We Made it to Fairfax

We spent a week in two hotel rooms at the Springhill Suites. It had free breakfast, enough beds, and was clean, so I can't really complain...but I'll say it was a stressful week. We had to get seven children to three different schools that had three very different start times each day, plus get DS1 & DS2 to seminary before that. So, our day started at 5:15 a.m. DH drove the seminary run (it started at 5:55 a.m.), and luckily someone there was willing to get them to school for us. I drove the middle school run. It started at 7:40 a.m. Then, we went together to get the elementary kids to school by 9:15 a.m. On the first day, we picked up the high-schoolers at 2:50 and the middle-schoolers at 3:20. We had the elementary kids get used to the bus right off the bat, and picked them up by the apartment at 3:55 (although it was really 4:20 by the time it got there). We got bus schedules and tried to get the five younger kids to their bus stops the latter half of the week, but it never worked out for all of them until Friday. The elementary bus was always late going both directions, but that middle school bus was on time each morning...so they were the ones we always had to drive. DS1 & DS2 started Cross Country practice on Wednesday, so we had to pick them up at 5:45 p.m. each day, extending our pick-up times from 3:00-5:45 p.m. daily. Since the hotel was about 15-20 minutes away from the general area of the apartment and high school, we didn't like going back and forth between the trips, so it was a lot of sitting and waiting. 

DH and I ran errands during the days. We picked up school supplies that the kids found out about after school started. We got familiar with the neighborhood and walked the path the high-schoolers will be walking home from school. We got an oil change on the van, and a serpentine belt, as well, as we found out ours was cracking. (We would have changed the blinker fluid if they had recommended it, just to make sure our only car kept running properly.) The evening before the oil change, our battery died. DH had thought the van had a separate auxiliary battery, and had kept his components plugged into the charger several times while we waited for children at bus stops that day, Unfortunately, when we tried starting it after we stopped at a store, it didn't have enough charge to turn over all the way. That vehicle doesn't have a separate auxiliary battery. Oops. We got a jump start and drove it until we felt like it was charged enough, and we were fine the next day. 

On Friday, there was an after-school party for the elementary kids from our bus stop. They played at the neighborhood playground and we all brought treats. The kids did really well adjusting to school. There are still a little quirks, like the older kids not being able to get into Blackboard online. But all in all, it has gone well. They got into good classes, and met other kids from church in their classes. Church, by the way, was amazing. We called on Monday to find out about seminary, and by Tuesday, we had been emailed by every auxiliary leader to get information about the kids and let us know the schedules for the youth activities. By Thursday, our records had been transferred in and we could see everyone's contact information in our LDS Tools apps. We were even brought dinner one night. We have felt very welcomed to the area. 

Sunday was the big day! We went to church at 9 a.m., then checked out of the apartment at 1 p.m. We picked up our keys to our apartment and brought our luggage in. There were only a couple of minor issues. Mostly, I am really happy with it. I'll make a little list of the good and the not-so-good. 

The good: 

Comfortable beds & bedding 

Convenient location: The bus stop is directly outside my kitchen deck, and being on the lower level on the corner next to the stairwell, we only share one short wall with neighbors, and haven't heard a peep from those above us. 

The metro rail line is a 5-10 minute walk from here, so DH can easily jump on a train in the mornings.

Granite countertops, new fixtures New stainless steel appliances 

Attractive, functional furniture 

Lots of cupboards and closets 

Close, secure parking (the garage is underground, and we can park right by our apartment and walk a short flight of stairs from it) 

Washer and dryer have surprisingly large capacities 

Friendly neighbors 

The not-so-good: 

While having this location is convenient to the bus stop, there is a sidewalk right in front of it. People walk it all night long, and DS3 & DS4 had a little bit of trouble sleeping with the windows open last night. It wasn't a problem the first night, with the A/C on, so we may have to go back to that. 

The sunroom that is listed on our lease and was in the floorplan doesn't exist. In its place is a second deck, which isn't even the size the sunroom was supposed to be. Not like the size matters, because if it isn't enclosed, we can't exactly have someone sleep in it, can we? As the sunroom wasn't there, neither was the extra bed. However, there is a love seat, which is where DS6 has been sleeping. 

The dining table has four chairs, but could fit six. I may ask for two more as a concession for not having the sunroom and bed we were promised. 

The sofa is in the spot where I was planning to put bar stools. I am going to see if I can do some re-arranging today. 

The floating wood laminate floor is a bit loose in places. When walking over those places, one can feel the floor move. Not a huge problem, but it would have been nice if that wasn't the case. 

The keyed entry to the lobby is by a FOB, not a normal key. We only have two FOBs, so we will probably have to give DH's to DS3. If lost, it will cost $200 to replace it. Ouch! 

All in all, I think the good outweighs the not-so-good. We are in close quarters, but not too close for comfort. And, it is temporary. October 11th is Flag Day, and then we'll know how long we will be here. (BTW, I may have said October 4th at one time, but that turned out to be bad information, which was corrected a week or two ago.) 

I suppose some of you may want to know how DH's first day went. He said it was boring. They met at Main State in D.C., got their security badges, found out how to read a security badge, had a benefits meeting, and listened to a lot of dos and don'ts. The A-100 class was combined with the specialists class and security personnel who were starting at the same time, so they didn't even meet all of their classmates. The only time they met people was when they were standing in lines together. Today they get to go to A-100 for the first time. I'll update you again after I hear how it went. One last thing - DS1's Eagle Application was approved at the end of last week, so we are in the process of setting up a board of review. They are going to do it via Skype. Yay!