Progress Report: month 1

Happy July. How's everyone doing? I'm fabulous and no, I haven't moved out west and forgotten about you (ahem, Amanda). I've gotten requests for updates and I figured a monthly cadence may be the way to go. We'll see how it evolves.

So, the first two weeks without our belongings was ... interesting. This pretty much sums it up.

Night 1: We slept on a mattress... on the floor... using blankets and pillows we had packed in the car. The bed sheets were in the suitcase we had to leave in MA though, so towels were used as our fitted sheet. Yes, ghetto.

Night 2: Our second suitcase arrived and we graduated to real sheets. Don't laugh. It truly felt like an upgrade. Just to get the full picture, keep in mind the rest of our 1000sq foot place is bare, except for a bureau and two nightstands we bought from a friend who was moving from San Diego back to Boston. To work, since I hadn't thought it through well and did not pack any appropriate work attire, I sat up against a wall with my laptop on my lap. You really get to appreciate those small things, like seating, when you live without it.

Night 11: We rented a UHaul to pick up the boxspring that accompanied the mattress our friend had left. That same night, Joey put the bedframe and all the bedroom furniture in the master. Then, Joey's car arrived bringing us some kitchenware and bins of clothes. Consistent upgrades to our normal life, but still no belongings. We ate out a lot!

Tuesday, the 12th our lives arrived in cardboard boxes! The 18 wheeled Mac truck definitely could not fit into our complex, so I eagerly waited for another two hours when the movers rented a smaller truck. The unpacking began as soon as Joey got home that evening. We were so happy to sit down in our apartment somewhere other than the floor (Our couch!!) and be able to cook a meal other than a frozen pizza. By the weekend our house was put together. And for anyone that knows me well, knows that is a LONG time. But seriously no complaints. It was and still is this awesome adventure.

By the way, that night we got to sleep on our own bed and moved the other mattress and boxspring to the guest room. Can I just say, Tempurpedic is the way to go. Hands down, best bed. That was a MAJOR upgrade. (Cliff/Jen, take note and give me the phone number to Sears.)

The last two weeks of June were great even with strep throat and an allergic reaction that covered my entire body. Yup. Even during all that and "June Gloom" (look it up), San Diego makes me happy.

The drive home

It's Friday. Just woke up after our third night sleeping on a mattress on the floor in our new apartment. But let's backtrack a bit.

The drive from Moab to Vegas was gorgeous. Instead of the red rock we saw in Utah, now the mountains looked more like giant sand-castles. Minus the castle. Ok, so they looked like giant sand mountains.

We made it to Vegas an hour earlier than expected (thanks to it being in the Pacific time zone). While the boys relaxed in our room, viewing the strip from our balcony and watching the start of game 1, I got a manicure at the Bellagio salon. Essie nailpolish color: Fiji. To all my Ladies, highly recommended color.

Our night began around midnight. We walked a huge portion of the strip (even with Joey's randomly sprained ankle that he got while asleep at The Gonzo...?? We still can't figure it out) stopping in Caeser's Palace, Harrah's, The Venetian/The Palazzo to gamble and enjoy the over-the-top decor. Joey and I played War and Michael found a new version of Blackjack that he couldn't quit playing - Blackjack Switch. Wish we had a better ending to the story, but we all lost all our betting money. By the time we made it back to the Cosmopolitan the sun was coming up. Joey and I had had it. With his sprained ankle and my high heels we were maxed out, but Mike wasn't. He found a Blackjack Switch table in our hotel and kept on playing.

And if you couldnt guess, we were definitely not up and out early the next day. Shoutout to the hotel for having sub-par service getting us an iron that properly worked the night before because we probably would not have ordered room service and would have missed out on the best room service breakfast any of us had ever had. (Yes, I pulled a "Debbie Levine", something I am beginning to perfect, and got us $$ towards breakfast... waiting an hour plus for an iron paid off in my eyes). Grammy, I guess you aren't the only one with your own adjective.

I took the wheel for our final drive. SKY, my Civic Hybrid for those of you that don't know, was on path to hit 100K and I wanted to be driving her when it happened. Yes, I personalize everything. You'd think I would have grown out of it along time ago... Anyways, Sky hit 100K on 241S in California! About 70 miles away from San Diego. You can see just how excited I was about it in the video. I will post all pics and videos today, too.

And that about wraps it up. We made it to San Diego around 8pm. Grabbed dinner (fish tacos) with some friends and made it back to our new apartment! Can't lie...I freaked out a bit when we came home. It finally hit me that I'm home. I live in San Diego now. I still don't fully  believe it. Maybe once we get all out stuff and we aren't sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Til then we have a beautiful bouquet of exotic tropical flowers from Maui that Uncle Allan sent. And yes Uncle Allan, they are filling our home with love. Love you all. Thanks for sharing this amazing experience with us. Now book your tickets and come visit!!

P.S. I've got a bunch of requests to keep up the blog. Is that what you guys want? If so, I'll keep sharing. Just don't want to bore you. Love you!

