Ally-gator

Look at those teeth!
Thanks Kira for the cute hat!

We finally got our orders 2 weeks before we are scheduled to arrive in Grand Forks. We have no choice now but to move ourselves because of the late notice, so we have been packing, cleaning, and trying to schedule everything that needs to happen between now and then, including vet appointments for the dogs, inspections for the house, reservations in TLF here and there, a moving truck, packing supplies, repairs, and people to help! Also because of the late notice, we have to kennel our dogs (at $42 per day!) until we get into a house, which could take up to 3 months since we were just put on the waiting list when we received our orders. Poor Josh has been running around like crazy trying to do everything in 2 weeks that he should have had 2 months to do.

We also recently learned that someone in MPF (the people in charge) wiped clean Josh's dream sheet (a list of places we would like to live) without his knowledge, just prior to assignments being given out at his school. So basically it looked like we had no preference where we wanted to live, so we were given North Dakota. Gotta love the Air Force. The worst part is, Josh has priority over most of the guys in his class because of his time in service, time in rank, and time on post, so he would most likely have gotten his top choice. I hope that someday I can look back on this time and laugh because right now I am just very frustrated.

I threw a baby shower for a friend today and only 2 people besides her family showed up. I really wanted her to have a good turn-out since this is her first baby and I know they could use some help getting everything. I put a lot of effort into her shower and invited lots of people and now I feel that it was basically a waste of time. I was very disappointed not to receive a shower from the people in my ward before I had Ally so I was trying to make sure the same thing didn't happen to her.

As I prepare to leave this area, I have been reflecting on my time here. I moved every 3-4 years growing up so I didn't think I would have any problems with the military lifestyle. I have now lived here for 6.5 years; the longest I have ever lived anywhere my whole life. As much as I disliked this area at first, I have grown to love it and now I hate to leave. So many big changes in my life have happened here and I have found some of the best friends I have ever had. This is where I spent the first few years of my married life, where I graduated from college, and where my daughter was born. This is where I learned what it truly means to be a military spouse by surviving 4 deployments and 11 TDY's. I will miss all my friends here who have helped me through those life changes and trying times.