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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!
Our 2 year adventure has come to an end and it is now time to say goodbye to the west coast. Thank you Seattle for your beautiful surroundings, wonderful people, delicious food, and interesting sense of fashion. You have been a wonderful home and a great place for new experiences. Joe and I will definitely look back on our time out here as an experience that we will never forget. (In my head I'm already planning a trip to come visit as we have had lots of offers of where we can stay:-) This city has taught us that a day that starts out bleary could turn into a beautiful day, to never look twice at a man dressed as a woman, a woman dressed as a man, or either gender dressed in a variety of costumes or sporting an interesting hair color, and to love the great outdoors and to take advantage of all that nature has to offer. I don't think Seattle was able to teach me patience when sitting in traffic but it has taught me to offer every pedestrian the right of way and to smile and nod when I pass someone on the street. I think Joe and I both learned how to enjoy this time with each other while also discovering more about ourselves as individuals and what we have to look forward to with our move back across the country.
With the help of some strong women (Thank you Rachel, Sara, and Sydney!) our belongings that have inhabited our 800 square foot apartment are now packed into a 16 ft by 8 ft POD ready to make the trip to Pennsylvania. Our trip begins on Saturday with arrival expected in Pittsburgh the following Friday. Fingers crossed for safe and enjoyable travels. I'll post again once we're settled and begin phase number 2 on the east coast.
After 100 posts.........It's time to say goodbye to the east coast girl trying west coast living and hello to the east coast girl whose coming home!
Oh how I wish there was such a thing as a packing fairy! Maybe she could come and make sense of our "moving clutter" as we now begin our moving countdown- 6 days! We have packed boxes up to the ceiling, empty boxes ready to be filled, and packing tape, scissors, and markers have spread themselves across our small living space. It's always amazing to me when preparing for a move (something I've done on average every 2 years since 2003) how much stuff one (and two) people can accumulate! I have found that I have less sentimental value towards things that I may have to carry down stairs, into an elevator, and then arranging in a moving vehicle of choice. Don't get me wrong- I've still held on to those personal items that have been with me through the years but do I really need the 6 towel sets for the kitchen, the books I know I will never read again, or the pair of jeans that have been with me since college and I just can't seem to part with? The answer is No!
We've had to jump through hurdles to get a permit to park a POD on the street in front of our apartment. From applying for a permit, for waiting for permission, to paying a hefty fee (Yikes!), to renting No Parking signs, the amount of time and energy waiting for the city of Seattle to in a sense give us permission to move has been exhausting! I've been so frazzled with our long (and neverending) list of things to do that it is affecting my sleep. A few nights ago I was wide awake for a few hours pacing in our living room. I was treated to a beautiful view of Mt. Rainier at 4:30 in the morning.
Nala has been trying her best to cope with the chaos. And when I say "cope" I mean that she goes and sleeps in the bathroom sink or jumps in our suitcase or boxes as we're trying to pack them. As I watched her sleep so peacefully in the sink I couldn't help but wonder if the same technique could work for humans? Of course that would mean taking a nap in the bathtub but if that could give me a few moments of piece of mind I might be willing to give it a try!
In addition to packing, we also have Joe's sister Sara and her friend Rachel visiting us for the week. Luckily they can look past our chaos. Yesterday we visited the Farmer's Market in the neighborhood of Ballard. Right now it is ranked the 3rd largest Farmer's Market in the country and it certainly didn't disappoint! So many wonderful (and local) fruits and vegetables and flowers and jewelry. I felt a little wave of sadness as we got to the end- we've become so accustomed to farmer's markets all over the area. I also felt a little sad as we walked around Capital Hill and took in the view of the Space Needle from the "Black Hole Sun" in Volunteer Park. Sites and sounds and smells that have become so second nature that I don't even pay attention anymore. Well I am certainly paying attention this week! Trying to put into long term memory all that we love about Seattle.
Lots more packing to get done, goodbyes to be said, and our trip route to plan out. We are thinking of driving back on a different route than the one we did two years ago. This one would take us through Oregon, Nevade, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. We were joking about how many other people can say that their cat has been through 17 states? If only Nala knew!
This east coast girl trying west coast living will soon find herself back on the east coast- Pittsburgh to be exact. Joe and I started having discussions about the possibility of moving back to PA back in the Spring. Of course I had to make a "plan" of our time line, where to look for jobs, and how the summer was going to pan out for us. So far nothing has been going as planned and those of you that know me know that I don't handle "nonplans" very well. I had hoped to have a job by the end of the school year so that I could say my goodbyes in person to the school staff and my kids. Although I had an initial phone interview with Children's Hospital right before Memorial Day weekend, I didn't hear back from them for three weeks. Fast forward to the last week of school and I get an e-mail asking if I'd be available for a teleconference interview. I wasn't sure what teleconference was going to entail at first but after another week and a half I found out that I would be interviewing with the head of the department and another Speech Therapist via Skype. How technology advanced we have come to be able to interview across the country using the computer and a webcam. I will admit to going into frantic study mode and had flashbacks of grad school sitting in a coffee shop with my books. There are a few areas that I'm out of touch with after working in the school setting for 5 years and was fearful that I would be bombarded with questions regarding these less familiar topics. During my study time I came across the name of the person who was interviewing me quoted in one of the books. He's done a lot of research in the field and has published articles regarding his areas of interest. The intimidation factor went way up for me at this point!
