big military spot. And the bases are so odd and not what I am used to. Instead of one big base with 4 or 5 entrances, there are 824 smaller bases, each with multiple points of entry. Even with a map and a husband who speaks to me verrrrrrry sloooooooowly using hand gestures, I am so lost.

....the military housing process could use some serious streamlining. We have been told 15 different things by 5 different people, each conflicting with the information we heard before, all employed at the same place. We finally found a person that knows her stuff AND gave me her direct line (AWESOME!!!), but got some bad news as far as when we can expect a home. Soooooo, if any of you have a house to rent in the greater Norfolk area that's within the BAH for an E6 with dependents, HOLLA!

....I want to be a cotton farmer. (so long as the farming does not happen until 8am) Or anything farmer that lets me have loads of unspoiled land so my kids can explore for days and days and all I can see is green growth and blue sky. 

....I owe my kids a really great fun day after all this. They were good in the car, they have been good as we've driven around to check out schools and homes in the area, and they've been good as we sat to fill out paper work, make necessary phone calls, and stopped at offices to take care of business. After running around all day, we are now signing our name on stacks of paper taller than me, and they are contently sitting on the couch in the hotel watching a movie. (I stopped to get their sweet faces)

....Norfolk is expecting Fall to arrive on Friday, which means the boots and sweaters I brought get to come out of the suitcase! Get excited!!

.....we are keeping our minds open to different possibilities this winter- about where we will live, what we need to get by, the things we want in our lives and what we can live without, how our children are educated, and whether we want to pursue other goals. 2012 might well be a foundation-shaking year for the Nelsons.

.....Bridesmaids is available for rent in iTunes!?!?! Woot!!! So that means tonight is gonna be paperwork, Panera, the indoor hotel pool, and now a movie. If I can talk my husband into a back rub, tonight will get 5 big sparkly stars!

.....my husband looks really cute when he is concentrating.

.....I love military families. Really. Today when we were searching for a home we found some that we really really like, and there is a park right next to them. We took the kids out of the car to play and burn some energy and I met a sweet woman who lived in the housing we want to get. I asked her a couple questions and she invited me in to show me around and gave me a tour of her home. Within 2 minutes of talking to her. Love that. (now we are saying some prayers that we get to be her neighbor. the odds are definitely not in our favor, but we are still hoping!)

.....someone remind me to take pictures. I brought my camera but we've been sop occupied with the house hunt that the only pictures I have taken have been in our hotel room. lame.

My children are looking awfully worn and rugged right now so I need to get them all dinner ready. Time to round 'em up! That's one of the benefits of a hotel room.....less places to look for them.