Goodbye, Biloxi

This post could also be titled "In Which I Rave & Also Complain About Our Year on the Gulf Coast."  And, true to Sykes family form, I found this post easier to compose by making lists.

In short, this year was crazy awesome, tricky, eye-opening, fun, well-spent, & exhausting, both mentally and physically.  We can't say we hated our time in Biloxi (parts I absolutely LOVED), but we definitely can say we don't plan on settling there.  Mostly, just like any other location, there are great things and there are not-so-great things about Biloxi.  The other day, I talked to my mom on the phone and she asked if it felt nostalgic yet.  I said no and explained by saying that I was still in Biloxi so it was just reality but that maybe after I left I would feel a little more sentimental.  Well, then that same night I went to a Relief Society activity with all the women I had grown to love and, in my 30 minute car ride home, I got thinking.  I started reminiscing and then the nostalgia set in.  I thought about all the horribleawfulannoying things we dealt with this year.  Then I thought about all the crazyfundon'teverwantittoend stuff we experienced.  Let me expound a little bit in both areas.

Things we most definitely will NOT miss:

• Bugs.  Lots of bugs.  For example, there were baby spiders near the windows (one day I killed 26), silverfish in the closets, termite season (aka swarming termites), and cockroaches everywhere (we had an infestation that never went away). 
• Climate.  For Will and me, the summer was hot.  Really hot.  Yet Emerson didn't seem phased by it.  He still wanted to be outside morning and afternoon for a good amount of time.  To his dismay, I could only handle about 10-15 minutes a couple times a day.  The humidity only made the heat worse and I got pretty tired of always being sticky.  Also, I never liked chiseling away at my sugar when I wanted to bake something.  The humidity made some things like salt, sugar, etc, become just one big clump in my container.  Not so fun, although I realize there are worse things.  At least my food wasn't bug infested.  
• Apartment complex downfalls.  The bug infestation, as mentioned earlier, probably takes the cake for the list of apartment downfalls.  But there are others such as the 3rd floor location (got a workout just bringing in the groceries), our closet shelf collapse, the odor coming from the dishwasher/sink (which maintenance blamed on diapers in our trash can although we never had a problem with the diapers before), the dryer that smells like smoke causing our clothes to as well, and the gym that was never fully functional all year long.  I could go on, but I don't want to sound more ungrateful than I already do.
• Neighbor. About half way through the year, someone moved in next door.  He is a young single guy who walks around without anything but shorts and, as far as I could tell, doesn't have a job which means he's home all day long.  Just like me and my baby.  He also has a giant dog who makes giant poops that for some reason were magnets for Emerson's shoes.  (Our complex features a fenced pet area complete with doggy bags yet he can't seem to find it.)  And, in addition to leaving his garbage can outside his door thus attracting flies and providing a horrible stench, he also listens to awful music that I could hear on the opposite end of our apartment.  This guy seriously gave me the creeps and, while I don't know anything about him or his situation which means I shouldn't judge, I just couldn't stand being near him any longer.  So long beyond-annoying-and-creepy man.
• Lack of family/friends.  We sure did miss our family and friends while we were away. Skype definitely made things easier, and we had fun making new friends in the ward, but there's just something about that face-to-face interaction with those we love that we couldn't wait to get back to.
• Train.  This one is on the negative list because it prevented my boys from sleeping.  I could sleep through a rollercoaster but the men in this family require dark and quiet, yea even silent, sleeping surroundings.  The train was closer to our apartment than our mailbox.  Seriously, it was literally a stone's throw away.  The only thing I didn't like about the train was that, because we were so close, all our stuff shook when it went by.  We all jiggled a little bit while it passed.  #miniearthquakes

Now, if I were to end this post now, I would do so with a quote from an an old favorite:

"Let's not say goodbye, let's just say au revoir."

"No, let's say goodbye."

But really, we loved so much of our time in Biloxi so I can't help but rave about the South and all it had to offer.

Things we most surely WILL miss:

• Wildlife.  On a regular basis we saw beautiful butterflies, salamanders, and squirrels.  On a few occasions we saw and played with toads and frogs and, once, a turtle.  And remember that spider web I found?  Stunning. 

