Its 1am, Night Cap in Hand

This evening I told my night class about how much the hub's and my schedules have changed. We went from being up at 6am and in bed by 10pm to up til 1am and sleeping in until an hour of the morning that makes me feel so guilty I don't even want to type it! Again, I'm not sure if this is maybe due in part to our lives currently feeling like long glorified vacations OR if it's the fact that hub is heading into "those college days....". Regardless, I'm not surprised to find that it's 1am and I'm sitting down to write with a glass of wine in hand.

I started my job this week and am, so far, really enjoying it. Definitely a bit different than what I've been doing for the last two years, but I'm glad to be back in the health and teaching fields. Am spending more time than I expected on weekly prep for lecture and on responding to student emails, but it's been a great way to get back in the swing of things in the field. Speaking of which, if you'd like to see how your county/state measures up on various health outcomes, the new stats are out. Also, you've heard me mention TED Talks before, but spend 20 minutes listening to Majora Carter's inspirational discussion: Greening of the Ghetto.


The hub and I are headed to our hometown this weekend, so it should be no surprise that we ended up with an injured pet this week...they always seem to know the perfect times to choose. ;) Anna broke her nail near the quick causing a big bloody mess Sunday evening. They couldn't get her in until Tuesday and $45 later only told us what we already knew via internet searches. She was scheduled for nail removal tomorrow but we've pushed it back for another week, as she seems to be doing fine and we're somewhat hoping it will fall out on its own. Luckily baby cousin is very reassuring and between her and the fabulous boyfriend, I'm pretty sure our pets and home will be well cared for while we're gone.

I for one am very much looking forward to spending some time in our hometown. There are a few people living there (and others coming into town for the weekend) that I haven't seen in two years. The primary reason to go this particular weekend is to attend a major community fundraiser organized by the "family" of hub...beyond getting to see everyone and our favorite hometown haunts of course. Hub and I are still taking our running clothes and I'm hopeful to remember my swimming gear to hit up some laps in my old high school pool. Whether either item will get much use during our first attempt to equally balance time with both of our families and individual friends is to be discovered...

A few fabulous moments of late:
--The first bite of REAL Mexican food indulged in upon our return, felt like a complete taste sensation.
--The toad quivering in the garage this week, cornered by an inquisitive Lady cat.
--A morning run with the hub with a smiling and joyful Roxi accompanying.
--The gleeful backyard squirrel happily storing away corn kernels while the dogs rested unaware inside.
--Reading the local paper alongside the roaring fire.
--Long, languid mornings snoozing away in our cave of a master.
--Health discussion and discourse.
--Hub's acceptance into one of his colleges of choice.
--Savory Oregon chai in the mornings and Oregon local wine by night.
--Rehabilitation of clearance purchased house plants.
Still much to enjoy, see, and do back up here as well....and we still haven't seen several of my family and close friends yet! Still no real break in the weather, although I'm dreaming of the yard work and gardening we'll someday be able to get accomplished.
 
Hope each of you has a relaxing and rewarding weekend ahead. Best wishes to you and yours!

Portland's Better Living Show

The hub and I have been hearing the radio ads for the Portland Better Living Show aka Sustainable NW, so we had decided to head on over to the Expo Center today to check it out. You can't beat free admission and a wealth of free information from local resources and vendors. We did pay $8 for parking as it would have cost more for us to take public transport, but we came home with lots of great info and samples.

Six long rows of booths set up just like this and this one was one of hub's favorite as they had a lime plant for sale from One Green World. :) Also on display were concept and available hybrid and electric vehicles from Ford, Lincoln, Toyota, and the Smart Car. We watched a 20 minute presentation from OSU's Extension Services department on worm farms/composting and got some of our final questions answered in order to finalize our bins hub started a year ago. I finally saw what a G Diaper actually looks like---pretty cool in comparison to the old school cloth and pin set! We checked out some amazing products in the live sustainable home built and displayed in the middle of the venue.

