Right Place. Right Time.

Being homeless is no fun. Okay not really homeless. But, close enough. We've had a call into the housing office for a few days to see if there was a chance we could get into our place a little earlier than 31 July. So today we went over to the housing office on Bolling AFB to sign some paperwork to get into our house and inquire about an answer to our question. Unfortunately they told us the place just wasn't ready and there was no way to get in earlier.

So. On to our next question. Because Drew and I have been discussing plans for our furniture (we know we'll have to scale back on what we've got...we're trying to work out what we want to keep, sell or store), we asked the lady at housing if we would be able to get into the house or one similar to actually see how big (or little) the rooms are. It's peak PCS season, so we know they're super busy, but it never hurts to ask. The lady sent us over to a house that was supposed to be open for a family moving in later that day. So, we packed up the kids and headed over to see the house. Bummer #2. The house was locked. But as we were heading out of the housing subdivision, Drew got a call from the lady at the housing office who asked us to meet her at another address. They had been going through their records and found a house (same layout) who's potential residents had not gotten back with housing in the set time. This house was move-in ready. We were thrilled as we pulled up to the house, walked inside, looked around and realized that we have a really good view of the Potomac River from our Master bedroom and our deck! We can easily view downtown Washington from off to the right and Old Town Alexandria off to the left!

The irony of the whole thing is, just yesterday as we were driving along the Potomac to Mt. Vernon we saw a HUGE house for sale along the river and joked about why our realtor didn't take us to see that house. Surely a mere couple million dollar house could be worked down to our $375,000 cap. Yes? And now, we really can say we have a house on the Potomac! Looks like we'll be moving in sometime next week (provided we can get our stuff delivered!). Wahoo! There's a light at the end of this tunnel! What can I say? We were just in the right place and the right time.

Mt. Vernon...by the way, we're here!

Today we took some time out of our super stressful, super unsuccessful house hunt to enjoy some of the sites of Washington DC and surrounding area. We visited Mt. Vernon and took a boat ride on the Potomic River. Drew mom came out to watch the kids while we spent this weekend searching for a house and today was her last day with us. We wanted her to be able to see something besides a hotel room while she was here! Anyway, it was a beautiful day and I'm positive we'll be back to visit George Washington's home in the near future. So much history in such a small radius! I'm so excited!

As for a place to live...we searched and searched the area this weekend and nothing really grabbed us that was within our price range and a reasonable commute for Drew. So. Fortunatly, while we were in Colorado Drew put our name on the waiting list for base housing on Bolling AFB, and before we left for DC, we got a call that a place was available for us. So, using living on base as a last resort, we came here in search of a home. There are a few reasons why we really didn't want to live on base, a coupel of those being (1) we just came from a place where our lives revolved around a base, (2) the area outside of Bolling AFB is not the safest of places...we would have to send Kami to a private school for Kindergarted when she starts.

So, after a frustrating day of not finding anything, Drew and I went for a walk and talked about what we were going to do. Then something my father-in-law said to us occured to me. In giving us advice on house buying, we was telling us that if we felt pressured to make a purchase and wanted to think about it, to use my faith as an excuse to wait. If it's meant to be, the Lord will make it be. So, I thought about what Jerome said that night and realized - maybe THIS was our answer. Maybe getting base housing so quickly and not finding any other place that meets our needs and standards is Heavenly Fathers way of saying, 'This is where you need to be'.

As soon as we put aside our fears and began to have faith, Drew and I have been at such peace with our decision. I don't know what future the next three years will hold for us here. But, I feel strongly that this is where we are supposed to be.

So. We're here. We've got internet (another bump in our plans that worked to our advantage...TLF messed up our reservation, so we had to move out of TLF yesterday to the Homewood Suites. Constant high-speed internet!) and you'll be hearing more from us here in Washington DC on a more regular basis! I've updated quite a bit of pictures from the summer, so please feel free to scroll down and check out our crazy adventures!

