The Big Move - Day 5

Annnnd we're done!

Day 5!

The last day of our trip we drove from Virginia to Maryland for a total of 231 miles.

Before we left Virginia, we met up with my dad at a gas station on the way so he could follow us there and help unload the car (handy!).

He met us at the gas station wearing his favorite jester hat.

That scared the bejeesus out of Gizmo who tried to then murder his grandpa through the car door.

The drive from where we met my dad (Frederick, VA I think?) to our new home was gorgeous.

Farms, trees, grass, cows, horses...just gorgeous.

It made my HOLY SHIT WE'RE MOVING ACROSS COUNTRY AND I HAVE NO JOB heart palpitations calm down a bit.

And our apartment is cute.

Even if the people who work there are not super nice and there is no storage and it wasn't the apartment Mike was shown and the next day I found a ton of horrid reviews online about the joint.

(Apartment living, how I have not missed you)

It's still 1,200 square feet, we can afford it, it's a 4 mile commute to Mike's work, there is a dog park on the premises, two free gyms, and our neighbors are nice and quiet.

We can do 14 months here!

Unloading the truck took a year.

My dad can lift some heavy shit.

That 65 year old dude is not joking around.

And Mike apparently counts the stairs when he is carrying things up them.

There 19 up to our apartment in case you were wondering.

And if I don't get fed and then have to carry heavy things I get BITCHY.

But a beer, a Five Guys burger, and pj's helps.

And now we're home?

The Big Move - Day 4

Last long driving day!

Day 4!

By this point we were so sick of driving in that damn truck, we couldn't stand it.

We drove from Tennessee to Virginia for 611 miles.

It was effing cold.

Mike realized he had lost his wallet at a gas station in Virginia.

And it was the most terrified I've ever seen him.

We searched that truck for about half an hour.

Trying not to cry.

Realizing the last place he used it was over 4 hours away.

And my debit card was in it with all his cards.

And then we found it in a zipped up pocket in my purse.

So it was kind of my fault.

But whatever.

The drive once we got into Virginia was gorgeous.

Trees!

Our hotel had life-size mannequins of historical figures including one of a Native American dude who was positioned to look like he was peaking around the corner and it scared the shit out of me every time.

Mike found a soccer game on tv.

Our hotel room had two sinks, one in the bathroom and one next to the door (why?!).

I found one bag of tea.

It was a pretty good night.

The Big Move - Day 3

Sick of this yet?

Day 3!

We were sick of the truck at this point.

Everything smelled like dog sweat.

We drove from Oklahoma to Tennessee for 635 miles.

Because we were driving to Jackson, TN I kept singing the song Jackson from Walk the Line, but I only know the line, "We're going to Jackson" so I sang that over and over.

My husband is a lucky man.

We drove by the memorial for the Infant Baby Jesus of Prague.

Which I found intriguing.

Does Prague have a different Jesus than us?

And why is he being memorialized in Oklahoma?

Also, we started to see a LOT of porn factory outlets.

Which I didn't know existed.

And they are huge.

And usually across the freeway from the Infant Baby Jesus of Prague.

Or a giant cross.

This was a weird stretch of highway.

By the time we got to Tennessee, we finally got to see trees.

Which made us even more excited for our final destination.

Side Note:  Don't order avocado on your subway sandwich outside of California because they put guacamole on it, not fresh avocado.  Yuck.

Also, this is where it started to get cold.  

Like puffy jacket cold.

Thank G for early Christmas presents!

Day 3 was also the first time we got to our hotel room before 10/11pm so we were able to walk over to the a gas station, get a beer, and watch some tv in bed while the dogs wrestled.

Oh how we needed a beer by this point.

This baseball hat actually fits my head!  (That's kind of a big deal)

I tried really hard to take a picture of Memphis because it was pretty, but yeah...cell phone pics in  a moving car are not great.

Enjoying our beers in bed

The Big Move - Day 2

Hint:  Day 2 is pretty much like Day 1 (sorry)

Day 2!

Day 2 we drove from New Mexico to Oklahoma for a total of 599 miles.  

We weren't completely sick of the truck yet.

And it didn't totally smell like dog sweat yet.

The dogs were a lot more calm on Day 2 and slept most of it.

We got pulled over in Texas on the freeway which scared the bejeesus out of us, but it turned out to be a super nice THP (is that a thing?  Like CHP but in Texas?) warning us that our chains were dragging and worried we were going to set Texas on fire with our sparks.

We spent a frustrating hour in Amarillo trying to find a speaker that Mike wanted, food, and God knows what else.  

