Greetings from western Pennsylvania! We survived our cross country trip and are now settling in to the east coast once again. Our travels offered us some beautiful sights along with long empty roads with no end in sight, multiple dinners at Denny's restaurant (we were that desperate!), and sightings of license plates from 40 different states. After 11 states, 3,000 miles 6 days, and 4 time zones we were glad to have a home cooked meal and sleep in non-hotel beds. We began our trip through Washington into eastern Oregon and then into Idaho. With the exception of our new found knowledge of what "Oreida potatoes" really means (the plant sits on the the border of Oregon and Idaho- who knew?) there is absolutely NOTHING to see until we hit Boise. Luckily Sara and I had the Glee soundtrack volumes 1-3 to pass the time. Our 2nd day found us through the rest of Idaho and into Utah. Southern Utah is absolutely beautiful and I felt as though I was getting a glimpse at what the Grand Canyon looks like with all the different rock formations making up the landscape. We pulled over multiple times just to take pictures. We stopped to see the Great Salt Lake and take in its not so wonderful smell- Yuck! We made our way on day #2 to Selina, Utah. It's a VERY small town that you come upon while seeing signs that read "last stop for 100 miles." That sign alone told us that are driving that day was coming to an end. On day #3 we drove to Arches National Park in Utah. Some amazing rock formations placed over miles and miles of desert land. It was a tough drive from Utah into Colorado as we hit some really heavy rain that made driving really difficult. We bypassed all the ski resort areas (Vail has some beautiful lodging!) before settling in Silverthorne. After such stressful driving, a glass of wine and use of the hotel hot tub was in order! The next day we woke up to clear skies and great views of the Colorado mountains. Day #4 was by far the longest day ever! 12 hours of driving over 650 miles. It was the day we tackled the entire state of Kansas. It certainly is flat with lots of open fields. Laura and I entertained ourselves by playing the alphabet game (trying to find something that began with each letter of the alphabet- we got stuck on "Y") and reading the random billboards advertising the "World's Largest Prairie Dog" and The Oz Museum complete with a picture of the Tin Man. I give the state credit for trying their hand at tourism. Day #5 took us through Missouri right into St. Louis. The girls and I had wanted to go to the top of the Arch but had to settle for outside pictures and a trip to the gift shop as the tour was sold out when we got there. It was 105 degrees in St. Louis that day- you sweat pretty much as soon as you got out of the car. We got to hear a little bit of the music from a riverboat and take in the view of the muddy waters of the Mississippi. Needless to say I don't think I need to go back to St. Louis any time soon. We made it as far as Indianapolis that day. Our final day driving was only 7 hours which felt like nothing compared to the days prior. I've never felt so happy to see the sign "Welcome to Ohio" knowing that "Welcome to Pennsylvania" would be greeting us soon after. We got to Beaver Falls by 4 on Thursday. Nala was a trooper the entire time despite the long bouts of time spent in her carrier and the extreme heat. I am now the proud owner of a cat who has been to 17 states! :-)
The past few days we have been trying to settle in. It's been a challenge trying to introduce the two cats. For the most part we have been rotating them through different parts of the house and introducing them in limited time intervals. Tonight we have let them roam more freely. They have been doing quite a bit of staring at each other, Nala growls, and Binx will then meow. Only once has there been a chase which left Nala hiding in the box spring of our bed. I feel like the overprotection Mom stressed out about whether or not their child can be nice and/or friends with another child (or in this case a cat). Hoping for the day when they can be civil with one another.
Mom and Dad arrive tomorrow for a visit! Looking forward to spending some time with them while also mentally preparing for my new job. I have to go in to the hospital for some drug and health testing this week and then begin orientation on the 16th. We are also awaiting the arrival of the POD with all of our belongings. Still not quite sure what to do with everything- unload, put in storage, etc.
This is going to be my last post for a while....I'm not sure if I'll resume here, start a new blog since the title is no longer relevant, or take a hiatus from writing. I've enjoyed being able to share our experiences over the last two years. It's been a great way for me to feel a connection to everyone that was so far away. We'll see if and when my new experiences make it to the world wide web or if I'll just save them for face to face chats as I hope to see you all in person very soon!
Thanks for taking the journey with us to the west coast and back again.....It's been quite a ride!
