New family to Lemoore anyone else in the same boat?

[Alonya]

HI,

 

Im somewhat new to Lemoore my family and I got stationed here in May so we are still getting used to Cali.We havent had much chance yet to meet other families out here but im hoping to change that.Our families live about 37 hrs away back in TN so it would be nice to find some families around here to relate to!

[John]

Hi, Alonya,

Being retired, I can offer perspective. I had 23 different addresses in 21 years, so I did a little "getting used to" myself.

Lemoore is a little more of a problem than most places because it's nearly in the middle of nowhere. Even so, I recommend getting off base at least once a week. The biggest mistake I made was my third duty station, overseas, where I felt "those people" were so different, I just kept to the base. BIG MISTAKE! Get off base, to walk a shopping mall in Hanford or Lemoore, to watch a Little League game, to see if the Library has any displays that look clever or interesting, to give blood at the Red Cross. These are small towns but they have more to offer than just one bar and a gas station. If you stay on base and imagine that you need to have a full life there, you are tricking yourself into being a captive.

I don't mean to say that recreation on base is a stinkeroo. No, they do a good job, but that can't be your whole world. My wife and I developed friends in both circles, base and town. I think if you move around, so you run into new people and don't be shy about chatting up strangers, you will meet somebody nice for every ten people you encounter. Good odds.

The weather can be like an oven in Lemoore right now. In the fall, the temps will drop dramatically. It's called BICYCLE WEATHER! Do you ride? I do and you can meet new people that way, too. All the rain comes between October and April (roughly) but it's only rainy once in a while, even then. (This freaks out people who think they should get rain every week or so. Sorry, Cali doesn't play the game that way.)

If you are a crafter -- anything, doesn't matter -- there's a chance that the base already has something for you. It is not unreasonable to expect that they could buy some of the tools and materials for your craft. (They already have auto shops, sculpture, painting, etc.) If you have a skill, you could become the In-charge, running the show for your craft shop. The people who run that area on base are variously called Special Services, Welfare and Recreation, MWR, Family Services, etc. Every base has them, by some name.

John Markham
San Diego area

[Alonya]

Wow 23 addresses in 21 years thats insane! This is my first "big" move Iv lived in a small town in TN my entire life so Im glad that we didnt get thrown into some big city that I know nothing about.Iv never really been away from my family and everyone knows everyone where im from so yea I guess im a little shy when it comes to meeting new people lol.I am trying to change that though Iv put my daughters in some of the youth classes they offer here in hopes of meeting other parents.I do not ride but my husband is dying to!Im glad to hear we get at least a little bit of rain especially after this heat!We try and get off base as much as possible and I love it when we do its nice to get a change of scenery every once in awhile.Thank you so much for commenting its really nice to get someones input who has been through this already!

[John]

Good for you. If there's anything else I can do, let me know. By the way, my early history was big city and suburbs and I still had some adjusting to do. I don't think being from a small town matters much.

Have you heard the "Boy, you sure talk funny!" wisecrack yet? I was from New York City and people loved making fun of that accent. Sometimes I would put the accent on"extra heavy" as a comeback. It's all in fun.

John

[Alonya]

Lol yes Iv actually gotten it quite a few times!I think I throw people off down here though because I look foreign but apparently I have a really heavy country accent.I didnt think it was all that bad until people started commenting on it ha ha!

[Alonya]

Hello Kristina!

Sorry it took so long to reply my internet has been down.Well Lemoore its self is very small and there isnt a whole lot of stuff to do here,but there is a town about 15 min down the road called Hanford and its really nice.And your right the cost of living is CRAZY!We live on base and I love it.The communtities are really nice here and the houses are to.There is one community here where the houses arent gorgeous,they call them the flintstones houses lol these are the houses I live in but the inside is nice and its pretty spacious to.I just met up with some ladies recenlty that are also navy wives we meet every tuesday for coffee, when you come in you are more than welcome to join us.We all understand how hard it is to meet new people and everything so we are always open to new friends.

Welcome to Lemoore!

Alonya

[Alonya]

Lol Its ok I was the same way when i first joined this site.They told us our wait would be about 30 days and we faxed our application in as soon as he left A school so by the time we got down here which was in May we only had to wait like 5 days and then we got our keys :). I dont work right now Im a stay at home mommy but there are some jobs around here like at the mall and stuff you just have to ask around when you get here.Its really nice to have people to relate to especially when moving to a new place.

Alonya

[rona.j]

I will be moving on base at the end of october, but we've been here since May. We got an apartment in Visalia, its about 30+ mins off base and we love it. But I am looking forward to having bigger place cause we still live in boxes! LOL. theres actually tons do to here, theres the visalia mall and sequoia mall and of course the mountains. Theres lots do around Lemoore as long as your willing go drive. (which isn't that bad) Since we got here last May, we've been going to the mountains, mall hopping, grape picking, took weekend trips to LA, SF, VEGAS..hung out with friends...etc. It's not so bad living here, just be open and try to meet as many people as you can. Maybe we'll run into each other at the commisary... :) good luck.

[Jennifer]

Welcome to Lemoore. I have been here 3 yrs and it is an okay place. The best thing you can do is get involved in the community, your husband's command FRG (Family Readiness Group) and start meeting people. This is our last duty station before my husband retires and I can't tell you how many addresses we have lived at, but it is around the 20+ mark. Sigh....LOL

[cutebug99]

Husband's been in for 8 years and we are at 6 addresses already..lol..

[Brittany]

We are from Ga and never even been to the West Coast before now . I don't know anyone it would be nice to make some friends.

[Brittany]

i'll be here lol keep in contact it would be nice to make a friend so I don't lose my mind lol

[Anti M]

If you have time, please go to the PCS/moving group and talk about what the move was like.