One Year

One year ago today we arrived in Altus as its newest residents. In some ways I still feel like the new kid, but there are other days where I can't remember what life was like before we lived here.

The one thing I have learned about moving in the military is that not all moves are created equal. All bases are different, all towns are different, and even though I generally know a handful of people wherever we go, all communities are different.

I thought I had it all down to a science -- how to unpack and organize all our belongings,  how to navigate a new base, how to make friends. But this move proved to me that I don't know anything and I have to reinvent the wheel again.

There are things about Altus that have grown on us. I'm still trying to find my niche here. When we lived in Grand Forks I had a full time job across the river in Minnesota,  so I put most of my energy into that. I worked on and off in Illinois, but my main outlet was my church responsibilities. And I've gotten more involved on base here than I did anywhere else. We actually eat dinner at the club on occasion! Who knew we'd ever do that?!? My interests are changing and growing and I'm figuring out how to deal with that.

Here's to another two-ish years here in Altus! May they be deployment-free! (I think I just jinxed myself).

5 on Friday

--ONE--

One afternoon I was putting Scarlett's leftovers away when I noticed this:

I swear the matching is not on purpose. What is wrong with my subconscious?

--TWO--

This was Todd's fortune when we went to get Chinese for dinner the other night. How is this a "fortune"?

--THREE--

We went to the Jackson County Fair last weekend. Scarlett petted a cute pony, we saw some rabbits, walked around some booths, and left. The whole adventure took around 20 minutes.

--FOUR--

Source: Library of Congress

September 11 was this week. Am I the only one who actually enjoys the September 11th coverage in the days leading up to the anniversary? I think so, because this was the first year I noticed there wasn't as much on TV as in years past.

My September 11th story -- I was in my first year of law school and ran into a friend as I walked out of my Constitutional Law class. She told me there were planes "dive-bombing" the World Trade Center and nobody knew who it was. I went to the computer lab to get on the internet to see what was going on, and then I just decided to go home because I had a long break. After the towers collapsed another friend from school who was also my neighbor stopped by my house to tell me classes were cancelled for the rest of the day. My roommate and I just sat at home and watched tv all day and all night. 

Law schools typically use the Socratic Method as a form of teaching, which means instead of a lecture, you get called on directly to answer a barrage of questions. My Constitutional Law professor gave us three free passes to use at any time in the semester -- you signed a piece of paper as you came in saying you didn't want to be called on that day. The morning of September 12 almost the entire room got up to sign the paper because nobody had done their reading. Of course, my professor knew this would happen and he postponed our lesson for the day. We basically had a discussion on war powers and what could/would happen next. I don't remember any of it and I'm pretty sure I took crappy notes.

When I say almost everybody got up to sign the paper -- I was not one of them. I spent the entire class period on September 10 at the podium answering questions, so I was hedging my bets that because it was the beginning of the semester, there were still lots of people to call on and he wouldn't call on me again until he got through them. Hey, I wasn't going to waste a perfectly good free pass if I didn't need to. #lawstudentproblems

--FIVE--

My birthday is on Sunday! Happy birthday to me!

The Charm of Altus

There is something to be said for this small town. Sure, I don't have a Target, Hobby Lobby, Dillard's, or a gym with child care. The time it takes to travel to and from the airport alone takes up half your vacation. And there's not much to look at, what with the drought, dead grass, and almost complete absence of trees.

But today I drove through one of my favorite little drink/convenient store spots (The Pit Stop) to get my daily beverage. I pulled up, and before I could say anything, the owner walked over and handed me my 44 ounce DDP with light ice. He then told me he saw Todd this morning when he drove through and we had a lovely chat.

Now that's service. 

Thrift Shop Prom

Kelly's Korner is talking about thrift shop finds today. Most people are showing their great craft projects with thrift store finds, but this is something completely different. No upcycling involved here. It's the Thrift Shop Prom -- A Night in Altus, courtesy of Todd's squadron.

We had this fundraiser back in May. We were told to buy our clothes from the thrift store -- the less money we spent, the cheaper our ticket would be. This is code for look as gaudy as possible.

This sign was obviously a labor of love.

I couldn't decide between two dresses at Goodwill, and I think I should have picked the other one. The one I chose was this green chiffon that I wore with a black shrug. It was fine, but not the 80s look I was going for exactly. The one I wish I'd gotten was a crushed red velvet overlaid with some cheesy lace. I went back the next day to see about an exchange and it was gone. Wah wah.

We found a ridiculous jacket and shirt and tie for Todd. We were both old school in our clothing, but not quite as old school as I'd hoped for. I did curl and tease and hairspray some big bangs, a la 1990. I thought, I haven't done this in 20 years, I hope I remember how. Turns out it's like riding a bike!

Black trash bags as carpet runners greeted us at the doors. There was karaoke, which Todd participated in. He sang "America" by Neil Diamond, which if you know Todd, you know that is not anywhere near his preferred genre of music. The karaoke was part of the fundraiser, you donated money to make people sing, so that's what Todd got.

What I learned from this experience -- more people buy cheesy formal gowns from Goodwill than you would think. I went to Goodwill several days in a row and they had new merchandise almost every single day, and if I tried to find something one day that I'd seen previously, I couldn't find it. I thought other people in the squadron were buying this stuff for the prom, but I never saw anybody wearing any of it. Soooo...where is everyone going in Goodwill formals that I wasn't invited to?

I Love to See the Temple, I Mean Target

When we first moved here, I was greeted in pretty much the same way by several people.

"Welcome to Altus, Target is opening in Lawton on July 29."

This is the biggest thing to happen to Altus in I don't know how long -- a Target opening 45 minutes away. Tonight was our inaugural voyage to the mecca. It was so bright and shiny and new inside.

Dinner fare at the Target "cafe." This was pretty much what they had left -- popcorn and ONE hot dog. Scarlett giggled through her entire dinner. I'm pretty sure she knew she was in a sacred place.

I let her ride in the big part of the cart. It was easier than fighting her and telling her to sit down. She then emptied the entire contents of my bag inside the cart, but at that point I didn't even care.

Exception #1 to my popcorn rule: I will share my popcorn with you if it keeps you from screaming in the cart so I can shop in peace.

I'm pretty proud that she loves it. Notice the pink beads -- she insisted on wearing them the entire day and sleeping with them during naptime. She's the best.

Where is Altus Air Force Base?

Photo Credit: kswo.com

Have I mentioned we're stationed at Altus Air Force Base in Altus, OK? Oh, you've never heard of Altus? It's okay, most people haven't.

To be honest, it's not an assignment that most people seek. When people do want to come here, it's so they can be home more and have a more stable family life. We came here for a number of reasons, but first and foremost, it just felt like it was where we were supposed to be.

Most of our Air Force friends will say they hate living in Oklahoma because they equate Altus with the rest of the state. Oklahoma doesn't suck, people!

Now, it's true. There's not much to do in Altus itself. We have a sweet base pool that's open in the summer, some cute downtown shops, and I think there's a story hour at the library. We also have dead grass, dilapidated buildings, and the worst drought I've ever seen in my life.

So I'm on a mission. A mission to find something to do with my day and keep my very busy and super social one-year-old entertained.

I'm getting creative and exploring all the nooks and crannies of the state and featuring our discoveries here. Will they be awesome or a disappointment? Let our Finding Fun Tour commence!