Death Valley, here we come!

The big news of the day: Zach has gotten his orders. It looks like we're heading to Ft Irwin, CA.

For those of you who have no idea where that is, it's in southern CA, north of I-40 about halfway between LA and Las Vegas, just south of Death Valley National Park.

Don't worry - I was part of that group of unknowning, myself, until just a little earlier, when Zach called to tell me where we were headed. Had to look it up on Mapquest, and then keep panning out to find the next nearest town. Which is Barstow, CA, population 25,000. No, I didn't leave out a 0 in that number, it really is that small. And that's the town where I-40 and I-15 connect, so therefore the big traffic center for the area. And only 25,000 people.

So yeah, we're headed to the middle of nowhere.

Plus, it's not just the middle of nowhere, but the middle of nowhere in the desert.

I've grown up in the southeast US and mid-Atlantic regions. Hot and Humid (the capitals are fully warrented). And now me, Little Miss Dry Skin herself, is moving to the desert. So, a bit of financial advice: Buy stock in Jergens. I'm going to be drinking the stuff. I think that's about the only way I'll keep from drying up and blowing away.

But still, I'm kinda excited about it. I've never lived out there, and I've only visited CA twice, and never out to southern CA. It's supposed to be beautiful out in that area, in a desert-y kind of way. Part of why Irwin is so from from everything is because it's surrounded by so many national and state parks (kinda like Asheville and Brevard in western NC, but nestled in the desert, not the forests). So, we'll pack lots of lotion, deal with being 30 minutes from the closest town (nothing new to my farm boy), I'll keep myself busy on post, have Anne mail me yarn (lots of cotton and small projects) since there aren't shops around, and appreciate all the outdoor activities while we're there. And then I'll appreciate moving whenever we get new orders. At most we'll be out there 26 months, and if Zach turns in his OCS paperwork, we might be moving even sooner. Another added bonus, since Irwin is a training base, he's less likely to be heading to the Sandbox soon (lots of prayers!)

As Mom always says (a career-Army brat and career-Navy wife, which I'll be the reverse), "If the military teaches you nothing else, it teaches you that you can live anywhere for 2 years!"