This morning we got some unsettling news followed by better news this afternoon. Brian received an email about his contract this morning saying that they want him to work on M, W, Th, Sat. Which would be bad since we would never have a 2 day weekend to travel to other islands and just relax. I went to work with Brian today and watched the master work. It was nice to be around teeth again.
Then this afternoon, we received the elusive contract. They didn't cut his pay, unless the salary will be pro-rated for 4 days a week. But the great part is they put in some relocation reimbursement, which really helps! We are waiting to hear back about the working Sat deal. We were surprised because when Brian interviewed, they said that they weren't open on Sat's.
We will get the final word on the move in a couple days.....
I got a GREAT fortune in my fortune cookie last night......"New work opportunities will arise shortly"......
I spent the day yesterday putting my name out there some more. I called all the dental supply reps (they helped Brian find his job) and talked to them. Then, with my stolen phone book from Oahu, I started calling dentists in my area. I will continue with my search on Mon. I also sent one last pleading email to the original Dr. detailing why I think adding the chair to her office would help her achieve her goals of working less hours (faster training for me if we each have chairs and work side by side) and increasing value of her practice (so she can sell). It was a last ditch effort. Brian and I spent quite a bit of time composing it so it wouldn't sound pushy. Cross your fingers.
Tonight, we are going out for a drink to celebrate our possible good news. And I am excited because I've been saving this great Marilyn Monroe type white dress for the occasion.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Another Hang up
Well, we have some more bad news. I spoke with the woman I want to work with in Kapolei and she is not ready to put in an additional chair to her practice. This is a big problem. She doesn't want to put the investment into her practice because she wants to sell and thinks that someone may only want 2 chairs in the practice.
This is, in dental terms, not remotely practical. A dentist could work in the chair and pay off the dollar investment the chair in a month. Two months if the work was part time. I am going to talk with her again, but I am in a dire situation now.
I made the drastic mistake of putting my eggs in this one basket and now I need to find someone who will consider hiring me without meeting me face to face.
We have to mail the downpayment for the condo on monday in order to hold it and neither of us know how much money we will be making or if I will be working.
Wish me luck in this additional challenge. I have to admitt, Brian and I can't think of anything that we have done that has taken this work and has had so much uncertainty. There is a reason that people don't do this very often!
This is, in dental terms, not remotely practical. A dentist could work in the chair and pay off the dollar investment the chair in a month. Two months if the work was part time. I am going to talk with her again, but I am in a dire situation now.
I made the drastic mistake of putting my eggs in this one basket and now I need to find someone who will consider hiring me without meeting me face to face.
We have to mail the downpayment for the condo on monday in order to hold it and neither of us know how much money we will be making or if I will be working.
Wish me luck in this additional challenge. I have to admitt, Brian and I can't think of anything that we have done that has taken this work and has had so much uncertainty. There is a reason that people don't do this very often!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Just Kidding!
Yesterday, we received some disappointing news. We are still waiting on info for Brian's contract. The CFO hasn't even looked at it. We have to have a confirmation of his salary- pronto! Basically, they told us to just "hang in there". Which is ridiculous considering they have had Brian's application for weeks. In addition, what have they been able to accomplish since April when we visited? I'm not sure. The residents that Brian will be teaching will have arrived by next week. However, there is no one contracted to teach them until Brian starts work. Brian's contract is more important to nail down than mine because he can only get a community service license, so there are few places he can work. Whereas, I can work in any dental office.
Brian's job is supposed to be starting (and mine too hopefully) around the end of Aug. In order to start then we desperately want to arrive the first week of Aug so that we can pick up some furniture and settle in before starting. Our cars and relocube take 3-4 weeks to arrive and need 2 weeks notice for pick up. We basically need the contract to be completed by July 1st in order to be able to start work at the end of Aug.
Now, some will say...push it back a month. Well.....our renters need to move in and we have found our dream townhouse that we want to put a downpayment on before someone else gets it.