Some of the other awesome booths:
--We were given a free tote bag by NW Natural
--Talked to Community Warehouse about donating excess furniture and goods for low income individuals to set up homes for free
--Provided a lil bag of free compost and seeds by Recology
--Saw amazing leaf artwork and design by Sage Designs
--Chatted with a guy about donating/disposing of household construction projects via The Rebuilding Center
--Got postcards from Metro to send out to stop junk mail
--Learned about Oregon Wild protecting Oregon's wilderness
--Picked up free recipes from Northwest Veg
--Tasted amazing samples from Dave's Killer Bread
--Were given a free EarthPot marigold
--Observed a new concept for raised beds using GreenBed
--Entered to win a wine tasting trip via Willamette Valley Vineyards
--Bought a reduced price Chinook Book......

....among many, many other amazing venues and resources.

Definitely a great re-introduction to the wonderful resources available here in our green Pacific Northwest!

Closing Out an Absolutely Amazing Day

Today was a perfectly wonderful day...and really not for anything particularly out of the ordinary. In fact, it was a perfectly ordinary day, and I'm pretty sure that's partly what made it a pretty amazing day. So what awesome things transpired today?

Well, here ya go:

---We met my friend and hub for one AMAZING breakfast. I mean, amazing. The type of place that's so old school tiny diner with a lil bit of Portland weirdness thrown in for good measure. The type of place that even on a weekday mid morning there's a 20 minute wait in line outside and a waitlist via clip board at the front door. We ate at Stepping Stone Cafe in NW PDX, and let me tell you, the hub's Banana Nut Bread French Toast was absolutely amazing and delish! My Neo Bobcat Omelette definitely hit the spot. And catching up with (and introducing the hub to) a gal pal and her hubby I hadn't seen in two years was a pretty awesome way to start the morning.

---After breakfast, hub and I wandered around the NW 23rd area and then briefly stopped off in the Pearl District. Mainly we were looking at furniture stores--the types of places I generally use for inspiration and then find something similar at reduced cost....although I have to admit one of these days...I just might break down and buy a legit bed from the ol' PB (Pottery Barn). Though most the rest of the stuff in there made me hang my head in disbelief.....I'd feel way too guilty to outfit my home in true Pottery Barn: a) who actually wants to put your feet on a coffee table that cost over 1000 bucks and b) I'm pretty sure that 1000 bucks could provide plenty of meals, bedding, and warm clothing to homeless kids on the streets of the city...I'd rather spend my money for that cause over a coffee table any day.

---While in that general area, the hub and I went in Whole Foods---which apparently he'd never been in before. We both wandered around and it was pretty fun to see him checking stuff out and in disbelief that such a large store exists that's full of organic and local selections. (On a side note: um, my old soy yogurt is CHEAPER than the organic yogurt I've been buying now for the last two years.....might just have to go back to soy on this one..... ;)) I'm sure we're one of the most random couples ever cause we didn't buy anything....more so, we just went in to look and be in awe of the selection.

---From downtown, we came home and spent a bit just relaxing together on the couch. Hub watched another season of his new favorite show available on Netflix instant (Dexter....I avert my eyes 50% of the time), while I poked around online on the laptop. Then, since the weather had cleared up, we decided to leash up the gals and take them down to the dog park for the first time ever, and I have to tell you that we were both pretty impressed. We let them in the "all dogs" section and they all did great! It was pretty entertaining watching about 13 mid-large size dogs running around sniffing each other, some fetching balls, and another third just running in circles. They loved it! It was great to let them socialize and they enjoyed finally getting to walk around the new neighborhood.

---After the dog park, I got distracted by picking up the yard and cleared another trash can of leaves and debris. I finally discovered some clippers, a lil saw, and the shovels in the shed and so I was able to remove a few shrubs and cut off some wayward branches from the bushes we do intend to leave. There are still a set of bushes to remove, but it felt great to get an hour in the yard!

---By the time I came inside, hub had the dough for our pizzas going in the bread machine and I got the itch to go for a run. We laced up our shoes and headed out on our three mile loop.....and this time around, it felt great! We ended just as a slight drizzle started down.

