Well, here we are.

There's not a lot to post about that you haven't already learned either from facebook or from actually seeing us this weekend. Just thought I should make it clear to anyone who still wasn't sure that yes, we HAVE arrived safely in Virginia Beach. We spent five days in a hotel when we got here and explored the area....we went to the zoo...had picnics...visited malls and playgrounds....and then chose a cute little townhouse that challenges our budget at the moment, but being safe and comfortable in our home is worth the price at which it comes. After a week on the floor of said townhouse, our stuff arrived. I had us fully unpacked and settled by the end of that day and then we quickly hurried off, eager to take another long car trip and sleep on the floor for a few more days in New York. But we are home at last and it finally feels and looks that way, so schedule all your summer vacations for RIGHT HERE, guys! I'm gonna need the company!

Mike is in his second week of C school now. He'll be done Friday. As far as we know at the moment, he's supposed to be leaving us on the 27th of this month to join his ship on deployment and he will be gone for around two and a half months.

I had a lot of people this weekend ask me what I'll be doing with my boring old self during that time or how I'll handle it or what have you....the answer is that I'm just going to go ahead with life as usual. Get up every morning, take care of my child and keep her on her regular schedule, cook and clean my house, go to the park, buy groceries, do laundry....just as every brave and strong military wife I know has done, and usually for a whole lot longer than I will be doing it. My project for the time Mike is gone is to decorate our apartment to my liking, and he has okayed and even encouraged me to do this, so I'm very excited about that. I have also joined a meetup group for me and Isabel and am looking for a babysitting gig. I have a few connections in the area already and I hope to get together with those people soon and solidify those friendships, in addition to making more. So the short answer is that I will adjust and I will go ahead and learn the area and break in our new home the same way I would have done if Mike were here, just a little more independently (which will be a really good thing for me!) and with my ever loyal companion Isabel by my side. So don't worry about us, we're stronger than you think. Keep Mike in your thoughts though of course, and pray for a safe and fast return of his ship.

Should anything change or any new information become available to us about his deployment, I will let you know. See you all soon!