Driving that truck hauling a car around small parking lots is frustrating to do and frustrating to watch.  I kept yelling, "What are you doing?!" and Mike would quietly respond, "Parking." It took forever my friends.

Day 2 we also discovered that rest stops in other states are not like those in California.  

The ones in Texas are amazing.

Like, I want to live in one.

Also, a lot of giant crosses over there.

Don't want to live in one of those.

The Big Move - Day 1

Okay, so our move wasn't that exciting.

Lots of sitting in a truck.

Eating in a truck.

Driving in a truck.

Then walking the dogs.

Then sleeping.

Repeat.

But rather than shove all five days into one post.

I'm going to spread it out.

Because....I can.

Day 1!

Day 1 had the big goodbyes with my mom and sister (no tears, I may be dead inside).

And a looong drive from California to New Mexico that totaled 615 miles and took us like 14 hours (we stopped a lot).

This was Gizmo's first day being drugged up (poor corgi barfs in car rides so we drugged him with doggy dramamine).

He slept and drooled the entire 615 miles.

Tuffy, on the other hand, climbed all over the truck for hours trying to find a back seat (there wasn't one).

We stopped for Chipotle for dinner and after I ran in, got our food, noticed some dudes checking me out (still got it after hours in the car covered in dog hair), I got back to the truck to realize that a very important button in my top had been undone the whole time.
Hey Chipotle lady, I would have told you if you were flashing cleav.

Thanks for nothing.

(The burrito was delicious though).

Some Photos From the Road

Once I get on East Coast time and am just generally less exhausted and overwhelmed, I'll do some posts about the trip and start blogging like normal.

Until then, here are some pictures from the big move.

We took a lot less than anticipated because, well, we were effing tired and there isn't that much to see on the  way there.

Most of these are at a closed souvenir shop in New Mexico. 

This one and a few other with trees were at a rest stop in Virginia.  It's amazing how gorgeous the rest stops are outside of California.

40 East was about 80% of our drive.  And it was BORING.

We did a lot of dog walking this trip.  Furry little troopers.

Our home for five days.

The Last Night In Your House Before You Move Across Country

The last night in your house before you move across country...

You will realize you've packed TOO many things that you actually needed

Such as plastic bags to store shampoo and such in

And all of your dogs leashes, harnesses, and collars

And the most important...a wine opener.

The last night in your house before you move across country...

You will shampoo the carpets in the master bedroom

And every time you have to sneak back in there to get clothes or use the bathroom, you'll leave soaking wet footprints all over the hallway laminate

And your house will smell like musty, wet carpet all night

The last night in your house before you move across country...

You will eat pizza in bed in your pjs

And drink wine out of plastic cups

The last night in your house before you move across country...

You will watch your husband try to open a fancy bottle of wine you've been saving for the night with a screwdriver

Which doesn't work

The last night in your house before you move across country...

You will have loaded your only car into the trailer

So you can't drive anywhere for items you're missing or have mistakenly packed

So your faithful husband will eventually walk to the mini mart for a wine opener

(He's the best)

The last night in your house before you move across country...

Friends and family will stop by to say goodbye

Which you should have prepared for

But won't have

So you'll be in pjs with wet hair and may or may not look like a hobo

The last night in your house before you move across country...

You will be excited

And scared

And sad

And EXCITED

Dear Mitsi

Today, I sold my car.

My little mitsi the Mitsubishi.

She was the first real thing I bought by myself.

(And by myself means my dad cosigned and paid a couple payments when I was unemployed for a while there)

I have had her for over 10 years.
We lived in Bakersfield together.
Moved to Texas, New Jersey, Chico, and Ridgecrest.
She has been hit in several parking lots, rear ended in LA traffic, ticketed in Virginia and New Jersey.
She has got a few busted parts.
But she's kept trucking and looking fabulous this whole time.
I still remember the day I paid her off and how adult and awesome that made me feel.
I'm glad she doesn't have to drive across the country for the third time for our big trip.
And that she doesn't have to try to weather East Coast winters.
But I literally teared up after she left today.
Bye bye little mitsi.
(Sorry about spilling in you all the time)

Scenes From The Move

These make me really sad but also excited.

My emotions are super confused with this big move.

MIA

I haven't been around the blog much lately.

I've been working late, packing, booking hotels, stressing out, and you know trying not to burst into tears or scream at my husband every minute of the day.

We move in 10 days.

That has not yet sunk in.

It's too fast.

There's too much to do.

I'm going to be unemployed in 7 days.

Again.

Looking for a job.

Short on money.

Stressed out.

And probably chubby.