---An evening of homemade pizzas with some great local beer while hub finished watching a March Madness game and I had a couple great text conversations with gals back in Louisiana......

....and yep, folks, nothing overly special to most....but an absolutely wonderful day to the two of us. In fact, this regular ol' day is one that I'd probably have to rank in our top ten. Always amazing that sometimes "nothingness" can have the most significance.

Hope each of you has a great weekend ahead!

Life as of Late

Continued scattered comings and goings, but pretty soon I'm sensing we'll have a bit more of a real routine....

As I'm writing this the hub is in the kitchen trying to figure out how to install the new dishwasher that was delivered today. He did a great job of uninstalling the old one last night and I hauled it out front this morning for the exchange for the new one from the delivery guys. Hub spent the morning working on admissions stuff as he's going to take a course this next term since we can waive the tuition. Yesterday I got my staff badge and parking permit and I really need to spend some time focusing on preparing for my term which starts on Monday. Somehow I have a feeling in my bones that in the next few weeks, we'll start hearing about his employment options also.

My baby cousin should be bringing her boyfriend by in a few minutes to get acquainted with the house. We think he's going to house/dog sit for us at some point in the next few weeks so we can take a trip down to our hometown---so nice to hopefully have found someone willing to do that for us and I'm definitely excited by the idea of visiting our old friends, family, and stomping grounds again!

Tomorrow we'll meet another colleague/friend and her husband for brunch. Will be so nice to have real breakfast options and it's at a place we've been wanting to check out (thanks yet again, Food Network!). On Saturday I'm meeting up with my great gal pal to help with wedding dress shopping and hopefully to do some catching up--woot! And even though we've been seeing and visiting friends and family intermittently, there are still quite a few people we are looking forward to being able to catch up with, but I suppose it's all in due time :)

The really great moments of late also include those moments when it's just the two of us. Late last night, hub made a fire and we just lounged in the living room with the dogs, enjoying the moment: him reading the news and me getting in another couple chapters in my fab book that I'm loving (even if each chapter leads me desiring to go back to school....again.....). But those are the moments that life is all about sometimes: the quiet ones, the ones of comfort, the ones that give you pause and yet create such quiet celebration.....and I'm so hopeful that we have many more of those moments in this house.

The rain has returned and should be here throughout the coming week, so the yard work might be pushed back again....but all of those items will get taken care of in their own time as well.

Hope each of you is having a great week, a great day---full of your own comfort, peace, and passion in your very own way. Sending love out to each of you!

House Update & Pictures

This afternoon I'm supposed to meet with another friend/colleague to go over course materials and thoughts for my new job. (It happens that two of my great gal pals from my MPH program are on staff also, and my new department head actually went through the program the year before we did....). Before meeting with my gal though, I wanted to upload some pictures of the house to share, as I've gotten a few requests on what it looks like and now that it looks a lil more put together (minus the master)....well no better time than now :)
GUEST ROOM

You can't see the other bedside shelf in this picture, nor the closet full of my clothes. We use separate rooms as our closets so we sort of have our own dressing spaces....maybe weird but it works for us. And here's a great way to organize some jewelery (I got it out of a magazine a few years back), just an old cork board and some push pins:

OFFICE

Hub's "new" desk found at Salvation Army: solid wood and metal.

This is primarily hub's space/closet and his bathroom is to the right of the slider. Still needs a lil TLC, but.....it's an office.

 LIVING ROOM

Hub's "new" Ikea chair & stool found at Salvation Army also. He made the shelves on either side of the fireplace using lumber cut at Home Depot, a can of white spray paint, and eight 50 cent brackets at Ikea. The only other new things in this room are the long drapes: Ikea. (PS It still needs a pattern area rug to mix up the sameness of the room...and you're getting to see the blue carpet. Oh yea, plus behind it we want an entry way table to put against the wall when you walk in: keys and such, but we might have to make one of these too....)

DINING AREA

New drapes and we're still on the look out for a new-to-us buffet/liquor cabinet to put under the mirror.

