The Grand Adventure: August 2010

Monday, August 30, 2010

Indiana!!!!

Well the move was successful and we survived our first week in a “real” college town. While there are definitely some things we miss about Utah and even Provo (oddly enough), for the most part we really like it here. Everyone we’ve met, even those we’ve chased down on the street to ask for directions, has been so friendly and more than willing to go out of their way to help us out. The campus and town are beautiful, there are trees everywhere, lots of butterflies, and most of the buildings are made out of limestone, which gives the campus a really old, academic feel. It is a bit more humid here and it seems like there are a lot more bugs. The water also has a very “earthy” taste to it, which apparently is because of all the minerals in it. I feel like we’re starting to acclimate to things though.

We love our new place, especially not having anyone living above or below. We do share one wall with our neighbors, but they’re hardly home and are pretty quiet otherwise. While Ryan was at orientation all last week Lauren and I worked on getting the house together. My goal was to have it all put together by the time Ryan started class, which is today, and after about a dozen trips to various stores and taking care of the ant problem, I think we made it.

Lauren has been adjusting pretty well, especially after rediscovering all her toys and stuffed animals that have been packed away all summer. She loves being in her room and playing and getting out all of her books and looking at them or reading them with us. She likes to keep three or four going at the same time. I think the most difficult adjustment for her has been being home with just me all day. For the past year Ryan and I always traded back and forth all day and took turns going to class, or we lived at the Woolsey’s and always had grandparents or aunts and uncles nearby. But now she’s stuck with me all day until Ryan gets home in the evenings, then she follows him around everywhere until bedtime. She loves looking at family pictures though, and pointing everyone out. Thank heaven for parks though and we’re starting to make more friends and get to know other kids at church that we can play with.

All in all, things are going great and we know this is where we are supposed to be. We are really looking forward to the next few years and all the new experiences they will bring.

Here are a bunch of pictures of the move and our townhouse; I’ll post more of campus and Bloomington soon: