California Dreamin'....

Lately, I've been homesick for Cali. Could it be the freaking 30 degree weather we are having???!!!??? It's funny.... when I first moved to San Diego, I really didn't like it there either. I thought everything looked brown.. and everything was so crowded... lots of traffic, etc. Of course, after being there for 5 years, I grew to enjoy it and of course, now that I've left, I can truly appreciate what we had out there. I miss the warmth, the ocean being 10 minutes away. I miss the convenience of a bigger city -- of having everything very close. I really miss the action. I miss the diversity and I miss the liberal thinking. I miss the children's pool and the bay. I miss the gaslamp quarter. And now I miss the traditions we used to do there every Christmas...

My mother and my mother-in-law are coming for Christmas. I've been trying painstakingly hard to figure out things for us to do while they are here and I've come up with very little. Sad. I knew moving here wasn't going to be like San Diego but one appeal was that I thought Raleigh had enough to do without big city drama. Um... come to find out... there really isn't a whole lot to do here. This fact bums me out. I realize they are coming to visit us, not the town in which we live. But one advantage of moving to a new place is being able to show off your new town. I hope when they arrive, its not one big bore-fest.

I don't miss the high cost of living, the traffic, the crowds, the lack of greenery. But I'm not really falling in love with anything here. I know I need to give it time... but I guess now I'm wondering if one day I'll grow to love Raleigh as much as I love SD? If not.. what do we do then?

My Nemisis: The Grocery Store

I'm writing today to procrastinate doing the errand I detest the most: Grocery Shopping. I don't really know why I hate grocery shopping -- I just do. It seems there are much better things I could be doing with my time. Its not like other types of shopping where you can come home with a shiny new exciting item to use or show off. Nope. You come home have to unpack everything and then a few days/weeks later its all gone and you have to start the whole process again. Bleh. And now that we're on a VERY tight budget I find myself standing in the aisle debating between two brands of products... so the peas A are 20 cents per ounce but peas B are 18 cents per ounce. I bust out my cell phone for the calculator and figure which product is the better buy. Which offers more value for the size... if I get the family size, is it worth the price? Ohhh and If I have a coupon what would that price be ... oohhh and even better if its double coupon time! Double bleh... I sound like an old lady trolling for the best price. I'm sure I'm quite a sight to see at the store. Of course all this calculating takes up even more time. In the end, its worth it for us right now as we have to save every dime we can. And it can be a little fun to see how much money I save but getting myself to get to the store definitely requires motivation!

On a related note, I've been cooking a lot more which if fun. I find the more I cook, the better I have become. Some of the new recipes I've tried have turned out quite well and all I can think is... my Nana would be proud.

As far as other news - Thanksgiving was good. Greg and I volunteered in the morning and delivered meals to people. That was fun and the recipients were so nice. One lady told us she loved us!! Then I made a small dinner... I say small but in reality it fed us for more than one meal! Over Thanksgiving weekend we hung out and went and saw a movie. It was different for us since normally we are around a lot of family for the holiday but it was kind of nice to have a quiet Thanksgiving just the two of us.

Job Front: Greg is still working. He's still battling with adjusting. I am still hunting (sad!). I've had two more phone interviews but with no result. I think I'm a bad phone interviewer. I know that sounds weird but I find myself almost more nervous before I get the call than I do walking into an office to meet someone. I think I might just be psyching myself out. I'm trying to keep the spirits up. However, if something (anything!) doesn't come up soon.. I will go into panic mode!!

I've joined a book club which is nice to have some social interaction outside of Greg. I've been enjoying reading a lot since I've had extra time off. I've been trying to think of other ways for Greg and I to meet some people. I think having the interaction really helps keep our spirits up.

Alright... I'm pulling myself away to brave the craziness we call Kroger....

6 month mark!

Today is our 6 month anniversary! I know, not really a big deal, but still... it makes me happy. We aren't really 'celebrating' but we are acknowledging how much has gone on in the last six months! Sad that half of our 'newlywed' year is over but we are glad we are still going strong :)

Dreary Days...

I hadn't realized it had been so long since I posted! We had a nice quiet Halloween. My friend Stacy from CA came out to visit for the weekend which was nice. But we didn't get one single trick-or-treater... sad :( Oh well. We did carve pumpkins and I showed her some stuff around town.

