I have spent a lot of time the past few days at Panera. It makes me think a lot about what other people do for a living and how this place is always busy and what I want to do with myself.
A group of young ladies (obviously not from this country based on their accents and choice of wardrobe) just came in and took over a corner. What do they to do wear expensive clothes and jewelry and not work during the weekday? Please tell me your secret if you can speak English... that was mean..
We moved in to a duplex on Sunday. The word move is used very lightly. We have our suitcases and a newly purchased air mattress in the living room. And I purchased 2 towels and a shower curtain so we could take showers. Matt just called me and said the movers can't come until SUNDAY! AHH!!! For 4 more days we will share the one pillow and blanket we have with us on our lonely piece of furniture.... It's not bad, but I'll admit, I hog the covers. Plus its lonely being there alone, with no internet, tv, cleaning or unpacking/organizing.
The duplex is nice. The yard is a plus when its not raining and our dogs stay their natural color. Jersey was a chocolate lab the other day due to the digging and mud in the yard. And our landlord seems to be a pretty nice guy. The neighbors have a garden and we asked the landlord if we could do one too and he loved the idea. Sweet! fresh veggies.. i wish i knew where to start...
The job search is going pretty well. I applied for a target position on Saturday and yesterday a few others. I obviously havn't heard anything back yet, So keep your fingers crossed please! I am going to set up an interview for Lil Kickers, the program I did in Denver. The lady rudely said to me "oh so you're really going to drive all the way out here?" and then continued with "I'll have so and so call you to set up an interview as she's the manager". Thank god! And its about 20 miles away. I'm not to worried, at least its a job.
Alright, I am going to get a chocolate chipper cookie and continue on my job search.
Miss you and come visit :)
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
I'm a Skamaniac
AHHHHHH! I am exhausted. Finding a place is a lot harder than I thought!
Sunday morning we got up and took a walk along the Columbia River and they dogs got their feet a little wet.. I was not about to go knee deep in freezing water so they could take a swim. In the afternoon, we got to Skamania lodge. It is beautiful here. One downside to the lodge is that we don't have a fridge.. and a second, there is no continental breakfast. We went to a local brewery and got some pizza and I had fresh brewed root beer. It reminded me of the rootbeer generic candies you get. But with a different after taste.
Monday we went into towm to look at places. We went to the local chamber of commerce to get a map and from there drove around to the places I had found online earlier. We really liked one place but they didn't have a grassy area to take the dogs out to pee. And for the rent you pay, you didn't get a pool, exercise room or garage etc. The other 2 were decent sized apartments and the complexes weren't bad, but neither of us fell in love. They are both located on the second busiest street in Vancouver. But they are very close to a bus station. There is a shuttle that takes goes from Vancouver to North Bonneville (aprox 30 miles) for 1$ each way. It would take some time for him to get to and from, but would save a ton of money on gas. After Matt talked to some co-workers they can car pool or ride the bus together, which would work out well.
From Monday to today I called over 40 people (no exaggerating) who had "for rent" or "now renting" signs. I am so glad I didn't reduce my cellphone minutes! Most say no pets or pets under 35 lbs.. ugh, so frustrating.
I am sick of craigslist. I see that same 2 places being advertised over and over. I even put an add in craigs list for housing wanted, and that same apartment building emailed me! They are snipers!
Last night we took advantage of the pool and hot tub. The hottub was awesome! It's outside and it started to sprinkle a little bit. Add the mountains and cooler air.. so nice.
I did apply for a job at a lodge nearby here. It would be nice if both Matt and I worked out here (North Bonneville) The rent would be cheaper (if we found a place) and its quiet and the whole county has something like 13,000 people.. so its a small towm, the people at the pizza place recognized me when I went in there for the second day in a row.:)
My car is getting dropped off at 6 tonight! I am very excited to have some more clothes and my own wheels so I can go search for a place!
Alright, time to get back to house hunting! Cross your fingers please!!
Sunday morning we got up and took a walk along the Columbia River and they dogs got their feet a little wet.. I was not about to go knee deep in freezing water so they could take a swim. In the afternoon, we got to Skamania lodge. It is beautiful here. One downside to the lodge is that we don't have a fridge.. and a second, there is no continental breakfast. We went to a local brewery and got some pizza and I had fresh brewed root beer. It reminded me of the rootbeer generic candies you get. But with a different after taste.
Monday we went into towm to look at places. We went to the local chamber of commerce to get a map and from there drove around to the places I had found online earlier. We really liked one place but they didn't have a grassy area to take the dogs out to pee. And for the rent you pay, you didn't get a pool, exercise room or garage etc. The other 2 were decent sized apartments and the complexes weren't bad, but neither of us fell in love. They are both located on the second busiest street in Vancouver. But they are very close to a bus station. There is a shuttle that takes goes from Vancouver to North Bonneville (aprox 30 miles) for 1$ each way. It would take some time for him to get to and from, but would save a ton of money on gas. After Matt talked to some co-workers they can car pool or ride the bus together, which would work out well.