The townhouse is in Ko Olina Resort, and is part of the Coconut Plantation gated community. It has a sandy bottom pool. Its located on hole #13 (my lucky number) on the Ted Robinson golf course which is a part of the LGPA tour. So we could watch the golfers from our lanai. This style townhouse has been going for about $3-500 more a month than the price we were offered. We think this is because they want to get someone in it who will stay and who will be good tennants.
We know this place sounds ritzy, but, if we are going to spend so much of our income on housing, we'd like to have something spectacular and this one is (by Hawaii's standards). Its about 1800 sq feet which is about 400 more sq feet than we thought we'd be able to afford. There are 3 full baths and 3 bedrooms. I know if this townhouse doesn't work out due to the contract, we will find another. But now, we are sooo excited about this one, we can hardly stand it. Double sinks in the bathroom, granite counters, walk in closets....sounds like heaven!
In addition, if we can get the contract info by the 1st, we will be packing the relocube around the 17th of July. We will be seeing how much we can stuff in there. We have a practice space set up in the basement mapped out to size, for practice. Once the cube is here, we have 3 days to fill it with whatever earthly belongings we will want for 2 years.
Brian's job is supposed to be starting (and mine too hopefully) around the end of Aug. In order to start then we desperately want to arrive the first week of Aug so that we can pick up some furniture and settle in before starting. Our cars and relocube take 3-4 weeks to arrive and need 2 weeks notice for pick up. We basically need the contract to be completed by July 1st in order to be able to start work at the end of Aug.
Now, some will say...push it back a month. Well.....our renters need to move in and we have found our dream townhouse that we want to put a downpayment on before someone else gets it.
The townhouse is in Ko Olina Resort, and is part of the Coconut Plantation gated community. It has a sandy bottom pool. Its located on hole #13 (my lucky number) on the Ted Robinson golf course which is a part of the LGPA tour. So we could watch the golfers from our lanai. This style townhouse has been going for about $3-500 more a month than the price we were offered. We think this is because they want to get someone in it who will stay and who will be good tennants.
We know this place sounds ritzy, but, if we are going to spend so much of our income on housing, we'd like to have something spectacular and this one is (by Hawaii's standards). Its about 1800 sq feet which is about 400 more sq feet than we thought we'd be able to afford. There are 3 full baths and 3 bedrooms. I know if this townhouse doesn't work out due to the contract, we will find another. But now, we are sooo excited about this one, we can hardly stand it. Double sinks in the bathroom, granite counters, walk in closets....sounds like heaven!
In addition, if we can get the contract info by the 1st, we will be packing the relocube around the 17th of July. We will be seeing how much we can stuff in there. We have a practice space set up in the basement mapped out to size, for practice. Once the cube is here, we have 3 days to fill it with whatever earthly belongings we will want for 2 years.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Biggest day
Today is Erin's 21st birthday!!! I was hoping to celebrate with her on the date, but we had to post pone due to our crazy Hawaii stuff.
Today, I will be discussing my contract with Dr. Masuda. Brian is getting his finalized offer today....and we are hopefully, going to be approved for an amazing townhouse in Ko Olina. We are hoping the owners drop their price by a bit for us. So this is the day of no return.....(at least for a year).
The jeep may be shipping out July 14th and the Relocube (with whatever furniture and belongings can fit into 6 x 7x 8 ft) will go around the 19th. Then the Alero would ship Aug 2nd (ish). By the way, I just noticed today that my original license plate "the 707"....the zip code for where we are living is 96....707.
Yesterday, the couple came to look at the house and loved it! They seem like the perfect family to live here. They have a 1 year old, and 4 year old girls and the dad is a Mr. Mom, while mom is doing her residency at the hospital in pediatrics. The 4 year old raced into the house yesterday and asked, "where's the ballet barre?". She started taking ballet last year.
