This is the post you've all been holding your collectively baited breath for, I'm sure.
As I write, I'm sitting in the loft that will soon be mine... it is three degrees...there are snow flurries falling outside the window over downtown St. Paul...Karlina is down for her nap and is talking quietly to herself instead of sleeping...My heart is happy to be here.
Let me start at the beginning. Me and Mom took off Monday night at 7:45 after a fantastic dinner at The Boat (family favorite, California-unique). Oh, tragic side-note...when I went outside to say goodbye to dear Tylee, she was nowhere to be found. Apparently, the gate was left cracked just enough that she was able to pull it open and escape. She didn't have her collar/tag on, for whatever reason....and she wasn't coming when called. We didn't have time to look for her then, as we wanted to get on the road. So I never got to say goodbye. And then on top of that, she was missing for a good three days...we didn't know if she had been hit by a car, or if someone took her in or what happened. the Humane Society didn't have any record of her. Long story short (you can ask the details some other time), our neighbor ended up finding out where she was and got her back for us. Whew. that was not how I wanted to leave my dog.
Anyway.
We set out and drove all the way to Sterling Colorado...got there about two the following afternoon. Stayed the night, and set out the next day for Des Moines, IA. The temperatures fluctuated on our trip from -13 in the Colorado Mountains to a balmy 45 in Nebraska.
The Mountain passes through the ski towns (Vail, Breckenridge, Copper mountain etc...) were GORGEOUS. but a little scary.
and muddy.
Poor Simon has never been so filthy. (by the way, Subway serves a good breakfast flat-bread thing. yummy.)
A bit unsure of what to think when there was a big, fat ZERO on my temperature gauge. ugh...reality hit quick. Pumping gas was a nightmare. my california-ized fingers and nose were NOT ready for this.
Then in Nebraska where the weather wasn't freezing (or below), we decided to wash Simon at the local car wash.
Ahhh. He was so pretty. seriously.
Well that is pretty much all the pictures I have from the actual road trip. I was too busy taking it all in. And napping. Turns out, I really REALLY love sleep. My mom is a road-tripping warrior...so she drove a LOT...and I slept. I have no shame in this. My dad said it is better to be safe than sorry, and I just can't drive through the night without getting drowsy.
Thursday afternoon, we arrived in St. Paul, MN. Honestly, i was SO excited. For those of you who haven't been here...it is a pretty fantastic city (even with the lack of color). After driving through a LOT of rural towns, I was grateful to be back in the city. I have nothing against those towns, It would just take a lot for me to live there. and St. Paul is an old, quaint, bustling city.
This is the view from outside my loft windows. There is a park right across the street, and at night it is all lit up with twinkly lights in the trees. There are lots of fun downtown buildings that look great at night too.
This right here is my best friend. Better known as the Skyway. It is on the second floor of most buildings in Downtown and connects them all so you can walk INSIDE all around. There are little shops, restaurants, businesses, banks, dentists all along the way. And it connects to my building too. Goal: get a job in a connected building so i NEVER HAVE TO GO OUTSIDE.
genius.
Ironically, I arrived on pretty much the coldest day of the season so far. As my brother put it, "It's almost poetic." ...almost. So my really wonderful sister-in-law took me coat shopping. we went into a MACY'S (I emphasize that because we have those at home) and they had a WHOLE SECTION dedicated to winter coats. Seriously, the most expansive selection I've ever seen. When I joked about California not selling Minnesota coats, I didn't realize how accurate I was. All lengths, colors, fur-types, buttons, zippers, levels of filling...all of it. So I finally found a coat that was toasty warm, went all the way to my knees and had all the fantastic bells and whistles (or should I say pockets and clasps).
Ta-DA!!!! It really is a marvelous piece of clothing.
Now on to the pictures you all have been waiting for ;)
She's got the cutest eskimo coats. this baby knows how to do winter in style.
We've actually done a fair amount of bonding so far...and we are getting along great. I am so thankful for that. She is SO sweet. Although her method of kissing right now includes an open mouth and an affectionate (and really sharp) chomp on your cheek. We're working on that.
One of her favorite things to do is watch One Republic and Coldplay music videos and dance to them. This picture doesn't show it, but she'd move back and forth and sway and clap her hands. SO CUTE.
Anyway...I know you're all dying to see pics of the loft...but those will come when I actually move in. J&K are waiting for their townhome to be completed, so until then I am staying with a family from church. After I move in and get things settled, I'll take pictures and post them! And be prepared for an inundation of Karlina pictures. I seriously love this little girl a lot.
Thanks for all you who prayed for us during this trip. Please don't stop. The reality of me actually moving here and calling it my own still hasn't hit me. I'm super excited for the next steps of life in the frozen north.
More later! =)
As I write, I'm sitting in the loft that will soon be mine... it is three degrees...there are snow flurries falling outside the window over downtown St. Paul...Karlina is down for her nap and is talking quietly to herself instead of sleeping...My heart is happy to be here.
