Friday, November 6, 2009

{Texas, here we come}

We got a call yesterday from the Air Force telling us that we have been accepted into the AEGD one year residency and we are being stationed at Wichita Falls, TX. It wasn't our first choice. It was like # 5 or 6 on our list, but we will take it. :) So, this May we start our adventure. I cannot wait! In the 2000 census it showed a population of 105,000.

Here are a few things we are not far from...
1. 4 hours from where i grew up(Tulsa)
2. 2 hour drive to Dallas.
3. About an hour and a half from Shane's good friend who he grew up with in Idaho.
4. 7 hour drive from my best friend, rather than about a 20 hour drive.
5. 7 hour drive from my Aunt and Uncle and cousins.
6. 6 hour drive from the beach.
7. 15 minutes from the OK border!
8. 2 hour drive from OKC or Dallas temple.
9. 2 hour drive from Six Flags.
10. 5 1/2 hours from Sea World.
11. 5 1/2 hour drive to the beach.
12. 2 hour drive to the World Aquarium
13. I could go on and on, but i won't.

Other things to enjoy...
1. SUN and hardly any snow! Shane's buddy says it snows there only a couple times a year. The average temperature in the winter is about 40 from what i read. The sun shines a lot more than it does here! I get all 4 seasons, but with a milder winter and more SUN! yay! I know, it gets really hot in July and August, but its nothing new to me. Oklahoma had some pretty hot summer's. That means lots of swimming.
2. Thunderstorms! If you know me you know i love a good thunderstorm. Every spring and summer i always miss the OK storms i experienced all growing up. Well, now i get to enjoy them for at least a year while we are there. We are in tornado alley, big time, so let's hope a tornado doesn't go through while we are there.
3. Rodeo's. I love rodeo's. It's been awhile since i have been to one, but i can't wait.
4.I have a lot of friends in Texas...college friend, highschool friends, elementary friends...all of whom i haven't seen since those days. And Shane's buddy is there too.
5. Lots of outdoor swimming. If you live in the south you know there are plenty of pools to be found, so we will be swimming a lot.
6. Lots of outdoor BBQing! Ever since i had Tanner BBQ chicken and grilled veggies are my new favorite food. I could eat it everyday all day. I love perfecting my chicken over the grill. I would love to get those wood chips that you put at the bottom of the BBQ'er to smoke the chicken to make it taste even better! Aaaahhhh... lots and lots of bbq dinners. Okay, i bbq'd a lot this summer, but with the weather there i can do it more.

The unfortunate thing is that we will only be there a year. Are we going to be able to do all these things...haha...i wish. I think Shane will be a lot more busy than he is now. He won't get long Holiday breaks anymore either, unfortunately. That is the nice thing about school...they give you time on Holidays. But when you actually start working it isn't like that anymore.

If we could move to a new place every 3-4 years i would love it. I love experiencing new places and doing new things. I don't know what i am going to do when we actually have to settle down somewhere. We will just have to travel A LOT.

Anyway, I am excited to be back in my homeland, where southern accents are everywhere and the good ole southern country feel is present. I love it. We are really excited and can't wait. Can you tell?! :)

p.s. I probably won't be posting again for another 1 1/2 weeks to 2 weeks. LOTS goin on.

10 comments:

zsa zsa & papa said...

I NOTICED YOU PUT DOWN THE DISTANCE TO THE BEACH TWICE. I GUESS YOU ARE GOING THERE FOR SURE. I CHECKED ON OUR DRIVE TO THERE AND IT IS 12.5 HOURS FROM AUSTIN. I THINK WE WILL COME DOWN IN THE WINTER TO VISIT. AND YES I REMEMBER THE TENNIS COURT IN KETTERING. SEE YOU SOON
DAD

The Hiller Family said...

Congratulations! I'm so glad you guys are doing an AEGD! Good for you!! Hopefully, your husband won't be as busy as mine was with his AEGD and you can get away to go to all of those cool places and see all of your friends!!

Lauri said...

Can I tell you how excited I am that you will be CLOSER?!?! :) Can't wait! Can you move now? lol. Maybe after the year is up, they'll keep you on this side of the U.S! Love you guys lots!

Carrie said...

We are so excited! Don't forget the Dallas Arboretum, you'll love it, it's a great place to take pictures. Can't wait to see you guys, it's been too long!!

The Hiller Family said...

Oh, and Shane, good luck in Alabama for COT(not for a while, but get ready)!! - tip: do NOT "volunteer" for anything - my husband made that mistake!

Ashlee and Shane said...

He actually already did cot, thank goodness!!! :)

Anonymous said...

I was so excited, hoping it would be Houston. :) Good luck with the move & hope y'all enjoy it there... I'm sure you will.

The JL McGregor Family said...

(This is Joe, not Jenn)

CARRIE: Sorry, this is random, but is your husband's name Ryan Anderson? I think he was a classmate of mine at BYUI.

ASHLEE: My father is from Wichita Falls. Anywhere in Texas is good.

Ashlee and Shane said...

Joe, yes her husband is ryAn... Shane and Ryan grew up together! How funny! U should check out their blog. It's under the links for all my friends blogs. Also thanks for the bit of info. I'm not too sure about what Wichita falls is like but I know what Dallas is like. Your dad grew up there? Any good info. Or advice you can give us about the place?

The JL McGregor Family said...

Ashlee, all I know is that they left as quickly as they could!

Just kidding. It's a nice town. I think it has a pretty good "small town" feel, while still being big enough to offer all the luxuries you're used to. Also, it's not too far from the Metroplex. My dad's side of the family is from that area for generations on generations.

Oh, and beware of the tornadoes.