Exit the Krisis; better late than never

The day we have waited for all year has finally arrived. We-being the new couple we were- did not preview our apartment prior to moving in, we knew it would be cute, and that it had a great view and we did see the model unit but when we came home post wedding and honeymoon we met our neighbors- cue the sound effect dun dun dun. Oh do we have stories to tell. Since this is the internet and most everything can be found with a little stalking I'll spare you the details but there were many nights of crying, not by Dan, and frustration.

After 10 months we have learned to cope with the stench of weed, the limited vocabulary, the infamous dog call (after our own session of stalking we found out their dog has its own facebook page) and the noise- did I mention we live next to a rap artist? But today we learned our neighbors are moving out. We waited to do the happy dance until we got back to the privacy of our own apartment, but believe me there was one. I know we only have 30 days left in our place but it will be the best 30 days here! And what better time than now when the weather is  begging us to sit on the balcony and enjoy the view. 

Macaroni and Cheese?

While on his journey around the United States John Steinbeck realizes that  “….The American tendency in travel. One goes, not so much to see but to tell afterward.” While we did go to Alabama this week to see more then tell, the telling is so much fun! We get to share all about our journey, the odd things and the very exciting things. Don't you just love to travel?

We discovered a lot on our recent trek east. We did sign a lease on an apartment and became familiar with the city but we also had time to stop for some sight seeing in Birmingham, note the pre-civil war house and Martin Luther King Jr's church. There was even a floral shop with a really great name.

I know this may seem a bit odd but the post office drop box represents a lot. Well, okay, it represents a lot of frustration. In Longview there is one, just one roadside mailbox and it isn't even in Longview, it is in Kelso. But thankfully we saw lots of drop boxes around town, more than one and enough to make me excited about mailing letters to all my friends in Washington without having to stop in at the post office.

One night for dinner we ate at a place called "Southland Restaurant". Think country kitchen, home cooked food, etc. The food was so so, I can't say that I'm dying to return to The Southern Kitchen. They have a 40 pound block of cheese- yes  four zero- set out at the salad bar for customers to take slices of throughout the day- I squirmed a bit inside- it only takes the restaurant three days to go through the 40 lb block . But here is the interesting part, you can order 'meat and 3' as in your choice of meat and three vegetable sides, but what they classify as a vegetable is a bit iffy. Did you know macaroni and cheese is now a veggie? I didn't either. Thank you Southland Restaurant for broadening my horizons. 

And the winner is....

All those who voted for house number 1! Great guess Brad. After house hunting I realize I am a little spoiled by our current view of the golf course but it will still be an adventure to try something new. 

Take a vote

Which home did we choose?

 The two bedroom with an open floor plan and a fireplace?

 The one bedroom house with a large deck?

Or, the two bedroom with built in shelves and french doors?

Glad we came

These last two days have been a whirlwind. We are glad we came because there is only so much you can learn through the internet and the south is so much more than what you see on the screen. For example, if we we didn't come we would have missed

 Seeing the Black Warrior River in person

 Experiencing Alabama's latest fashion trend. I'm not kidding ya'll, every girl I've seen-okay almost every girl- wears a big baggy tee and short shorts, I'm hoping it is because of the heat and not because this trend is going to sweep the nation. 

 We also would have missed river boats and last but not least....

91 degrees but noon, nope we aren't in Longview anymore.

I'm so proud of us, not only have we viewed multiple properties but we have toured around town, explored 4 grocery stores for price comparison- and no they don't sell bulk foods like Winco :( 

We've also looked at a few furniture stores and have now narrowed our home search down to the final few.

With a banjo on my knee

"Oh! Susanna, Oh don't you cry for me, 
For I come from Alabama with my banjo on my knee."

Have you met my handsome and talented husband? No? Well you should know he plays the guitar AND the banjo and today we aren't coming back from Alabama, that will be Saturday, no, today we are going TO Alabama! Without a banjo on our knee though, we'll leave that at home this week. But don't cry for us Washington, we promise to come back, we have to collect our banjo :) 

We have a busy week ahead of us. We are travelling down and back in a very short amount of time, and no, we aren't driving this time. But we are hoping to secure housing, get acquainted with the city and the folks we'll be working with and dream, plan and explore our soon to be home. Pray for us as we navigate uncharted waters. Thanks to the Jeffrey for loaning us the GPS- pretty sure you're gonna save our lives! Thanks to Joanne and Kevin for their support of the trip and thanks to Mom who insisted I go down too, it really was the better option :) 

I really like the show 'House Hunters' and this week we get to have our own version, without the cameras and cheesy doorbell sound effects. Do you like looking for places to live? Tips? Ideas?

Thoughts and Views

My husband has a little saying that started with his family and has now become a part of ours. He likes to say  "tell me all your thoughts and views". Today I have a lot of thoughts and views.

We sold our second car last week, somehow it makes leaving seem real now. Blogging, packing, planning, none of that made our move seem like it was really going to happen but selling the car has.

Dan's grandparents can still remember their first home together, shared during their first year of marriage some 60+ years ago. They like to say "there is something special about your first home together". Our first home has not been perfect, especially if you've heard us talk about our neighbor who is a rapper, but even so it has been our first one together and I would agree there is something special about it, a place I hope we will remember fondly.

We have 7 weeks left now. We've decided to travel the northern route. Our first night is booked- we are staying in Glacier!

Thank goodness for my two sister in-laws who have both had yard sales this month. Instead of having our own we passed our boxes and bags off to them. Even if it doesn't sell I feel better knowing we tried rather than just giving it all away.

Side note my herb garden is coming along, just in time to pass it off to someone else. I was really looking forward to some fresh pesto and salsa but I'm sure they have herbs in AL.

Sneak Peak

Before moving we saw two options ahead of us. Option one: go down and find housing before driving cross country so that when we arrived we would have a home. Option two: drive cross country and stay in a hotel for a few days once we arrived while we found a place to live. The decision came when we talked with those currently living in AL, their advice- find housing ASAP. And so we are, soon in fact. Aren't you excited to hear about our discoveries? I know I'm excited to discover. We are going down for a few days this month to find a place to live.We'll get a sneak peak into our future lives, and so will you.

We are on the hunt now, hoping to set up some appointments for our days there. Scouring the internet in hopes of finding just the right fit, but we have learned by experience- that is a whole new blog post entirely- that there is only so much you can know without a proper walk through. Even with your 'house hunter wish list' in hand you can't know unless you go. Next week we'll get to see with our own eyes what AL is all about and hopefully find our next home sweet home.

Stress explained

This could explain a lot. Good thing there are 534,000 in the same boat with me. Care to know more....

http://media-cache-ec2.pinimg.com/originals/18/da/72/18da72a5ffa852b277c442e6217a88fd.jpg

Natural Disaster

My husband found this article today as he was surfing the web. I'm not sure if I'm comforted or nervous but it's an exciting article because Wenatchee made the list! Wenatchee does not often make the list. I'm a little unnerved though because according to the map we are moving to one of the top 10 places with the highest risk of natural disaster- gulp. Interested to know more? Check it out at: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/05/01/weekinreview/01safe.html?src=tp&smid=fb-share&_r=0