Notice of Filming

This note was taped to our front gate yesterday.  Filming will take place half a block from our house.

XO

The Road Trip

On Friday, March 11, Gracie and I drove from Beaumont to Austin.  There were still a few things to do at my apartment, like cleaning and packing the last few items, before we could leave town.  Instead, we spent my last afternoon and evening in Austin by seeing friends and running errands. 

After a somewhat more adventurous night than I had planned on, we went to bed early-ish on an air mattress in my apartment, setting our alarms for 4:00 a.m.  True to our word, we got up on time, loaded up the last few items that were to be delivered to storage, and drove to north Austin, where my storage unit is located.  However, we got all the way up there (20 minutes from my old apartment) to realize that the gate was broken, and there was no way we were getting in there at 5:45 a.m.  There was a "24 Hour Call Line" listed on the gate, but, of course, not only did no one answer, but I have YET to receive a return call.

I called Becky in a panic, "I can't get into my storage unit and my car is FULL.  What do I doooooo?"  We had somewhat of a schedule to stick to because of the long day of driving ahead of us.  Before I could impose on her, Becky offered to let us drop the stuff off at her house.  She also ended up taking in my plants, as I realized in a last minute tizzy that I hadn't set up a foster housing situation for them.  I tend to think that I'm organized until stuff like this happens.

Shoving in the last few items

Becky in our "backseat bungalow"

 Running just an hour or two behind our originally planned schedule, with a "packed to the gills" car, we finally hit the road around 8:45 a.m.  After getting up at 4:00 a.m., it had already been a long day!  We started out strong, though.  We were great about switching drivers at fuel/bathroom stops.  We had plenty of snacks to keep us sated.

We stopped for lunch in Sonora, Texas, where I checked in with the big guy (a.k.a. Drew) while Becky and Gracie ordered.  We weren't the only people with the idea to stop at Dairy Queen.  That place was packed (probably because it was the only place to eat in Sonora)!

At lunch, we were still in good spirits, evidenced by the fact that I jokingly threatened to leave Becky's suitcase in Sonora because we couldn't get everything to fit back in the car.  Driving the rest of the day became tiring, despite our enthusiasm.  Even with us switching drivers and taking breaks often, the trip was starting to wear on us by the time we reached El Paso in the early evening.

Finally entering a new state!

Seeing Juarez, Mexico, and crossing the state line perked us up a little.  It finally felt like we were getting somewhere!

We still had a long drive ahead of us to Tucson, and in New Mexico it was starting to hit pretty hard.

Fueling up and feeling tired in New Mexico

As the sun set, we drove across New Mexico, one of my favorite states for its natural beauty, and by the time we crossed the state line into Arizona, it was dark outside.  We arrived in Tucson at 11:00 p.m., Mountain time, which felt like midnight to us.  We were achey and sore from riding in cramped quarters for so long, and very grateful for the comfy beds and the hot shower.  Almost as soon as we laid our heads on our pillows, we were asleep.

Morning came early, and we were confused about the time for most of it because our families were saying they were two hours ahead of us, while we were sure we had only crossed one time zone.  Eventually, Becky remembered that Arizona does not participate in Daylight Saving Time.  Problem solved! 

While at the hotel, we were treated to a complimentary breakfast, which was surprisingly scrumptious.  They served waffles, eggs, sausage, bagels, toast, cereal and juices among many other options.  We left feeling fueled for our second day of driving.

Outside our hotel room on driving day 2

The last sign of reasonably priced gas

Luckily, a gas station was located just down the road from our hotel.  We took the opportunity, while we were fresh from a good night's sleep, to get gas and clean up the car.  Gracie and Becky also looked around for souvenirs from Arizona and got to know the local flora.

The first of many Saguaro cacti in AZ

Sunday was a beautiful day for driving, and the time passed quickly with our music pumping.  Gracie volunteered for the first shift of driving, and Becky took over after she awoke from a nap feeling refreshed.  We made our way across the rest of Arizona, stopping for Slushees in Phoenix, and into California, where we were stopped at our first and only inspection station.  We were asked if we were bringing any plants, fruits, vegetables or animals into the state.  A quick, "no!" and we were back on the road.

We stopped for a late lunch after we crossed the border into CA, where we discussed our strategy for driving for the remainder of the road trip.  Becky took us to the next stop for gas in Coachella, California, after driving most of the day (poor girl!), and, at that point, I took over to close out our second day of traveling.

We passed a wind farm, with gigantic wind turbines placed all over the mountains for what seemed like miles and miles.  We drove on tiny, twisty roads through more mountains, and finally found ourselves in the HOV lane arriving in Los Angeles just in time for dinner.

 

Becky and Gracie were so excited to be arriving at our destination!

The traffic in LA was initially very stressful for me, especially when we arrived in Los Angeles proper.

