Kris' 1st Day and Our 1 year Anniversary!

Two weeks have come and gone so quickly. We have had good times and sad times in Kansas City so far. Luckily, we have met wonderful new friends, we have a great apartment, and we have many activities available to us in the city. Sadly, we miss our friends in Tennessee, our families all over, and our old schedule. Moving and starting over is such a different experience. I feel like it is hard to explain unless you have experienced it yourself.

The big test to this new adventure was Kris starting his new job. July 16, 2011: Such a big day in history. It was scary and exciting all at same time. Kris started his new job, I had my first real interview in Kansas City, and we were able to celebrate a wonderful year of marriage. For all who haven't heard, Kris' first day was great! The company he works for is very neat and he really enjoys it so far. (He officially has been there a week now!) I would love to tell you all the details but sadly I don't understand computer talk very well. If you want to check up on him, you should give him a call or send him a text. (I'm sure he would appreciate it!) Kris now has orientation out of the way and starts his intensive training tomorrow. I think he is excited to learn about his job specifically but not too happy about the drive.He will be located at the farthest away campus for five weeks. (Hopefully, he doesn't get placed there for good!)

I have officially been a stay-at-home wife. I learned that I like to work! I've been able to cook and clean but not enough people interaction for me. I have interviewed for two companies. I interviewed at Commerce Bank but was turned down due to an internal employee receiving the job. I also interviewed at Legoland/Sea  Life. I decided not to take that job for multiple reasons. I don't know exactly what God has in store for me yet. I thought until then I am going to try to sub and get to know the school systems. Wish me luck!

For our 1 year anniversary, we decided to do something casual since Kris had his first day the same day. We went downtown to P.F. Changs and celebrated. We had a wonderful dinner with great service. Our goal was just to enjoy each other which I think we accomplished:) We decided not to walk around the Plaza district (which is beautiful) because it was so hot! (Still in the hundreds here) We went home instead and had a good celebration cake for our one year. (For those who don't know the story, Kris and I already ate our Anniversary cake before we left Tennessee. It was awful because it got freezer burnt.) It was a great celebration in our new place.

New Friends:)

The first Sunday we were on our own we decided we needed to find a church. We thought it could be one of the best ways to meet people. (Kris and I love each other very much but we were ready for some other human interaction.) We drove around all Saturday to find a church that looked interesting to us. Kris and I looked for a Mega church since that is what we grew up in. We learned real fast that Kansas City really doesn't have Mega churches that are near where we live. Our first choice was to go to a church called Northside Christian. We decided to check it out.

Going to that church our first Sunday was probably one of  the best decisions we made. Usually going to a new church is really intimidating. Our experience wasn't. As soon as we took a seat, we had a very nice couple come up and introduce themselves. Church began and ended and this couple extended an invitation for lunch. Kris and I were so shocked that people who didn't even know us invited us to go to lunch with them. Of course we said "yes". We were a little nervous because usually when you first meet people there is that awkward silence. Luckily, that didn't happen at all. Lunch went so fast and we had a good time.

I was so excited to finally know people in Kansas City. At first, I thought they were just being nice but we have hang out with them at least once or twice a week since! They are such wonderful people to take us in. Their friendship has helped us settle and get excited about our new place. (Thank you Kristi and Josh for extending that invitation that first Sunday:))

After this wonderful experience, we have not even checked out any other churches. We feel welcome and we meet new people every week we go. It was nice to find a church so quickly where we can be ourselves. **Kris has already gotten on me for staying and talking too long after church! Such a nice feeling.**

Freedom

Freedom: Fourth of July is known as our Independence Day. This was the day my parents left us to our own "freedom" in Kansas City. Freedom can be a very scary thing when you are in a place you don't know very well and that you are living there for the next two years. Panic set in once we were alone! We hadn't been by ourselves since the beginning of May. We didn't know what to do with ourselves. To get us out of the house, I decided we should find where the fireworks were going to be set off. (Sounds like a good idea right?!) Well coming from a small place like Johnson City to a big place like Kansas City is very overwhelming. We got lost in the first ten minutes we were looking. We even had directions and still got lost. Real fast we learned that it is not so easy to turn around in a big city. Eventually, we just followed a car to where we thought there would be fireworks. Crazy I know! Somehow though, we found the fireworks.It was well worth the journey it took to get there. Kris and I were able to relax and just enjoy the fireworks! We then decided it may not be so bad being by ourselves in Kansas City.

Getting Settled

 Getting settled is always a lot of work. On our move-in day, we were lucky to even get everything all moved in. Thanks to my parents and Jonathan we were able to get everything moved in on Saturday. It was so cramped and packed that we were lucky to even get our bed made to sleep in. Sunday is when the stress hit. I looked around the apartment and couldn't imagine going through everything and getting it where it belonged. My poor parents had to help us set up our closets and living room just so we could feel a little less stressed out! Once we were able to unload box after box we started feeling relief. We actually were able to have fun and see some sights while my parents were in town. (Update: As of July 19, we are pretty much all settled except for our spare bedroom. That is still a work in progress.) 

Here is the view of Kansas City (Missouri Side)

 

Fancy City Ice Cream (Lavender sorta tastes like potpourri)

This is the fancy BBQ place we tried. (It is located at a gas station). Don't judge a book by it's cover. It was really good BBQ!

