The First Five Days

Our first five days in Indiana have gone well.  Here is a random smattering of our doings and thoughts (once things settle down pictures will once again become part of these posts):

My mom and sister came out to help us start getting settled.  We really appreciated their running to the store to get cleaning supplies and food, assembling furniture, and cleaning.  They left us with the apartment still mostly packed but livable and put us days ahead of what we would have been able to accomplish on our own.

We have discovered the plentiful “wildlife” (as Andrew calls it) surrounding our apartments.  There are squirrels, rabbits, and birds everywhere you turn.  They are not the least afraid or timid around humans.  Andrew chased a squirrel to see if he could get it moving but it just hopped a few feet ahead of him or went to the other side of a tree and then came back to what he was doing.  I think I will appreciate our little friends more next spring when we have a baby who can watch them for hours on end.

Our housing complex is very multicultural – meaning we are the extreme minority.  We are struggling to find neighbors that speak English (at least at home), but hopefully overtime friendships will develop.

Andrew’s been on campus a couple of times, but we went together once and explored for a few hours.  They were handing out free Jimmy Johns sandwiches so it can’t be too bad of a place.  In reality, the campus is beautiful and HUGE.  It is so different from BYU in both appearance and feeling.  It is weird to have only certain areas on campus that are non-smoking.  There are also a ton of fraternities and sororities on and surrounding campus, which is something we’ve never been around before.  It is exciting to be on a college campus again and we are looking forward to the time we get to spend here.

I got a gym membership to the Purdue fitness center.  This place is AWESOME! I have always loved working out, but this place is so new and full of awesome equipment that it would make even a gym hater like it.  I’ve already tested out one of the weight rooms and cardio centers – it was a magical experience and I am so excited to go again!

We love love love having a piano in our apartment.  Enough said.

We got library cards for the public library! Andrew already checked out a stack of books and has been reading at all hours of the day and most of the hours of the night.  He is soaking up the last minutes of freedom before he officially starts working and classes on Monday.

We located the Walmart and have made it successfully to and from twice.  It is a 15-20 minute drive and the closet grocery store to us, so we are discovering that we need to be a bit more thorough in our planning.  There is no such thing as quickly running to the store here.  Good thing I haven’t had any serious cravings!

We went to the local Saturday’s farmers market and bought the most delicious cucumbers and peaches.  We also bought yellow zucchini but it has yet to be consumed.  I’m sure it is delicious too.  We are excited about the many farmers markets in the area!

I am getting the hang of driving in this city.  It seems like most of the roads are one way and the lanes are all designated to one direction. It is a good thing we still have a Utah license plate because I currently drive like a crazy person trying to be in the right place at the right time.

I found a doctor, scheduled my 28 week appointment, and made great progress in the insurance situation.  Now I just need to find a pediatrician that fits all the insurance and in-network criteria and we will be set!

Moving has worn me out! I have been taking naps in the afternoon and we have been enjoying quiet evenings.  On the 4th of July we had grand plans to go to an annual concert by the river followed by fireworks, but instead that day turned into a pajama day with an early bed time.  It was the first day that we didn’t do anything for moving in almost 3 weeks (except a little more unpacking) because it was a national holiday and everything was closed.  I’m not sure if I’m just in a recovery phase or if the third trimester fatigue is setting in.  Probably a combination of the two.

I think we are both excited to get settled into routines and finish getting our home unpacked and in order.  It is hard to believe that a week ago we were in Utah and now we are six states and two time zones away.  But we know this is where we are supposed to be and see nothing but a bright future ahead of us!