Greg started work last week. What a roller coaster that has been. It seems as though one day he likes it, the next he hates it. I believe a lot of it has to do with the adjustment of going back to work in general. Probably doesn't help when he leaves and I'm still pleasantly asleep in bed. I'm sure a part of him wishes he was the one not working. I tell him to take it one day at a time. I also try to remind him that this job doesn't have to be permanent but its helping right now.

As far as I'm concerned... no job... still!!! I got on offer and turned it down in hopes that I would get another job I really wanted. Murphy's law: didn't get the job I wanted and too late to get the other job. Bleh. So I am still applying like crazy all over the place, not just to social work jobs either. I had an interview with JC Penney but they were hesitant to take me on b/c I have to take time off in Dec for a wedding and my mom coming into town so I still haven't heard back from them. Had a phone interview with a non-profit company earlier this week. I think I would like the job, the only thing is that I would be working from home with basically no face-to-face interaction with co-workers/supervisors/etc. This would be a big change, but I think I could adjust. We'll see what happens with that job. I am not trying to get excited about it - - as every time I have gotten excited it hasn't worked out. I am just gonna keep at it and keep praying for something to happen. What a toll job searching takes on your self-esteem. The longer you wait, the less worth you feel you have. And the worse jobs you are willing to take/do. Not that there's anything wrong with taking a low-paying job -- as long as it pays the bills right?

I guess we are getting what's left of Ida b/c its rained NONSTOP here for like 24 hours and its supposed to keep raining NONSTOP for another day or so. I guess its good for us b/c we are behind in our average rainfall but we are on a flood watch/warning. Times like this I'm glad I'm home and not braving the wet roadways. However, it makes for a depressing atmosphere. Guess it kind of matches our mood the last few days. Funny how that happens...I normally enjoy the sound of rain but I'm ready for it to stop. Also, the wind is slightly scary. I keep fearing the swaying trees might crash into our apartment. We don't need that kind of excitement, if you know what I mean! "Rain, Rain, go away...."

ER Visits and Fried Fair Food!!

Hello Hello. I know its been a while since my last post. A lot has occurred!! Where do I start?

On 10/13/09... I went to the ER because my chest pains still hadn't gone away. 3 hours, a few tests and over $1000 later... the doctor basically confirmed what the urgent care doctor had told me... I strained the cartilage in my chest wall. Oh joy :) he gave me some stronger anti -inflammatory drugs and stated it could be 3 or 4 weeks before I'm healed! 3 or 4 weeks... seriously? Bleh....

Last weekend we took a trip to SC to see friends. We went to the SC fair which was fun.. tried the chocolate covered bacon... DISGUSTING. Greg's thought process was "chocolate is good, bacon is great.. why wouldn't it work together?" So in theory I understand where this crazy concoction arose from.... however, the reality of the chocolate covered bacon is foul. I would not recommend it to anyone!

Tuesday Greg signed paperwork for his job so it is now official: he starts Nov. 2nd! Yippee. I'm waiting to hear back from the place I really want to work at but the amount of time that has passed makes me painfully aware that I probably did not get the job :( Which of course depresses me and makes me upset. I really hate looking for work. The looking, the waiting, the interviews. More waiting.... the whole process sucks. I realize that I brought this on myself by moving without having a job secured first which of course just makes me feel even worse. I don't know how long we can go without two incomes. Greg's job will obviously take a huge burden off. I just hope that I can get work soon so that we will still have some sort of savings and prevent ourselves from going into massive debt (although $1000 ER bills don't help - price you pay for no insurance)!

Yesterday Greg and I went to the NC Fair ( I know, two fairs in less than a week - I'm shocked my stomach could handle all the terrible deliciousness). It was awesome. I hate to say it but... way better than the SC Fair! It was much larger and the food options were abundant. I had corn nuggets, corn dog, philly cheesteak, fried cheese nuggets, chocolate covered banana, fried cookie dough and took some kettle corn home :) :) We saw HUGE produce (see pics above)- yes the watermelon is 211 lbs!!!). We saw pig races (and goat and geese races) and rode some rides! Needless to say it was a nice distraction from the job drama.

Tonight we are going to the UNC vs. FSU game (GO NOLES!). I'm excited Greg gets to experience college football the way its meant to be experienced (sorry, san diego state, you do not tailgate the way big teams do in the south!).

Next week we are going to try and get into the Halloween spirit by going out to a pumpkin patch and watch scary movies!