We also found a storage center for only 55$ a month for 5 x 10 feet of space, which is perfect for us, since we are leaving some of our furniture at the house. Of course, the pink chairs and such will be lovingly packed in storage awaiting my return. Its a very nice brand new storage center that just opened up last week, and its about a mile from the house.
I will ask if someone will take my photos and a blanket that eloise made for me. I'm also trying to figure out how I'm going to ship Gramsbear...luggage or relocube? Hmmm...maybe carry on luggage.
PS- Grampy, I tried printing my blog today to see how it works. I just went to the top where it says file and clicked on file and then clicked on print. When mine came out, the printer had reversed the colors automatically so that it is white paper with grey lettering (would be nicer if it was black). It printed the last two postings along with the picture of Brian and I on the side.
See if it works for you.
Today, I will be discussing my contract with Dr. Masuda. Brian is getting his finalized offer today....and we are hopefully, going to be approved for an amazing townhouse in Ko Olina. We are hoping the owners drop their price by a bit for us. So this is the day of no return.....(at least for a year).
The jeep may be shipping out July 14th and the Relocube (with whatever furniture and belongings can fit into 6 x 7x 8 ft) will go around the 19th. Then the Alero would ship Aug 2nd (ish). By the way, I just noticed today that my original license plate "the 707"....the zip code for where we are living is 96....707.
Yesterday, the couple came to look at the house and loved it! They seem like the perfect family to live here. They have a 1 year old, and 4 year old girls and the dad is a Mr. Mom, while mom is doing her residency at the hospital in pediatrics. The 4 year old raced into the house yesterday and asked, "where's the ballet barre?". She started taking ballet last year.
We also found a storage center for only 55$ a month for 5 x 10 feet of space, which is perfect for us, since we are leaving some of our furniture at the house. Of course, the pink chairs and such will be lovingly packed in storage awaiting my return. Its a very nice brand new storage center that just opened up last week, and its about a mile from the house.
I will ask if someone will take my photos and a blanket that eloise made for me. I'm also trying to figure out how I'm going to ship Gramsbear...luggage or relocube? Hmmm...maybe carry on luggage.
PS- Grampy, I tried printing my blog today to see how it works. I just went to the top where it says file and clicked on file and then clicked on print. When mine came out, the printer had reversed the colors automatically so that it is white paper with grey lettering (would be nicer if it was black). It printed the last two postings along with the picture of Brian and I on the side.
See if it works for you.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Truckin'
We are truckin' along in our moving plans. We are waiting until tomorrow to hear back for my job, and until Monday to hear about Brian's. We found potential renters for our house in GR. Its a family of 4 with two young girls aged 1 and 4 (I think the 4 year old may enjoy my ballet barre). They are coming to look on Sun pm, but are very interested. The wife is a pediatric resident and the dad is Mr. Mom. Hopefully, it will work out.
We are pursuing 3 different Ko Olina units. One isn't ready until Sept, so it probably won't work out. The other two are both nice and we are debating between the two. Although, I just was comparing the pictures with the (Coconut) floorplan of one of them and caught the realtor in a mistake. He says its one model, but it doesn't match up with the floorplan. The pictures are from a larger model. But what's funny is that we would probably prefer the smaller model whose floorplan he provided because it has a nicer lanai. We really don't need the extra indoor space, but we would like the extra outdoor space. The other property (Kai) is consistent with the pics. The Coconut condo could be 1550 sq feet or 1830 sq feet depending on the model. The Kai is 1625 sq feet. The Coconut would have a nice view of tee #13 on the golf course. The Kai would have a nice view of the neighbors. The Kai is less $, but we are trying to bargain down the Coconut. Either way, we would be happy...especially me because this process is a lot of work.
I will be coming to DeKalb on Sun night or Mon am, but I can't stay but a couple days because so much is happening next week with our contracts. Once we confirm our contracts we need to pick our living place, put down and payment, book our moving companies and flights, etc. I am in charge of those items, so I will have to get back to book it all. I'll be back in town in July sometime when the flurry of reservations dies down.
