Chicagoland

Yes, we finally are settled in to our little apartment in the wide world of Chicagoland (that's apparently what they call the suburbs around here). It took along time, maybe because Elena cried everytime I walked into another room? But we are finally, settled in. Things went well in good old NM, friends from the ward let me stay at their house and then a bunch of ward members helped load the truck, and after one failed attempt to get a flight out I was able to make it back to Phoenix and then on to Chicago the next day. Leo had already been staying at our apartment (sort of) mostly he was working so he was in hotels. Anyway, our truck was late so we didn't have anything for five more days. Elena was cutting four teeth and running really high temperatures all that week as well. But we survived and here's twenty highlights, low points and random tidbits I discovered.

1. You can heat up fried chicken in a waffle iron, you can also cook taquitos in a waffle iron. Tortillas are especially yummy cooked this way too.

2. The maintenance guys will give you weird looks if you call them because you can't get your gas stove to light and they come and light the pilot for you.

3. They still have gas stoves around that light with a pilot.

4. If your gas stove makes your kitchen smell like gas all weekend, call the maintenance guys to come replace it. If they resist point out the two broken burners.

5. Call maintenance if you can't get the disgusting, gross toilet seat off because the screws have partially disingrated.

6. Even if you scrub the cupboards beforehand, adhesive coverings won't stick to disgusting, grimey cupboards. (See pictures. Although I didn't find anything as gross as Hanah--see The Gavin Family Blog.)

7. Call maintenance if your kitchen sink leaks tremendous amounts of water.

8. Things really don't seem that bad in your kitchen when you realize it's three times the size of your sister's miniscule one in her last apartment. (Poor Andrea).

9. Our Elder's Quorum President is from France, his wife from Britain, a guy in the ward from Poland, and the Stake High Councilman from Ghana. Yeah, our ward pretty much rocks.

10. Going to Walmart is like going to the U.N. building here. Our apartment complex, however, is mostly from India or Hispanic. Although the manager is from some former Soviet satellite country.

11. There's an Asia radio station here, it's on our memory buttons on our car stereo. Yeah, it pretty much rocks to hear techno music in Hindu.

12. It's sad to find out your apartment complex isn't as nice as you thought it would be (especially when paying $945 for it). We went to the Elder Quorum President's house for 4th of July and two couples there had recently moved out of our complex and regaled us with tales of maurading squirrels, mice and drug dealers.

13. Mice don't seem that bad when your sister-in-law tells you she still has nightmares about the cockroaches in Saba.

14. The cops do come to our complex atleast every third day from what I've see so far.

15. If you use U-Pack, make sure the bulkhead is secure. Things don't survive (bookcases, flower pots, glass on picture frames, etc.) when they all come crashing to floor of a semi.

16. If you stack really heavy stuff on top of a washing machine, it will crumple slighty.

17. Laundry mats stink.

18. Chicago roads stink.

19. I get lost easily here in Chicago, although I manage O'Hare with no problems now.

20. I LOVE IT when Leo comes home!!!! Life is so much better when he's around. I love to watch him play with Elena. I love to be around him. I love how much he makes me laugh. I LOVE LEO!!!!

And on a side note, I never wanted to put up anything really churchy in my home, because I never really liked it. However I now have new churchy decor that I like. What do you think? Anyway, I really like it.