The Craziness of Life

This blog post is almost solely dedicated to how I feel myself fighting each day to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  As most of you know, Andrew and I are in Minot, North Dakota.  Even now it is hard to believe we are actually living here.  But in moving here I have changed my life around in order for Andrew to start his.  Over the summer it seemed like things were pretty chill, other than the flood of course.  I had just two summer classes and the rest of the time I felt like I did nothing.  Oh how I wish things could be like that.  Now I have am going to school and started cross-country.  It might not seem like a big deal but it is...

School, cross-country, being married, taking care of a dog, along with other stressors....is a lot for me.  Especially when I feel l will NEVER  be done with school.  Next semester I am applying for the nursing program here at Minot State University but I won't be able to start till next August.  And the program itself is 5 semesters.  Perhaps now you can see why I feel like my life has not really started yet.  On top of that tuition is so much more expensive!  It is no Stanford but it isn't the low cost of BYU either.  Meaning school books and the extra tuition cost, even with a scholarship, is a bit much.  

And then there is cross-country.  The kryptonite of my existence sometimes.  Don't get me wrong, I love running and I get paid to do it.  But when you have to practice 6 days a week for at least 2 hours a day (sometimes at 7:00am) and have to schedule the rest of your day around it, it kind of stinks.  Plus since we live on base I have an extra 20 min each day to drive.

Now on to Andrew's fun life. He starts work at 7:00am and works till 5:00pm.  A regular work day right? Until they have inspections( which feels like they happen every two weeks) and is required to always be on call in case of a substance leak somewhere. So last week he had work on Saturday and today he may be out at work till at least 10:00pm because of an inspection. I know I shouldn't complain because at least he has a job (which he actually enjoys).  But for all those who understand the military will know that the "benefits" we receive through the Air Force is actually compensation.

As I finish writing this I realize how silly it all seems.  I need to be grateful for all the things I do have!  My family is awesome and always there for me, I have a loving husband, a beautiful house, and in 3 years I will be looking back saying how fast the end of school went by.  I guess I will just have to wait till then.  But in the meantime I have learned that I need to live life in moment.  Enjoy the scenery as it passes me by.  Do the best in everything I do now. Instead of telling myself "if only I was done with school" or "I can't wait till my final running season is over and things will be easier" or the best " I will do that when this happens"...I need to be enjoying life now.  Not waiting to do life when "life gets easier" because it never will. 

The present really is a gift I need to take advantage of.  So thanks for listening to the ramblings of a stressed soul... The fact that I realize I need to just roll with the punches shows that at least I can change right?:D ha ha. 

Here is exactly what popped into my head, and will stay with me the rest of day...

I thought it was fitting:)

Love,

The Andersons

A day at the zoo

A few weeks ago, right before school started, we decided to take one last little trip to celebrate the end of the summer.  We again went to Bismarck which is only about 1 1/2 hrs. away.  Last time we were there everything was closed!  This time, since our zoo was flooded, we were able to visit the zoo in Bismarck.  A lot of the animals from our zoo had already been transported down there.  The zoo was tiny and cost only about 7 dollars to get in but it was fun!  Granted it kind of resembled a swamp due to flooding down there and some of the animals were things like deer and horses but still it was worth a few hours...

 Me and my favorite ^-^

 An example of the majority of types of animals (aka deer, bears, racoons)

 Cute, huh?  They were only like a foot tall

 An eagle's wingspan perhaps?

They had these tiny primates everywhere!

So cool! In an underground tunnel viewing point the tigers were sleeping right on top!

 Like I said, the types of animals they had. And what ND is known for-groundhogs!

Overall it was a really fun day.  We only spent a few hours there but it was fun to just walk around and enjoy our time spent together.  Simple days like this just show that you make the fun with whoever you are with. In this case, the zoo was fun because we loved spending time with eachother!

Love Always,

The Andersons

My First Recipe Post

I cannot claim in any stretch of the imagination that I am a good cook.  However, when I find something that even I can make I can't help but post it.  So a few weeks ago I bought a mini Taste of Home recipe pamphlet and found this AMAZING recipe. 

I love Cajun food and I was craving it when I found it. I made it for Andrew and I and while at my aunt's house I made it for them! So here it is...

Jiffy Jambalaya 

Ingredients

• 1 package (8 ounces) red beans and rice mix
• 1/2 pound smoked sausage, sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon Crisco® Olive Oil
• 1/2 pound cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined( though I just got the frozen bag of medium shrimp)
  
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Louisiana-style hot sauce, optional (add to taste because we definitely like it much more spicy)
  

Directions

• Cook red beans and rice mix according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute sausage and onion in oil until onion is tender. Add the shrimp, tomatoes, brown sugar and hot sauce if desired. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until heated through. Stir in rice mixture. Yield: 4 servings.

This is a very filling recipe!  So it goes a long way...