I am looking for any able bodied packers who want to help. I'm having flash backs to my famous role as the Little Red Hen...."Who will come and help me, who will be so kind? Who will come and help me? Its won't take too much time."
In addition, I will be dropping off portions of my winter wardrobe at various places so if I visit in the winter months I will have winter wear available.
Oh, and our internet is out until tomorrow night, so I am frequenting Panera to have access.
We are pursuing 3 different Ko Olina units. One isn't ready until Sept, so it probably won't work out. The other two are both nice and we are debating between the two. Although, I just was comparing the pictures with the (Coconut) floorplan of one of them and caught the realtor in a mistake. He says its one model, but it doesn't match up with the floorplan. The pictures are from a larger model. But what's funny is that we would probably prefer the smaller model whose floorplan he provided because it has a nicer lanai. We really don't need the extra indoor space, but we would like the extra outdoor space. The other property (Kai) is consistent with the pics. The Coconut condo could be 1550 sq feet or 1830 sq feet depending on the model. The Kai is 1625 sq feet. The Coconut would have a nice view of tee #13 on the golf course. The Kai would have a nice view of the neighbors. The Kai is less $, but we are trying to bargain down the Coconut. Either way, we would be happy...especially me because this process is a lot of work.
I will be coming to DeKalb on Sun night or Mon am, but I can't stay but a couple days because so much is happening next week with our contracts. Once we confirm our contracts we need to pick our living place, put down and payment, book our moving companies and flights, etc. I am in charge of those items, so I will have to get back to book it all. I'll be back in town in July sometime when the flurry of reservations dies down.
I am looking for any able bodied packers who want to help. I'm having flash backs to my famous role as the Little Red Hen...."Who will come and help me, who will be so kind? Who will come and help me? Its won't take too much time."
In addition, I will be dropping off portions of my winter wardrobe at various places so if I visit in the winter months I will have winter wear available.
Oh, and our internet is out until tomorrow night, so I am frequenting Panera to have access.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Licensing and Ko Olina
We had quite a plan today. We went to the state licensing building in Lansing to help Brian get his license processed. By driving it there in person, we saved about 3-4 weeks of processing. We stopped at his parents house to eat our take out lunch and for Brian to see the dog for an hour.
On a brighter note, we found another realtor with a good price on a place we like in Ko Olina. We are working on getting more details. We'll see how this proceeds. We have been dealing with about 5 different realtors, so its all confusing. There are about 6 different parts of Ko Olina, each part has 3-8 different floorplans. The floorplans aren't posted for everyone to see, so we have to get each floorplan from the realtor.
On a brighter note, we found another realtor with a good price on a place we like in Ko Olina. We are working on getting more details. We'll see how this proceeds. We have been dealing with about 5 different realtors, so its all confusing. There are about 6 different parts of Ko Olina, each part has 3-8 different floorplans. The floorplans aren't posted for everyone to see, so we have to get each floorplan from the realtor.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Working for Paradise
The past couple days have been more of the same. Lots of calls, emails, mailings and such. We are narrowing down our search for housing. There's one that we are leaning toward. Its the 3 bed/3 bath at Ko Olina Kai. Its 1625 square feet which is pretty big for the area. Its a 2 story townhouse with and upstairs and downstairs lanai. I will feel much better about this whole process once we put a down payment on a place to live. Then we can have an address and it makes everything sooo much easier. I'm having a hard time even joining the Hawaii Dental Assoc. (to place an ad in the journal for a job) without an address. In addition, I want HDA access so I can start to look into disability insurance and med insurance for when mine expires in late Aug.
Yesterday, I ended up driving to Howell (1.5 hours each way) to get to my bank since there are no branches/ATMs any closer. I'm just waiting for anything else to clear and then I will close out the account.
I don't know if anyone watched "Celebrity Circus" last night, but it is my new favorite crap TV show. What could be better than watching washed up celebrities as carnies? Katelyn should watch especially, since her career aptitude test said she should be a circus performer. I, of course, was supposed to be a nut farmer. Maybe I'll look into those Macadamia nut farms in Hawaii........
