Big ass trees....

hello again everyone! I hope that you all (or at least some of you) are still checking in on here, living vicariously through us, so that our ramblings aren't in vain. We find ourselves together again, just a little bit before 8:30pm (11:30pm for you folks back home). The coffee table has two empty wine glasses on it that not too long ago were filled with a wonderfully smooth red called prim'a. There is a wine.com retail outlet a block from our apartment, that I can only imagine we will become semi-regulars at. Michelle is laying on the couch next to me reading the first book in a series called found, and I am about to dive into John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley.

Tonight seemed like the perfect night for a little vino and a good book. We spent the majority of the day at Muir Woods which, if you haven't been there, is an absolute must do before you kick the bucket, if only for the drive alone. You begin driving up highway 1, then turn off into Mt. Tamalpais state park. You then continue your winding ascent through the beautiful California countryside eventually coming to your summit (not the summit of Mt. Tamalpais, just the highest elevation you will reach on this particular journey. Right before you start descending into Muir Woods National Monument, you are at a place like few others on the face of this earth. San Francisco's low settling clouds feel like they are no more than ten feet above your head at this point and, for me at least, was a very surreal experience. A lot of things hit you (or maybe just me) at this point in time. You become grateful and happy that places like this do actually exist and that you got to see it with your own eyes, make your own experiences with it. And then you look to your left at the road you now have to drive down and think......shit, now I have to drive down there?!?!?! Where are the guardrails??? But whenever you sneak a quick glance off into the distance and see the beauty of what is around you, fear and nervousness are strangely gone, or maybe just subdued for a little longer.

And now onto the Muir Woods National Monument itself. This place will really give you some perspective on how small you really are. Not so much figuratively (although it certainly can have that effect on you), but literally....those trees are huge! I had always expected these trees to be big, but nobody's description can even do these things justice. We quickly decided to leave the paved path for a little more rugged terrain to really see what this forest was all about. We decided to take the Fern Creek trail is at said "beginner/moderate; steep in sections". We followed this trail up a creek to another trail leading to Camp Elizabeth. This trail on the other hand was about a half mile of snaking path directly up the side of the valley. Eventually we made it, exhausted to Camp Elizabeth to sit down and share some cucumber salad we had made a few nights prior. After almost taking the wrong trail and possibly getting lost in the woods, we began our trek back to Muir Woods to call it a day. We were very tired and worn out by this point when it dawned on us, we only need to drive about forty minutes to get home! This is where we live! Wonderful!

Anyway, time to begin Travels with Charley. We love and miss you all. Here's to hoping things are as well for all of you as they are for us!

Before we moved to California, we knew our lives were going to change drastically but we weren't sure how. Here is what has changed for us so far...
-We have had at least one meal a day outside in the beautiful sunshine.
-We have done/seen at last one new thing a day (Jack London Square, Berkeley Bowl, Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, BART rides, haircut place, Berkeley Marina, the beach at the Pacific Ocean)
-We walk to most places we go (and are getting bikes soon!)
-We've met at least one new person every day
-Each time we go to the grocery, we have vowed to try at least one new food (because there are so many great, new, and interesting foods out here!) The last time we had "California-style bread", natural peanut butter, Pistachio ice cream, and milk from a local creamery.

I know that this excitement and time to discover new things will wear out soon but for now we are enjoying every second of it.
We have worked out a nice little schedule so we have time to look for jobs too (so don't worry, parents!). Every morning, we have been working on finding jobs and paying bills so in the afternoon we can get to know our new world. Keep your fingers crossed that we get calls for interviews soon so we can be a little more productive!

Pictures are posted: http://s976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/michellej0925/Branching%20out/

Enjoy! We miss you :)

Happy Fathers Day and Strawberries.

