Green and Yellow are the New Black

The nomadic Norwoods have moved again!  Last week we packed up enough clothes and stuff to survive for 12 weeks, and we hit the road.  We drove through Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, and finally Illinois and Iowa over the course of two days.  We are now official (temporary) residents of Davenport, Iowa, one of the "quad cities".  It's been a little stressful and a little disorienting, but we are settling in and doing better and only missing Durham a little / a lot :-)  Brent starts his summer internship tomorrow, and he's excited to meet his co-workers at Deere and get started on his project in the forestry division.

Here Blazer says, "Are we moving again mama?"  as we cross the bridge to Davenport over the Mississippi River.

On Saturday we moved in and unpacked as much as our addled brains and tired bodies would allow.  We ate dinner at Texas Roadhouse perhaps seeking comfort since we haven't eaten there since college and perhaps because we know nothing about this town and that was the easiest place to eat!  After collapsing in bed from exhaustion, we woke today to breakfast at Panera.  Fueled by coffee, we took a little driving tour of the Quad Cities to begin to get our bearings.  We found the downtown area of Moline where the focal point is... what else?  The John Deere Pavilion, of course.

It's basically a John Deere museum with tractors inside and out.  Here is Brent with a wheel taller than him and me with the Deere deer.

Here's a close-up of a high-tech tractor (they all have GPS and some cost over $510,000!!)  and the mighty Mississippi flowing through the Quad Cities.

We drove through the John Deere worldwide headquarters where Brent will begin work tomorrow!

After lunch at home, we ventured back out to the John Deere Pavilion since the museum part was closed in the morning and we could only look outside.  It was pretty cool to see all of the historical and modern John Deere products and get a little history.

When we were done with the John Deere Pavilion, there was nothing more to do but go home!  Kidding... sort of.  I'm sure there are plenty of other things to do here, but we're still in the process of finding them. 

In the spirit of keepin' it real, you get a peek inside our summer digs!  Our apartment is, um, basic.  Think 1973.  There is not a plethora of rental housing here, and Deere does put us up with furnishings for free, so I won't complain TOO  much.  My mom insisted that it would be "Katie cute" in no time, but I am pretty sure that is not gonna happen since we only brought the bare minimum and ONE decorating item which you will see below.

Here's our lovely kitchen.  The only decorative item I brought was my "Serve the Lord with Gladness" plate for the kitchen next to the coffee pot there.  It's a pretty important reminder I need daily, so I opted to bring it.  To the right you'll see our lovely master bedroom.

Here you see our living room.  We're going for the minimalist look.  And didn't you hear? Vertical blinds are back in style!  No?  Maybe that's just here.  Last (but certainly not least), our breakfast area / dining nook / home office.  Charming, no?

All kidding aside, this is our home for the summer, and though it's not in the five star range, I'm grateful for it and grateful I can be here with Brent.  I wouldn't want to be without him!  All day long I've been telling him how much I love him and what a great husband he is - because it's true.  I am optimistic that I will find some fun things to do here and the town will grow on me.  If nothing else, I will get some work done, read a lot of books, and hang out with my hubby.  I can sense the Lord is going to teach me a lot.

Stay tuned for more adventures from America's heartland as the Norwoods go Midwest!!