Toto, we aren’t in Grenada anymore.

This twister called medical school has picked us up and dropped us in Redlands, CA. And after the dust has settled, I am so happy we can call this beautiful place home for the next two years.

As I write, kids are giggling and splashing at the pool just beyond our back porch.

Opening one box after another, a million different memories come back. I remember who gave us a picture frame or a toaster or a vase or a cookbook and I feel so blessed to know so many great people.

So without further adieu, here is the grand tour of our new apartment!
*Note: Because my phone video camera is silly, I had to break it into two parts.

What you see here is the result of three whole days of unpacking. I am so glad we don’t have to move again for a while! Oh, it was utter chaos.

Our first night here, among the mess, David’s aunt and uncle were nice enough to take us out to dinner and show us around town. Earlier in the day, his cousin Nathan was kind enough to help us unload the truck. That kid deserves a little more than the shout out on the blog and a Coke that we got him. But I guess it was good enough. His response to our thanks was, “Of course. You guys are family.” It is a great feeling being so close to people we care about!

The trek from Utah had its own set of adventures.

With a few hugs from David’s family, we set out not knowing what the next 642 miles would bring.

Everything went beautifully until we hit that little north west corner of Arizona on I-15 between Utah and Nevada. Some genius had decided that single lane roadwork was a good idea on a Sunday afternoon. What that smartie couldn’t predict was the wildfire that would rage in the hills above, requiring road closures for the emergency trucks. That one-lane road quickly turned into a no-lane road and we proceeded to have a parking lot party with the WalMart truckers and disgruntled weekend road warriors.

The fire was much more impressive in person. The rinkydink phone camera just doesn’t do it justice.

After more than two and a half hours of waiting, we finally got out of the mire and made our way to Vegas baby!

We will gloss over this part of the trip, because of course, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas 😉 But our room wasn’t too shabby.

The next morning, we made the final push into California and our new home. For the past week David and I have been able to get settled and enjoy our new home. While we miss so many of our Grenada friends, we are so exited to be here with Josh and Stephanie and the adorable Richards family. As we explore Redlands and all its intricacies, we will be sure to keep you updated.  There is so much to explore here and David starts rotations on Monday.

Let the stateside adventures begin!