Staple Head

WARNING: if you don't want to see this picture, close your eyes and scroll up (or down). But, this is why we now lovingly refer to Kami as 'Staple Head':

...and here's the story in a nutshell. While BBQing at Drew's brother's house in Castle Rock, CO, Kami and her cousin, Halle we playing around on one of those toddler ride-on toys on the outside deck. The girls were on the toy facing each other, and scooting each other around, laughing and having fun. However, apparently they got too close to the edge and didn't hear (or had the selective hearing as 3 and 4 years olds do) Drew hollering at them to stop. The toy went over the edge of the stairs (it's only about 3 or 4 stairs to the bottom) and took the girls along with it. Kami took the brunt of the damage and broke Halle's fall. However, somewhere along the tumble, Kami got a pretty good gash on her head. Nervous about the amount of blood that was coming from the back of her head, me, Drew and Susan (Drew's mom) rushed Kami to the nearest ER. It was bad enough that instead of stitching her up, they had to use staples (which...knock on wood come out TOMORRROW). Kami's done great with these in her head and hardly notices them...although she is aware they they are there. She'll feel the back of her head every once in a while and talk about her "booboo". She is seriously one brave girl. I think Drew and I were the most shaken up of the three of us. All I wanted to do that night is sit down and cry. For some reason I felt like I had to stay strong. But, the emotions of that night came caving in a few days later while kneeling in prayer giving thanks and asking for strength. Sometimes I think a good cry is just what you need to de-stress.

Feth Family Tradition

Eating at the White Fence Farm Resturant in Denver has been a tradition in the Feth family for decades. So, we are dutifully introducing the new generation of Feth's about the tastiness of WFF. I thought it would also be fun for the girls to record their time there. So, I bought each of them disposable cameras and let them take pictures to their hearts content. One minor drawback about this idea in todays world...they didn't understand why they couldn't see the pictures right away!

But the real highlight of the evening was a horse drawn carriage ride with Grandma!

...time for an AJ update...

All these Kami posts, I just wanted you all to know that I DO have another child! AJ is doing well (although currently teething and keeps us up at night with low fevers). He also had his time in the water in Colorado. We filled a sand box with warm water and let AJ splash away! He stayed in so long, his little feet were so wrinkled by the time we took him out. He was also doing great walking with a push toy. He's not quite ready to walk on his own yet, but, he got a little taste of how those legs will one day work!

The Zoo!

Kami loves, loves, LOVES animals! So, taking her to the Zoo was a no-brainer activity while in Colorado. It was also the perfect thing to do while Drew met up with his former commander from Korea at the Academy for a round of golf.

Sprinkler Time!

...and then we were off to Colorado! After 3 weeks (that went by all too quickly!!!) me and the kids drove to the SeaTac Airport to pick up Drew, who was finally coming in from Korea! After going for lunch and taking the car back, we checked back in at the airport to catch our flight to Denver. 4 hours of delays later we were off!

But, if you would ask Kami, it was all worth the trip...the next day (or was it two days later?) Kami got unlimited access to the sprinkler in Grandma's backyard with her cousin, Halle.

Bainbridge Island

One of the last days of our visit to Seattle we took a day trip over to Bainbridge Island. It was a fantastic day for a drive across the Pudget Sound, eat at a little Cafe, spend lots of $$ at Ester's Fabrics and play at the park.

Oh yes. It was also absolutly PERFECT for a Ferry ride! AJ fell alseep in the car, so I wasn't able to go up on the deck with the rest of the crew, but Kami came back to the car and told me all about it. She had a blast!

Happy, Happy Birthday!

Kami turned 3 years old in Seattle! 3 YEARS! Yeesh! Where has the time gone??? Since we were visiting my sister and none of Kami's friends seemed to not be able to make the trip from Korea to Seattle, we had a small little breakfast party with our family. It was actually really, really nice. And I was quite proud of the cake, by the way! I'm not sure what recipe I used, but, there are tons of recipes if you google "rainbow cake"

Some of the coolest people on the planet...

My family, of course!! At least some of them, anyway. It's not easy to get my 3 sisters and 4 brothers nailed down in one spot at one time (I believe the last time was at my sisters wedding...nearly 9 years ago!). But, when you can get half of the family together, well then, that's something to celebrate!

My parents made their way to Seattle while me and the kids were there. It also happened that my brother, Scott was in town for a few days for an IronMan in Idaho. And of course, the resident Seattle-ites...my sister Rachel, her husband Robert and their kiddos Charlotte and Calvin and my brother Aaron and his wife, Chrys.

It was so fun seeing everyone! Hopefully we can get together again....and maybe sooner!