Settling in

Well, we've had a couple of nice, relaxing days since arriving in Oregon. We've been doing lots of reading, resting, and enjoying being away from busy city DC! It's also nice sleeping in the same bed for more than one night, not having single serve shampoos, and the drive to Salem to see my brother (1 hour) seemed to fly by after averaging 12 hour days!

The driver of the truck with all of our stuff has kept in touch along the way and he should be here on the 30th it looks like. I start my new job in Labor & Delivery that night, so although it'll be nice having things arrive, I don't know that I'll be much help as I need to sleep at some point. Yah, it's back to nights for me, but should be easier this time around. The hardest part of working nights, needless to say, is the sleeping disturbances! It was so hard living in an apt. and trying to sleep in the daytime when all gardening/mowing/leaf blowing seemed to happen about 2 hours into sleeping and right outside my window. The light also seemed to be a problem as I just couldn't get the room dark enough! But with my parents house, the room in the sunken basement, a.k.a. 'the bat cave' has no windows and will be absolutely perfect! I'm contracted for 11 weeks which takes me through the first week in August, so I can manage anything for that amt. of time!

Tom will be leaving Thursday for England and is looking forward to that. Lots of preparation has gone into this trip and all that will happen there, so hopefully we'll know some more in just a few weeks!

The cats are doing very well, liking all the free space of a house vs. 2-bedroom apt! No more escape attempts as of yet, but we've taken them out everday which has been fun. As it's been raining or sprinkling most of the time, they're learning about walking in wet grass and having wet fur!

Road Trip Day 5: Missoula, MT - Gresham OR

Home sweet home! Well, we made it. We had about at 8 hour drive from Montana, through Idaho and Washington, then crossing into Oregon. It looks like a roundabout way home, but that's how the freeways are set up. So we got in and all settled and the best part it getting to play with the cats and my dad! Our things are supposed to arrive on the 31st, so we have until then to sort out what and where we will want things. It was a surprisingly nice road trip...I'm happy to see it end, but it went really well. No tickets for speeding, no accidents, just a nice drive to see lots of places we've never been!

So now it's Oregon for the next 11 weeks. Tom will be leaving for almost 3 weeks in England on June 1st. I start the new Labor & Delivery job on the 30th, so it's all coming together!

Road Trip Day 4: Rapid City, SD - Missoula, MT

We had another full day of driving...almost 800 miles for the day! We started with Mt Rushmore in South Dakota, then wound our way around through Wyoming and then up through most of Montana. Tomorrow we'll hit the top of Idaho, then down through Washington, then hightail it to Oregon! Definitely looking forward to being back!!!

Just an idea of the kind of roads we were on for much of the day...long, straight, clear! Eventually we got some hills, but the morning and early afternoon were filled with these roads.

Tom trying a tie at the Mt Rushmore gift shop.

Testing out the buffalo hat...I think it's a winner!

Mr. Presidents. Tom and I were saying it feels like we've already been there cause we've seen photos just like this one so many times. Still great to see it in person and get a sense for how crazy this guy was to carve faces in a stone wall!

Road Trip Day 3: Elgin, IL - Rapid City, SD

We covered a lot of ground today-over 900 miles! We went from Illinois through Minnesota, Wisconsin and have stopped in South Dakota. When we stopped for lunch we were right next to a book store, so got some books on c.d. which have been fantastic.

We stopped by Mitchell, SD and quickly saw the Corn Palace from the car as a huge storm was rolling through. I called my dad who checked on the internet and said there was a tornado nearby and the town was under tornado watch...just what we wanted!

We made it through the storm, thankfully a lot quicker than expected. As we drove out of it, the sky in front of us was bright and blue, leaving behind a dark grey sky.

An amazing drive through The Badlands. We didn't really know what to expect, but both really loved it. Such awesome rock formations and views to see!

Another day done...tomorrow we'll see Mt. Rushmore and get closer to Oregon!

Road Trip Day 2: Bath, NY - Elgin, IL

What a day. We started the morning in Bath, NY, leaving about 10 am after sleeping in for the first time in awhile and were able to finish in Elgin, IL (just outside of Chicago).