BACK HALF OF THE HOUSE: Kitchen and Family Room

Still on look out for an enclosed entertainment console base thing.... :)

BACKYARD

Covered patio out the family room slider. You can see the shed in the back corner. I might eventually try to put a chicken coop to the right of that, if we decide to take out the bush that is there currently. The two trees you can see in this picture are an apple and a cherry, although the cherry was let go and it probably should be cut down and a new one planted.

This is the view out the dining area window and that deck is accessible from the slider in the office. Near the fence in the left of the picture you can barely see the waist high raised beds and the fenced yard also continues the length of the house down that side too. The white wood back there has a swing and is the support for a kiwi tree.

The kitchen window is one of those that lets you have house plants/herbs in it. The beautiful camellia is in bloom and the tree you see to the left is Anna's favorite: it is home to a squirrel. ;) You can see the fence is really short in the back and we can see directly into our neighbor's and vice versa. While they are a very nice couple, there are three juniper bushes in front that are getting too large for that area so we're hoping to transplant them along the back fence.

AND yes, both the cats have all settled in rather nicely too:

Needing an Organized Routine

The days seem to be out of whack lately with late nights leading to sleeping-in mornings. I haven't slept this much nor this long since college, but somehow I feel like it must be good for me?! I'm sure it's a by-product of a) time changes b) stress (both from pre- and post- move) c) the reality that I'm using my brain power a bit more and in new ways d) travel and e) a change or lack of any real routine....

SO a couple of my newest goals should be: to develop a new routine and to get a bit more organized. An established routine should probably reflect on my health background and include set sleep schedules, consistent exercise, and proper nutrition---as it's dawned on me that recently I have not been focusing on balanced nutrition either. On a positive note, I've gotten in four 3-4 mile runs since being in Oregon so far though.

In the course of 10 days that we have been in Oregon, I feel like we have done much, but scattered--ly. ;) Hub took a weekend trip to our hometown this last weekend to see many of his friends and family that he hadn't seen in over two years, and I held down the fort while completing three social/family outings of my own and taking a day trip to meet family at the beach house. We've had a couple afternoons working in the yard, several trips to Home Depot, and a great recent visit from my brother. I had a meeting at my new job and hub met a friend for lunch while checking out the commute to downtown via public transport. We've set up all utilities, installed a new thermostat, researched the kiwi tree out back, ordered a replacement dishwasher for the rental, and run numerous errands.  Somewhere in the midst of all the other daily details and social visits, we're also attempting to relax....I think.

Today itself was a pretty productive day all around, even if it took until about noon to actually get motivated. The hub finally found a decent wood source on craigslist and bought/hauled/stacked half-cord that he can use to heat the living room. I got tired of having little odds and ends and half un-packed items lingering all over the house, so I finished unpacking 3 more boxes, hung the rest of the pictures on the walls, rearranged and updated a few picture collages, organized our living spaces, and did three loads of laundry. The hub organized his office area while I set up my syllabus for my class, introduced myself to the online system, and took care of some other needed online details of life. This evening we went on our first Oregon run together and then hub made dinner while I vacuumed the house. And I'm pretty sure tonight was our first real meal eaten at the table together in the new house---finally. In fact, it finally feels like our house is a home...and that in a sense we have settled.

We still have much to do--people to see, work to get started, and the entire yard to start on....but I'm pretty sure I need to be starting my days off with a check list of things to get done and an earlier start time that includes a better balanced breakfast. :)

Hope each of you has been well and blessed!

It's Been an Interesting Day

You know the day might be starting out sort of strange when you wake up to a text message informing you that one of your former clients is on trial for murder  of an innocent individual.....and as much as I know that there is no excuse for murder, somehow my heart breaks for both the victim and the perpetrator. As I read some of the details of what had become of this client throughout the last few months upon her transition back to her home state, I couldn't help but become saddened especially when I remember how hopeful she'd been about her future....

Further news headings only left me more saddened by what's going on in the world as I read about the continued devastation in Japan, especially with the impeding snow in some areas, the continued lack of water, and now the horribleness of melt downs and explosions with the nuclear reactors.