Learning to Disc Golf

Alright.... so the good news is Greg got two job offers!!! He accepted one and is scheduled to start work on Nov. 2nd if all goes well with the background check and all. Yippee!!! I have had a few interviews and two different places. However, both places have stated it might be a while before I hear anything so the great wait continues. I'm super glad things are picking up though - I really didn't want to spend Thanksgiving in a cardboard box because we didn't have any money!!

So... we are still figuring out things in Raleigh and trying to figure out how to pass the time (cheaply, that is!). So... one way we did that was disc golf. I have never disc golfed in my life so needless to say I won't be joining any championship series just yet. Greg of course is excellent and is a very patient teacher so we had fun last week out at the course. Over the weekend, we cleaned and I decorated for Halloween (yippee!). I've been in good spirits since fall has started to come around. I love seeing the leaves change, the weather get just a little cooler and Halloween scenes everywhere. I'm also glad that Greg gets to experience it too since in San Diego, things really didn't change much during the fall.

One bad note... on Saturday I started to have some chest pains and when I tried to pick something up it got very painful for me. I waited it out of course but Tuesday we went to urgent care. The Doc said he thought I strained my chest wall (probably from being a crazy person on the disc golf course). He stated I should feel better in 3-5 days. However, as of yet... there has been no improvement. Lets hope this weekend I start to fell better or back to the doctor I go! I really can't go on with this pain and not being able to pick things up or bend over. So lets keep the healthy thoughts flowing my way.

Overall, lately I feel Greg and I have been in more cheerful mood ... could be the weather but more likely its the good news of the jobs... its definitely starting to look up. Which takes a lot of pressure off of us allowing us to enjoy our time together rather than stress out. Hope everyone out there is doing good :) Thanks for the payers and well wishes :)

Interviews...

So I know its been quite a while since I've posted but mainly its because there has been nothing to note. However, things are starting to pick up.... slowly, that is.

We've still been trying to explore our city and the surrounding areas. We ventured out to Wake Forest, which actually wasn't that far at all. We just did a little bit of shopping, had some lunch and came home. We also briefly walked around BikeFest (Harley Davidson festival). We are really not bike people, but we were downtown and didn't even know it was going on so we walked around and checked things out. It was neat to see all the different bikes and biker groups. I spent a weekend with some of my girlfriends from college which was nice.... it was fun to get away and see the girls... I definitely needed it :) :)

We have sort of found a second car. Its through a private owner and its actually a lot nicer than some of the cars we've seen on some dealer lots. The draw back however, is that the owner cant find the title. So... he had to reorder it from the DMV... meaning we have to wait 12 days before we can take ownership..... so, like everything else in life, we are waiting.

Greg and I have had a few interviews. Greg more so than myself. Greg actually has a second interview for one job on Wednesday... so keep your fingers crossed and the prayers coming!! I had one interview which I haven't heard back on :( And... I have had a call from another place and I'm waiting to hear back from them. So it does seem as though things are picking up. Its as if we are so close... yet so far away. More waiting, more frustration. Its hard to remain optimistic. We definitely oscillate between being hopeful and being depressed. Luckily, we are more hopeful than depressed - - I think that it helps that we have each other and we try to do things to get our mind off our job situation.

Anyway... I will write more often as things are starting to pick up!

Exploring our new town

Well... not much has happened on the job front out here. But, Greg and I have gotten out of our house recently to explore what Raleigh has to offer and we have really had a good time.

Last weekend we went to an outdoor movie. It was held at the museum of art on a huge screen outside. It was really neat, everyone had lawn chairs and blankets. Some of the people brought picnic baskets and such. I really enjoyed it. Last weekend we also went to the local flea market/swap meet. We bought a desk for $10 and witnessed our first act of southern hospitality. The guy who sold us the desk delivered it to our house and helped Greg carry it up three flights of stairs!!! It was very nice to say the least.

Monday (Labor Day) - - it rained for 10 hours straight! We just stayed in and played games and watched movies. Tuesday we went to a nature park and had a picnic then walked around the mall. Wednesday we went to Durham Bulls baseball game (AAA). It was a lot of fun... we sat next to these guys who were totally heckling the visiting team and they were hilarious. It definitely added to our baseball experience-- and they had funnel cake at the ballpark, so needless to say I was enjoying my night :) Yesterday we went to the Museum of History and walked around downtown.

We've been trying to make the most of the time we have together. Its been nice to get out and see whats going on in our town. We've been trying to do something everyday rather than sit at home and wait for the phone to ring. Also, we want to take advantage of the time we have because when we do eventually gain employment we wont have this time to go and check things out.