Today, I am going to go to either the Holland or Grand Haven beach park in the morning. Then, this afternoon, I am working on my job search (since Hawaii is 6 hours behind, I have to wait until 3pm before calling people). Wish me luck......
Yesterday, I ended up driving to Howell (1.5 hours each way) to get to my bank since there are no branches/ATMs any closer. I'm just waiting for anything else to clear and then I will close out the account.
I don't know if anyone watched "Celebrity Circus" last night, but it is my new favorite crap TV show. What could be better than watching washed up celebrities as carnies? Katelyn should watch especially, since her career aptitude test said she should be a circus performer. I, of course, was supposed to be a nut farmer. Maybe I'll look into those Macadamia nut farms in Hawaii........
Today, I am going to go to either the Holland or Grand Haven beach park in the morning. Then, this afternoon, I am working on my job search (since Hawaii is 6 hours behind, I have to wait until 3pm before calling people). Wish me luck......
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The Search Continues
Wow! This moving thing is a lot of work. Brian has been filling out the most horrible forms for his community service license. It involves official copies of board scores, NERB scores, diplomas, licenses, a self query (have no idea what that is), it had to be notorized. And now we have to go to Lansing to get someone to fill out a form verifying his Michigan license (which is a redundant). The Lansing gov personnel told us that it will take 6 weeks to process if we mail the verification form, but if we bring it in person it will only take 3 weeks. She said that the building is really big and that it takes 3 weeks to get from the mail room to her desk......right......
Then we still have to mail it to Hawaii and wait for that to process. In the mean time, I have been doing hours of research on shipping and housing. Turns out a lot of car transportation companies have a bad reputation, so I am working on another set of quotes from another 15 companies. I'm also looking into other companies to ship our belongings, but we did this before and no one could beat the Relocube price.
I talked about Ko Olina in my last post. We have been in contact with some owners and some realtors. There's one that I am IN LOVE with, but its just out of our price range. Its about $200 a month out of our range. That would be about $2,400 a year. Sounds like not a big deal for a couple dentists, but we are worried about staying afloat the first couple months as we get started in our jobs (I still need another part time job), especially if we can't find anyone to rent this Michigan house. But I still love that townhouse. It has plenty of room for visitors (which I really want, so that people can stay comfortably with us as we go to work) It has 2 bed and bath upstairs and an extra bed and bath on the main floor for anyone who doesn't want to have to go up and down stairs (grandparents, mom, Brian's dad, Brian's aunt Judy, etc.) But I am waiting this afternoon to hear back from another realtor who has some lower prices.
We are also nervous because we found out that they are still negotiating the budget at Brian's place of work so his salary could change (which would be very very bad). So we are waiting for a confirmation on salary before we can do much more. Our move date could get pushed back to beginning of Sept depending on all this.
In the mean time, I have no money and I only have a Hawaii license. My Michigan license isn't set to come in for another few weeks. I'm pretty close to deciding to wait tables.....I can see it now....
Customer: "Miss, could you get me a napkin."
Sarah: "Actually, I usually go by Dr. Webb."
It would be funny :)
Then we still have to mail it to Hawaii and wait for that to process. In the mean time, I have been doing hours of research on shipping and housing. Turns out a lot of car transportation companies have a bad reputation, so I am working on another set of quotes from another 15 companies. I'm also looking into other companies to ship our belongings, but we did this before and no one could beat the Relocube price.
I talked about Ko Olina in my last post. We have been in contact with some owners and some realtors. There's one that I am IN LOVE with, but its just out of our price range. Its about $200 a month out of our range. That would be about $2,400 a year. Sounds like not a big deal for a couple dentists, but we are worried about staying afloat the first couple months as we get started in our jobs (I still need another part time job), especially if we can't find anyone to rent this Michigan house. But I still love that townhouse. It has plenty of room for visitors (which I really want, so that people can stay comfortably with us as we go to work) It has 2 bed and bath upstairs and an extra bed and bath on the main floor for anyone who doesn't want to have to go up and down stairs (grandparents, mom, Brian's dad, Brian's aunt Judy, etc.) But I am waiting this afternoon to hear back from another realtor who has some lower prices.
