Go Terps!!

It's that time again... we're moving!! Matt recently accepted a position at the University of Maryland, so we're planning and packing and getting ready for life back on the East Coast. Matt's last day at Stanford is August 30th and his first day at Maryland is the 6th, so it's a bit crazy. But we're so proud of Matt and excited for what the future holds for him and our family. Go Terps!!

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It Never Ends

... the packing, that is. I am sitting on the floor of our living room because our sofa is covered with random things like packing tape, wrapping paper, a rolling pin, a running trophy (Amy's amazingly), glitter candles, and a 10" tall metal monkey that used to live on my parents' coffee table. This is the tough part of packing: there's always this "left over" group of things that gets thrown into a random box. The packing doesn't make sense and is always a more difficult to unpack.

The good part is that we just did a cross-country move so we know what it's going to take to pull this all together. The bad part is that - as of tomorrow - we have only 8 days to be out of this place. Our guest room is disassembled and filled with boxes, but we still have 80% of the house to go. Wish us luck!

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Because We're Gluttons For Punishment...

We're moving across the country again! This time we're heading to sunny Palo Alto, where Matt will be the Assistant Director for Compliance Services at Stanford University. We're currently packing and will be in our new home by December 4th. Go Cardinal!

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Moving to Long Island: Take Two

Good-bye rats, mold, and mildew- we are moving!! I (Amy) just left our lease signing of a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom ranch in Port Jefferson. We were one of four applicants for the home, and we are so thankful to our wonderful realtor, Stephanie, for working so hard on such short notice to secure the home for us.

Port Jeff is a darling, little coastal village and we are lucky enough to have "village privileges" like free in-town parking, beach access, country club membership (for a small fee), etc. Our move-in date is Sunday and the movers are all ready booked. We are excitedly packing up our cottage I can't wait to see all of things that have been in storage for months; it'll be like an early Christmas for me :)

I will post pics once we are all moved-in (boxes put away, pictures on the walls, etc). Time to keep packing!

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Rats, Mold, and Mildew- oh my!

What do rats, mold, and mildew all have in common??  They have all infested the cottage.  Nasty- yes, we know :)  The mold/mildew started last week with a busted pipe under the cottage (requiring a 3 ft hole to be cut in our kitchen).  And the rats- they just started coming out one night.  They aren't the massive NYC rats, just field rats.  But still, a rat is rat.  

Our landlords have been amazing, and totally supportive of us.  They would not want to live there, either.  We are currently living at Danford's Hotel and Hula is at the kennel (she was going there for Thanksgiving, anyway).  

I (Amy) spent the day looking for our new home.  I saw about 7 today and there is one that I like. It's a 3 bed, 1 bath ranch.  A bit on the smaller size, but it will work for the next few years. The best part is that it has a real kitchen with a dishwasher and a washer/dryer.  We are really hoping we get it!!

After Matt gets home from work today, we are starting to pack up.  I won't go over there alone- I need him to defend me from the rats :)

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Long Island

Hula waiting while Matt and the movers unload the big rig. Amy kept her company.

We've arrived- can you believe it!!??

Yesterday was a drain, but it was great to spend time with Tommy in Chicago, even if the traffic was bad. We got nearly all the way through the audio book, "Freakenomics". It's an interesting idea: an accomplished economist examines more "everyday" questions such as, "If crack dealers make so much money, why do they still live with their moms?". It's probably easier to read than it is to listen to, but it was still incredibly interesting.

We spent the night in a scary Holiday Inn, and quickly left after we woke up around 9am. Matt continued to drive and drive until we finally made it to NY!! We had our first glimpse of NYC today as we crossed the George Washington Bridge. It took about another hour-and-a-half to get to our area of Long Island. We have officially experienced the famed traffic on the LIE (Long Island Expressway). One thing we've noticed is the incredible amount of toll roads on the East side of the country. Just today, it was a little over $25 to get from New Jersey to Long Island.

We were about 5 minutes too late to pick up our rental car, but met the movers at our storage facility to unload about 75% of our truck. Hula enjoyed the chance to be outside and Matt got an excellent workout reworking the remainder of the truck into secure sections.

After storing our boxes and furniture, we set off to find our home for the next week: the Sheraton. It was the closest hotel that was pet friendly (who wouldn't want Hula to stay???). However, we didn't really have a good idea of where we were going. Matt's been here a total of 2 times and Amy only once... the roads on Long Island are windy and switch names a lot, so a drive that should have taken about 20 minutes took an hour and 40. We still have a lot to learn :)

We were hoping to meet up with Matt's bother, James, in Queens tonight, but we are just too tired and done with the day. It's great that we are so close so we can see him soon. We are also excited to see our other friends and family in the area.

We just showered and are off to the lobby bar for a late dinner. Hula is exhausted and has claimed her spot on the bed. Tomorrow we are getting a rental car (giving the big rig a break) and getting some work pants and shoes for Matt. He didn't bring any, so we are hoping for lots of luck in this department. He has driven a huge moving truck from coast-to-coast in the past five days so he deserves some new clothes!