From Monday to today I called over 40 people (no exaggerating) who had "for rent" or "now renting" signs. I am so glad I didn't reduce my cellphone minutes! Most say no pets or pets under 35 lbs.. ugh, so frustrating.
I am sick of craigslist. I see that same 2 places being advertised over and over. I even put an add in craigs list for housing wanted, and that same apartment building emailed me! They are snipers!
Last night we took advantage of the pool and hot tub. The hottub was awesome! It's outside and it started to sprinkle a little bit. Add the mountains and cooler air.. so nice.
I did apply for a job at a lodge nearby here. It would be nice if both Matt and I worked out here (North Bonneville) The rent would be cheaper (if we found a place) and its quiet and the whole county has something like 13,000 people.. so its a small towm, the people at the pizza place recognized me when I went in there for the second day in a row.:)
My car is getting dropped off at 6 tonight! I am very excited to have some more clothes and my own wheels so I can go search for a place!
Alright, time to get back to house hunting! Cross your fingers please!!
Friday, April 16, 2010
this is gonna be long...hold on
We made it to Washington! Its hard to say how many hours we drove to get here, but it has been about 16000 miles so far and one very very close call to running out of gas. (I had flashbacks of being young and running out of gas with my dad after we drove past the gas station). We are staying in the tri-cities area which is where Matt originally stayed when he went out here. PNNL has there main branch here and our temporary home (hotel) is about 3 1/2 hours from here. So we will have a short drive tomorrow.
Wednesday we left Brookings and stayed in Rapid City, SD. This was my favorite area and hotel so far.
Some highlights include
- Stopped at Cabella's and Matt purchased a Furminator for the dogs and I am so excited to use it someday.
- Drove and walked around the Badlands National Park.
- Saw an area that used to have nuclear missiles
- Complimentary cookies at the hotel :)
Thursday we saw Mount Rushmore and walked the mile long presidential trail. We drove through Deadwood, SD and ate lunch at a restaurant owned by Kevin Costner and we saw a bunch of his movie memorabilia. We also stopped at an old fish hatchery. We were not able to go into any buildings as they were locked. But we were able to take the dogs along. Dude went nuts trying to get to the ducks and Matt fed the trout of course. We stopped in Billings, MT for the night. I was not super impressed with the town. We stopped at a Best Western and Matt fibbed and said it was only him and one dog staying at the hotel.. Big mistake. They put us on the second floor and we were walking out of the stairwell together when we thought the manager caught on that we were together. She said "oh there are 2 of you?" and Matt responded with a quick "shes not with me." After that, we snuck out separately to get dinner and after that I spent the rest of our stay in the hotel room. Which I wont argue with, I didn't have to let the dogs out that PM or AM and I got breakfast brought to me in bed :)
Friday we stopped at Prairie Dog Town State Park. It wasn't open but we did see a handful of little doggies running and barking. I also thought I came down with a cold, with a sore throat and stuffy nose. But now I think it's allergies or something with the air pressure change and/or the air conditioning in the hotel rooms. We also got Crazy Bread and LC pizza for lunch and Coldstone for dessert, yummy. We found a trail right off of the Montana State University -Bozeman campus and took the dogs for a little walk. That night, we made it to Missoula, Montana and settled in at another Best Western. We were hoping that we were not on a black list from the night before. We were able to watch the Twins game at a sports bar near campus called the pressbox. On the downside, we weren't able to swim or get in the hot tub as it was being ruled by a guy with a mullet, his PBR and his friends.
This afternoon we made a stop at the University of Montana bookstore for a Grizzly's t-shirt. We also stopped in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and took the dogs for a walk right off a lake that had an amazing view. It wasn't like the Duluth board walk but it had a beach and sidewalk and play ground with lots of joggers and bikers. I wouldn't mind living there. The area and view of the mountains were awesome. Dude and Jersey however would not like living there as dogs were not allowed on the beach. Tonight we made it to Kennewick, WA after a brief scare of almost running out of gas. It's hard to know when you will be coming up to a town or if there is not a station for 30 miles. We filled up 16.4 gallons, which we think the tank holds 17. YIKES! But to make my night, I sat in the hotel hot tub and they have complimentary cookies and milk :)
Phew that was a long one, I've been working on it for 2 days now! Happy Saturday night!
Wednesday we left Brookings and stayed in Rapid City, SD. This was my favorite area and hotel so far.