Greg and I have been doing really well together lately. While we are both frustrated at times, it doesn't seem to take a toll on our relationship which is good. We've been really trying to communicate with one another and make the best of our situation. I have been really enjoying being a newlywed and also this whole experience with Greg.

Day by Day

I wish I had more to report than I do. There is really nothing too much going on here. Last weekend we went to SC to visit some friends we hadn't seen in a while. It was really nice seeing everyone and spending a weekend back at my old college haunts, especially since we moved in part to be closer to the friends down there. It was a nice little get a way. I am excited to report that this week has been significantly cooler than the previous weeks. Still warm enough to enjoy the outdoors but I haven't been melting this week! We actually went out to downtown this week and just walked around then had a lunch picnic at a park. We also went for a walk around one of the man made lakes around here. I'm glad we've gotten out of the apartment to enjoy this beautiful weather. As far as the job hunt goes, still no news. I am trying to remain positive while going through this process :) Hope everyone is having a good week and will enjoy their Labor Day weekend!!!

The hunt for basketball shorts....

Not too much going on this week. Just fiddling around. We spent a better part of yesterday cleaning up our place. It looks great... now I just need to finish hanging art work and finish putting up pictures to make it feel a little more homey.

We discovered yesterday that I have somehow misplaced my one and only and favorite basketball shorts Greg gave me. We spent like 30 minutes searching for them last night before we went to bed and then more time today. So.. due to my heartbreak we went on a search for new basketball shorts. We went to Dick's, Target and Wally world. I must have tried on dozens of basketball shorts .... alas, nothing felt quite as good as my last pair but I finally found a pair I could settle for. I know they will work, I just keep hoping my other pair will surface.

Last night and today Greg and I have gotten into a few tiffs ... I think mostly its due to our frustration with searching for work. We have spent quite some time on the net filling out apps and emailing people and then... nothing.. or we get rejected :( Then all that frustration gets taken out on one another :( :( For the first time along our trip I started to really question if we made the right decision to pick up and move. It officially took 4 weeks and 3 days for me to start questioning. Is that a fair amount of time? I mean, I figured those thoughts would cross my mind at some point. It is not surprising. A big part of me feels guilty. If Greg doesn't like it out here I fell as though it would be my fault somehow -- despite the fact that we made the decision together. At the same time I'm having all my doubts, I feel that even though we are a little worried about employment we should try and enjoy the time we have together as we probably won't have an opportunity to have time like this again. I also wish we could enjoy Raleigh more but we are trying to stay on our budget (which is tight) so that can be a hindrance when trying to figure out things to do. Okay... enough of my ramblings.. I have FAITH that it will all work out and the good Lord will put us where we belong!!!

Getting Settled In...

In the last week we have been somewhat productive. We went to the DMV and got our licenses, opened up new bank accounts and have gone around town trying to figure out how to get from point A to point B. On Friday we went to the art museum and on Sunday we went out to a local lake for a swim and a picnic. Its nice to start feeling like this is more our home and less like we are on vacation somewhere. I think now that we are more settled, we are ready to have jobs so that it can really feel like reality.

Greg and I have overall been doing okay. For a few days there it felt like we were a little disconnected from each other which is odd since we've been inseparable since we've been here. However, I think its just the overall feelings of being somewhere new and different. I know both of us have been experiencing a range of emotions since we've landed... excitement, fear. I know I am personally getting a little home sick for San Diego. This has happened to me every time I move. I know its just got take some time for adjustment.

Raleigh has been nice so far and there isn't much we've discovered that we haven't liked. Greg had one interview last week but he's not sure he will take the position if they offer it to him. Guess we'll just be plugging along on the job front.

This weekend we will see some friends of ours for the first time since we've arrived and I'm very excited. Being able to see them is partly why we moved so I can't wait to see the familiar faces and spend some quality friend time :) :)

Unpacking.....

So its been almost a week since my last post! A lot has happened... well, sort of. First, we got our POD as scheduled :) So that was exciting. We spent last Wednesday and Thursday unpacking. Phew... I am so glad that is done. It really took a lot out of us considering we unpacked everything - the boxes, couches and dressers all by ourselves! And we carried everything up three flights of stairs. Needless to say.... the rest of the week we were tired and pretty sore. They picked up the POD on Friday. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the experience. Nothing seemed to have broken and pretty much kept in tact.

