Dear DMV,

Thank you for your timely notice that my license will expire. I do appreciate you giving me 6 weeks to complete the process before it actually expires. ((I do, however, feel this will not be enough time.)) I also appreciate that most of your services are now offered online. That is very handy, especially since no one likes to go to the DMV in person.

Here, however, is my quandary. I did miraculously receive the notification. You must have sent it to Cocowalk Lane, VA Beach, which in turn, forwarded it to Japan, who also forwarded it to California. The paperwork states my new license will be mailed to the address on my license. Problem one: I definitely no longer live there. Solution: update my address. In order to do that, I need a pin number. In order to get a pin number, you will mail it to my address of record. Which will get forwarded two or three times....

Ugh. This is why no one likes you, DMV.

Well, we have 1 of 3 shipments received! - which is more than most of our friends at this point. We are very very happy to be sleeping on a real bed instead of an airmattress. We had our first real meal on our dinning room table - fajitas, yum! The place is still a mess... lots of stuff strewn about, with no real place determined yet, pictured piled nicely against the wall, awaiting placement, boxes of clothing without a home yet... Slowly but surely things are coming together though, I found the kitchen counter today, so that was nice.

Also today, Dave and I drove out to Sequoia National Park - where we met General Sherman - the largest living tree in the whole world. There were feet of snow on the ground as we passed 6,000ft in elevation, and it began to rain just as we left the park gate. It was a good trip, and we are really really looking forward to exploring more there and camping with the Boo-san.

Well, we've 95% completed the painting... at least what we're painting for now. The Dining Room and kitchen are Quaking Grass green, and the Living Room is Cloudy Day blue, which doesn't have as much gray in it as I would have liked....Oh well. I'm brainstorming ways to get around painting our bedroom but still adding color to it... I'm thinking of Ikea's color panels, one on each side of the bed.... but we'll see what happens.

Exciting news: our household goods (HHG) come tomorrow!! (Grammarian side note: If I'd said "Our HHG comes tomorrow" instead of "Our Household goods come tomorrow"... See how the verb changes because HHG is singluar and goods is plural? I know, I'm a doooork...) That means no more sleeping on an air mattress! HORRAY! Unfortunately, we still haven't recieved our express shipment... Bad. It has silverware, the vaccum cleaner, and the coffee maker in it.... Supposedly, "they" - Personal Property Office - are unloading a truck today that has 50 people's express shipments on there. Hopefully, ours!

HHG= all furniture, bed, couch, remaining pots and pans, pictures, generally everything.
Express Shipment, or UB, Unaccompanied Baggage= things that will arrive within three weeks, so pack what you'll use only - no furniture, so it includes some pots and pans, the toaster, the coffeemaker, bedding, a few lamps, but nothing large.

As I write this, I'm on an air mattress with borrowed linens, surrounded by 4 suitcases and some boxes, all strewn about the room in no particular order, and piles of "organized" clothes. We've been in our new house for about 4 days now. The animals are loving being all together and in one place. The road trip was rough on them, especially Slider. Mav was able to wander around the car (we let him out of his carrier because he wouldn't stop meowing), but Slider was essentially confined to the way-back with a 2 1/2 by 3ft area to call home. They were both in the car at least 9 hours per day, and then brought into an unfamiliar hotel room. So they are very happy not to be moving any more.

We did buy a new car for the road trip - a 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. It's silver. It's nice, we both really like it. It doesn't have a sun roof, boo. But it was a valiant trooper throughout our drive.

We've just finished painting the dining room and kitchen. It is Quaking Grass green and a great color. The rest of the house looks extra boring since everything else is still off-white. We can't decide on a color for the living room. A sort of beige would be safe - so we won't have to repaint when we move out - but our couch and curtains are beige so it has to have some contrast... any ideas? (Kelly, I'm asking you.)

The town of Hanford, CA, isn't so bad. It has more than on Starbucks, a Target, and that's about it... We haven't been out to explore the surrounding areas, but soon enough. The town does smell though - like cow manure. Yuck. I can't imagine what the smell will be like in the summer when it's 115degrees...

I will post some pictures of our house, our paint job, our car, and our road trip once I get a connecting cable. Otherwise, that's all for now!