The Gonzo Upgrade

Don't you love when things fall effortlessly into place? That's how Joey and I feel about this whole new phase. From being tenants-at-will in our last apartment to Joey handling his business (shoutout to Mr. HYB and his beautiful fam) within a mere 3 weeks in San Diego. He came back east with new apartment keys and a job he absolutely cannot wait to start. Talk about getting things done.

Ok, I admit it. I should have had a little more faith when he started talking about changing our next destination to stay more en route and drive through the Rocky Mtns. We had chosen Salt Lake City, even though it was a little off course, because we had no idea what else Utah had to offer. Bryce Canyon and.Zion were the only two places I knew of and they were 12+ hours from Ft. Collins. Too long for our daily drive. So Salt Lake won, but once we realized we'd be driving up (aka north, the opposite direction of SoCal), and around the mountains, Joey started to re-googlemap our route. Then, Elena recommended Moab. Utah’s adventure capitol, offering activities such as biking, jeep safari’s, rafting, and hiking in two National Parks; Canyonlands and Arches.

7 hours to Moab. Then another 7 to Vegas. (You know you're driving across country when 7 hours is a short drive.) It was decided...if we could find a decently priced hotel we were in (ok, I wasn't completely sold just yet). Brian and Joey searched hotels and after 4 attempts Joey found vacancy at the well-rated (he lives off reviews) Gonzo Inn. What a name.

Sunday morning after breakfast at Col's we started the gorgeous drive through the Rocky's. Pics coming soon. Lots of beautiful landscape pics. And for those of you keeping tabs, this is about the time I thanked Joey for rerouting us.

Then Elena came through again. This time a Moab restaurant recommendation. She must have picked up on my "I want a delicious meal" vibe from the night before. The Desert Bistro. 4.5 stars. 28 reviews. Yes, Joey made me check. 9pm reservations was the earliest they had, but the antelope and mushroom burgers gave the guys enough they needed to confirm that's where we'd be eating.

And as it would go 9pm reservations worked perfectly. We got to Moab with enough time to check into the Gonzo (definitely recommended, Brian&Elena) and hike The Windows Section of Arches National Park, which is known for preserving over 2000 natural sandstone arches. I can't even begin to explain the aura of time, silence and scale that I felt during the walk. .....2 points for anyone who asked themselves "Did Amy thank Joey again?"... Yes I did and you'll see why when I post pics.

As if Arches wasn't reason enough to stop in Moab, Desert Bistro was sooo yummy. I know we have a bunch of foodies reading along so I feel the need to share our meals. If you're interested, keep reading. Grammy-styled details below.

apps:

gyozas filled with smoke tofu, tahini, Anasazi bean hummus & roasted garlic, served with a chipotle peppwr, soy & maple beurre blanc

sashimi grade ahi tuna<\p>

meals:

I got corn tortilla crusted free-range chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese, served with Bistro mole, corn-black bean salsa, sauted veggies and a black bean, roasted bell pepper torta. Joey and Michael got specials, so the details arent exact. (Like you care.) Joey got buffalo filet-mignon in a tomato, garlic, pesto sauce with melted mozzarella on top, served with garlic mash potatoes. Michael got pistachio-crusted mahi-mahi, served with watermelon and fennel.

That was a very long post and I probably lost most of you after the first paragraph. Anyways Joey just pointed out Vegas in the distance, so I'm out. VEGAS, BABY!

MDW w/ friends & family

Memorial Day Weekend has always been one of my favorite holiday weekends. As a marker it typically marks the start of the summer vacation season, and of course honors all Americans that have died fighting for our country. 

This year, instead of tanning at my parents' house while my dad opens the pool and mom cleans the screened in porch, Mike, Joey and I were driving 80 West.

First stop: Omaha, Nebraska

Any of you ever been? Surprisingly enough, this will be my 3rd time. Yes, three. All because of Hails. When I studied in Florence, my roommate, Hailey, and I became close friends. After not seeing her for 4 years her boyfriend Jon (who I had never met) flew me to Omaha to surprise Hailey for her birthday. The next year Joey and I were dancing up a storm at their wedding and now here we are again. This time staying at Hailey and Jon's beautiful new home. First house guests right here :)

The boys were craving Omaha Steaks, so we made the obvious decision to go to a steakhouse. Johnny's Italian Steakhouse. A Florence and Omaha combo at its best. We all got steak. SO good! It may not have been an "Omaha Steak", but it didn't matter - steak from Omaha is delicious!

Next stop: Ft. Collins, Colorado

Up til now Joey has driven entirely. He prefers it. But Saturday I took the wheel and drove all the way. This beats out and DOUBLES my previous longest drive [BOS-NYC]. Go me.

5pm: We arrive at our cousins, Brian & Elena's, house just in time for a MDW bbq with all the Colorado cousins...and the C's game. It's so nice to be with family. Joey and I were just here in February, too, so it feels like we were just with them.

Sunday morning we take the long trek (across the street) to Colleen & Jeff's for a yummy breakfast with everyone. I LOVE how the 5 little cousins are so close. More like brothers and sisters than cousins. After some more chatting and playing we take off. Instead of Salt Lake City, we decided to reroute to Moab, Utah. More to come on that in the next post. Hope you're enjoying the ride so far. We are!

Cleveland, Chicago, Omaha photos