In a family conversation this last weekend, my sister shared how someone pointed out during her recent trip to Africa that truly we in the USA are all rich compared to most Africans....this is something that the hub and I discussed further throughout this last week.....

Thus the events brought to my attention at the start of today only left me further thinking about how much so many of us have and how much so many of us take for granted....and it's left me wanting to complain and worry less....and to attempt to appreciate that which we do have even more....

--So today I enjoyed picking up and vacuuming my home, because at least I have a wonderful new rental to call home....
--I enjoyed an afternoon visit with my cousin and got in touch with several others who I need and want to see now that we've pretty well settled.....and felt fortunate for the individuals who I have in my life already....
--I picked up part of the backyard and started to think about the garden...and I didn't even mind the moments when the rain came down on me.....because at least I know that my rain is clean (for the most part) and that I am so fortunate to have this yard for my dogs to roam and the space to plant and garden....
--I enjoyed running an errand with the hub, I put in a call to my Granny, and I felt overjoyed when the cat that we thought had gone missing....hopped over the fence and into our home.....as I know that my routine is something that is so frequently taken for granted....

So while the morning may have started out somewhat depressing, sometimes those moments are the ones we need to kick us in the butt in appreciation of what we have, to do more to help others that we can assist, and to pray even harder for all those situations of which we have absolutely no power over....

May each of you appreciate the gifts of your todays, extend a hand to those that you can, and send some positive energy or a prayer toward a better society and world should your heart so desire......here's to you and yours!

Monday Perks

Yesterday was one of those slow starting days. I'd stayed up late the night before (partially to attempt to help me with adjusting back to the Pacific time zone) and so remained zonked out until late in the morning. The hub adjusted many of our accounts to reflect our new location and made several other calls to make sure utilities were set up correctly. We still need to set up garbage and recycling service, but intend to just do a monthly pick up...and when we called we needed more information than we had in that moment.

In the early afternoon we finally headed out for some errands. Hub needed to mail some paperwork into the Army and our old modem back to the company, so we found the local post office. The extra modem that we have wasn't compatible for some reason with the internet hook up here, so hub wanted to go look at new modems (as we're currently renting one from the company here). However in the process of organizing ourselves, we decided to head over to Costco and look into getting a membership there....

If you're wondering what Costco is....it's sort of an oversized discount warehouse. They usually sell bulk items at reduced costs and they have a variety of items. An annual membership is $50. While neither of us has had a Costco membership, we've talked frequently about whether or not it would be to our benefit. One concern I had at first after we purchased the membership and were walking around the store taking it all in, was whether or not they would have organic and/or any more natural products (aka cleaning products, etc). I was happily surprised to see local cheese and bread available, multiple organic options throughout the food areas, and a few greener cleaning alternatives. The biggest perk to our membership so far: 52 pound bags of the dog food we purchase for $24, 20 large bones for $12, and flea treatments at a reduced cost. We purchased toilet paper that will last us for six months and the Ecos brand of laundry detergent (210 loads for $13, the cheapest option on the shelf, and only with understandable ingredients listed). And the one thing we really wanted and of course forgot: 6 pound bags of frozen fruit for smoothies! We also got a new HP (photo) printer/scanner/copier for under $90--something the hub will need for school as he's been battling with the printer we had (and I've greatly missed the availability of my parents photo printer). (And something we used his Iphone barcode scanner to determine if it truly was a better deal than elsewhere.) To be honest, I'm pretty sure that we'll make up the membership fee just in dog food and bones alone this year.

Costco surprisingly did not have modems however so hub went to Best Buy to price check items and then ended up ordering one from Amazon at a cheaper price with his free shipping. While he was in Best Buy, I scurried down to Ross (one of the only stores that the hub greatly despises) to check out their home goods section for my ideal area rugs(FYI if you've never looked....Ross is a great place to get amazingly reduced bedding.....). Our family room is pretty set up but I have this West Elm inspiration for our living room and our entry way that I'm envisioning.....but not willing to spend much on. :) I already have most the items to get the flow I want, but with the older blue carpet in this place another area rug or two wouldn't be bad ideas. ;)

From the shopping center we spied an interesting, quick, and cheap looking food option, as we both were really hungry at this point. The Pita Pit proved to be amazing, fast, and pretty darn healthy! In checking out their website today, I even was able to view the complete nutritional break down of exactly what I ordered for dinner yesterday. We got them to go and brought them home.....