Action shot of me driving in LA for the first time

But, after a couple of weeks of practice, I think I am getting the hang of it, and making great use of my Garmin (thanks, Dad!!). 

Drew had dinner waiting for us (with beautiful orchids for me!) when we finally got to my new house in Hollywood, and I can honestly say that we've been having nothing but fun since I got here, despite my last minute trepidation.

Next time: touring Los Angeles with Becky and Gracie.

XO

Intermission

I will continue the recounting of our road trip in the next post.  It should be said now, though, that the week we got here we had beautiful weather.  Becky and Gracie experienced some of the best weather that L.A. has to offer: warm and sunny with a cool breeze.  But since they left it has rained every. single. day.  I'm not even exaggerating. 

Aside from it undoubtedly being acidic, the rain in L.A. is no different than it is everywhere else.  Something funny occurs, though, when it rains here: dead palm fronds fall out of the palm trees.  I know this doesn't sound very funny, but bear with me.

This is funny because:

1. The palm trees are GIANT.
2. The palm trees line every street in our neighborhood, and they are all over the city.
3. You don't find GIANT dead palm fronds lying in the streets and across sidewalks in Texas.

 

 

The back view from our patio on a non-rainy day

An indication of how tall the palms are in my neighborhood

The giant dead palm frond in front of my house.  Notice clementine-sized orange for scale.

 XO

A Perfect Storm

I was finally moved, today, to create a blog about my adventures during my short tenure in Los Angeles.  Mind you, I've been sitting on the idea of this blog for weeks now.  I've even communicated to friends and former co-workers that it was already in existence.  You know how it goes, though.  It takes just the right mix of free time, creativity and inspiration to actually bring something like this blog to fruition.  I don't want to short-change anyone who might be interested in keeping up with my travels by starting strong and losing interest, but I figure that outcome is far better than never starting a blog at all.

To begin briefly, I quit my job at an Austin law firm in February 2010, and it was one of the scariest things I have done in my life.  I am very much more of a planner than a "fly by the seat of my pants" adventurer.  Even though I had been planning this move for several months through long discussions with my boyfriend, friends and parents, I still felt a sense of brashness when it came to the follow through.  Although I was no longer fulfilled by my job, giving my official notice of departure was heart-wrenching.

At the beginning of March, I finally started the process of packing.  It was very boring, and I won't go into details, other than to say it involved a massive amount of uncertainty and second-guessing on my part.   Also, it must be said that if it weren't for my dear friends, Becky, Lindsay and Kristen, packing me up and getting out of my apartment would have never happened.

Here, you can see that I started out enthusiastic because I thought that it would take no time to pack everything inside my postage stamp-sized apartment in Austin.

Taken within the first few hours of Operation Move Out.

However, my willing attitude quickly dissolved into frustration, whining and other less than desirable qualities, as the challenge ahead of me materialized.  Amazingly, Becky, Lindsay and Kristen rallied and worked with, around and despite me.  Thankfully, to my knowledge, no photos of my dismal behavior exist.  Girls, please don't prove me wrong!

I had many farewells to make in Austin, and I still feel so loved by the effort that my friends made to say goodbye to me.  I think I had more to drink during my last week in Austin than I've had so far this year!  I started to list special thanks to people who spearheaded farewell happy hours, dinners, lunches, heart-to-hearts, etc., but that list is waaay too long.  I miss everyone so much now, and I can't wait to see you in the fall when we get back to Austin.

Paisley and Kai

Once the majority of my belongings were put into storage, I had to move my dogs, Paisley and Kai, in with my mom.

With Gracie in Galveston

I was very happy to get to see my family for an entire week (no weekend/back-to-work time constraints!) and to have the support of my mom while I was wrapping up the last of my loose ends in Texas. 

We even had time to take a family vacation!  With my mom and my sister, Gracie, I spent a weekend in Galveston.  It got pretty cold, but we enjoyed ourselves.  I was so glad because we also got to celebrate Mardi Gras with some of my extended family that weekend.

Walking to a Mardi Gras parade with my family

I spent time visiting with more family while I was in Beaumont, and I took my car to have it fully repaired/checked out/updated for the long road trip I was about to make.

 Dinner with family (Dad and Aleah pictured)

At the end of that week I had to part ways with my sweet pups, and that was one of the hardest goodbyes I had to make (the only one that made me cry).  Many people that know me well are surprised that I left my dogs in Texas because, while I have a running joke that I will end up as a "crazy, old dog lady," I apparently already embody that persona. ;)  It is hard to be apart from them because they really are like children to me.  However, there a myriad of reasons that they are better off staying put in Texas for six months, rather than making this move with me.  I am very lucky that my mom offered to puppysit for so long, so that I could go on this journey!  Gracie and mom send me frequent updates on things they are doing and how they are adjusting.

All of that takes us to beginning the Beaumont to Los Angeles road trip, which I will save for my next post.

XO