We are also nervous because we found out that they are still negotiating the budget at Brian's place of work so his salary could change (which would be very very bad). So we are waiting for a confirmation on salary before we can do much more. Our move date could get pushed back to beginning of Sept depending on all this.
In the mean time, I have no money and I only have a Hawaii license. My Michigan license isn't set to come in for another few weeks. I'm pretty close to deciding to wait tables.....I can see it now....
Customer: "Miss, could you get me a napkin."
Sarah: "Actually, I usually go by Dr. Webb."
It would be funny :)
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Movin to paradise
Step 3...Hawaii update.
I got my Hawaii license. Brian got his job offer. It is full speed ahead to Hawaii. So we are FREAKING OUT. We thought it would be super exciting. But in reality we are super nervous. We have so much to do. I need a narcotic license. Brian needs all of his licensing filled out. We have to rent this house, store furniture, ship cars, and fit whatever earthly belongings we want into a 6 x 7 x 8 relocube (like pods). Each relocube is over 3K so most things would be cheaper to buy again than ship. And don't ask us about shipping the cars. We've had sooo many people try to explain to us that we should sell our cars. Lets put this to rest. We have been researching this for a year, believe me, we have THOROUGHLY investigated all options and this is the best for us. Believe me, we know more about moving to Hawaii than most.
Currently, we are looking into moving into Ko Olina. Its a resorty type complex in Kapolei. It would be extremely convenient. Its gated, very safe, and has lots of amenities. We think it will be the best option for us. The convenience of walking to one of four private beaches, have tennis courts, pools, and all sorts of walking paths. It will be like living in a vacation condo. We are focusing on the townhouses and hope to find one we can afford with room for visitors. I saw one with 3 bedr, 3 full bath that I am in love with. We are calling about it today. I have my heart set on it, but I know the chances of us getting it are slim since there is so much competition for housing. I am going to go enjoy my Sunday now..... I'll keep the updates coming.
I got my Hawaii license. Brian got his job offer. It is full speed ahead to Hawaii. So we are FREAKING OUT. We thought it would be super exciting. But in reality we are super nervous. We have so much to do. I need a narcotic license. Brian needs all of his licensing filled out. We have to rent this house, store furniture, ship cars, and fit whatever earthly belongings we want into a 6 x 7 x 8 relocube (like pods). Each relocube is over 3K so most things would be cheaper to buy again than ship. And don't ask us about shipping the cars. We've had sooo many people try to explain to us that we should sell our cars. Lets put this to rest. We have been researching this for a year, believe me, we have THOROUGHLY investigated all options and this is the best for us. Believe me, we know more about moving to Hawaii than most.
Currently, we are looking into moving into Ko Olina. Its a resorty type complex in Kapolei. It would be extremely convenient. Its gated, very safe, and has lots of amenities. We think it will be the best option for us. The convenience of walking to one of four private beaches, have tennis courts, pools, and all sorts of walking paths. It will be like living in a vacation condo. We are focusing on the townhouses and hope to find one we can afford with room for visitors. I saw one with 3 bedr, 3 full bath that I am in love with. We are calling about it today. I have my heart set on it, but I know the chances of us getting it are slim since there is so much competition for housing. I am going to go enjoy my Sunday now..... I'll keep the updates coming.
