79936... DF is there now... I will be there May 28th!

yay morenew people!!!

Yay! We should have another get together!

Just have to share cause im so excited!!!

DH PASSED HIS DRIVERS TESTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!

Posted By MichelleM on 06 May 2010 11:50 AM
Yay! We should have another get together!

YAY!  we should! 

Ok ladies has anyone heard anything about Las palmas gated community? Found a house we like but wanted to know if anyone knew about this area of housing or had heard of it? I believe its on the northeast side.

Hey everyone, my name is Jen and I will be PCSing with hubby and our 3 kids in late November. I am definitely wanting to make friends and fast. I am very spoiled here in Maine to have my inlaws and parents nearby, so I get to hang w/friends run errands pretty much whenever I want. I am extremely concerned about feeing isolated. I am a SAHM so I really need advice on getting out and where to meet people. How do you guys meet up, as far as childcare goes? I have never left my kids with anyone other than both sets of parents and one really close friend.
I would love a workout buddy, but not sure how I would go about having someone watch kids. I think it will be hard for me to trust someone. Do you guys use a YMCA? The one here in Maine has free childcare for military while the Moms and Dads workout? Also, what are your opinions about renting v. buying. We own a home here in Maine that we are renting and DH and I have serious concerns about buying another home, and will we be able to rent it, have to pay someone to keep an eye on it, etc. Is it worth it? All of the houses that we are looking at are charging almost double for rent, what the mortgage is if we paid their asking price. I have twin girls that are 2.5 and a 1 year old son. Anyone with kids around that age that wants to get together for playdates?

Hi Jen,
While I dont have any kids, there is a group of us wives that hang out. When you get settled here send me a message and we can set something up. I usually use the on base gym- its new and nice. I can't say that I have seen a YMCA but I have seen a YWCA.
When it comes to renting vs buying, all I can say is that if you can scope out the areas you are looking at in person before buying. It is really hard to get the feel of the neighborhoods online because El Paso/ Fort Bliss is growing like crazy.
I hope your move goes well! Welcome to CinC!

Yes, welcome

DH and I chose to buy here because our mortgage and rent were practically the same. I'd recommend considering buying because of the influx of soldiers if you have to move more than likely you'll be able to rent it out especially if it's somewhere close to Post.

I don't know of a YMCA but there's a YWCA with childcare; however, it is not free. Or at least to my knowledge it isn't. UTEP and the local community centers have tons of workout classes for super cheap though. I was taking bellydancing at UTEP and want to start again. The community centers offer aerobics, zumba, yoga, pilates, etc.

Like Ninja said, there are a group of wives that hang out so let us know when you get there. Also check out meetup.com because there are several Mommy groups in the area. ACS also has a really active playgroup and the schedule is on their homepage and Facebook. I'll try and find you the link. My daughter is only a month old so I can't offer playdates just yet...

yea i am moving in 3 weeks I want to play too! lol So excited. I finally ended up renting in 79938. I am now on the search for a day school for my toddler who will be 2 in November. Any suggestions??? So excited to make new friends and maybe meet all you ladies

Yay more ladies coming to Bliss!

Hey ladies, I am flying to San Antonio tomorrow to pick up hubby from Officer school and then we will be driving over to El Paso to find a house.  Holy cow this is stressful.  We built our first home, so this is my first time EVER looking at a house.  I am open to suggestions and hints.

I am looking at houses in the following zip codes: 79934, 79912, 79936, 79938, 79928.  Let me know if any of those scare you, ha ha.  I hope we find something.  I am thinking that we may have to use this weekend to just look at the different neighborhoods, etc., and then actually look look when we get there at the end of November.  It seems like all the people that want a Nov 1st lease are going to take precedent.  I figure why pay November rent when I will only be there for a few days of the month?  It seems to make more sense to stay in temp housing for the three days and get a Dec 1st lease.  Thoughts?  Do we get reimbursed for any of that stay?  I am still new so not sure if that is TLE/TLA?  Thanks ladies.  I hope to meet some of you soon, and yes Diane if you read this I am looking at a couple of houses near you.  It is 41 degrees here today, so I am looking forward to a nice warm weekend. 

I know that we got remibursed for our 3 nights when we first psc'd here last january, Wow its been almost a year!, i dont know if that is typical or because of the fact we came from an oconus location. id say Bring your patience when exploring el paso for the first time, a lot of the major roads are under construction around post. We are in 79924 (NE) part of town, and we love it. 79928, a friend of mine lives there, she dosent like her apartment but she likes the area of town. I havent spent much time there though. Good luck with your house hunting!

We live in 79930 and lived in 79925. I like both. Not everyone is a fan of the historic part of town where I live now but DH and I really enjoy it. Just depends what your priorities are. And I second nannyjessi! Lots of construction and most GPSs don't work very well here so be patient when driving. Use the mountains and Juarez to guage your direction.

I live in 79936 which is on the East side. It is nice because everything is pretty new, shopping is close, and the neighborhood is safe. It is about a 20min drive to main post and about the same downtown.
DH and I had a hard time because so many of the streets aren't even recognized on the GPS, so hopefully you two have an easier time!

oh no i was so going to use the garmin. lol Oh well I will figure it out. So excited ladies! Any suggestions in what to pack clothes wise. I arrive next weekend and I wanted to know if I need a sweater for the evenings. It's cold here in Ft. Benning in the PM but mid day its hot as sin. ahhh so excited

Its hot during the day - around 80ish. And once the sun goes down it does get cool - around 50ish. So pack summer for day and fall for evening

We too just got orders to move to Bliss, i'm excited cause it is our first PCS together to another station but I just found out I'm pregnant and I'm due around the same time that we are expected out there. I was really curious about knowing how housing is around there? Is the post big? Good/ Bad experiences??

Fort Bliss is growing like crazy and El Paso is too. Lots of construction, but that means soon everything will be big and new. Overall I like it. I like the weather, the fact that shopping is close and that there is very little crime. I dont like the traffic. People a pretty nice here. Occasionally I miss silly things like grass, but New Mexico isn't a far drive and it is surprising green. El Paso isnt like the rest of Texas... its more like Mexico... so dont come expecting ten gallon hats and big belt buckles. Send one of us ladies a message when you get here and we will set up a time to get together. I hope this helps... feel free to ask more questions if you have them.

The cost of living is a lot less here than other places I've lived. Some days I like it and some days I can't wait to get outta here! I'm not a fan of the heat but at least it isn't humid or get terribly cold either. I dislike being so close to Juarez with all the current drug cartal issues but it is generally a really safe city. I wish there was more to do here than eat and drink tho...but there's lots of shopping!