Which allowed me to take a quick lil run around the neighborhood prior to eating. My first run back in Oregon---definitely a bit harder at first after not running for a week, but felt pretty darn good by the end of the 3 miles. Hopefully hub and I will get back into it shortly!

Not too bad of a Monday to start the week off right! Hope y'all had a great Monday too :)

New to Us Finds!

The hub and I have been on the look out for a new to us dryer. I'm sure I've mentioned that the last set we had was purchased for $100 from another soldier's wife. The set was pretty old but for $100 they definitely served us well! Although the last year, the dryer suffered from an extreme shriek and eventually the door was held shut by applications of duct tape. ;) We attempted to "door prize" purchase a new energy efficient set via the after Christmas sales, but didn't make it in time to Sears (apparently 4am wasn't early enough!!). So we've soldiered through with the old set and decided we'd keep our eye out on craigslist for a new dryer once we'd returned.

Well, the hub was talking about craigslist as we laid in bed waking up yesterday morning, so for the first time I set up and searched using the craigslist app on my Iphone....and what do you know....an unmatched but fairly new washer and dryer set for sale $350 for the both and within a 10 minute drive of our home. Hub put in the phone call and within an hour we drove over to check them out! The gentleman selling them had several other appliances for sale and is an appliance repair man by trade....he guarantees his used appliances for up to two months, switched out the plug on the dryer to the one we'd need for this older home (for free), taught us a few basic fixes that he gets a lot of calls on, AND told us where we can drop off (and get paid for) the old washer and dryer set.  A deal or what?! Needless to say, our new washer and dryer are amazing....and I don't know that we've ever enjoyed catching up on laundry as much as we have the last two days! Did I mention they both have increased energy efficiency features as well?!

Our second awesome find so far happened when we stopped off at Goodwill to look for some used furniture (we're in the market for a buffet/liquor cabinet option, a solid desk, and an entry way table......). One of the things I always used to look at in thrift stores/Goodwill was the art selection....and in this particular store we happened upon two faux paintings of Italy (which was where hub was stationed originally when he joined the Army). $11 later and we now have two decent pieces of "art" that hold meaning for the hub. LOVE IT!

Between craigslist and the major availability of Goodwill and thrift stores around here I have no doubt that we'll score some more great deals on the other items on the list.

The other awesomeness about the visit to Goodwill was that I asked the gentleman at the front door to verify that Goodwill accepts functioning and broken electronics for re-use/recycling. His response was that indeed they do and in fact, it's a necessity to keep electronics out of the landfill as harmful chemicals can easily leach into the environment.....SO GOOD TO BE BACK IN OREGON!!!!!

Food, Food, Glorious Food

Last night I wrote about how in awe we are of all the local beauty and greenery. We really didn't mind our location in Louisiana as being from a rural area in Oregon, we're used to having to drive most places. The biggest draw back was the lack of availability of resources, especially in terms of food selection and attempting to live a sustainable lifestyle. Being back, we're in awe of so much and we're constantly noticing the differences!

Our first night back we enjoyed the local food and brew at one of our favorite PNW breweries. McMemenamin's isn't especially known for it's customer service, but compared to the local eateries near where we were in Louisiana, the waitstaff was quick, helpful, and incredibly friendly! The food was also amazing. (First time I'd had a garden burger on a menu in almost two years......have I mentioned the joy at having vegetarian options on every single page of menus??!!)...

We have been checking out our local area and are finding it a relief to have access to amazing food options (just even from the grocery stores) all within a 10min drive and we could even walk to the nearest Albertson's! While it's totally nerdy....here are a few pictures that just made me oh so happy by a trip to our local grocer:

LARGE ORGANIC SELECTION---in every single grocery store!

Large BURTS BEES selection and other more "natural" beauty products!!