(I haven't gone to the gym in weeks guys, not cute)

So yeah, stuff here is not really blog worthy.

Fun fact though dear readers:  Did you know that a 14ft Uhaul to drive across country costs 3,600 dollars?

And there are no pet friendly hotels in the town of Weatherford, Oklahoma?

And that you should have finished all your past due work BEFORE the new girl you have to train showed up because you will not have time again afterwards?

And no matter how much you like to talk (like me) training someone all day makes your throat hurt?

And finally, moving across the country is stressful!

I'll stop whining soon.

Here is a picture of my dog without a stress in the world to cheer us up.

Moving Update

So now that we've broken the news to our moms and my boss, I can finally write about our moving plans on here.

Last Thursday, while on travel to PAX (our new home) Mike called and dropped the bomb on me that our moving date was being moved up to not after Christmas like we'd hoped but to 3 weeks from now.

My response (while standing in the kitchen of my work) was HOLY SHIT.

That is soon.

We have to pack and move across the country and get a place to live and make plans and tell our families and tell our bosses.

Shit shit shit.

But also YAY!

We get to start our new adventure soon...it's actually happening.

It was a very confusing phone conversation.

That day, Mike found us an apartment, signed on the dotted line, and we were officially required to be in Maryland by November 29th.

Our apartment is amazeballs and if anyone (that I actually know) wants to know the details, just e-mail me.

I figure I shouldn't put online where we'll be living.

You know, murderers and whatnot.

Then I had to tell my bosses that my last work day would be November 21st.

Less than two weeks from the day I'd be telling them on.

They were not pleased.

We won't talk about that here, but it was a bad day.

A sobbing in my car outside of work kind of day.

Then we had to tell the moms.

That we were leaving early.

That we wouldn't be home for Christmas.

That I wouldn't be staying behind waiting to find a job.

(Seriously, how bad of an idea was that?  Like I could really live across the country from my husband for months.)

We were scared.

So we invited them over for dinner and wooed them with Julia's French Onion Soup, a tasty salad, and some wine.

And they were of course awesome about it and my mom promised not to cry until moving day.

All in all, a win.

Now we have 18 days to pack up our whole house, get a truck, put down a deposit on the apartment, wrap up everything at work, pick a course for the cross-country trek including making reservations at hotels along the way that allow dogs, deliver all the items we have sold to various people (goodbye couches and car) get the house ready for our renters to move in, change our address with every bill and organization, re-write our home as a rental dwelling, get renters insurance, and you know drive across the country and move into a new home by November 29th in time for Mike to start work on December 3rd.

I need a cocktail.

So, I may be a little MIA for a while, but trust me, I will take plenty of obnoxious pictures of us packing and moving and our new place once we get there.

Don't you worry.

Here's to the big adventure and big move!

We're Really Moving

I came home for lunch Friday and Mike had started packing the house.

All of our books were packed away, bookshelves moved, and the entire guest room was broken down and packed up.

I was shocked.

One thing about living with a highly productive person like Mike is that things get done fast.

And with no warning.

And for a highly emotional person like me, that is sometimes not awesome.

Especially when it dawned on me that my silly little house tour posts were over for good.

Because our house is never going to look the same again.

Which sounds like a silly thing to be sad about, but I was.

I burst into tears this morning when I saw him packing our coffee mugs up.

I'm not doing great with this whole thing.

Your one and only tour of the guest room.  It was cuter before, I promise.

No more bookshelves and no more books.

30 seconds before this picture I was crying like a B over coffee mugs.

St. Mary's County, MD

Ever since we found out we were moving to PAX River, I have been obsessed (like I always do) with researching the area

This Visit St. Mary's County Web Site has become my crack

And the more I look at it, the more excited I become to move there

Let's get a couple of things out of the way first

Yes, we are moving from a super tiny town to another super tiny town

BUT these super tiny towns actually have crap to do in them

Tons actually

And are about an hour away from one of our favorite cities in the world

And about two hours away from my dad who I haven't lived near in over 12 years

And also...water and trees!

So here are some pictures I've looked at 8 million times in my crack habit with St. Mary's County

Bushwood Cove

Piney Point

Tractor Parade (how cute is that?!)

Amish Quilt Auction (I thought this might lure the mo-in-law to come visit)

St Mary's County Crab Festival (YUM)

Potomac Jazz & Seafood Festival

River Concert Series

Scotterly Wine Fest

Piney Point Lighthouse

Scotterly Plantation

St. Mary's River State Park

Three Notch Trail

Leonardtown Wharf

Charlotte Hall Amish Market

And a hundred million more I won't bore you with

You guys ready to come visit us yet?