Let me start at the beginning. Me and Mom took off Monday night at 7:45 after a fantastic dinner at The Boat (family favorite, California-unique). Oh, tragic side-note...when I went outside to say goodbye to dear Tylee, she was nowhere to be found. Apparently, the gate was left cracked just enough that she was able to pull it open and escape. She didn't have her collar/tag on, for whatever reason....and she wasn't coming when called. We didn't have time to look for her then, as we wanted to get on the road. So I never got to say goodbye. And then on top of that, she was missing for a good three days...we didn't know if she had been hit by a car, or if someone took her in or what happened. the Humane Society didn't have any record of her. Long story short (you can ask the details some other time), our neighbor ended up finding out where she was and got her back for us. Whew. that was not how I wanted to leave my dog.
Anyway.
We set out and drove all the way to Sterling Colorado...got there about two the following afternoon. Stayed the night, and set out the next day for Des Moines, IA. The temperatures fluctuated on our trip from -13 in the Colorado Mountains to a balmy 45 in Nebraska.
The Mountain passes through the ski towns (Vail, Breckenridge, Copper mountain etc...) were GORGEOUS. but a little scary.
and muddy.
Poor Simon has never been so filthy. (by the way, Subway serves a good breakfast flat-bread thing. yummy.)
A bit unsure of what to think when there was a big, fat ZERO on my temperature gauge. ugh...reality hit quick. Pumping gas was a nightmare. my california-ized fingers and nose were NOT ready for this.
Then in Nebraska where the weather wasn't freezing (or below), we decided to wash Simon at the local car wash.
Ahhh. He was so pretty. seriously.
Well that is pretty much all the pictures I have from the actual road trip. I was too busy taking it all in. And napping. Turns out, I really REALLY love sleep. My mom is a road-tripping warrior...so she drove a LOT...and I slept. I have no shame in this. My dad said it is better to be safe than sorry, and I just can't drive through the night without getting drowsy.
Thursday afternoon, we arrived in St. Paul, MN. Honestly, i was SO excited. For those of you who haven't been here...it is a pretty fantastic city (even with the lack of color). After driving through a LOT of rural towns, I was grateful to be back in the city. I have nothing against those towns, It would just take a lot for me to live there. and St. Paul is an old, quaint, bustling city.
This is the view from outside my loft windows. There is a park right across the street, and at night it is all lit up with twinkly lights in the trees. There are lots of fun downtown buildings that look great at night too.
This right here is my best friend. Better known as the Skyway. It is on the second floor of most buildings in Downtown and connects them all so you can walk INSIDE all around. There are little shops, restaurants, businesses, banks, dentists all along the way. And it connects to my building too. Goal: get a job in a connected building so i NEVER HAVE TO GO OUTSIDE.
genius.
Ironically, I arrived on pretty much the coldest day of the season so far. As my brother put it, "It's almost poetic." ...almost. So my really wonderful sister-in-law took me coat shopping. we went into a MACY'S (I emphasize that because we have those at home) and they had a WHOLE SECTION dedicated to winter coats. Seriously, the most expansive selection I've ever seen. When I joked about California not selling Minnesota coats, I didn't realize how accurate I was. All lengths, colors, fur-types, buttons, zippers, levels of filling...all of it. So I finally found a coat that was toasty warm, went all the way to my knees and had all the fantastic bells and whistles (or should I say pockets and clasps).
Ta-DA!!!! It really is a marvelous piece of clothing.
Now on to the pictures you all have been waiting for ;)
She's got the cutest eskimo coats. this baby knows how to do winter in style.
We've actually done a fair amount of bonding so far...and we are getting along great. I am so thankful for that. She is SO sweet. Although her method of kissing right now includes an open mouth and an affectionate (and really sharp) chomp on your cheek. We're working on that.
One of her favorite things to do is watch One Republic and Coldplay music videos and dance to them. This picture doesn't show it, but she'd move back and forth and sway and clap her hands. SO CUTE.
Anyway...I know you're all dying to see pics of the loft...but those will come when I actually move in. J&K are waiting for their townhome to be completed, so until then I am staying with a family from church. After I move in and get things settled, I'll take pictures and post them! And be prepared for an inundation of Karlina pictures. I seriously love this little girl a lot.
Thanks for all you who prayed for us during this trip. Please don't stop. The reality of me actually moving here and calling it my own still hasn't hit me. I'm super excited for the next steps of life in the frozen north.
More later! =)
4 comments:
first comment: when i saw that picture of simon i thought "hm interesting. i thought simon was white. he must be silver and i just forgot."
then i read the "he's dirty" part.
and THEN i saw the clean simon and laughed.
second comment: skyway + job = pure genius! GOOD LUCK!
love ya suz!
Remember, Macy's carried CuddleDuds, too! But then, if you never go outside, it's no problem.
:-)
Carol
Yay! I was excited to see your post and I'm glad you're there safely. Keep it up with the photos and the perseverance in the cold . . . I admire you!
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