The last couple of days we've just been unpacking and running to the store to get stuff we need. Some of the rooms in our apt are a little awkwardly shaped causing us to have some issues with rugs and such. But I'm sure we'll work it all out.

Today we went to the DMV to get our new licenses. So when they arrive in 8- 10 days - we will officially be North Carolinians! Craziness.

This past weekend was our first weekend in Raleigh. We honestly didn't do much but unpack and run errands. I think now that we are a little more settled we are ready to be working. I think we are also ready to spend some time apart since we've spent every waking moment together over the last three weeks. I am glad to have our stuff and to finally be able to feel more like we are actually home.

Snap back to reality

So... we are back from our trip to FL for my cousin's wedding! It was fun to see the family and to see her wedding. The actual trip to FL was much less than fun. It was about 11 hours one way - yikes!! So needless to say it was very long and tiring. The time it took for us to get to Florida was actually longer than any legs of our trip coming across country! But it was worth it of course to see everyone and see my beautiful cousin walk down the aisle. Toward the end of the weekend, Greg and I were getting on each other's nerves a little bit. I'm not sure if it was because we've spent so much time with each other (we haven't left each other's sides now for like 3 weeks) or if it was the heat. We are doing better today now that we are back in Raleigh.

Today we didn't do much. Ran some errands and such. Our POD should be arriving tomorrow- yippee :) We will actually have stuff to sit on and a bed to sleep in! As we were doing our errands today it hit me a little bit that okay.. its now crunch time. The party is over and we seriously need to find employment! Don't get me wrong, we have saved for this move and anticipated it taking time to find jobs but I got a little scared realizing all the money that's gone out and we have nothing coming in :( We will definetly be tightening the belt buckles (as if we weren't doing that already). I have faith -- I know it will work out for us - it has to. However, from time to time I do have pangs of anxiety and concern about what the future holds.

On a happy note, we were able to get outside and go for a walk on one of the "greenway" trails they have out here. It was really nice! We were surrounded by lush, green vegetation and a small creek. I'm glad we found it because in SD I loved to walk around the bay so now I have something comparable to do here :)

I will write again to let everyone know how much stuff got broken in the POD during its transportation to NC!!!

Our New Place

Yesterday we received the keys to our new place!! When we walked into our new apartment we discovered its smaller than we remembered. I am actually questioning how the heck we are going to fit in all our living room furniture... but I'm sure we will figure it out. One plus size is all the closet/storage space. There's actually more storage than I remember so I guess our new place is a little give and take. We only signed a 10 month lease so if we hate it.. we can always leave pretty soon. Another positive about our place- we are only sharing one wall with our neighbors so that's good.

We have kind of putzed around town yesterday and today -- library, DMV, grocery store -- nothing too crazy. Tomorrow we are actually leaving to go to my cousin's wedding in Florida so I probably won't be blogging until next week! I am actually excited to see my family and Greg and I can have some social interaction other than each other! Its been quiet at our new place since we have no TV and no furniture. The POD isn't scheduled to arrive until after our trip to FL. So its still paper plates, aero bed and beach chairs as our main staples in life! It still feels as though our life is a little chaotic and we are really not in reality. I'm sure it will help when we get settled next week :)

I thank everyone for all the emails/texts/comments welcoming us to the east coast. I can't wait to see the familiar faces and feel more like this is our home.

Final Destination....

We made it to Raleigh... yeah!!! FINALLY! We spent last night with Greg's family who were wonderful. They were very nice and super hospitable :) It was so nice to sleep in a house instead of a hotel and it have a home cooked meal rather than eat at a restaurant. We chit chatted late into the night and then again this morning. With all the stops we took today to eat and rest it took us almost 12 hours to get to Raleigh from Nashville so needless to say its been a looonnngg day! We got into to town around 11:30 pm exhausted. We are about to go to bed now. I will right tomorrow after we get the keys to our new place and let everyone know if our place turns out as cute as we remember!!!

The Delta Blues....

