Settling in... I think. :(

Well, it has been a month since we landed here in Denver.

I guess we are settling in. We are mostly moved into the apartment (which I love). However, I still have lots of sorting and purging to do.

We have been trying to get out on the weekends and explore a bit also. those ties are fun. I don't have to think about things that depress me.

In all of the literature and forums, they said you go through the same emotions when you move back to the States, as when you relocated to being an expat. I would beg to differ! It is worse!!! So much worse.

I think the hard part for me is that we not only relocated back State side, but we also relocated State wise.

So, I not only left all of my friends that I had in Abu Dhabi, but I left my friends that I had in Idaho. I know 2 people here in Denver.

Making friends has never been easy for me. I am a fairly private person ( yeah right... I blog... but seriously I am.) I tend to be quiet and shy. I guess that is why I have been accused of being stuck up and aloof.

Well, I am off to do more unpacking.

Catching up...

Wow time has flown since we landed in Denver. There has been a lot of things that have taken place.

The first thing that we had to get settled was housing arrangements. Both Doug and I knew for certain we did not want a house with yard responsibilities, so we were thinking that an apartment or condo would be the best way to go.

After looking at over 20 apartments, I had things narrowed down to 4. All 4 had things about them that were just perfect.

The first one was close to work... Doug could have walked there easily in maybe 10 minutes. However the fact that it was a gated community was a joke, since the gates were left open all day and only closed at night. They also had 1 gate code for everyone to share. Ack, what if your friend is not my friend??? They also did not have any garages available.

The second apartment was in a high rise building. The view was hmmm... I could look out and see the next building from the small patio. On the other hand, it was a 3bedroom. Love the space that it had. The lay out was good also, but the security was a joke also. You could enter the complex through the front of the office building and easily have access to any area of the complex. No separate garage either... but they did have storage units on premises.

Number 3 had incredible closets! There were 2 master suites, and each had 2 "normal sixe" walk in closets. Absolutely fantastic! there was also a den area that would have been great for the computer stuff. The big draw back there was the rent. It was about 350$ more than the 2 previous apartments. Garage was a parking garage also.

Number 4 was fantastic. The kitchen is the biggest of all of them. It also has a window seat and large pantry. I have more counter space than I did in Abu Dhabi, which is fantastic! I think I would also have room for a small island unit in the middle if I wanted one. The dining roomis adequate size for my round table. and I think the big green sectional will actually fit in the living room. Each of the bedrooms has a large walk in closet. the master has an extra closet just for shirts and pants (that double rod thing). Along with the closets, each bedroom has it's own patio space. The living room also had a gas fireplace (bonus). I think the best part of this apartment is the location of it. It is on ground floor, and has one whole end of the building. The patio's off the bedrooms face a little wetlands pond, so they are quiet and peaceful. Now here is the best part. It is a true gated community. You sign in with security if you are not a resident. You have to have a reason to be there. Security is maned 24 hrs a day. There is also complex security. There are also some Denver city police officers who live in the complex who volunteer their time for the security detail. (Fantastic!!!) The complex is on 26 acres, has it's own lake with marina, 7 pools, coffee shop, actual gym (looks like a real gym rather than a hotel type gym room), and activity coordinator for the complex. they do cooking classes once a month, as well as community activities. I guess it is obvious now which one we picked. Yep, this one. there are garages to rent, and we have a parking space right in front of out place. It is about 15 - 20 minutes for Doug's commute and about 15 minutes to downtown. Not bad at all.... Oh, I forgot.. it is the least expensive of all of the apartments I looked at. funny how that happened.

We have purchased most of the stuff we will need for the apartment... boring stuff like the bed, mattress, washer and dryer, etc. Now we just need a few other little things like coffee maker, coffee grinder, sheets and some other stuff. I think I can get all of those done this weekend and during the beginning of the week.

Our moving date is this next Friday. WOOT WOOT!!! I am so excited. We have the air shipment coming and the storage shipment. Our surface shipment from Abu Dhabi will be here sometime around the 15thof October. After all of that is settled, I will finally be able to entertain again.

Well, I am off to do something today. Not sure what... Dang, I miss the coffee's in Abu Dhabi! I really miss all of my friends there too!