We crossed the border into Canada and had to get some Canadian Dollars for the trip through.

We detoured a bit to Niagara Falls. Even if we were only there for an hour, it was definitely worth it. We walked around a little, watched the falls, and stretched our legs. Regis and Kelly are also there, but we only saw them on TV in the morning, not actually in person. We did see all the camera crews, but that's it!

More falls photos...
We then drove on through Canada for about 4-5 hours, then cut back into the US, went through Michigan, Indiana, and are now in Illinois. We wanted to get north of Chicago so we wouldn't have to deal with rush hour in the morning, so we've found a place in Elgin that suits us just fine. We got to see Lake Ontario, Lake Huron, and Lake Michigan in the process, so that's pretty good too. We lost, or gained, an hour of time, so that should help along the way too. Tomorrow is a beeline to South Dakota, hoping to get to Mt Rushmore by Wednesday morning. Yes, we're still enjoying it, still liking each other, and having a good time!

Road Trip Day 1: Alexandria, VA- Bath, NY

We started the adventure! We began the morning bright and early with the truck arrival at 7:30 am. Tom and his dad got two helpers to assist us in carrying things into the truck and we did it all amazingly. I am still unsure how, but with the help of our families, the truck driver, and of course-our favorite new amigos, it all fit. I didn't even have to say goodbye to anything, although I got a bit nervous for awhile and started making a discard pile just in case. But they did it and I'm so happy. So Tom and I were able to leave our apt about 2:30 this afternoon and drove to Bath, NY...which may actually be the most po-dunk place in the country, but that's okay. We found a Days Inn and are now nearly tucked into bed and ready for a great night's sleep. Tomorrow we're planning on sleeping in and then getting to Niagra Falls for lunchtime! Thanks again mom, William, Libby, Dennis, Abby, Nolan (truckdriver, guided us through the jigsaw puzzle of piecing it all in), Carlos & Orlando (who carried most of the heavy things down and smiled the whole way through). Lots done today and looking forward to the Falls and Canada tomorrow!

This was our quick trip through Gettysburg...nice little visit to get a feel for the area and have a quick look around. Tom enjoyed the statue of Alabamian something, posing with the gun to completely ruin any sanctity in the place.

Girls on the Run, again

On Saturday, I got to do another Girls on the Run 5K with Sebastian. It was fun to run another one with her...well, except she ran soooo fast, beating her last time by over 5 minutes, and I couldn't even catch her! She did such a good job!

He's a graduate!

Tom is an official graduate as of tonight! It was a really nice night and we got to go to Cafe Bonaparte in Georgetown after for dinner which was amazing!!

After the graduation
Sitting down with a happy smile after getting 'hooded'.


Getting officially hooded during the ceremony. He's so cool!

Boxes everywhere

Climbing out from the boxes...I just needed something out of the back one unfortunately!!

Part of the collection of boxes that are packed...

Tom and his parents taking a break from packing in the MESSY apartment!

Oregon photos

This was my grandma's Mother's Day present from my aunts and mom...they guys had just finished putting it together

My mom, Aunt Lindy, Aunt Cyndi, and Grandma

Happy Mother's Day!!!!!

Basil finally enjoying the grass...they really didn't like walking on it at first, but are doing okay now. Hey, they'd never been outside before, okay??!!

Colin climbs his first tree, well, kind of. Maybe I placed him there...but he stretched up to that limb all by himself!

Emily's missing front teeth! We went to see their new house and paint the kids' rooms. I'm so excited to see them all summer!

Safe and sound

The cats and I arrived late Thursday night and have since gotten more accustomed to my parent's house. They climed stairs for the first time which is very exciting. They adventured outside about 3 steps, but we'll work on that more when Tom and I get back!

Believe it or not, all the fish arrived alive and swimming! I mailed them on Thursday, 2day express mail via USPS, and they got here this afternoon. They are swimming happily in my mom's tank, but we'll see how long they last with the other fish who seem more inclined to think they're dinner! Oh well, at least they got here ALL alive which was surprising to me!

