Settling In...Finally

September 29, 2016

     It has been almost 3 months since we moved to Twentynine Palms. In case you're wondering where our new "city" is located, here's a map:

     Saying there is not much around our new home would be an understatement. I often feel the need to be in "civilization" again, which normally involves a day trip to Palm Desert (an hour away) or at least Yucca Valley (just under half an hour away). Here in the town of Twentynine Palms, there is little to do. Most of the shops lining the streets are either tattoo parlors, smoke shops, barber shops or fast food options. The Marine Base itself has much more to offer than the town itself. It has a movie theater (with $3 movies- we go a lot), a bowling alley, several gyms (one of which has a rock climbing wall), a pool, a commissary (grocery store), military exchange (like a small Walmart), home goods store, several restaurants and 2 churches (one of which has become our home church). We live off the base, though, so it is about a 15 minute drive to get to any of these places. 

     When we first arrived here, we were awaiting our placement into the military housing system. We lived in a small house that belonged to the aunt of good friends of ours, coincidentally. She only uses it occasionally as a second home, so it was vacant. We were able to live there and be together until we received our new home here at the Vista Del Sol military housing complex. Even though the house was very bare bones, it meant we could live together, rather than Josh having to live in the barracks with other single Marines on base. We were placed in our new housing after only a few weeks, some of which I spent in Roseville buying a car, a beautiful red Toyota Camry. Once I returned, we were given the keys to our new townhouse, which is a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath (bigger than we had expected). We spent the first few weeks here living with just the bare minimums, a blow up mattress, folding card table, basic kitchen supplies, etc. Josh was given 10 days of family leave to move all of our items and get us settled in our new place. He could choose when to take it, however, so we chose to take it later- in mid August- so we could attend his brother's wedding reception in Roseville. Those first few weeks were interesting, and made us discover just how little it takes to function in a household. We did find great deals on a kitchen table, couch and love seat during that time, though, from other Marines who were moving to different locations. One of the benefits of being in such a transient setting. 

     At the end of our trip to Roseville for the wedding reception, we went to Chico and packed up all of our items from our storage unit there into a Uhaul. We drove it all the way back to Twentynine Palms, pulling our Camry behind it. This was a very long trip- made longer by an alternate route we were forced to take due to wildfires and frequent stops because of traveling with a puppy. Oh yeah- forgot to mention we are now officially dog owners! We found a Belgian Malinois puppy on Craigslist in Indio and went and picked her up at the end of July. We figured it was a great time to have a puppy since we had a nearly empty house and tile floors. Perfect for training her in potty training and lots of room to play. Josh had researched this type of dog, which is technically a short-haired German Shepherd and chosen it because they do well in the heat. They are often used by the military and police force, especially in the Middle East. It has definitely been quite the wild ride adjusting to life with a puppy. We both grew up with dogs, but having one of our own- especially a puppy as energetic as this one is- had been a lot of work. Even as I write this, she is snuggling up by my feet and nudging a toy towards me to throw for her to fetch. She's a good fit for us, though, and we have already taken her on some long hikes and trips to Big Bear, Roseville, Lake Tahoe and San Diego. Plus, anytime I start to get too frustrated with her, I can't help but be charmed by how darn cute she is. Here's a pic: 

     The other tricky part of life, for me, out here has been job hunting. I have been actively looking for a job since June, before we were even living here. The problem with living in such a sparsely populated place is the options for employment are very limited. I had applied to a dozen or so jobs, and had several promising interviews, but none moved past that. It has been a frustrating, and humbling, few months. Once my house was painted and decorated, I found myself with little to do during the days while Josh was working. I dedicated a lot of time to the new puppy, giving her lots of love and discipline, but was really craving human interaction and mental stimulation! The community we are living in is nice, but the people I have had the chance to meet seem to want to keep to themselves, which makes finding friends difficult, It wasn't until we were able to get plugged into a small group and I also started attending the Christian Women's Fellowship weekly that I have started to form friendships. These did not start up until the week of Labor Day, so it has been less than a month. They have both been immensely encouraging, though, and have become some of the highlights of my week. Josh and I attend a small group with 3 other couples from our church, and I attend the women's Bible study Tuesday evenings. Hopefully these will continue to lead to more friendships. 

     I was extremely discouraged for a while, several months in fact, about not having a job. I have not gone this long of a stretch without working since I was 16, and it was a shock to me- mentally and emotionally. I felt like I was letting our family down by not contributing financially. I also had too much time on my hands. I always try to stay busy and productive, but as the weeks went on it became more difficult. It has been a rough season to come through, one that would have been even harder had my encouraging husband not been by my side. Having him around really did make a huge difference during this downward time for me. I am happy to say that things have improved significantly! I now have 2 jobs and am excited about both. I have started substitute teaching for the local school district here, which has been a lot of fun so far. It is wonderful to have the flexibility to say yes or no to jobs and days that I want to work. It is still very new to me, but is going well so far. We live within 2 miles of 3 of the schools, which makes it even more convenient. The other job, that I was just officially offered on Tuesday, is a part time dietitian job, which I am thrilled about! I will be working for a contract company that hired out dietitians to local companies, like long term care centers and hospitals, for a certain amount of hours per week. It will be wonderful to be working in my field again and having variety in where I am working will be nice as well. I will start out as part time, probably 2 days a week, but there is chance of moving up to more soon. It feels so exciting to have more purpose now, and more opportunities to meet and interact with people. 

     The transition to settling in has been a lengthy one here, and we still do not feel very established- but we are moving in that direction. We feel encouraged by the people we have met and had a chance to get to know. Living out here is going to be difficult, but it will be as good as we aim to make it. And for now- our little home is decorated, Josh comes home almost every night, we have a sweet little puppy to look after, and God has provided jobs for both of us. Hallelujah. We are thankful for the ways He has provided, even in the past week. 

Here's a few pictures of our new home: 

And one more of the pup, because I couldn't resist...