Some highlights include
- Stopped at Cabella's and Matt purchased a Furminator for the dogs and I am so excited to use it someday.
- Drove and walked around the Badlands National Park.
- Saw an area that used to have nuclear missiles
- Complimentary cookies at the hotel :)
Thursday we saw Mount Rushmore and walked the mile long presidential trail. We drove through Deadwood, SD and ate lunch at a restaurant owned by Kevin Costner and we saw a bunch of his movie memorabilia. We also stopped at an old fish hatchery. We were not able to go into any buildings as they were locked. But we were able to take the dogs along. Dude went nuts trying to get to the ducks and Matt fed the trout of course. We stopped in Billings, MT for the night. I was not super impressed with the town. We stopped at a Best Western and Matt fibbed and said it was only him and one dog staying at the hotel.. Big mistake. They put us on the second floor and we were walking out of the stairwell together when we thought the manager caught on that we were together. She said "oh there are 2 of you?" and Matt responded with a quick "shes not with me." After that, we snuck out separately to get dinner and after that I spent the rest of our stay in the hotel room. Which I wont argue with, I didn't have to let the dogs out that PM or AM and I got breakfast brought to me in bed :)
Friday we stopped at Prairie Dog Town State Park. It wasn't open but we did see a handful of little doggies running and barking. I also thought I came down with a cold, with a sore throat and stuffy nose. But now I think it's allergies or something with the air pressure change and/or the air conditioning in the hotel rooms. We also got Crazy Bread and LC pizza for lunch and Coldstone for dessert, yummy. We found a trail right off of the Montana State University -Bozeman campus and took the dogs for a little walk. That night, we made it to Missoula, Montana and settled in at another Best Western. We were hoping that we were not on a black list from the night before. We were able to watch the Twins game at a sports bar near campus called the pressbox. On the downside, we weren't able to swim or get in the hot tub as it was being ruled by a guy with a mullet, his PBR and his friends.
This afternoon we made a stop at the University of Montana bookstore for a Grizzly's t-shirt. We also stopped in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and took the dogs for a walk right off a lake that had an amazing view. It wasn't like the Duluth board walk but it had a beach and sidewalk and play ground with lots of joggers and bikers. I wouldn't mind living there. The area and view of the mountains were awesome. Dude and Jersey however would not like living there as dogs were not allowed on the beach. Tonight we made it to Kennewick, WA after a brief scare of almost running out of gas. It's hard to know when you will be coming up to a town or if there is not a station for 30 miles. We filled up 16.4 gallons, which we think the tank holds 17. YIKES! But to make my night, I sat in the hotel hot tub and they have complimentary cookies and milk :)
Phew that was a long one, I've been working on it for 2 days now! Happy Saturday night!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Packed and Loaded
We packed our stuff for the trip on Sunday night. Since they are dropping my car off on Monday we packed some bags of clothes and stuff that we didnt need right away and put them in the trunk of my car. My best idea thus far! 9:21 AM sharp on Monday the movers arrived. I was a little weary at first, but after talking to them and having them in the apartment all day they were actually super nice and very qualified. The movers do a bunch of moves for the department of energy and there were actually 2 other families belongings on the same truck as ours headed to Richland, WA (where Matt originally thought we would be) Now I'm not so worried that our stuff will end up in New Mexico or something instead of Washington.
They actually packed and loaded our stuff in 8 hours instead of the 2 days. We spent our last night like our first sleeping on the floor watching tv on the computer :) Memories.
I added pictures of my car so you can see just how they stuff everything in the trusk with just enough room for my car. The mover actually said they had enough room to put our stuff in there again. Crazy!
We are headed to the Badlands and Mount Rushmore tomorrow! :)
Saturday, April 10, 2010
My First Rodeo
We have 4 nights left in Brookings! It really doesn't feel like we are moving, it is soo weird. I think it's because we have nothing packed, cleaned or ready to go. I walk around the house picking up and placing things in their area. Since we can't pack, I have everything in its own little home, with things that is belongs with. And I really want to clean but know my efforts would be wasted (I may have a slight case of OCD regarding organization/cleanliness.)Come Monday we're going to have strangers walking around the house packing our stuff. I can make it 2 days.. hopefully.