So it's all gone well. I feel so relieved that everyone is here...I can't even begin to say how happy I am that this part of the move is over. Next step: Tom and me!

Last days...

Just some photos from the last few days at the clinic...


The child health gang: Yvonne, Cathy, Jane, Deborah, Dr Ryan, Jessi :)

Child Health/Immunization nurses: Deborah, Cathy, Jessi, Jane

Dr Ryan and me

We all went to Guapo's for dinner on Tuesday for a nice last night out...really nice time to see everyone and have a chance to chat.

Weekend plans...the big cat move

Lots happening for us over the next two weeks. Today (Weds) is my last day working at the clinic which is exciting to be done and moving somewhere, but sad to say good-bye to everyone. Tomorrow I fly to Oregon with Colin and Basil...probably the most nervous I've ever been for a trip, all due to the cats! I know it'll be fine, but just want to be landed and in my parent's house with them. I'll be in Oregon for Mother's Day which is something I haven't done in probably 8 years, so I'm definitely looking forward to that. Tom will be packing and getting things done with the car for the big drive to OR. On Monday I fly back to DC to finish up packing and everything else that needs sorted. Tom's parents arrive on Wednesday, my mom on Thursday, Tom graduates Friday (!!!), and we pack up the truck on Sunday and say goodbye to our stuff. We'll probably head out in the car to Oregon on Monday the 22nd and take our time getting back there. It'll be a nice break after being so busy this past month! So that's our crazy day-to-day planned out schedule. Looking forward to being in Oregon!!

New York

Tom and I went to New York on Thursday night because on Friday I had an interview with Doctors Without Borders/Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF). I've been really looking into working with this organization for awhile now and love the idea of going abroad and using my nursing skills where they are really and truly needed.

The interview went well, lots of questions answered for me, and gave me a better picture of what to expect. My top choice would be to work in a feeding camp in Africa (there are a few going in different countries), but I'm open to anything. I wouldn't be surprised if I was placed in a Spanish-speaking country because of already having the fluency, so I'm really excited to see where I end up. I told them I would like to start with a 6 month placement and see how it all goes, maybe extend if if possible once out there. They said it takes about a month for the next process, which is figuring out more about where I could be placed, etc. Hopefully we'll know more by then about what Tom's plans are and where he'll end up. I'm really looking forward to hearing from them about the opportunities that I could have and learning what I'll be doing. That's all the 'update' information for now though, just more waiting over the next few months as we get a better picture of what is to come. We had a lovely day in NY though, as the interview was done by 11 am.


First stop was the Statue of Liberty. No time to go out to it, but seeing it from the side was pretty neat.

This sphere was outside the World Trade Center when it collapsed and is now in Battery Park near Ms. Liberty.

Massive flag in front of the NY Stock Exchange


World Trade Center site. Really nice to go and see it and see how massive these buildings were. Eerie though to think about all the people that died there and what an impact it had, imagining the whole scene onthe day.

Times Square...so many huge billboards and flashing things!

Self portrait in Times Square...

David Blaine, the crazy guy who is staying underwater for a week...why?? He stayed in a box over the Thames river last year in England. Weird guy, but we went to look anyhow.

A well deserved rest for our hot feet in Central Park...it was so nice there!

Nap time under the trees in Central Park. We managed to see so many things in just a few hours and had a really good day.

Packing up

Evidence that we really are packing up...the bedroom full of boxes. We've managed to organize them a bit more since this photo, but the apt. it a bit cluttered! We took our fish to the fish store today since they won't make the journey, and have gotten rid of the china cabinet and a couch-type chair, so we've freed up some space which is nice! Still have SOO much to get done, and only 2 weeks to do it...ahhhh!

School's out forever!

Tom finished school last week!!! No more classes which is fantastic! He's finishing up one more paper that's due on Tuesday, but classes are done and it's soo exciting. And yes, he did manage to finish off the 1 lb burger at Fuddrucker's to celebrate!