So Greg and I finished up today in Memphis by visiting the infamous Graceland. To my surprise, it wasn't as extravagant as I expected. The actual structure of the mansion was smaller than I was expecting. Of course, the compound that its located on was very large with stables, a seperate racquetball room, garage, etc. At Graceland they only allow you to tour the first floor of the mansion - which again wasn't as impressive as I was hoping but we did see the infamous "jungle room" and Elvis's "media room" which I am sure was probably impressive for his day but pales in comparison to the media rooms of today. What I enjoyed about the media room was that it was decorated in charger colors (no lie!) - yellow and blue! After the mansion we saw his burial place, his cars and even toured his private plane. All in all it wasn't too bad. There was way more people than I was expecting and we only saw one Elvis look alike! What I found the most interesting was seeing all of his gold records and realizing the impact that Elvis had on the music world. Obviously I knew he was like the best selling record artist of all time but I had no idea how many number one hits he had, how big his movie career was, or how many records he broke with his concert attendances and such. I also didn't realize he died so young- 42 years old. I imagine that his celebrity must have been a heavy burden to carry.

After Graceland we went down the Beale St- home of the blues. We waked around and ate lunch at BB Kings Blues Club where while we dined ,we were entertained with a house blues band. The band wasn't bad and had an 88 year old steal guitarist!! After Memphis we took off for Franklin, TN ( where Greg's family is). We are currently in a restaurant before we head over to see the fam.

Overall, Memphis wasn't too bad - however, I don't know if I would return. I had heard that it was kind of a dirty city and there were sketchy parts. I most certainly agree with this assessment. While downtown seemed to have much potential to be a thriving city- it seemed bare (possibly b/c it was a Sunday) and there were police everywhere which instead of making me feel safe, actually confirmed my sense of sketchiness to the city. The city does have a rich music history which made it cool for our visit.

Tomorrow we will be making one of our longest treks (9 hours!! eeekk) to our final destination --- RALEIGH!! I can't believe the time has almost come for us to be back to reality. This whole time it has felt as though we were on vacation and will be returning to sunny San Diego. I think it will really set in once we are in Raleigh and we see our new place. Despite the long drive, I hope its pretty since we will be going through the blue ridge mountains and Ashville.

I will write again tomorrow to let everyone know we made it :) :)

Central Time Zone

So far so good on our road trip! I must admit that I am starting to get a little sick of the car after 6days though!

Yesterday we drove into Oklahoma City. The drive was uneventful. We passed rolling hills and lots of cow farms. Oh wait... did I say uneventful? I forgot we saw the largest cross in the western hemisphere!! (See Picture) That was probably the highlight of our drive! We got into the city kind of late because we got a little bit of a late start. However, the woman at the front desk of the hotel gave us a brochure of the city and the downtown area looked cute. Since it was a Friday night we decided to check it out despite our late arrival. I am so glad we did! Oklahoma City is a lot more happening than I would have thought. Their "bricktown" area is super cute - it has a little river running through it with restaurants and shops lining it. While we were down there, a free reggae festival was going on so we walked around that for a minute. We also got a yummy dinner at an Italian place on the river. It was nice to have a "night out" since we've been couped up the car. This morning we went and saw the Oklahoma Memorial (Other picture). It was a very cool thing to see. I was only 13 when the Oklahoma City Bombing occurred so I didn't remember much but seeing the memorial and the museum was very touching and I did get emotional as I walked through the museum. I think the memorial (which is outside) was very well done. Overall, Oklahoma City really surprised me and Greg and I think we might even come back one day to see it when we have more time.

After the memorial we drove to Memphis. Again, an uneventful drive. Although we did see more forests and rivers -- Arkansas, as predicted, was kind of boring and we didn't drive through any major cities. Tonight we got into town and went for some BBQ-- it was delicious!!! And earlier today we stopped for lunch where I got sweet tea!!! Yeah- getting back to the southern food and drink that I so dearly miss and love. All too soon, I won't have to miss it so much as it will be apart of my life.

Over the last two days Greg and I have been listening to a book on tape about a guy who climbed Mount Everest. It was pretty interesting and made the drive go by pretty quickly so that's good. Toward the end of today though I definitely started to get delirious. I think Greg was too considering he almost killed us twice with his driving! Thank goodness our final destination is only a few days away! Tomorrow we will be visiting Graceland and then its off to Greg's aunt's house for a family visit.

I don't believe this journey has tested our relationship as much as I thought it might. As a matter of fact we are doing really well... and haven't really gotten on each other's nerves too much. We have fallen into our prescribed roles as Greg as the pilot and me as the navigator - we discovered rather quickly that I am much better and reading maps, finding hotels and figuring how to get from point A to point B - and Greg is much better and navigating all the crazy amounts of construction we have encountered on the roadways. Our little arrangement has worked out quite well and our teamwork has paid off up to this point as we have arrived to our destinations pretty much on schedule and under budget!!! Woo hoo!!!