75% of these are local brews produced here in the PNW!

FOUR cases all of Amy's organics (in comparison we had 4 Amy's box options in the entirety of our grocery store.....). Not that I intend to really need these here, but they are great options for a 30 minute lunch break with only a microwave available for heating.

I didn't snag a picture of the bulk bin selection (the first I've seen in two years!), nor the $2 cage free/free range egg selection, nor the local meats for sale in the local grocer, nor a picture of the produce section that is probably 6x the size of the one we've had available....but I did snag a picture of the cutest lil carts that are perfect and completely in use in most the grocers around here:

The hub came back from the regular grocer last night with organic sour cream, local cheese, and it's amazing to hear him on the look out for a local meat source (plus back to our gun debate.....he intends to get a gun and hunting license this year.....did I mention the rental also has a standing freezer we can use in the garage?!).

And all this....and we haven't even started planting/growing our own nor have we frequented the farmer's market nor the "true" organic grocers. There are still plenty of restaurants we are hoping to hit up for good eats, but for right now we've been focusing on eating at home. It feels good to be back indeed!

Move Time 2011

Approximately 2400 miles traveled
Over 10,000 pounds hauled
$1750 spent on gas
And four days of travel......

AND we made it from Louisiana back to Oregon!

We spent our final Friday finishing loading, packing, and cleaning the place up rather nicely. All four of our lovely critters were relocated down the street to our friends, and once we had "outprocessed" housing, we joined them there for the weekend as well. We spent our final weekend in Louisiana eating out with friends, running our favorite trail, and resting up from the full week we had just had and in anticipation of the week ahead. Monday morning, the hub signed out and finished up his final paperwork and about 10am we finished putting our bags, animals, and selves in our vehicles...and headed off down the road.

Day #1 We didn't make quite as far as we would have liked due to getting hung up in rush and accident traffic around Dallas, but we still got in a full day of travel and spent the night in Amarillo. Day #2 started off well with Starbucks and the dogs making a new friend who they played with for a decent amount of time in the morning. However the moving truck had it's oil maintenance light on, so we ended up spending most the day (until 3pm) waiting for the truck to be serviced at a truck servicing stop. However we still made it across New Mexico to Gallup by the end of that day----and New Mexico is by far my second favorite state due it's climate, culture, and terrain. BEAUTIFUL!

Day #3 started off CHILLY! We'd definitely gone from our 70 degree days to frozen puddles and left over snow. And this particular day turned out to be a long haul as we wound up with lots of energy even in the wee hours of the night, so we traveled from northern New Mexico to just inside the Oregon border throughout the course of this third day. We made it through Salt Lake City without too many hang ups and avoiding the absolute worst of rush hour. The passes in Utah were gorgeous yet clear, and we were both happy to see some wind mills poking up on the terrain. Idaho was traversed completely in the dark, but our happiest moment was stepping down onto Oregon ground again.

Day #4 started out slow as we slept in and then indulged in a real breakfast (usually we travel with a cooler and a bag of snacks). I put in a call to our landlords to let them know where we were and to coordinate getting the key, and in the process also was granted permission to have the second cat stay in the house! Woo hoo! ;) Reflecting back on the final day of driving, we both mention just how beautiful Oregon appeared. The passes had snow coming down and I stopped to let the dogs play. Entering the gorge was another great awe and each mile brought a new desire to want to explore further the areas we were passing throughout our home state.

Altogether it went incredibly well! The animals did great....and in case you're wondering how to move two cats....well, putting them with a make shift litter box in our mid-size dog kennel in the back of the car was perfect. We gave them food and water at night and then padded the kennel with extra blankets for the cold nights. They did great!

Really it was a beautiful trip overall with pretty decent weather. We made it to the rental about 5pm, unloaded the moving truck and vehicles by 8pm, situated the animals, and then headed out to enjoy a dinner of local food and brew---every bit was amazing and left us thankful to be home (but more on all that later.....)! ;)

Hope y'all have been rested, well, and fulfilled! Sending the best of everything to each and every one of you!