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:)