I had my last day of work yesterday. It really doesn't feel like it was my last day. Knowing I will not have to deal with those idiots ever again, makes me very happy. To celebrate my last day, Matt and I met some friends at the South Dakota State University Rodeo. Yes, a real live rodeo. My one and only rodeo too. You get over the smell, and it did have its entertaining parts. However, I was not a fan of the "goat tying" event.. Ugh. I felt so bad for the little goats just baaah baaahing away. How this would work is- A girl would ride her horse up to the goat who was tied to a rope,(like a dog on a leash) jump off her horse, run up to the goat and tie its 4 legs together. For a second I wanted to become a vegetarian, however I don't eat goat and I really like steak :)
It is Brookings' annual spring clean up this week. People throw their unwanted or broken or used stuff on the curb. At the end of the week the city comes by and picks it up and brings it to the landfill. It's the cities way of getting clean for graduation for SDSU. The best part of this is that there are people who drive around and rummage through and pick up this junk off the curb. And one day we were on our walk and Dude peed on a washer or dryer... The next day when we walked by, it was gone. I just hope they cleaned it before putting it in their house. Gross!
We took part in a rummage sale today. Some kids decided to try to sell a grill and bike they found on the curb. They didn't sell, but it was pretty entertaining watching the people come in and take a look at the stuff. On a side note, no one wanted my clothes, but we did get rid of a treadmill that didn't want to come to Washington with us.
I hope everyone has a good weekend, it is supposed to be 66 here tomorrow :) Bring on the tan.
I had my last day of work yesterday. It really doesn't feel like it was my last day. Knowing I will not have to deal with those idiots ever again, makes me very happy. To celebrate my last day, Matt and I met some friends at the South Dakota State University Rodeo. Yes, a real live rodeo. My one and only rodeo too. You get over the smell, and it did have its entertaining parts. However, I was not a fan of the "goat tying" event.. Ugh. I felt so bad for the little goats just baaah baaahing away. How this would work is- A girl would ride her horse up to the goat who was tied to a rope,(like a dog on a leash) jump off her horse, run up to the goat and tie its 4 legs together. For a second I wanted to become a vegetarian, however I don't eat goat and I really like steak :)
It is Brookings' annual spring clean up this week. People throw their unwanted or broken or used stuff on the curb. At the end of the week the city comes by and picks it up and brings it to the landfill. It's the cities way of getting clean for graduation for SDSU. The best part of this is that there are people who drive around and rummage through and pick up this junk off the curb. And one day we were on our walk and Dude peed on a washer or dryer... The next day when we walked by, it was gone. I just hope they cleaned it before putting it in their house. Gross!
We took part in a rummage sale today. Some kids decided to try to sell a grill and bike they found on the curb. They didn't sell, but it was pretty entertaining watching the people come in and take a look at the stuff. On a side note, no one wanted my clothes, but we did get rid of a treadmill that didn't want to come to Washington with us.
I hope everyone has a good weekend, it is supposed to be 66 here tomorrow :) Bring on the tan.
Monday, April 5, 2010
One week!
We will be on the road Wednesday! Unfortunately not this Wednesday... That means I get to work an extra week! Not so exciting, but the bigger pay check will be nice. Everyone at work is quitting so they were happy to have me stay an extra week. Plus, I'm excited I have an extra week to finish Eclipse (I actually enjoy reading about vampires and werewolves)
The moving company is packing Monday and loading Tuesday. I am still a little weary about having a stranger pack and move my belongings, but I don't have any desire to pack and try to fit everything in boxes and then move them down our stairs into a truck.. so, I'll deal. But I WILL be packing my own undies for sure. hahaha. Then Wednesday, we are on the road to the Badlands and Mount Rushmore. I've never been to either of them, so I am pretty excited. Matt's mom gave me her old camera so I'll post lots of pictures, don't you worry.
We went to Hutch for Easter weekend. My parents also came down for the weekend. It was nice to see them. I did worry that they wouldn't have fun or enjoy themselves, but why would they go if they didn't feel comfortable right? And everyone got along so it was a success. Plus, I got to go in the hotel hot tub... I'm pushing for the apartments with the pool and hot tub, cross your fingers. You can use it when you come visit :)
I hope you all had a good weekend! Miss you and come visit?
The moving company is packing Monday and loading Tuesday. I am still a little weary about having a stranger pack and move my belongings, but I don't have any desire to pack and try to fit everything in boxes and then move them down our stairs into a truck.. so, I'll deal. But I WILL be packing my own undies for sure. hahaha. Then Wednesday, we are on the road to the Badlands and Mount Rushmore. I've never been to either of them, so I am pretty excited. Matt's mom gave me her old camera so I'll post lots of pictures, don't you worry.
We went to Hutch for Easter weekend. My parents also came down for the weekend. It was nice to see them. I did worry that they wouldn't have fun or enjoy themselves, but why would they go if they didn't feel comfortable right? And everyone got along so it was a success. Plus, I got to go in the hotel hot tub... I'm pushing for the apartments with the pool and hot tub, cross your fingers. You can use it when you come visit :)
I hope you all had a good weekend! Miss you and come visit?
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