My Tale of Two Cities

It's hard to believe it has already been 2 weeks since we went to visit Ryan. At times it goes by so slow, and other times it just flies by!

Ryan's parents were amazing and volunteered to drive us out. The drive out went really smooth. Pierscen traveled like a champ. Very little fussing, and thankfully, only needed to stop twice - once at the Little America, and once in Rawlins. Other than that, he just slept or hung out. The in-laws listened to a book on CD and I read The Help. Without distraction, the drive is pretty boring. Certainly not much to look at. But 7 hours is not horrible. It could be much worse.


As we were getting closer, I was feeling nervous and discouraged. Everything still looked so - blah. Juniper trees and sage brush. Not my favorite combination. However, as we approached the city, we came around a hill and suddenly, it was like a little light went on inside. My chest felt lighter and my attitude much improved. The description came to mind - It's like a hidden oasis. Nothing but miles of that Wyoming plain, and then suddenly - BAM! There it is. Lush green trees, beautiful mountains, the river winding through the city... It was beautiful. (I am grateful my first impression was during spring when things were turning green.) It's so different than Utah Valley, where basically the whole stretch is one continuous city. Here there is nothing, nothing, nothing until there you are. Our GPS took us out and around the city to get to the apt, which I was grateful for, because it gave us the higher road scenic route instead of winding through downtown. The mountains there aren't as big as our Rocky Mountains, but they are beautiful, and I imagine we will be spending lots of time exploring them and the surrounding areas. There are lots of antelope everywhere. That was pretty cool.

We actually beat Ryan to the apt by just a few minutes. Our apt complex is situated right by the Kelly Walsh High School. We are up on a hill, and the road between us and the high school dips down and we have quite a great view of the valley of tree tops. It's awesome! 


Ryan pulled into the parking lot and Pierscen and I ran to give him a big hug. Man it was good to see him!!! The four of us, plus P, unloaded the car and headed inside.

I have nothing good to say about the apt building entrance, stairwell, or hallway. Harsh, no? There is no smoking allowed in the building, but people are allowed to smoke outside. The smoke carries right back inside the building, so the halls still smell like smoke. The hallways also have that muggy, warm, gross feel that an older motel has. Nasty. 


However, once the door was unlocked and we stepped inside... SO much better! It is light, and roomy, and wonderful! And the cigarette smell is gone. When you first step in, there is a coat closet to the right and the kitchen to the left. And the kitchen has so cupboard space!!! Our current place has just a fraction above zero cupboard space. And no counter space. I literally have about six inches of counter in front of the microwave and that's it. Our new place is vastly improved on that too. There is a half hall that leads into the living room. It is a really nice space! Much bigger than I expected. (I know I have already mentioned this before, but this is now my in person impression.) There is a nice big window that lets in tons of light. To the right of the kitchen, just beyond the coat closet it a little hallway that leads to the bathroom, big walk-in closet, and bedroom. The bedroom is also a really good size. There are a few things we won't be able to fit in this new place, but for the most part, we will be much better off than I thought considering we are downsizing from a 3 to a 1 bedroom apt.

Friday night we stayed in, ate dinner, and just enjoyed talking and catching up.


Saturday morning, we headed out on our tour of the city. Well, part of it. Our tour began with the less "favorable" part. Seemed kind of funny that that was the first thing he wanted to show us, but at the same time, it was still good to get a feel for things. We drove through downtown (which I really liked) and then headed over to the "pits." All along the way Ryan was educating us about his job, and a lot of the things he has learned. Number 1? Septic vs city sewer. I guess a lot of the people in the city are still on septic and refuse to switch over. Lots of nightmare stories about that. I personally would far rather pay the tax for the city to take care of my "business" than have to worry about my system failing. Just sayin'. 


After that little tour, we headed out of town to go see Ryan's fishing spots and the reservoir areas. There are three reservoirs out there. I thought we saw at least two of them, but apparently they were the same one. It's just really big!

We stopped at Alcova Reservoir at Cottonwood Creek Beach. The area is really beautiful. Windy, but beautiful. I have no doubt we will spend a lot of time as a family out there. Ryan couldn't resist throwing his line in the water while we ate lunch. He was hoping to catch something to show off to little P, but we decided to continue our exploring.

We stopped at Fremont Canyon to take pictures and gawk and the cliffs and the beauty. There were a couple groups of rock climbers and repellers. (A word to all you rock climbing people... I admire you. But you are crazy.) I enjoy the beauty, and I don't even mind hanging out near the edge, but climbing the face of that cliff? With the wind wiping through? No thanks. 