Here is the beautiful Union Station at night. Very pretty

June 30-Move In Day

June 30th was our official move-in day. It was expected to one of the hottest days of the summer (it was!). The day started off pretty smooth because we weren't going to pick up the U-haul until 4. We were actually able to go see our new apartment and sign all the papers and have a nice relaxing lunch. After lunch is when the crazy hit. The heat set in and we started loads at the storage unit. We decided really quickly that our apartment was too small for all our stuff (Sadly, we managed to get everything in even though some areas are squished.) . I have attached pictures of our apartment with nothing in it. Pretty nice huh:)

Time to Move In

Today is June 29th. Today we loaded up again and headed to Kansas City. This time though it is to settle in our nice new apartment! I can't believe it is actually time to move in. We accidently chose the hottest weekend out of the summer (Today's high was 102 degrees.) to move. Luckily, my parents and Kris' friend are helping us out! We made the long 8 hour drive to Kansas City today and are staying in a hotel tonight so we can move everything tomorrow. We decided after battling traffic today, it will be well worth it to fly as much as we can! (We aren't quite use to the big city traffic yet!) Tomorrow we will start mid-morning by going to see our apartment and then start making trips with our stuff! Hopefully tomorrow will not be too hot and we will be able to unload and organize everything in our apartment! Wish us luck!!! I will put pictures soon!!

Our New Adventure

Sorry it has taken me so long to update! (I'm new at this blogging thing!) Well for those of you who don't know, Kris and I have officially started our new adventure in Kansas City. We have had an eventful, crazy start to our new chapter of our lives. I thought some of you may want to hear about our moving process so I am going to start from the beginning...

It all started the week of May 27th. Kris and I decided that we were going to go down to one car because Kris' car is an old Volvo and we were scared it wouldn't make the long drive to Kansas City. Kris had to say goodbye to his first car. (Good ol' Betsy)

On May 29th, the major packing began. One thing we learned real fast...we have way too much stuff!! Luckily, we rented a 17' Penske truck for our big move. Never in all my life did I think we could fill up a 17' truck but guess what...we did! Kris, Kris' dad, and I packed and loaded all Tuesday night and all Wednesday morning. After filling up the truck we learned that it took us over 18 hours to pack and get everything loaded. We decided we were crazy!! So a few tips for moving:
1. Get rid of things you don't use way before you move!
2. Get a truck bigger than you think you will need or get a smaller truck so you will throw things out.
3. Get LOTS of help! (Do not refuse because you want to be nice!)
4. Start packing early. You will be amazed at what you will find as you start packing.
5. Liquor stores have tons of boxes that are FREE so start there.
6. Try to pack at points in the day when it is not too hot!
Those are my words of advice for now! I am sure there are many more I can add but I can't remember some!

On the 30th, we still had a lot to do. Our plan was to leave around noon for our start to our big road trip. We didn't end up leaving until 4:00! Told you we were crazy! Kris and I decided next time that we are A.) getting rid of ALL our stuff and starting over or B.) hiring a packer and mover no matter what the cost. (We may even start saving now!) We did it though. We got everything loaded and headed to Vincennes, IN for our first leg of our trip. (Thank you Kevin for dealing with our craziness!) I decided that we needed the 31st as a "break day" and I was a little selfish because I wanted to celebrate my birthday! I am glad we took that day off! I don't know if I have ever slept that hard in my life!!

On June 1st, we officially made it to Kansas City, MO! Now this is where most people think our adventure ended but it is not. Kris doesn't start his job until July 16th but we had to be out of our last apartment by June 1st. We decided to travel for the month of June so we could see a good majority of our family. (Best decision ever!) So our journey did not end on June 1st! We put all of our belongings in a storage place for the month of June. We were hoping to move into a nice new place by July 1st.

On June 2nd, we started our apartment search. Johnson City is nowhere near the size of Kansas City (we found this out really fast). We got lost so many times. Thank goodness for our phone navigators! Apartment searching was so much fun! Apartments are more expensive out here in Kansas City but the ones we looked at (most of them) were very nice! I had set up appointments early to our arrival so we could see as many apartments as we could. I think we saw 6-7 apartments altogether. At the end of the day, we had two perfect apartment places that would fit our needs. I thought deciding to move was our hardest decision but I think figuring out our apartment was equally as hard!

On June 3rd, we started our travels to see our family. We still hadn't decided on which apartment we wanted! By Monday, we chose a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom 1st floor apartment that would be about 15 minutes from Kris' work. It is near shopping centers and restaurants. We even will live near an IMAX! (We have two bedrooms so feel free to come and visit!)

I think that is most of our update on our first leg of our journey. Our month with our families went way too fast as normal but we could never trade our time with them. Kris and I were even able to relax and actually get excited about our move. Hopefully, it will be a great chapter of our lives:)

Big News

Here is the start to my first ever blog! Yay! I thought with big news and many changes coming up, having a blog would be a great way to communicate with people and let them know what is going on in our lives. Now remember I'm not the greatest writer in the world but I will try my best to be as descriptive as I can! I hope you enjoy and continue to read my ramblings! Well thinking back over the past five to five and a half years with Kris, we have been greatly blessed. In just this short amount of time, we have graduated with our Bachelor degrees from Milligan, traveled to Europe, Kris got accepted and went to grad school for computers, I got my first teaching job in 5th grade, we got married, and we have started a life for ourselves. I could not ask for a better life partner than Kris. Even though we differ, we help each other through anything and everything that comes our way. Crazy enough but Kris and I are getting ready for a huge life change. On May 5, Kris will officially graduate with his Masters degree from ETSU. I am so proud of him! Prior to his graduation, he was offered a job for a corporation called Cerner located in Kansas City, MO. Of course we thought there is no way we would ever move to Kansas City and besides it is far from family and we don't know anyone there. Well we were wrong. After many pros and cons list, talking with others, and time spent in prayer, Kris accepted the job. We have experienced every emotion possible since he has accepted the job but we feel like this is where we are meant to go. So yes our big move is to Kansas City!!