This trip has warped our sense of time. We often find ourselves asking each other what day it is? What time is it? What time zone are we in? Even -- what state are we in? I seriously have lost concept of time.... sometimes its like the corolla is like our own little world and we are out of touch with realty. Then I get a flash of anxiety about what our new life will be like in Raleigh: will we like it? are we making the right move? God, please, let us find jobs!! Then I push those thought temporarily aside, look over at my new husband and smile - I think to myself: we will create our own destiny. I then focus on the moment at hand so I can enjoy the adventure we are currently undertaking.

According to the weather channel, over the next few days we will probably be encountering the first major rain of our trip. So keep your fingers crossed that we don't get too bogged down!!!

Hope everyone is doing well!

PS - The fish is still kicking :)

4 Corners of the Country

So when we got to the Grand Canyon we had the brilliant idea to detour off of our planned itinerary and go see the "4 corners" since we were kind of in the area and we probably wouldn't get the opportunity to see it again. It really didn't seem like too far out of the way when we decided to make the trip.

Fast forward to today!!! We got up early (because when your camping all the birds wake up at the crack of dawn and like to wake you up too!) - packed up our campsite and left the grand canyon for the 4 corners. We drove a little over 4 hours to get to the four corners through no man's land. Literally- there was nothing to see (See 1st pic above). Granted, we were going mostly through Indian reservations so its not like I was expecting things to be very developed but at times I questioned whether or not we were actually moving or if we were stuck in some kind of warp where time stood still. Alas, we finally made it to the four corners. Its a small monument when you get there. But it is kind of neat to stand in 4 states at once. We spent uh... maybe 20 minutes there taking pictures then peaced out for our destination of the evening: Albuquerque.

We opted not to follow the google map directions and instead followed my awesome navigational skills allowing us to take New Mexico back roads to get to Albuquerque. It actually worked out pretty well. It took us about 4 1/2 hours to get to our hotel this evening. Through most of the trip there was no one but us on the open road.

As of day 4 - Greg and I are still enjoying each other's company so that's a positive sign. He was a rock star today and did most of the driving (I only drove the last hour). He has unfortunately come down with a cold :( I think that it's due to sleeping outside the last two nights, the weather changing all the time on us (heat in the day, cold at night) and the altitude difference we experienced at the Grand Canyon. I am hoping that tonight after a decent shower and sleeping on a nice bed he'll feel better tomorrow! The other good news is our fish has made it through another day! Yippee.

Tomorrow its off to Oklahoma City. We'll be taking actual freeways tomorrow so it should be smooth sailing!

The Last Few Days....

I am finally able to post.. yippee!! I am currently bogarting free WI-Fi from one of the hotels at Grand Canyon Village :)

Well the last few days have been a whirlwind. Greg and I left Sunny San Diego in a blaze of glory.... literally... Laughlin was our first stop and it was 116 degrees when we pulled into town at 6:30 pm. Um... I didn't even know it got that hot... really (it felt like we were on the surface of the sun) ? And it didn't even cool down much. We went for a swim at 8 pm and it had cooled to a chilly 114!! We were able to dip our toes in the Colorado river as the casino we stayed in was right on the water. The water was frigid - I'm not sure if it just felt that way because we were so hot or if the water was actually cold. The water was clear though and as the sun set across the mountains... they looked red as if on fire so it was an interesting site to see. Laughlin was okay. Greg and I have said that Reno was Vegas' step-brother. So if Reno is the step-brother, Laughlin is the second cousin that no one likes to talk to. It really wasn't bad - just a different crowd and f*ing hot (did I say that already?). At least on a Monday night the tables only had $5 min. bets so we gambled a little bit - but didn't win. Sad. We slept very well... the bed was a nice change from the aero bed that we slept on the previous two nights.

On Tuesday we took our time getting out of Laughlin. Slept in until about 9 and ate at the buffet (which actually was the highlight of the hotel.... it was pretty yummy!) and then left out of town for the Grand Canyon. It was a nice 4 1/2 hour drive and much to our surprise it wasn't much dessert scenery but rolling hills with trees and shrubs on the way to the canyon. It was actually beautiful. We got \into the GC around 4:30ish... set up camp, ran to the general store to get a few things we were missing (although you wouldn't think the way our car was so stuffed we would have forgotten something), and then roasted hot dogs, made smores, played cards and went to bed early.

