Progress

Many things have changed since the last blog update, the most exciting of which is our house purchase at the beginning of October.



It is a 3-bed, 2 1/2-bath with plenty of space and a large loft we're not sure what to do with yet! Right after closing we painted the whole downstairs and the master bedroom to make it our own. Katie's mom was a big help:



We've since bought new appliances for the kitchen, bought hardware for the cabinets, bought a tool cabinet and shelving for the garage, bought a lawn mower, bought a grill, and fixed up many small things around the house.




We've met several of the neighbors and gotten the low-down on the neighborhood, which was built in 2006. Our house is one of the few with a planted backyard; many are still only dirt.



The many projects Katie and I look forward to completing around the house are delayed only by our day jobs. I am about 40% of the way through training at LA Center, and after our bid for schedules last month, I found out I will have Saturdays and Sundays off next year!

Two weeks ago, Katie finally landed the elementary teaching position she's sought since graduation. She now has a Kindergarten class all her own, and we've both spent many hours sorting, organizing, and cleaning the room. For the most part, I cut out many dozens of little laminated paper apples while Katie did the hard work.

Another new addition to our lives is a friend for Okie. We adopted a black lab/German shepherd from the shelter last week and named her Nema.



She and Okie enjoy playing together, and I secured the back yard so they can be left outside by themselves every day.



We look forward to visiting with family over the holidays and hope everyone is enjoying life as much as we are.

Update

Time for an update! Katie has a job as a site coordinator for the YMCA afterschool program at an elementary school in west Lancaster. She oversees several teachers and gets to spend plenty of time with the kids, grades K-6, as well. We both enjoy the YMCA gym benefits -- Katie does turbo kickboxing and Zumba while I work out in the weight room.

At LA Center, I've progressed from drawing maps to studying letters of agreement to simulator training to actual OJT on the floor beginning last Friday. Most of my job involves coordinating with other controllers and making handoffs to the next sector as the planes near the edge of our airspace. I now enjoy my weekends on Wednesday and Thursday, which, while not ideal, reduces my wait time for oil changes and other errands around town.

We've had many visitors in the past few months and enjoyed exploring the area as well.

Around town:






























Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park:
















San Gabriel Mountains:
















Rim of the World Highway:





















Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve:


















Sierra Pelona Ridge and Bouquet Reservoir:

We Moved!



Dining Room



Well I'm sure many of you know that our stay in Oklahoma City was only temporary. We are now in Lancaster, California. Russell, Okie, my mom, and I drove here about 3 weeks ago, found an apartment, and are now settled in for the long haul. [Until we buy a house ;)!] After lots of online searching, a Russell-made spreadsheet of the possiblities, and visiting our options, we chose a two bedroom, two bath apartment in a complex called "West Park Villas". It has a very safe, community feel to it and now that we purchased some new furnishings this place is really starting to feel like home. Here it is...



Living Room



Master Bedroom



Kitchen

Master Bath

Guest Room

Guest Bath

Patio

 

We're very happy!

Dallas

With the recent long weekend for MLK Jr. day Russell and I decided to take a little road trip to Dallas, TX.  No specific reasoning behind this destination other than its relatively close proximity to OKC (3 hours) and the fact that I'd never been to Texas before. So after watching the Patriots lose on Sunday we got on the road. This was Okie's longest road trip yet. We're slowly preparing her for the move to CA. 

The Elegante Hotel suited us well for a night of rest and in the morning we checked out a Martin Luther King Jr. parade. We weren't expecting to be part of the entertainment but everyone seemed to be more interested in Okie than the actual parade. Beyond Okie's cuteness, the fact that we were some of the only white people at this event made us really feel like we stuck out. We were even interviewed and photographed for the local newspaper. We enjoyed ourselves and thought it was interesting to see the differences in culture.

 

After the parade we made our way to the Twisted Root Burger Company. We heard of this local favorite on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" and thought we should try it out.  Russell and I are always up for a good burger. At this "joint," as Guy Fieri would say, they give you a famous name when you order. Russell was happy to receive Tony Stark from "Iron Man."  Of course, I had my usual plain cheeseburger and Russell was daring and tried out the chipotle, cheddar, and avocado burger with onion strings. We both were very pleased.

On the way to our next venture we walked a little around downtown Dallas and were persuaded into buying some roses from a man on the street. He told me I could have them for free if I kissed "my man," but then proceeded to expect Russell to give him ten dollars. Either way, they ended up being some of the most beautiful pink roses I've ever gotten. :)

To finish our day in Dallas we visited the Dallas World Aquarium. It was amazing! This is more than just an aquarium. It's more like a little jungle in the middle of Dallas, TX. All of the exhibits are surrounded by beautiful greenery and you walk on a wooden plank path that makes you feel like you are somewhere very exotic. They have beautiful birds and fish, huge crocodiles, a shark tunnel, and my favorite surprise -- the enormous manatee. It was well worth our trip to Dallas.

Date Night in Moore, OK

There's a theatre in nearby Moore, OK, that has balcony seating and other old-school accoutrements, so Katie and I decided to have a date night involving a movie and dinner nearby. Most of the fare near the theatre is of the Sonic and Chick-fil-a variety, so I searched four pages of Google Maps before finding even one restaurant that looked somewhat nice.

Banchetto's italian restaurant has a very nice website complete with wine glass and fancy-looking napkin. We drove down the street looking for it, but had to turn around when it was obvious we had gone too far. The reason we could not spot it on the first pass soon became apparent: It was nothing more than a small room in a strip mall, with a few bare tables and a take-out counter, similar to several inexpensive Mexican restaurants in the area.

We were so disappointed by the lack of ambiance we didn't even go in, electing instead to drive around and see what other fine establishments Moore, OK, had to offer. Ten minutes later, the only likely candidate was an Irish pub. We entered, but found no sign advising whether to wait to be seated. No hostess appeared, so I asked a waitress at the back whether we should seat ourselves. She said yes, so we sat.

Several couples came in after us and faced the same confusion, eventually seating themselves. After fifteen minutes during which no waitress even looked our way, never mind bringing water or menus, we left. Chili's was the next stop, but everyone had apparently already realized Chili's was the nicest restaurant in Moore, and there was a 40-minute wait.

We resigned ourselves to a Quizno's sub, but found a nearby local restaurant called Harry Bear's that had adequate food, although we were by far the most nicely dressed couple eating there. Next stop: theatre.

Movie was sold out, no other movies until at least an hour later. We stopped at a Red Box (out of order), stopped at a second Red Box, got a DVD, and scurried back home to prevent any further failure.

Next time, we'll just go to Bricktown.