Cirque Du Wiedemer
So, the wedding was the most amazing thing ever. We all loaded onto "The Lookout", a huge catameran. The ceremony was conducted by Brian's aunt BJ who is an ordained minister. It was nice, personal and short (perfect). Then we had wine and cheese and such and boated around for maybe 45 min. Then we pulled into the dock to the site of the reception. Everyone was waiting for us. There were people on stilts, jugglers, balloon makers, pirates, everything. There was 5 tents. the main tent housed the live salsa band, dance floor, couch and chair lounge, the main bar, wedding cake and some of the buffet. Then there was the hookah tent with 4 different flavors and it was filled with pillows, and silk on the ground. There was the photo booth tent with one of those photo booths from the carnival with costumes- That was a blast! There was a tent with mojitos (tropical drinks) and another food tent with tables for eating. Food was eclectic. Everything from sushi to mini cheeseburgers. Including soft shell crab, chocolate fondu, jambalaya, salad, chicken satay. The music was fun with the salsa band. Then tents were beautiful complete with custom made metal life size figures. Lots of local artists contributed to the event. Then there was a show between the tents a couple hours in for the belly dancers with flaming batons and another guy who threw around these fire lit torches. Then we all took the catamaran back to the hotel. It was an amazing night (as you can see from the photos).
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
WOW- soo many stories...
I have so much to share that I will have to break it up into a couple posts...There are three stages... Stage 1- I now live with a boy...Stage 2- Cirque du Soilei wedding in North Carolina....Stage 3- Hawaii update.
Stage 1: I now live with a boy
Brian and I went through a LONG day of UHaul disasters including 4 hours of driving all over Washtenaw county trying to find a UHaul trailer which I had already reserved. To make a long story short, we drove to 4 different locations all 20-40 miles apart before being able to pick up a trailer. Then after doing this for 4 hours, we then still had to pack and move. We rolled into GR with the last of my Ann Arbor life at 9pm on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. We unloaded and then ordered Chinese food. We were almost still speaking to each other.
I, personally, am the worst mover of all time. The entire experience stresses me out and makes me a crazy person. Brian has graciously moved around and pitched most of his belongings to make space for me. In addition, he can't find anything in the kitchen since I rearranged it entirely. He can now find the ziplock bags, but that's about it.
We then threw our belongings in the car to go camping the next day (we needed a break from the whole moving thing). That was a good time. Then we spent the rest of the weekend unpacking and such. We can then fast forward to.....
Stage 2: The Circus wedding
We spent Weds night at my apartment- my last night as a single girl in Ann Arbor. We flew into New Bern, NC. We ended up with a bright red clown car (smallest car I've ever seen). But we like the gas milage and the EZ parking. I discovered that New Bern is the birthplace of Pepsi Cola (my uncle would be happy). We then rested and then went to Brian's sister's (Kristin) house for a BBQ. They have the most amazing bungalo (The song Grampy and Ahmie always sing comes to mind..."We'll build a bungalo big enough for 2, big enough for 2 my darling, big enough for 1,2, 3, 4....") They have completely customized and redone this house for the past 4-5 years and it is amazing. Every cabinet is custom built in, they have a murphy bed in the guest room, and they sleep in the loft upstairs. It is truely beautiful-definitely should be in a magazine. They have a great backyard complete with fire pit and seating. We had shish kebabs of steak, chicken and shrimp. It was the best shrimp I've ever had. Fresh shrimp, right off the charcoal grill. Then I was the DD, so I got to drive all the crazy Wiedemer (and partners) to the hotel. The next day included picking up several things for the wedding and driving to Beaufort, NC. Beaufort is an adorable town right on the water. We stayed at a great hotel, the Inlet Inn. You could call and they would deliver continental breakfast to your room at no charge. We looked right over the docks. We were able to spend a couple hours at Atlantic Beach (found only 1 shark tooth since the tide was in). Then we had the rehearsal dinner. It was in walking distance to the hotel. We sat outside, but they decided to cram about 35-40 of us on this long table. We were so packed in that you couldn't move your arms. Brian and I would take turns cutting each others food. One would hold the knife, one the fork. Luckily, the meal was a tappas style dinner not requiring much cutting. We had bread and salad followed by.....steak kebabs, crab cakes, oysters (which I liked), seared tuna, seaweed salad, squid, crab dip and pita, bacon wrapped scollops, bruschetta, and a chocolate mousse type cheesecake for dessert. With plenty of champagne, and local wine- it was a great meal. Also, Kristin and Pete did this really nice thing, where they went down the table and introduced us one at a time and said something nice about each person. It was a great way to get to know everyone, and very personal. Us "kids" then hit some local watering holes around town. I was a hit in my yellow fit and flare cap sleeved sun dress. Wow....I need a break before I get to the actual wedding and move to stage 3...
