Yes, We Made It!

We've actually been here since Thursday, but have been spending time getting acclimated to our new home. It's a little weird moving here. Because the base is so small, it kind of feels like going to a new high school that started classes months before you arrived. To make matters worse, you have to wear a badge all the time (although a lot of people don't after they've been here a long time). Ours are yellow, temporary badges, so it's even more obvious that we are new. The first couple of days, I felt conspicious and stared at whenever I left the house, but that's starting to wear off now.

We flew in on a tiny, 20-passenger plane. The seats were placed two to a row, with an aisle between. The boys and I ended up in the last three seats, which were straight across the back. Behind us was a bulkhead separating us from our baggage. There is no bathroom on board, as they pointed out before we left the airport, so I'm glad Wyatt had to go before we left. It was a short flight, less than an hour, but a rather exciting one. I could see out of the cockpit for a lot of it, as they left the curtain open for all but the middle of the flight. When we are coming down, it had the feel of a rollar coaster ride. I never realized a plane moves up and down so much when landing. Yes, this is the same plane you will fly on if you ever come visit us, family and friends. If you are scared of flying, this might be an issue. If not, it's just an exciting part of the journey. 

So far, I love it here. It's about as hot as it was in Florida, but with a nice breeze that makes it comfortable. We were sweltering in Orlando because the air never moved. We are living in a trailer. We'd been warned over and over not to take too much stuff because there was no storage. We got here and realized pretty much everything we owned would have fit just fine. Obviously, the people we talked to didn't realize how small our townhouse was! The main difference is we have no garage, but there is a shed out back to store bikes and outdoor things.

We do have three bedrooms, though. They are small, but I'm excited to have the opportunity to turn one into a playroom/guest room. There's really no room for a bed along with the boys' toys, plus place to play, but I think we'll put our hide-a-bed couch in there. The living room furniture that is already here is brand new, so I think we'll hang onto it. While we are technically living in a furnished house, we were told we could remove anything we don't want. I'd say that's about half the stuff here, including a very ugly fake plant in the living room. I'm glad we decided to ship a lot of our own stuff.

Golf carts are authorized to drive on base. We see more of them than we do cars. I have never seen so many different golf carts in my life. We drove past one a couple days ago that was decked out in blue camo. Here's a pic of our ride:

The trailer in the background isn't ours, but looks exactly the same from the outside.

We plan on walking a lot until we can get our car down here, but for now we have a loaner golf cart. Wyatt is in love with this cart, and has already convinced his dad to give him a driving lesson. (I'm considering putting the video up, but will have to think about it.) He's going to be quite sad when he realizes we have to return it. As for Oliver, he wants one of these babies for himself. Preferably a souped up one, I'm sure. I think we'll just have to settle for getting our car here; ultimately, that will be cheaper.

I have a lot more to say, but I now have a two year old in my lap who is dripping oatmeal all over me, so I'll leave you with this picture:

 Because we now live in a place where my kids can play in coconut fronds!

I kind of feel like we are getting paid to go on vacation for three years.