The area is gorgeous. There seems to be a lot to do and a lot to explore out there. I am excited.

After that, we drove back to town, this time ending with the more "favorable" parts of the city. We drove through the "Big Tree District" aptly named for the large mature trees that line the streets. The houses are so well taken care of. Old, beautiful home. It reminds me a lot of Center Street in Provo and the Foothill area of Salt Lake. A lot of care and pride in the homes and yards. I would love to live somewhere like that. 


When we got back to the apt, we hung out for a little bit, and then decided to walk to the mall to go get taco salads from Taco John's. It is not a long walk to the mall at all, and it was nice to get out for a stroll. The mall is not big, but it does have some good stores. Target is actually part of the mall which I thought was interesting. So is Best Buy. Ryan and I bought an apple pie and vanilla ice cream to take home for dessert. Good stuff!


We headed back to the apt, watched an episode of Top Shot, which Ryan's dad had never seen. He is a big fan now! We ate our apple pie, hung out, and then hit the sack.


Sunday we spent the morning inside. We headed to church around 12:45. The streets in Casper make no sense. They wind and turn every which way, connecting and then coming to a dead end without much rhyme or reason. So there is definitely no direct way to get to the church building, but we found it on time and all was well. The church building has a very unique space (very cool) and I brought my camera to take some snap shots outside, but that seemed like of weird. So I didn't. They did have a layout of the building hanging up and I decided from the top the building looks like a jet fighter from Star Wars. :)


The ward was a lot bigger than I expected. Not huge, but good sized. Lots of younger families. All in all, a really good mix. After sacrament meeting, we met the Bishop and one of the councilors. There was also a lady standing just behind the Bishopric waiting her turn. When our eyes met, she smiled and said, "Fresh meat!" Turns out she is the Relief Society President. We chatted for a while and I agreed to be a visiting teacher when I eventually make it out there. 


Ryan's mom volunteered to take Pierscen home so I could stay for the rest of church. (With the surgery so close we are still taking precautions.) Ryan took the two of them home while Clair and I stayed for Sunday school. Ryan made it back at the end of class, and we went our separate ways for Relief Society and Priesthood. There weren't very many sisters in Relief Society. I imagine lots of them have callings elsewhere. I learned later that the Stake has a 67% inactivity rate. Yikes! Missionary work, here we come! But everyone was super nice and it will be great to be part of the ward. 

After church Ryan made us a delicious Parmesan Chicken. Yum. Yum. Yum. Then we walked over to the high school and walked around the track for a while. We spotted a bunny and tree pot guts. I wonder if a race has ever been started over for some little wild life dashing across the track at just the wrong time.

Kelly Walsh High School (from here on out known as KW - as the locals refer to it) has some amazing stuff. They have an indoor and outdoor pool, both open to the public in the summer. They have the track field, as well as a soccer and "all purpose" practice field. The latter two are both turf fields. Super nice. Their biggest competition is Natrona County High (known as NC) which is located more in the heart of the city. Their school looks like a castle. So cool! I don't know what it's like on the inside, but the outside looks like one that film makers would use for the before and after school shots. Apparently the rivalry between the schools is pretty thick, so you better believe that our little family will be attending the games in the fall. :)

Monday morning came way too quick and Ryan had to run off to work. As he was packing his stuff to leave for the day, I saw him blinking away tears. I was doing my best to be tough, but that ended it. Ellen and I just sat at the table and cried after he left. 

I took a bunch of pictures of P in the living room while we cleaned up the dishes. He made the connection over the weekend that he could roll and was rolling over every chance he could get! (Showing off for Daddy no doubt.) We organized a few things, wrote a few notes to Ryan, locked the door and headed out. 

Pierscen did pretty good on the way home, though a little more restless than before, but who could blame him? That was a lot of car seat time! We stopped at Sonic for lunch somewhere along the route, and took a pic of P in a car more his size. It won't be long before he is grown and ready to drive for real! Scary!

The trip was wonderful, but hard too. It was so good to see Ryan, but having to turn around and leave him again just tore open the wound. P and I are doing good, but we miss Ryan so much! After we had left, Ryan sent a text message asking if I left like we were driving to, or away from home. It was definitely a bit of both. Leaving my family and friends behind in Utah will be one of the hardest things I have ever done, but I know we will love life in Casper. 


Next exciting thing? Ryan is coming to Utah Memorial Day weekend. Yeah!!!