Matt re-arranging the truck after unloading all the storage items.

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Day 3 and 1/2

Amy and brother Tommy in Chicago

Hey All,

It's 5Am and we just got into Milesburg, and we are very tired so this will be short. We had a late start in Green Lake, WI, and then stopped by to see Amy's brother, Tommy, in Chicago.

After lunch with Tommy, we got stuck in some rough rush hour traffic in Chicago. 12 hours and four states later, we have finally arrived here in Milesburg and are 5 hours from our final destination. We will get a brief three hour rest here in Milesburg before we head out for a busy day tomorrow and then sleep until Sunday evening.

We will blog more later, but are really tired right now.

Good Night (or should I say Morning)

Check out Matt's parallel parking job with the big rig!

Hula was feeling the heat in Chicago

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Day Three: Fargo to Green Lake, WI

Chris, Julie, Andre, Matt, Amy and Hula in Green Lake, WI.

Today was the shortest of driving days- only 9 hours in the Penske truck. We got a late start out of Fargo (we were tired) and Hula was sad to see that we were, yet again, spending the entire day seated in the cab. It was Matt's turn to pick the audio book, so we suffered through "Real Estate for Dummies"- I kid you not. Amy managed to sleep through most of it.

We quickly passed into Minnesota. Matt loves Minnesota, so he made us stop at the St. Paul Cathedral (see pic with Hula). Amy had just woken up from a nap at this point and was too grumpy to take a picture.

Since Minnesota is pretty small width wise, we passed into Wisconsin shortly after and made our way to Matt's Aunt Julie's home in Green Lake. It is absolutely gorgeous out here! They have two wonderful Golden Retrievers, Emily and Willy, two horses, and a guinea pig. We ate a delicious dinner with Julie, Chris, and Andre before getting the grand tour of idyllic Green Lake and stopping for ice-cream. We are so lucky to get a home-cooked meal and time visiting with family tonight- thank you Julie, Chris, and Andre!

Tomorrow is a long day for us (we're driving through Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and finishing up halfway across Pennsylvania) and we're hoping to make it in by mid-night!

Matt and Hula in front of St. Paul's Cathedral in St. Paul, MN.

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Day Dos: Bozeman to Fargo

At the Missouri River in Bismark, North Dakota. Mississippi River tomorrow. More pics at bottom.


It's amazing the things they put in these small-town gas stations. You have your regular stuff: Doritos, candy, an extensive beverage collection. But these are extra-special because they also have one-of-a-kind items like Nascar driving gloves and a wolf figurine that could have been painted by a child. They also serve double-duty: not only is it a gas station and a convenient store, it's also a gift store, Arby's, Subway, and Casino. No doubt, it's a social center of sorts for the area. At one gas station, Amy was mistaken for a local and nearly keeled over in disbelief. She plans on pulling herself a bit more together tomorrow.


We have finally arrived at our Fargo hotel and Hula is going bonkers with freedom. She is running in circles on the bed while Matt pretends to chase her. Hula has been such a good sport with this whole moving thing, and we think she is getting weary of the long, long truck rides. She hid from her Puppia (harness) this morning that straps her into her carseat. We have a feeling she'll hide under the bed in protest tomorrow.


Matt drove the entire way (again) and Amy took only 2 naps. We got distracted in Billings, MT by the Best Buy, and ended up spending an hour on errands in that town. We got our iPod to work and listened to David Sedaris' "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim" on audiobook. It was a collection of short stories, mostly about his family. It was a much needed humorous distraction for a few hours- we highly recommend it. We are finally past the mountians, hills, and Bad Lands; we are now in the flat part of the country. It's amazing the towns they put on maps; they are hardly an exit on the interstate.


On a grusome note, our windshield has become a bug graveyard of sorts. Even though Matt cleans it at least once a day, it quickly becomes littered with the remains of flying bugs. Just when we thinking another bug can't possibly fit on our windshield, one inevitably splats onto it.


We have been on the road for 14 hours and it's time for bed. Good night!

Matt and Hula, Missouri River.

Amy and Hula, Missouri River.

View of our truck in Bozeman, MT. We keep a close eye on the big rig.

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Day One: Seattle to Bozeman

We just arrived in Bozeman!!

After an early start this morning, we've seen rainbows, tumble-weeds, amazing rock formations, and some crazy billboards. Matt did all of the driving (he's done very well so far) and Amy and Hula took several great naps :) Despite our purchase of a brand-new, extra-large, monkey themed car seat, Hula has decided that it's much more fun to snuggle her mom.


Tomorrow we will finish our tour in Montana and drive through North Dakota, ending the day in Fargo.

Hula is going crazy in our hotel room and our dinner should arrive soon. It's time for food, tv, and bed. Good night!

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We Leave Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is our first day on the road! We spent today packing the incredibly large Penske truck and saying goodbye to family. We'll post pictures of our first day tomorrow.

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We're Moving!

A week from today, we are hitting the road for Stony Brook, NY! We'll drive a 26 foot Penske truck from cost to coast. Check out our blog for updates and pictures from the road!

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