We got it to Iowa City last Monday afternoon and have been settling in since then. Our first surprise was that the condo was being re-roofed all last week and this, so a large cherry picker was parked in our driveway and construction and noise was everywhere. We had to flee the house as much as possible for the first couple of days, as the noise was nigh on unbearable. Our cell service didn’t work in Iowa, so we are now AT&T users. Also, we have seen the mall (site of the AT&T store). There is a children’s museum, an ice rink, and a Chickfila. What more could we want? We spent our anniversary dinner at a local pizza place with mediocre crust. Shakespeare’s this was not!
The kids and I got out to the library the next morning and got our library cards, signed up for the summer reading program, and checked out about 60 books. Then we went back the next day and checked out 50 more. It feels unnatural living here in a house with no bookshelves, so I am stalking craigslist for some good deals. And I pulled one empty shelf up from the basement for our school stuff.
We met some homeschool families at a park day Wednesday and were invited to a picnic after church Sunday. Otherwise, we got Coralville library cards on Friday, picked 60 pounds of apples on Saturday, and have been making applesauce and pies ever since. I’ve been to Aldi multiple times, and the kids are amazed at the great prices!
Grandma came up for a couple days over the weekend because she is just four hours away! For the past six years, I’ve been so jealous of friends whose moms are in driving distance and can just come help out when their husbands are out of town. For the next five months, I get to enjoy that privilege. She took the big kids on a bike ride, we hit up two parks, and we did some nature journaling, processed apples, and of course read a ton of books. She even took the kids to the library while I ran errands so that I could wander Walmart without four bored sidekicks. Bliss.
Yesterday evening, we bought some bikes for the little girls on craigslist, and when we got there to pick them up, discovered that they belonged to a homeschooling family with five kids (ages 10, 8, 6, 5, and 3) who live about a mile away from us. They just moved to Iowa City, too, and they’re likeminded and super nice. We’re already planning on meeting at the park this week to play. This morning, we had a play date with another family with five kids (boys 12, 10, and 3, and girls 8 and 5) who goes to our church. All the ages and stages got along great, and we’re really excited to get to know them better. We’re going to another homeschool park day tomorrow and are driving over to Davenport Thursday to meet up with the Neuendorfs (who we haven’t seen in seven years!). So we already have as much community here in Iowa as it took us 3 years to find in Thousand Oaks. We miss our SoCal friends, but this feels like State College and St Louis, where we made friends so quickly that we never had time to feel lonely.
The internet situation is dicey here, so I’m not sure how often I’ll be writing long blog posts, but I’ll keep trying to document our life in pictures so we don’t forget our time here!
For now, our life these past couple weeks in Instagram shots:
So good to read an update! I am thankful for God’s goodness to you!
My heart is overflowing for you friend! God has already provided so abundantly for you!! I especially loved the line: “She even took the kids to the library while I ran errands so that I could wander Walmart without four bored sidekicks. Bliss.” There’s no replacement for your mom being around!!! May these months be rich in increased family closeness, time with grandparents and old friends, and the making of new friends!
My favorite picture from your road trip is at Starbucks with Tommy and Lizzie showcasing ennui while Susie smiles broadly. I love that you took such a picture. The picture tells a story. I’m thankful you took pictures of the trip and shared so friends and family could stay updated!