I felt really good after the interview- they were both so nice and I felt very at ease despite the distance and technology between us. That afternoon I was contact by human resources to let me know that I was their top candidate and would now begin the phase of background and reference checking. This was done through private agencies and I was told to expect it to at least take 6 days. Adding in the 4th of July weekend, 6 days had turned into 8. By this point I'm stressed and wondering what the outcome will be. We gave up our apartment since our lease is up at the end of the month, but we still weren't sure if we were moving cross country or just down the street. Throughout the waiting period I did lots of list making, pacing, climbing a mountain (7 miles up windy and rocky switch backs can do a lot to take your mind off of things), freaking out, and buying shoes. Yes I couldn't help myself when I went to buy bubble wrap at Target and a big SALE sign in the window of DSW caught my eye. I went in just to "look" but fell in love with a pair of sandals. I decided to buy them as a celebratory "yay I got the job" a few days premature. And if I didn't get the job I was going to use them as a "feel better" present to myself. I'm glad they were able to fall into their first purpose.
The long awaited phone call and offer came on Friday. Yay! I've been feeling such a mix of emotions- nerves on starting a new job, excitement, and some sadness for leaving the city that we have fallen in love with. We have no regrets from the past two years and have gained some wonderful friends and new experiences to add to our list of adventures and memories. But we are at the point (well I'm at the point and Joe is getting there :-) where we want to feel a bit more settled and know that we will be staying in one place longer than the date signed on a lease. We weren't ready to make this commitment two years ago but time and maturity and desire for new things were a driving force in our decision. Of course the proximity to family and friends and familiar surroundings are huge icings on the cake and we couldn't be happier with our decision. Thank you all for taking this journey with us over the past two years and for being my weekly "audience" following this blog. I'll continue with a few more entries of our moving experiences but then may take a little writing hiatus- I haven't quite decided yet what to do.
In the mean time, we are surrounded by boxes, packing tape, and bubble wrap with our possessions spread out in our 800 square foot apartment waiting to find their way into boxes. Poor Nala isn't quite sure what to make of everything but has found comfort in the open boxes as resting places for her afternoon and evening naps. We will have the company from two years ago as Joe's sisters once again are joining us on our trip. We are leaving Seattle on July 31st and are giving ourselves about a week to make it across the country. We will be covering a lot of the same territory as before and feel less inclined to stop and see the sights. I start my new job on August 16th. Changes are ahead once again.......Western Pennsylvania here we come. Time to bring out the black and gold!
Oh the heat- how you are my enemy! It's been a HOT week out here and it's been a struggle to find the coolest areas to pass the time. I've found myself venturing to the grocery store and the mall just to take advantage of the air conditioning as these are some of the few selected places with air. On Thursday we actually had a blackout and lost power for a while. I'm wondering if too many fans trying to go at the same time could have been the culprit? Poor Nala has also been struggling to stay cool- lounging in the sinks and on the tile floor. She has been looking at me with a look that says "please make it cooler." Or maybe that is just my interpretation of the look on her cute little face.
Thursday was Joe's birthday. We spent the afternoon at Madison Park Beach along Lake Washington. The sun was out in full force and it seemed that many people had the same idea that we had as the place was really crowded. We made it about 5 minutes in the sun before we braved the chilly temperatures of the water just to cool off. We then spent the rest of the time laying out in the shade and it was quite comfortable. Later we enjoyed a delicious sushi dinner with Charlie (his birthday too) down in the International District.
Saturday night I was fortunate enough to get an invite to another Seattle Living Room Show-live music in someone's living room. The band that I saw was called the Sweet Remains and I have been playing them on my IPod for about a year so I was so excited to finally see them live. They are able to create this amazing 3 part harmony that I could listen to for hours. For two hours I forgot about the heat and just listened to the music. Such a great night!
We escaped from the city on Sunday to visit Mt. Rainier. We went to a different lookout point from where we visited last year. The sun came out on our drive and by the time we parked the car we were surrounded by lots of people, sun, and snowy white. We attempted to hike up part of the glacier in the snow. It was like 2 steps up and 1/2 a step sliding back. We got to take in some amazing views while walking in the sun with our short sleeved shirts. I was really entertained watching all the different groups of people from the prepared (hiking boots, treking poles, hiking pants) to the unprepared- (designer purses, heeled boots, puma sneakers). Let's just say there was lots of slipping and sliding as attempts were made to go up and down the mountain. It was such a great feeling standing in the middle of the mountain in the snow, breathing in the fresh air and taking in the view.
Hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday weekend! The tourists are in full force here in Seattle. I got first glimpse of them coming off the huge cruise boat docked on the Puget Sound below the Pike's Place Market on Saturday. I've lived here long enough to know where and what to avoid with the crowds. The Market area being #1. Saturday was a beautiful day with sunshine in the afternoon. I decided to venture to one of the attractions I haven't visited yet. It's somewhat off the beaten path and wasn't too crowded. Olympic Sculpture Park sits in the neighborhood of Belltown just north of the main downtown area. It's a beautiful green area with an interesting looking sculpture and views of the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. People were out and about enjoying picnic lunches and taking in the beautiful views. I couldn't help but feel a sense of serenity breathing in the fresh air and looking out over the water.