Enjoy,

The Andersons

Home, Sweet Home!

Sorry everybody that has been awaiting these pictures!  But we are finally moved in.  With internet and everything.  About July 12, Andrew received a phone call from housing on base.  They asked him various questions about our current living situations and whether or not we would be willing to give up BAH (basic housing allowance).  He of course said yes.  They then said they would have to call  him back to see if they could offer us something.  Right before Andrew got of work they had a commanders call (basically a meeting) so he one missed call. Turns out it was housing and he called right back.  All they said was come into the office tomorrow at 8 am and we will give you keys.  

We were so surprised!  We still didn't know what to expect in the morning.  But we went in at 8 and they gave us keys to our house.  They said because of they housing problem they could only offer us one option but said it shouldn't be a problem because it was BRAND NEW!  So new that there is not fence or grass yet since they are still under contract and working on it.  Trust me, we did not care about that at all.  We were just thrilled to have a house.  So we got the keys and his shop helped us move in that Friday.  

So let me take you on a quick tour of our house-granted by now I have a lot of it set up and it is no longer empty.  Once everything is clean I will put up pics of it all set up!

From the outside-our half of the house

 Andrew with the keys  for the first time!

 The Kitchen

Me, so happy to have such a perfectly-sized kitchen for myself:)

First bathroom- and part of the stairs

 The main bedroom

 Our walk in closet!

 The Backyard

And finally...

Everybody on base has to have their rank and family name on the outside of the house.  This is ours!!!

We feel so, so blessed to finally have a place to call home.  We are going to be here for about 3-4 years and it is officially our first house as a couple:) We were not expecting to receive a house until at least end of August or September.  Just four days before the call we were told we were still #54 on the waiting list.  Talk about major blessing!  With everything going on (i.e the major flood in Minot) we often questioned why we couldn't find a place to live.  We looked at places in the city and were told a 6-9month waiting list for on base housing.  It was very easy to discouraged.  But when the flood hit we realized why.  Those houses/apartments we looked at are not under water.  

We have definitely seen the tender-mercies of the Lord in our lives!  So thanks to all of you for the support and sharing of joy in our first real home:D

Love Always,

The Andersons

Happy 4th of July!!!

Living on an Air Force Base has definitely opened my eyes what freedom really means.  I am reminded of it at least 2x a day and in other occasions.  For instance, when a movie is showing on base, before the movie starts everybody stands up for the national anthem.  At 1700 and 2200 hours the national anthem and taps play.  If people are driving they must pull over and stop.  If you happen to be outside you must stand at attention.  Our dog is even patriotic!  She howls everyday at those hours:)  I am definitely grateful to have a husband who works so hard everyday to preserve that freedom I know I would otherwise take for granted.

This past July 4th the RV was in front of a huge park where everyone gathered.  Lots of people came for a fireworks show that shot from just about 200meters down the street from the park.  We got front row seats!

We watched them from the car since we were being attacked by lots and lots of bugs!

Being silly

They played patriotic music the whole time the fireworks went off.  The show couldn't even start till about 10:30 or so when it actually started getting dark.  We ate enchiladas and rice (yes I know not super patriotic) and Andrew even had a friend over earlier.  We might not have the best situation, the living situations, bugs, and flooding but at least we are together on a holiday really special to our family.

 Happy Independence Day from all of us!

Love,

The Andersons

Anniversary Weekend

Again, it has taken me so long to update this blog.  Not really my fault since we are still living in an RV with no Internet access other than the library.  Tonight is laundry night so we head over to lodging on base to do it and of course they have Wi-fi so win-win:) Anywho...the weekend of the 19th Andrew and I decided to go to Bismarck to celebrate our anniversary. We stayed at the Radisson and because Andrew is military we got a room way, way cheaper.  So nice pool, spa the works!

 Never, ever, before coming to North Dakota did I ever believe I would go to its capital.  I mean honestly not many people are like "man, I think some day I am going to visit the capital of North Dakota"...I certainly didn't.  Yet there I was in the capital city.  Honestly it is not that much bigger than Minot, maybe a few more shops and restaurants.  Andrew actually had something planned out of what we were going to do before hand.  We got there and literally everything big was closed, Lewis and Clark Riverboat and the zoo because of the flooding.  We picked the wrong weekend to go down there.  So, besides that we didn't know what else to do.  I went online to see what else there was to do...I found out about the cultural center near the state capital building. 

I wish I had taken a picture because it is probably the worst capital building I had ever seen...but the cultural center was actually really fun!  Surprisingly, it made for a fun day.  I even learned about the Walleye- this is a fish. 

I had to put this picture in because if you look in the background there is a buffalo statue.  Pretty much what North Dakota was known for (yes buffalo and wheat are on the state license plates).