Today was an adventure. We actually saw the canyon for the first time. It was breathtaking. I knew it was huge and of course I've seen it in movies but it is (I think) pretty amazing in person. It is so vast - it definitely makes me feel like a speck in the world compared to its grandness. Then we decided to take a 1 1/2 mile hike into the canyon that was described by our guide book as "a great day hike for beginners." Um... 3 hours after we set out we returned back to civilization from the center of the earth. It was HARD and HOT and STEEP (at points). At one point I really didn't think I was going to make it back out. I can see how you hear stories of people dying in the canyon. Thank God we had brought water and at the turn about of the hike there was a water spigot that I was able to wet my hair and shirt with. Of course, we took the hike in the middle of the day so we weren't necessarily the smartest cookies in the bunch. We did meet some other nice hikers though. I kept seeing children and elderly doing the hike so I had to tell myself - If they can do it, I can do it. And we did!! Yeah... big accomplishment. Another great thing about the GC is all the wildlife. We literally had a deer come through our campsite last night and today on the hike we saw 2 longhorn rams and a goat in the middle of the trail!

Now, after taking showers and about 4 aspirin later, we are sitting on some rockers on the front porch of one of the hotels. We are getting along pretty well. There was only one time on the hike that I thought I could push him down the canyon (it was HIS idea to the hike). And also our fish has managed to make through so far too! We did carry him around the casino ( we didn't want him to burn up in the car) and to the buffet--it was kind of funny to see people's reactions to me carrying a little beta fish around in a jar everywhere I went! Tonight, we think we are gonna cook up some more hot dogs and then probably pass the F out. Tomorrow we leave for Albuquerque and are 1st actual detour from our original itinerary. We are thinking of going to Albuquerque via the 4 corners if we can navigate our way through the Indian Reservations in order to get there! I will write again once we find Wi-Fi. For all those following- thanks for the emails and texts of encouragement- I'm glad your enjoying it :) P.S. - Hopefully my next posts won't be so long as I will be posting more frequently!

Last Night....

Ahhhh... our last night... what a bitter sweet moment. We did a few things this morning then spent pretty much our whole afternoon cleaning. What a mess our place was. Its funny when you start cleaning how you notice the little things that you didn't notice before... a scuff mark here, a scratch there , a small dent in the wall from when we first moved in. As we were cleaning we realized we forgot to include somethings in the POD... like a painting that was hanging in our bathroom. At this point, if it doesn't fit in the car tomorrow off to Goodwill it goes.

We said goodbye to our last family member tonight. It was sad to say the least. This whole moving across country thing has really brought out a lot of feelings for the both of us. I know we are both excited but it is hard to give up everything we love about San Diego -- mostly the friends and family we love so dearly. Its especially hard to do knowing that when we get to Raleigh we will know no one but each other. Its a scary thought. However, on the other side of the coin we get to start fresh and new and create a life we want and enjoy a new exciting experience.

So... for the rest of the evening we get to clean some more (oh joy!) and then make sure we are organized. Tomorrow we pack up the car, do our walk through with the landlord and head out for the wild blue yonder. I am unsure if we will have Internet over the next few days but hopefully I can find a WI-FI spot and blog some more to keep everyone updated with our travels :)

Happy Trails to you until we meet again...

The POD has come and gone....

So the POD was delivered yesterday. We packed it-- and thanks to our friend Trevor-- it surprisingly had extra space by the time we were done. They picked it up this morning so off it goes to the warehouse and then to NC. I have to admit that its a little un-nerving entrusting all your worldly possessions to another entity. Lets just hope that everything gets to NC in one piece! We did squabble a little bit yesterday but I think its due to the shear exhaustion (we only slept 4 hours on Thurs.) and the anxiety we are both experiencing about moving.

We will remain in SD over the weekend... we will be saying goodbye to family and cleaning up the apt. Currently we are taking a break... sitting on our beach chairs in the middle of the living room. Hopefully the rest of the weekend won't stress us out too much-- should be fun cooking with one tiny pan, trying to ration the 5 paper plates that are supposed to last us until 8/12 and sleeping on an aero bed! Needless to say this is definitely an experience we won't forget.

Before We Leave

Getting ready for the Big Move!!! The POD comes tomorrow and we have a TON of work to do still. I think we are both excited and nervous (and scared, happy, sad-- basically, the whole gamut of emotions) about moving. Lets just hope we can get all this done :) We will be leaving on Monday the 27th after our walk through (keep your fingers crossed that goes well).