Friday, January 30, 2015

Here I Am!

Happy New Year, everyone! A little late, yes, but it's still January for a couple more days. I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season and are having a great 2015 so far.

So, where have I been?

More like, where haven't I been?

You probably remember me mentioning a couple of months ago that hubby and I were moving cross-country. Well, we made the journey and we're both finally getting settled in.

A week before Christmas, the movers came and packed up our stuff in Louisiana.

Movers are always super happy when they find out that our apartment is on the third floor. And also that there's no elevator.


The next day, we drove home to Florida for Christmas.

Those presents are mine, you understand? All mine!


It was nice to have a break in between the chaos from the weeks before and the chaos we knew was looming in the weeks ahead. We savored having nothing else to do but relax and spend time with family and friends for a few days.


We even had time for our annual Goofy Golf tournament. I lost. Again. It's a holiday tradition.

A couple of days after Christmas, it was time to pack up the Family Truckster and hit the road. We spent six days driving through the great states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before arriving in California.

This represents approximately 2,100 miles and 32 hours of driving.

I said farewell to my car in Louisiana, so hubby and I made the trip together in his car. I was not looking forward to the long drive, and probably neither was my husband since after only a few hours in the car I tend to get agitated and basically become a giant three-year-old. ("I'm bored ... I'm hungry ... I don't want to be in the car anymore ... I have to go potty.") We made the trip more manageable by breaking it into 4-6 hour days, with the exception of the 8-hour drive from Florida back to Louisiana, so it wasn't all that bad for either of us. And the car drove like a champ and gave us zero problems, which always makes road trips nicer.

And we got to smell the calming scent of lavender all the way to California after one of my fragrance oil bottles leaked. Fortunately, the cardboard box absorbed it all and none of it stained the floorboards. Hubby's car still smells faintly of lovely loveliness. (You're welcome, hon! Enjoy!)

The terrain was pretty flat from Florida to Texas, but as we got closer to El Paso, the topography began to change. Mountains began to appear and the landscape became more desert-like. As the roads became more hilly, my ears began to pop. The scenery was definitely different from what I'm used to, and the drive through the southwest was very pretty. It was so pretty that I sometimes even forgot to whine about being in the car.

Here are some snapshots from our journey:

Wind turbines near Odessa, TX







Hey, look, Stitch was hanging out in New Mexico, too!



Las Cruces, NM.





Between El Paso and Tucson, we saw several billboards coaxing us to make a detour to behold "The Thing."

We didn't stop to visit The Thing, but we did visit the Googles and found some info about The Thing there. (Spoiler alert.)

Somewhere in Arizona along the interstate.


FINALLY made it to California!


We rolled in to town on New Year's Day. Talk about a fresh start to the new year! Our stuff arrived about a week after we did, so we stayed at Base Lodging in the meantime.


Moving-in day.



The house was a disaster for the first week or so after unpacking. Here is a before-and-after of my soap supplies storage room: 


Before                                                                   After

The move came with a few glitches and headaches. We lost a few screws (literally and figuratively), and I'm still not quite sure what's going on with our mail. But I think we've got most things worked out now and we're settled enough to start checking out our new surroundings.

We've already found some restaurants and shops that we like, and I've got a jogging route and a routine at the gym squared away. There are lots of fun things to do, both of the indoor and outdoor variety. And we are treated to some gorgeous views around here:

















Now that things are finally calming down, I think I can even begin to think about making soap again soon! I am short on a  few soapy supplies, but that should be rectified shortly. I do have some coconut oil and pink Himalayan salt on hand. A batch of salt bars may be a thing that is about to happen ... 


21 comments:

  1. Hey Jenny! You don't know me, but I do follow you on youtube! Glad you are back! You live closer to my neck of the woods now. I live in northern Arizona! Looking forward to more of your video's! Happy soaping!

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    1. Hi, Val! Arizona is beautiful. I really enjoyed seeing the sights as we passed through. Thanks so much for reading and for following my YouTube channel! Happy soaping to you, too!

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  2. All in all, looks like you had a fun time getting to California. I am so happy you got to spend some time here in Florida with us before hitting the old dusty trail. Here's to new adventures!

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    1. The road trip went smoothly, and it was fun rolling into a new town each night and hanging out. We enjoyed seeing the sights along the way, too. We're so glad that we got to come home for a visit before it was time to head out. We're enjoying California and looking forward to you guys visiting!

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  3. Congratulations! I'm glad to see you have your own soap room no matter what. :)

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    1. Thanks, Angie! Yes, setting up the soap room was a priority. :)

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  4. You can not imagine Jenny how I enjoyed reading this post! Beautiful pictures, grate environment, I had a feeling I travelled with you :) I would like to whish you all the best in 2015 and many new soap projects!

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    1. Thanks, Gordana! I'm glad that you enjoyed the post. All the best to you in 2015, too!

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  5. Same what Goca said! I like following my friends through their journeys and get to know new, interesting places I've never been in. Thanks for sharing this exciting story from your trip. I see you're in good place now and having sun in January is the most precious advantage of your move! The Sun makes people happy, no doubt you both will be happy together there.

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    1. Thanks, Maja! I'm glad that you enjoyed the post. I hadn't seen much of the southwest until now, and it's been really neat to experience. The weather here is gorgeous and we do have a lot of sunshine! I think we will be happy here, too.

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  7. Thank you for tooking us on your journey. There are interest places, where you stayed. All the best in your new home.

    I look Forward to your new Soap experiences.

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    1. Thanks, Krissi! All the best to you, too! Now that we are pretty much settled, more soap will be on the way. :)

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  8. It sounds like you had an adventurous journey, Jenny! Beautiful places, thanks for sharing them with us and good luck with your new home!

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    1. Thank you, Natalia! We did see some beautiful scenery along the way. Things are going well and we are enjoying the new home.

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  9. 2015 will be a great year :) Happy soaping Jenny :)

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    1. Thanks, Renata! I hope 2015 is a great year for you as well!

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  10. I love your travel log, you are hilarious! DId you also say to hubby every 3 minutes while on the road, "are we there yet?" ;) You guys did quite the trek, but it looks like a lot of fun. Have fun with continuing to settle in and looking forward to your next soaping project.

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    1. Thanks, Monica! I probably did ask him if we were there yet a few times, but it's important to keep asking because it helps you get there faster. :D It was a long drive, but breaking it up like we did helped. And the scenery was pretty. I think we're on our way to getting settled in, so some soapy projects should be on the horizon!

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  11. What an adventure - from the cross country road trip to settling in a new place. All the best to you and your hubby, and I hope you will have some new soaping adventures soon. :)

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    1. Hi, Silvia! It has been quite an adventure. The road trip went smoothly and we're settling in and having fun exploring our new home. Thanks for the well wishes!

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