Good morning all! Before we get started here, I'd like to take a second to say happy fathers day! It's days like these that makes being 2400 miles away tough. Everyone likes to spend holidays with their family; enjoying a good meal, sharing in nice hearty laugh, and just overall good company. I guess I can thank Kroger for at least preparing me for this change. Over the past few years, I haven't really been able to spend many holidays with my family due to work, so at this point I'm pretty much used to it. On the other hand though, this is our official "first holiday away from home", and we'd just like to tell you all how much we love and miss EVERYONE.

I'd also like to thank Jenny, Tara, Katie, and Michael Eagle for the gift certificates to Whole Foods! We were finally able to make it to the grocery store the other day and our refrigerator is looking a little less bare. Eagle family, I will think of you personally every morning for the next week or so while I put the cream in my morning coffee! Among other things, at Whole Foods we picked up some strawberries that are absolutely amazing. Have you ever had strawberries that have no white on the inside? Strawberries so juicy that you have to carefully pick them up so you don't crush them? Strawberries so tender that they almost melt between your tongue and the roof of your mouth? Man, these are really fantastic strawberries!

If you haven't already seen the pictures of our new place, Michelle posted the pictures last night on here, so without further adieu...pictures of our humble abode! If you look closely at the pictures, you can see me being lazy laying on the couch in a few of the photos, and of course, Bailey was more concerned with something going on outside than helping Michelle take some pictures. Michelle was so concerned with giving you guys great shots, she was standing on the bed in the corner of our room, so make sure you appreciate the photos! Take care all, and fathers, have a wonderful day!

Our new home.

For those who are not on facebook:

http://s976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/michellej0925/First%20week%20explorations/

:) xoxo

Annnnd here we are.

Finally! We are now broadcasting live and direct from Berkeley, CA. Our new apartment is fantastic, pictures will follow, don't worry. We are slowly but surely getting settled into our new environment. The past few days have been somewhat tough. It finally hit me that we actually did move 2400 miles away from home. That, for me was, and honestly still is something that I am struggling with. However, day by day, it is getting much easier to become acclimated to our new surroundings.

Today we went out exploring our neighborhood for the afternoon to see what was around. We stumbled upon a really really cool area of town just a few blocks from our apartment. There is all kinds of unique shops restaurants, and people hanging out. There is even a "vivarium" there. Never heard of it? Well neither have we until we went in. It is a specialty pet store for reptiles. They have probably about a hundred different species of snakes, lizards, turtles, and other strange creatures. Veeeerrrryyy strange indeed. Fear not though, I vowed to bring anyone who visits us to that place because it is definitely an experience.

While in this area, we decided to grab lunch at a really great sandwich place right across the street from a Peets coffee shop. At the coffee shop, or rather on the sidewalk in front of the coffee shop, there was a full band just hanging out playing music. There really is nothing in the world quite like eating lunch outside in Berkeley while listening to a band play their rendition of "The Thrill is Gone".

Each day, I realize more and more that this is where it is all happening. So many big musicians come through here, and there are many more who are just getting their start. Neil Young is playing three shows in oakland next month which is just a 15 minute commute for us, and another show in Davis, CA. which is just about 45 minutes from here. The US Open is also at Pebble Beach this year, just about a two and a half hour drive down the Pacific coast from us. This really is the place. Come visit when you can, and don't forget to check the 10 day forecast periodically for 94710! Take care all, we love and miss you!

http://s976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/michellej0925/

http://s976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/michellej0925/Day%20Two-%20Lincoln%20to%20Rock%20Springs/

http://s976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/michellej0925/Day%20Two-%20Lincoln%20to%20Rock%20Springs/Day%20Three-%20Rock%20Springs%20to%20Reno/

Enjoy!

Pictures can't explain.