But other than that we couldn't find anything else.  Until we just decided to see where the zoo was a found a mini park.  In the park was like an amusement park or fair or something.  I was very kiddie but we decided to have fun anyways.  Turned out to be pretty awesome!

 This slide ended up being the best part!

The kiddie roller coaster.  Very much worth it



 Us on the Ferris wheel which we rode forever since nobody else was in line...

Here are some other random pics from our trip.......

Last but not least were the present we gave to each other.  Some were silly but others very thoughtful! 

 The card I got him.  Something about of all the fish in the sea I am glad I hooked up with you haha

An appropriate gift for all old men....nose and ear hair trimmer!

He wasn't too happy about it so he showed me his nose.

 A classic Andrew face.  He was VERY excited about his new game

Overall what could have been an extremely lame vacation ended up being a very fun weekend. I guess attitude really is everything.

Love,

The Andersons



Our First Duty Station

Oh my gosh!!  Sorry everybody, it has taken forever to update our blog.  For many reasons I will get to soon...  So first of all, for all of you who don't know, Andrew and I are finally in our first duty station for the Air Force up in Minot, ND.  Where do I even start?  Well, it was quite the process moving here, all of our stuff was stored at my parents house in Utah so we started our journey there...

 Here is a picture of our 20ft truck we had to get to move all our stuff and pull a trailer with our car on it.  

 

Some pics for Andrew having fun loading our stuff

We were given 4 travel days just move up there so we decided to take all 4 of them.  Our next stop was staying with my brother and sister-in-law in Rexburg.  We even chose to stay an extra day just because we could!  It was pretty fun just being with family, and we got to see the Bodies exhibit in Idaho Falls.  After we left Rexburg we traveled the 8 hour trip to Miles City, Montana.  It was a place we had never been too but since it was a pretty good stopping point with a choice of 4 hotels to stay in, it seemed like our best bet.  It ended up being really great!  The guy at the front desk was really accommodating and helped fixed the mistake I made in booking the wrong day online.  Athena was even well-behaved.  Our final day was the final 5 hours to Minot.  The whole trip up there was just crazy.  We encountered heavy winds, snows, and increasing gas prices.  We were a little nervous when we hit the really ugly part in Montana heading toward North Dakota.  Luckily for us, we arrived to the Air Force Base, completely bypassing the city ( it is about 15 minutes drive from the base). 

When we got there it was around 5pm with the hour time change.  As soon as we got there, our sponsor met us and showed us around his flight.  So we met his fellow airmen and his Msgt.  We weren't sure where we were staying but we told we got one night on base at lodging-they even bought us pizza that night!

After that first day things kind of went down hill.  We stayed at a different place for the first 5 nights since there were no accommodations anywhere!  Even all the hotels in the city were booked.  Coming here was so crazy- aside from all the flooding, this city has no housing.  At all.  We went to the housing office the next morning (since we got 10 days of paid lodging to find a place to live).  we were told that we were # 162 on the waiting list with an estimated 6-8 months of waiting time.  Crazy!

We want to live on base in a house but at that point we just wanted a place to live.  But, since we have a dog there was nothing.  Even without the dog the earliest opening in new apartments was July or August.  This place, with the boom of the added wing to the base and all of the oil miners there is a big shortage of housing.  Camping seemed to be our only option.  Luckily, we realized Andrew's parents had a trailer they might be willing to bring up to us.  Literally, it was our only option.  So they came and went-but now we at least have a place to live!  Better than nothing, right?   And with our the flooding and even more rain sleeping in a tent was not an option.

Here are just some examples of the flooding:

A little hard to see but out there looks like a lake, we don't have any natural lakes in Minot:)

This is the road to get from the AFB to the actual city.  Yes, it is flooded

This poor car obviously went off the road into the middle between the going side and coming back side of the road.

Things obviously were a little crazy...In fact, as an update, more flooding has caused problems in the area.  Many people were evacuated from the city and most others had trouble with water coming into their basement.  It was a scary time with the river at its peak.  We were blessed to be up at the base which is on higher ground than the city. 

At first we didn't even have a water hookup for the trailer.  Even now we don't turn it on since the trailer leaks, but it works out since the fitness center has shower facilities:)

 There are so many other adventures I can't even go into!  We were sent to a place with no where to live, but i think we will still like it here.  Right now, it is getting warmer and despite the a ton of mosquitoes (more than any place I have ever lived), it isn't so bad.  We LOVE our ward here!  It really does just feel right being here.  Andrew can update his "dream sheet" as of August but we don't want to move again till I finish school. But right now we are just going to try to enjoy the best of an interesting situation.  

Update as of now: We are now #100 on the waiting list for housing, Andrew went under a big IG inspection and I have finally started school (it was delayed a week due to the school becoming a shelter for the evacuees). 

So we will keep trying to stay strong to what life is throwing our way and keep smiling!  And I will try to take more pictures of Minot soon!

Love,

The Andersons