Unfortunately the sunny weather did not follow us into the 4th. Sunday was very overcast and brought rain in the afternoon. I didn't let that deter me from my initial plans. A friend of a friend rented a boat to take out on Lake Union for the afternoon. We enjoyed snacks and drinks while enjoying the views of the skyline, the Space Needle, Gas Works Park, the boat house from "Sleepless in Seattle," and the bridges lifting for the much bigger boats to go underneath. Gas Works Park is the central area where people camp out for the big fireworks display later in the evening. Close to 50,000 people congregated there by nightfall. They bring in a big blow up of the Statue of Liberty that sits on the focal point in the middle of the hill of the park. Later at night we went over to Charlie's condo to watch the fireworks. The fireworks display was a group effort this year. The cost for the show is about 500,000 dollars and WAMU bank used to be the sponsor before they went under last year. The businesses of the Seattle came together to raise the money and the show didn't disappoint. It also didn't hurt that we were standing on the roof of an 18 story highrise to take in the view.
Today is another day of dreary but perfect for snuggling on the couch with hot chocolate and my favorite girlie movies. Hot chocolate in July. Is summer ever going to officially make its presence in Seattle??????
It's been 17 weeks since I started training for the Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon and yesterday marked the culmination of the miles I covered, the pain I endured (my poor knees are not very happy with me) and the satisfaction of knowing that I did something that I didn't think I could do. A big shout out to my Trainer Lauren for making me a schedule to follow and for being a good resource for the questions I had along the way as well as my cheerleader from afar.
There were 25,000 people that were signed up for the race and although that number is huge, I wasn't sure what to expect. I started my morning early (4:45 the alarm went off) and needless to say I didn't get much sleep as I was filled with nerves the night before. They were running shuttles (school buses) from downtown so Joe dropped me off down there around 5:30. At first I got in what seemed like the line but as more time went on and more people showed up, it just became chaos with thousands of people trying to get on the buses to get down to the start line. I can navigate large crowds with the best of them and managed to grab a seat pretty easily. It was about a 20 minute drive south of the city down to where the starting area was was. When we arrived all I saw were lines of port-a-potties. My fear of public toilets (and toilets that don't flush) was heightened upon arrival with a gross smell to accompany it. I forgot to mention that the projected forecast for the day was 70 and sunny but at 6 am it was quite cold. My legs were a nice shade of purple and I couldn't help but shiver in my running shorts and tank. After I dropped off my bag at the check-point I went to find my corral number. There were corrals numbered 1-39. When I initially signed up for the race one of the questions they ask is what your projected finish time is going to be. I had no idea so I said 3 hours and 30 minutes. That put me to start out in the "slow pack" at the back of the race in corral #36. The race started at 7 with corral #1. At that time I was in-line for the bathroom which took about 45 minutes. By then I joined my "pack" and started the race at 8am. They stagger start the corrals every 3 minutes so it took a while to go from #1-#36. We started out pretty close together and I was amongst a lot of walkers so it took a while for me to find my pace. There was a huge blown up guitar player over the initial path of the race with the first band playing. We ran on closed off streets, neighborhood streets, along Lake Washington, through a tunnel, and back on closed streets as we made our way to the finish line in front of Quest field downtown. Along the route, bands were playing on small stages, tables were set up with volunteers handing out water and sports drinks, high school cheerleading groups positioned themselves to give a boost, and locals sat in their yards to cheer us on. It was a good route for a beginner like me as there were few hills which was really nice. When I got to mile 7 I started to feel some pain in my knees and feet. Luckily I had these amazing jelly beans (sold at running stores) that I ate which gave me a good burst of energy for the final 4 miles. I had my best time the last four mile leg so I'd like to think the jelly beans along with pure determination to get to the finish line had something to do with it. When we got onto the downtown streets for the last mile and a half, there were people lining the streets cheering everyone on. I crossed the finish line about 10:20 and as soon as I stopped running I was very aware of the hurt in my legs. I felt really good breathing wise and was happy to cross the finish line without stopping anywhere along the way. The finish line area was a sea of runners and friends and family coming to congratulate them. Joe and Sydney were there to meet me. It felt the longest day and it wasn't even noon! We had plans to stay for the concert afterwards but the US soccer game took precedent. We walked to a nearby bar for some post-race lunch and the game. My post-race meal was french toast and let me tell you food never tasted so good! The atmosphere in the bar was fun as everyone was really into the game and more and more fellow racers stumbled in as time went on. After the game, we made our way back home (at this point my legs were so stiff I was walking a little funny) and I was so happy to have a hot shower! After a nap and some down time, we toasted the day with friends and champagne. I feel a good sense of accomplishment and am happy to check off something from my bucket list. I plan on letting my body rest for a bit but may find myself back in my running shoes for pure pleasure (and probably less distance!) :-)
