I'm not going to lie, this move was not the easiest thing ever. We moved to Maryland July 10th and got in at midnight. We made it to our hotel to find that the Harrels (friends from Hawaii and now here at Walter Reed) dropped off 2 boxes full of food, paper goods and pans to get us by in the hotel for a few days. It was the sweetest thing and a huge tender mercy as we didn't have much at all.

We stayed in the hotel on base for 10 days. It was a nice hotel with easy access for Bryan to get to the hospital and for us to walk to park and things. We were so fortunate to have found a 2014 Toyota Sienna to buy within the first few days of moving in (thanks to the Flemings for watching the kids---also good friends from Hawaii now in Maryland). It had 20,000 miles on it and they were asking for $24,000. It was a killer deal and we couldn't pass it up. It's been a great car for our family and I'm loving the leather seats, backup camera and sliding doors. Serious game changer with kids.

After 10 days, we moved into our new rental. The best part about the rental is the neighborhood. It's on a cul-de sac and the people here are so incredibly nice. They instantly reached out to us. Most of them have lived here for 10+ years and so we definitely stuck out as the "new" people. Our neighbors the Gordillos and Collins have become instant friends with the kids.

The rental has some quirky things about the house but it's been great for our family and we feel so lucky to have it!

But honestly the whole summer was a complete blur. We were without our belongings for 2 months so we lived off air mattresses, mats, and camping chairs until our goods arrived in September. I also didn't know what to do with my kids in the summer time since the whole area was new but luckily we survived. One thing about moving that I always forget is how much brain power it takes to do every little thing. It takes so much brain power to navigate the town, to find cereal in the grocery store and to figure out a new target. I always am so exhausted by those little tasks. So thankful for friends in the ward who looked out for us during that time and offered us some of their things to help us get by.