Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Job news and details...
Things have been going well...we're settling in and learning the ways of the Phoenicians! Dave and I both started our jobs (essentially) on Monday. Dave is a Tech II at the Sears Auto Center near our place. So far he likes it...no internet though to tool around on when there's downtime. I had students all week and it was pretty awesome! Thankgoodness Halloween is over, we had two half days with conferences to round out the week. Here, as promised, are pictures of my classroom...I'll have apartment pictures at some point. This post was started several days but I couldn't post pictures at the time...sorry!
Saturday, October 21, 2006
We've arrived!
It was a long journey but we made it! Day 1 was the worst because we didn't get much sleep the night before (excitement combined with sleeping on an uncomfortable air mattress). Because of this I kept nodding off and we had to stop about every hundred miles...by the time we reached Tulsa, OK (and therefore our hotel and the comfort of a Cracker Barrel) we were both too tired to even speak.
Day 2 was much better, we were well rested and ready to hammer out some long distance driving. We managed to stop only 3 times and drive an average distance of 250 miles between each stop. The second day also provided some really excellent views. We drove all the way across New Mexico and into Arizona on I-40. New Mexico was gorgeous, we managed to snap a few pictures while driving, but they just don't do it justice. I wish I had the words to describe the giant red rocks that seemed as if they were glowing, or the stunning cliffs that were all around us, or suddenly coming upon Acoma Pueblo which is the oldest inhabited city in the U.S. Every time we drove through a new place I thought it was the most amazing place I'd ever seen, until we reached the next city. Night two was spent in Holbrook, AZ about 90 miles east of Flagstaff. It was very chilly the next morning!
Day 3, in addition to being our shortest day of driving by a lot (4hrs vs. 16hrs), was also the most beautiful day of driving. We continued West on I-40 to Flagstaff then took I-17 South to Phoenix. The views driving into Flagstaff were amazing...we could see the mountain peaks from at least 80 miles away. Once we reached Flagstaff and on the descent to Phoenix (we were at an elevation of over 6000 feet) there were mountains everywhere we looked. Coming down from Flagstaff looked surprisingly like Northern Michigan (save the mountains). Dave and I agreed that we should own a villa in Flagstaff someday!
We arrived around noon in Phoenix and were unloaded by 3:30pm. Dan (our roommate and friend) was there already, and Zac and Teresa (our friends from Tucson) met us soon after we arrived to help unload and unpack. We rounded out our evening by having a LOST party. Our first night was a little exciting because we weren't sure the fridge or the oven were working properly and we ended up setting off the smoke alarm while baking our pizza. All in all, we're safe and sound and very excited! Also, I have everything I need to start working, we're just waiting on a medical test to come back and a timeline from my Principal. Dave scored a job waiting tables at a local bar called Voodoo Daddy's and has an interview at SEAR's on Monday (there was a mixup on SEAR's part with the original interview).
Check back soon for pictures of our apartment! (Don't forget, you can click on the pictures to enlarge them!)
Day 2 was much better, we were well rested and ready to hammer out some long distance driving. We managed to stop only 3 times and drive an average distance of 250 miles between each stop. The second day also provided some really excellent views. We drove all the way across New Mexico and into Arizona on I-40. New Mexico was gorgeous, we managed to snap a few pictures while driving, but they just don't do it justice. I wish I had the words to describe the giant red rocks that seemed as if they were glowing, or the stunning cliffs that were all around us, or suddenly coming upon Acoma Pueblo which is the oldest inhabited city in the U.S. Every time we drove through a new place I thought it was the most amazing place I'd ever seen, until we reached the next city. Night two was spent in Holbrook, AZ about 90 miles east of Flagstaff. It was very chilly the next morning!
Day 3, in addition to being our shortest day of driving by a lot (4hrs vs. 16hrs), was also the most beautiful day of driving. We continued West on I-40 to Flagstaff then took I-17 South to Phoenix. The views driving into Flagstaff were amazing...we could see the mountain peaks from at least 80 miles away. Once we reached Flagstaff and on the descent to Phoenix (we were at an elevation of over 6000 feet) there were mountains everywhere we looked. Coming down from Flagstaff looked surprisingly like Northern Michigan (save the mountains). Dave and I agreed that we should own a villa in Flagstaff someday!
We arrived around noon in Phoenix and were unloaded by 3:30pm. Dan (our roommate and friend) was there already, and Zac and Teresa (our friends from Tucson) met us soon after we arrived to help unload and unpack. We rounded out our evening by having a LOST party. Our first night was a little exciting because we weren't sure the fridge or the oven were working properly and we ended up setting off the smoke alarm while baking our pizza. All in all, we're safe and sound and very excited! Also, I have everything I need to start working, we're just waiting on a medical test to come back and a timeline from my Principal. Dave scored a job waiting tables at a local bar called Voodoo Daddy's and has an interview at SEAR's on Monday (there was a mixup on SEAR's part with the original interview).Check back soon for pictures of our apartment! (Don't forget, you can click on the pictures to enlarge them!)
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Today's the day!
The day is upon us...we're packed up (mostly), cleaned up (mostly), and ready to go. All that's left now is to get out there and then clean and (un)pack again. We'd like to thank all those that lent us a hand or stopped by to say farewell or hosted a farewell party for us (for those of you keeping score, that's nearly everyone we know!) We will miss you all, but look forward to exploring what the Southwest has to offer!
Sunday, October 8, 2006
To the wire...
Wow...we're really coming down to it now. That is an actual picture of our living room right now (click on it to enlarge). We are used to the mess, it's become a necessary part of our lives. We got some interesting news on Friday night: instead of third grade, I will now be teaching first grade. A big and unforseen change, but I can deal...I'm flexible. Dave has an interview at Sears on Thursday after we get there. We will be loading up the moving truck Sunday and leaving early Monday morning. There's no stopping us now!
In other news, we had a lovely, albeit interrupted, dinner on Friday night with our family, Grandma and Grandpa Crane, and Aunt Ruth and Rachel. We're so happy we've been able to spend time with our friends and family before we leave. We also got to welcome baby Brody into the world today...congrats Nina and Steve!!
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