• Climate.  (This one belongs in both categories for good reason.)  How could someone not love having 70 degree weather in November?  I mean, come on.  And also, when it wasn't hot, the humidity was fantastic (other than the crunchy sugar).  Emerson's eczema cleared up and didn't pose any more problems all year and my skin didn't require lotion every day.  
• Our ward family.  We loved the ward.  Our bishopric was fantastic and, despite it being an incredibly transient ward due to the military base, we felt so welcomed and embraced during our short stay.  This ward provided a lot of opportunities to serve others and I am so thankful for these opportunities.  I was able to babysit other children a lot, help a sweet lady who was wheelchair-bound, and make meals for the missionaries and families who were in need.  Will got to help many people move and also went to serve Hurricane Isaac victims in Slidell with Mormon Helping Hands.  What better way to make and keep good friends than through service?  Also, those in the military seem to have a different mindset about making friends.  It seems like they think, "Hey, we're only going to be in this place for 7 months so if we want any friends we have to make them quickly."  And they do.  I saw people who, having been there for but a few weeks, acted like they've been best friends forever. They just have a different way of thinking and I loved it.  I plan on keeping that same idea.  Who says that it has to take a while to get comfortable around people?  Cozy on up and make some friends already!
• Walmart.  Walmart was practically in our front yard.  And it was a new one and didn't even open until we had been here a couple months so it wasn't laden with dirt like lots of others out there.  It was so convenient to have a superstore just down the stairs and around the fence, and we loved the ease of having it justrightthere.
• Cuisine.  One of the things we were looking forward to experiencing was the local food.  I mean, you can't beat fried food, right? We were able to try out quite a few new restaurants and loved almost all of them.  Some favorites were The Shed, Mugshots, Blowfly Inn,  The Tegarden (now closed :( ), and Aunt Jenny's Catfish Restaurant.  We also fell in love with Waffle House although they have these all over.

And now, we have some superlatives to award:

Bravest Moment: Emerson was a little tentative to pet the baby alligator on our trip to the alligator farm, but he did and thought it was pretty neat.  We all loved seeing the alligators and highly recommend this inexpensive adventure to anyone visiting the Gulf Coast.

Most Romantic Date: Our 5th anniversary was celebrated at home over a delicious steak dinner.  It was complete with candles, decorations, and scattered rose petals.  

Biggest Fire Hazard: Will's 30th birthday cake did have 30 candles on it, so disaster was just minutes away if anything went awry.  

Most Emerson-Approved: Emerson loved the beach.  And because of the shallow water and tiny waves he was able to just play play play. 

Most Likely to Visit Again: Chattanooga!  On our 10-day Tour of the South roadtrip we went on, we spent a couple days in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  We fell in love and would so love to go back.  Maybe someday :)

Most Likely To Be Accused Of Being Photoshopped: This photo is a preview for y'all from our family photos on the beach.  And no, it wasn't photoshopped.  My man just has hops.

(photo by Heidi Shurtliff)

Best Sign: We found this hanging in a store in New Orleans.  Wait...really??  Is anyone else just as confused as me as to why this needs stated?

Most Likely to Get a Headache: On our visit to Fairhope, Alabama, we stopped at a small toddler park to break up the driving a bit.  Fun was to be had for all ages apparently.

Worst Weekend "Getaway" Ever:  We wanted to spend some time in New Orleans, and, having it only an hour and a half away, we packed up and decided to spend a fun weekend there.  We were slated to see the Blue Angels and tour some neat ships, but inclement weather cancelled the Blue Angels show and made it too wet for us to want to tour the ships.  So instead, we walked through a bit of the French Quarter and then drove all over kingdom come in the rain trying to find something else to do.  Overall, it was a poorly-planned weekend, but for more reasons than that we were anxious to get back to Biloxi.

MVP: Will participated in flag football on base and made some pretty cool moves.  He was a good quarterback and had lots of great catches and touchdowns.  Emerson loved running around with a football while Daddy did, too. 

(photo by Heidi Shurtliff)

Most Organized: Emerson is our little organizer.  Remember this post full of cute pictures?  Well he is still at it and is just a little organizing master.

Cutest Boy Scout: Halloween was way fun this year.  We all dressed up as the characters from Pixar's "Up" and had such a great time together.  

(Photo courtesy of Many Moons Photography)

All in all, we had a fantastic year.  We can't believe it's over already and part of me wishes it wasn't.  We'll definitely miss so many things about our time in Biloxi, especially the friends we made.  

And now, to quote a different old favorite:

"So long, farewell

Auf Weidersehen, goodbye" 

Doo doodle-oo do do do do, Doo doodle-oo do doooooo  :)

Goodbye, Biloxi!