I will post this and finish later this afternoon.
Stage 1: I now live with a boy
Brian and I went through a LONG day of UHaul disasters including 4 hours of driving all over Washtenaw county trying to find a UHaul trailer which I had already reserved. To make a long story short, we drove to 4 different locations all 20-40 miles apart before being able to pick up a trailer. Then after doing this for 4 hours, we then still had to pack and move. We rolled into GR with the last of my Ann Arbor life at 9pm on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. We unloaded and then ordered Chinese food. We were almost still speaking to each other.
I, personally, am the worst mover of all time. The entire experience stresses me out and makes me a crazy person. Brian has graciously moved around and pitched most of his belongings to make space for me. In addition, he can't find anything in the kitchen since I rearranged it entirely. He can now find the ziplock bags, but that's about it.
We then threw our belongings in the car to go camping the next day (we needed a break from the whole moving thing). That was a good time. Then we spent the rest of the weekend unpacking and such. We can then fast forward to.....
Stage 2: The Circus wedding
We spent Weds night at my apartment- my last night as a single girl in Ann Arbor. We flew into New Bern, NC. We ended up with a bright red clown car (smallest car I've ever seen). But we like the gas milage and the EZ parking. I discovered that New Bern is the birthplace of Pepsi Cola (my uncle would be happy). We then rested and then went to Brian's sister's (Kristin) house for a BBQ. They have the most amazing bungalo (The song Grampy and Ahmie always sing comes to mind..."We'll build a bungalo big enough for 2, big enough for 2 my darling, big enough for 1,2, 3, 4....") They have completely customized and redone this house for the past 4-5 years and it is amazing. Every cabinet is custom built in, they have a murphy bed in the guest room, and they sleep in the loft upstairs. It is truely beautiful-definitely should be in a magazine. They have a great backyard complete with fire pit and seating. We had shish kebabs of steak, chicken and shrimp. It was the best shrimp I've ever had. Fresh shrimp, right off the charcoal grill. Then I was the DD, so I got to drive all the crazy Wiedemer (and partners) to the hotel. The next day included picking up several things for the wedding and driving to Beaufort, NC. Beaufort is an adorable town right on the water. We stayed at a great hotel, the Inlet Inn. You could call and they would deliver continental breakfast to your room at no charge. We looked right over the docks. We were able to spend a couple hours at Atlantic Beach (found only 1 shark tooth since the tide was in). Then we had the rehearsal dinner. It was in walking distance to the hotel. We sat outside, but they decided to cram about 35-40 of us on this long table. We were so packed in that you couldn't move your arms. Brian and I would take turns cutting each others food. One would hold the knife, one the fork. Luckily, the meal was a tappas style dinner not requiring much cutting. We had bread and salad followed by.....steak kebabs, crab cakes, oysters (which I liked), seared tuna, seaweed salad, squid, crab dip and pita, bacon wrapped scollops, bruschetta, and a chocolate mousse type cheesecake for dessert. With plenty of champagne, and local wine- it was a great meal. Also, Kristin and Pete did this really nice thing, where they went down the table and introduced us one at a time and said something nice about each person. It was a great way to get to know everyone, and very personal. Us "kids" then hit some local watering holes around town. I was a hit in my yellow fit and flare cap sleeved sun dress. Wow....I need a break before I get to the actual wedding and move to stage 3...
I will post this and finish later this afternoon.
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