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| At one the the motels we stayed at. Please don't look at me, I should have cropped the picture :) |
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| At another motel |
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| At Debby's house in Pollok Pines |
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| Taking a break to see Lake Tahoe |
We arrived in San Jose on a Sunday, but couldn't move in until that Wednesday, so for 3 days we were living in a hotel. The highlight of that stay was being next to a Walgreens if that says anything for you. With the entire move and renting our house, etc, we basically were living out of our car for over 2 weeks! I can't entirely recommend doing so with a 2 year old and a newborn, but we made it work!
The first day in our apartment was an experience in and of itself. The whole day was less than optimal, but all is well that ends well, right :). The day started out great, both of us excited to finally get into our new place! We needed a cashier's check to get into our apartment and needless to say, we did not get one while in Utah. So I had to set up a new bank account, wire money from our credit union in Utah, take Wes to the train station and wait.
And wait....and wait some more. In my car, in the bank, in Ross, in the bank, in Subway, in the bank, in the middle of a random road, in the bank, I think you get the idea. All of this hauling Evie and Cooper all over the place. Finally I called my mom in despair. She has an account with Chase and because she sensed my breakdown over the phone, rushed to the bank, put money into our new account, and just like that, we were back in business! Too bad I didn't think about asking her earlier! So I went back to the bank for the 5th or 6th time(3 different branches) that day and finally was able to get a cashier's check!
I went back to the apartment office at around 2:00 p.m. and they showed me the apartment so I could check for bedbugs. Really? Like if they were there I wouldn't even be able see them! And of course if there was anything wrong with the apartment it wouldn't be their fault because I "inspected" it. Pretty comical to me, but I guess they have to cover their bases. Anyway, it took about 20 minutes to get there and back because it was quite the walk carrying Cooper in his car seat and trying to keep Evie from running away. Then I signed my life away....while Evie colored all over the chairs in the office. Signing the paperwork probably took about 1.5 hours because everything needed to be explained. The lady was explaining the smoking policy and I said I don't smoke, never will smoke and I think it's repulsive. Nonetheless, she continued over the 50 rules they have regarding smoking because if she didn't tell me then I would probably turn into a smoker, ruin the apartment and it would be their fault because they didn't tell me.
Okay, enough of the tangents. I finished signing the paperwork at about 4:00 p.m., but had to pick Wes up at 5:00 so I didn't really have time to move anything in. So I went to get some stuff we needed from Walmart. It was then I realized that I am truly a minority out here. A little bit of a culture shock, being one of the only five Caucasian people in a jam packed Walmart. I finished up, picked up Wes and instead of moving in our apartment at 9:00 a.m., we got in at 6:00 p.m.! This picture of Evie on that day pretty much sums up how I felt :).
After we got in, everything just got better! Our apartment is actually quite spacious, and we live on the top floor so we get nice vaulted ceilings. The only weird thing is that there are no lights in our bedrooms. And there's no central air...just a swamp cooler. It's been over 100 quite a few days, so Evie sweats a lot! Especially when she takes naps, she'll wake up soaking. I guess she got Wes' genes with everything that comes with em'! Poor girl.
Wes was committed to getting into shape and saving on gas, so he bought a bike. And a week later, the bike was stolen. From our balcony! Another unfortunate circumstance, but maybe a blessing in disguise because by taking the car, it takes two hours off his commute! It has been great to spend a lot more time with Wes and our little family. We have been to A LOT of parks. Here are some pics of a few that we visited.
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| Even McDonald's play place! |
Our first Sunday at Church was awesome. It feels so good to know that no matter where you go in the world, the church is true, it is the same, and you have an automatic support system and friends! On our first Sunday I saw an acquaintance from high school, Randall Lewis. We had gone on a double date together in high school- I went with his friend, and he went with my friend. That was almost 11 years ago! He and his wife Claira were kind enough to invite us over for dinner that Sunday so we felt like we had friends right off! Their baby girl is only 2 weeks younger than Cooper, and her name is Evelyn! They are a fun couple and great to talk to. A couple weeks later, they got us tickets to the San Jose Giants baseball game. It was a lot of fun and I got my much needed fill of fireworks after the game!
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| Randall, Claira, and Evelyn |
They went out of town for about a week and a half, but should be coming back soon. Hopefully we'll be able to get together more this summer.
It's nice living the simple life. We don't have very much stuff with us, although sometimes Evie's toys would be nice. We found a free mattress and a couch off of craigslist, and a small desk sitting by the dumpster in our complex. We bought a crib for Evie and we have Cooper's pack n' play. But that's the extent of our furniture. The sight of Evie eating on the kitchen floor instead of a table is pretty pathetic, but with just like everything else, we're making it work and being optimistic along the way! Life really is good, even with all the curve balls it throws at us.
Wes is loving work at Apple, with almost 5 weeks down and 7 to go. Cupertino is a beautiful city. Wes has taken me to eat a couple times on Apple's campus. I feel so special with my printed name badge sticker that all guests need to wear. We also visited a couple playgrounds there, as well as a farm park in the hills. He leaves here at about 6:45 every morning and comes home usually by 4:00 p.m. I am so grateful for the hard work he does for our family, he is a great provider, husband and father. I am so blessed to be able to raise my children and see them discover the world. Evie's bright, cheerful personality keeps me on my toes and Cooper's smiles and coos keep me happy all day. And what would a very long post be without some pictures of the cutest baby in the world!
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| I made this collage to share with my family because I couldn't pick which pictures were the cutest! |
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| I just cannot get enough of this guy! |
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| He's seriously just so HAPPY! I love it!! |
And here are some model shots of the handsome man!
I love my little cuties! I know, it was a little overboard with pictures of Cooper, but I just couldn't help it. And don't think for a second that I forgot about Evie. I just need to put some of her birthday pictures on the computer, as well as those from the 4th of July! She looked adorable! Stay tuned...