Tonight I find myself still trying to catch my breath and take in all of the beautiful scenery we drove through today. It seems unreal that places like this exist in our country! We have driven through Wyoming, Utah, and most of Nevada and were up close and personal with places that I have only seen in pictures (which, by the way, do no justice to how breathtaking they really are). I know we promised to keep you all updated with pictures of our daily adventures but we are struggling to find the time to fiddle with this blog enough to figure out how to put them up, sorry!
We sleep in Reno, Nevada tonight which is only a stones throw from the California border. As we plan for tomorrow, our move in day, I get more and more excited/nervous/happy/proud/scared/shocked about being a Berkeley resident. The reality of living in this wonderful place instead of vacationing has not set in quite yet but I am starting to realize just how far away I am from all that I have ever known and loved in the midwest. That being said, I am also realizing how incredibly lucky I am to have this opportunity to start a new life with a wonderful man and could not imagine going on this journey at any other time in my life or with any other person in my life.

These are the days we will remember forever.

Day Two: Lincoln, Nebraska to Rock Springs, Wyoming

Welcome back readers, friends, family, and proxy travelers. Today was another wonderful day of travel. We are starting to enter the "scenic" part of our wonderful country. From the beautiful rolling hills of western Nebraska, to the Rocky mountains of Wyoming.

Before I get into the nitty gritty of today, I feel as though I should touch on yesterday a bit. Yesterday, at least for me, was a particularly tough day. I said goodbye to my wonderful family in the midwest and as all goodbyes tend to go, it was very bittersweet. My entire family has been nothing short of fantastic to Michelle and myself over the past few years spent in Cincinnati. It was however, the first day of the rest of our lives as we embarked on the great journey west.

For me, today was a day of perspective. Of course what we are doing is incredibly brave, but as you are driving across you can't help but think about the legendary explorers who made this journey with a covered wagon, a weapon for food, and a lack of knowledge about what they will encounter on the other side of the Continental Divide, let alone whether or not they would return home safely.

Our journey is of course, much MUCH different, as we are aided by GPS devices, iPhones, a plethora of fast food restaurants for "nourishment", and most importantly, an understanding of what it is we are going to encounter on the way and at the end.

Each mile we get closer to San Francisco, i feel more and more energized. It is so very exciting to see and take in this part of our great nation. I have a wonderful traveling companion (I love you, Michelle), and her parents have been a huuuuge help to us on the way out.

Time to get some sleep. Another loooong day of driving ahead tomorrow, but at the days end, we will be within four hours of our final destination and our new lives together. Until then!

Thanks for reading all! Be well.

Maybe not.

So I can't figure out how to put more than one picture on here (any suggestions?).
Plan B: here is a link to the pictures on Photobucket:

http://s976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/michellej0925/

Goodnight!!

14 hours....800 miles

While driving from Cincinnati to Indianapolis to pick up my mom and Dennis this morning I thought it would be so great to blog and post pictures once we arrived at our first stop in Lincoln, Nebraska to update you all on our journey...unfortunately, after driving for 14 hours, through 5 states, totaling 800 miles, we are VERY tired (believe it or not) so I will post a few pictures to hold you over until we get more energy. Enjoy, we miss you all already :)

It's sinking in.

It has been so long...here's why;
We have had a lot going on the past couple of weeks including moving to Loveland with Dan's mom so we are able to sublet our apartment in Oakley for the summer (which has little to no internet connection which makes it difficult to update blogs, but is beautiful and surrounded by nature so it is ok!) Also, it turns out that there is a lot more "technical" and petty things to be done when moving across the country than we originally thought so we have been transferring addresses, making reservations, paying final bills and deposits for upcoming bills, servicing cars, quitting jobs, cleaning and organizing our lives, saying goodbye to loved ones...the list goes on and on!
This past weekend we made a visit to the beautiful capital of our country where my best friend and her fiance live. Most of the weekend was spent talking to two of my best friends (Jill and Katie) about Jill's upcoming wedding, Katie's new job, as well as our move to San Francisco. DC was a great time and brought this trip to reality for me. It is wonderful to be able to share our experiences of starting over with people who understand the excitement and fears of the unkown, which made me feel even closer to all of them. Although Dan and I are incredibly excited to start this new life in a new place, it will be very difficult to not be able to drive a few minutes or hours to see our closest friends.
3 days left as Ohians...