Vandenberg Ho!

We are moving in eight days.

Count 'em. Eight.

I'll admit, I was a bit apprehensive about leaving San Antonio given that I've finally started to feel settled here, in addition to the fact we'll be without a kitchen while living on base. That's FOUR months without a kitchen, folks. Yours truly likes to cook is a somewhat picky eater, so that's a bummer. Housing regs are silent on the use of a crock pot or blender in the room though, so there'll be some clandestine cooking at least.

Lack of kitchen aside, the more I discover about Vandenberg AFB and the surrounding towns, the more excited I get.

First, Vandenberg is quite literally on the coast.

At some point during the 1940s, the Army bought up a good chunk of prime beach/coastal real estate on which to plunk a training base, after which it was transferred to the Air Force in the 50s. It still blows my mind that Vandenberg and other military installations have their own private beaches (and lakefront cottages and golf courses), but J seems somewhat blasé about it. I think he's more excited about returning to the classroom and watching rockets launch, which is pretty cool too, I'll admit. But I can't even put into words how excited I am about rocky shorelines and ocean sunsets and snowy plovers. It'll be pretty chilly and windy on the water but I'll manage.

And lest I thought I'd be isolated on Vandenberg, the near-ish towns--about twenty to twenty-five minutes away--boast numerous yoga studios and farmers markets that sell organic produce and grass fed beef from local ranches. Not sure how much meat I'll be buying if I can only make stews in the crock pot, but yes, I'll be re-learning to drive and taking the Prius while J's at work. The good news is that traffic will be much quieter and slower than the ridiculous interstates of downtown San Antonio so I should be okay, though I most likely will be fulfilling the Asian female bad driver stereotype on a daily basis. I'll do my best to avoid crashing into the federal penitentiary outside base.

Anyway, in my excitement, I've already made plans for us to hear Aoife O'Donovan (Irish singer-songwriter) play a nearby winery and take a day trip to check out the quaint, albeit eccentric, Danish town of Solvang. The last time I visited Solvang, I was nine or ten years old, I think. So many things to do! If taxes weren't so high and the state not bankrupt, I might consider moving to California permanently...though living 3.5 hours from my parents is a bit too close for comfort. My mom is already waaaaay too excited that I'll be home for Thanksgiving and keeps hinting how we should show up a few days early. More on that later.

The movers arrive on Monday to pack and put our stuff into storage, and then we'll head out Thursday evening. Hard to believe this day is almost here. J's been waiting for this training class since...August of 2012? I'll miss my "office" by the pool (pretty sure the ocean doesn't have wireless), but another move, another part of the country to explore, another adventure. We are blessed.