c/o Best Western

This summer, we've experienced the joys of living out of suitcases, with a few exceptions. We stopped in Nashville and Phoenix long enough to unpack (3-4 wks is a good length of time for a few drawers). Since moving out of Ann Arbor on July 3, we've stayed in very few hotels thanks to the generosity of friends and family. Now that we've arrived in Gallup, NM, where we plan to stay for a full two months, the temp agency that placed Eric has found us a 2 BR apartment about a mile from the hospital. Unfortunately, it's not ready until the 6th, so we have been staying at a Best Western at the western edge of town, along historic Route 66. Now, we stayed at a hotel in Boone, NC, for almost a week during our SP orientation, but this is different. Then, we hardly spent any time in our room except for sleeping, and maybe an hour or two in the evenings. Now, Eric goes to work every day and I try to figure out how to entertain a five month old in a 400 ft (maybe?) hotel room. Granted, we have a suite (which means a living room separated from the bedroom by 1/2 a wall, and 2 TVs, and a microwave and mini-fridge). But still. I feel like every inch is covered with her stuff--exersaucer and stroller and pack n play in the living area, toys and a blanket strung up under the desk, etc.

Mags and I have been trying to get into a routine. We have our free buffet breakfast downstairs. She naps. We take a long (maybe an hour) through the only residential area nearby...it consists of 3 streets, 2 of which are cul-de-sacs. We walk slow, and sometimes go down the same street twice. She naps again. The next part is problematic, because in my master plan it involved swimming in the pool. But it's been closed for repairs since we arrived. I didn't know this the first day, and got her into a swim diaper and bathing suit, only to see the closed sign too late. Not wanting to waste a swim diaper (not cheap, I say!), we spent some time swimming in the bath tub instead.

We've also managed to not have to eat out since arriving. This is due in large part to my mom's crockpot, on loan. We made a mean pot of lentil soup, out of red lentils, which gave it the Middle Eastern flavor and color that Eric and I have been searching for for quite awhile. And thanks to Trader Joe's, which we stocked up at before leaving Phoenix, the soup went well with a nice 3-buck-Chuck Shiraz.

What will the future hold? An apartment! And who knows what that means, really. Hopefully we will start getting out a bit more. The plan is to find a church tomorrow. Eric and I are still waiting to see if we find out why God has brought us here. I'm sure there are many reasons, some of which we'll know and some not, but we strive for contentment at any rate. We hope to post a blog soon on the similarities between Tenwek and Gallup. There are more than first meet the eye!