Why not Minot? Freezin’ is the Reason! It has been two weeks since we first pulled onto base and so far the weather has been amazing. The highs have typically been in the low/mid 70s (currently 53) and we have had tons of sunshine. I know that cool summer days with long hours of sunshine lead to brutally cold winter days with long hours of darkness, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it.
Our time here so far has been great. We are living on base in company grade officer housing, so we are surrounded by other young couples who are in a similar situation. The base community is great and the simplicity of the city is a nice change.
Neither of us had ever been to North Dakota, so moving here has definitely been a new experience. The state is beautiful and the people are incredibly nice. I have quickly realized that, in Minot, when someone ask me how I am doing they are not only actually interested in the response, but very likely to follow-up on it.
All of our “stuff” was delivered yesterday, so I am currently surrounded by boxes. Exactly one month had passed since they packed up our belongings in San Antonio… it is exciting to have everything back. We utilized the week we had in our empty new home to do some painting.
On the way up, we spent a few days in CO were we got to catch up with a good friend from Wake Forest, do some hiking, explore Colorado Springs, Denver, Boulder and Ft. Collins, and attend a Rockies game (which ended with a walk-off home run). From CO, we drove through Wyoming and the Black Hills of SD, where we visited Mt. Rushmore and spent the night in Rapid City. We really enjoyed the road trip, despite the fact that we were driving two vehicles. We have found that books on CD make long drives much more enjoyable.
As far as the base itself goes, the facilities here are generally fairly new and nice. The fitness center is great, our house was just built, the shopping/grocery stores are new, and the outdoor recreation center has snow mobiles we can rent!
Well, time to get unpacking. I will try to put up some pictures of our trip and the local area soon.
Cook With A Look
Hi Chris–I’m guessing that somewhere in the recesses of your memory you remember me–I’m one of Laura’s WFU friends, and was over at your Winston apartment a time or two. Anyway, I was looking at Laura’s fb profile due to her photo change, which led to me clicking on yours, which led to me clicking on your blog. (Nothing wrong with a little good old-fashioned facebook stalking, eh?)
I wanted to tell you that your post has really encouraged and excited me–I’ll be marrying into the Army soon, and my fiance and I will be PCS-ing to Kansas in November, hopefully into on-post officer’s housing. I’m really eager to move and to get to know our new town, but there’s a lot to be apprehensive and uncertain about too. Sounds like you and Laura have had a great experience relocating to North Dakota, and I wanted to let you know that it was really nice to hear that from a couple I’ve actually met and trust!
Hey Meg, of course I remember you! Yeah, that is not the first time Laura’s page has been used for stalking.
Congrats on the engagement!
The military life presents unique challenges and opportunities. I know that Laura would love to give you some insight into the life of a military spouse. Feel free to send any questions or concerns our way.
I am glad that you found my post encouraging. Our experience, so far, has been a very good one. Good to hear from you!