Move is over

I've been so busy, I haven't had time to post about our BIG move. Chris, David, and I flew to NYC on August 5th. We took a taxi to the Penske truck rental place; which was an adventure in and of itself since the driver did not know his way around the South Bronx. We got the truck, which only had 2 seats in the front, so I had to sit on the floor in between the seats on the way over to the storage facility.

Our friend Nate met us at the storage place to help us load up the truck. The movers had not packed the room well, so some of our wedding dishes were smashed, furniture scraped up, and boxes destroyed. It was not fun unpacking the room and taking everything downstairs to the truck, but at least there was an elevator to use.

After a few hours, we realized that the truck was not going to hold all of our things! It was too late to go back and get a larger truck, and we were getting closer to the time the storage facility would close for the day...so we just had to figure out what had to go in the truck and what would be left behind. One of the guys working at the place said he would take what we left behind...which ended up being a futon that I had since college, a rather nice bookshelf, a filing cabinet, a papasan chair with ottoman, a second ottoman, 2 office chairs, a buffet and hutch, and a few other items. I was SO upset about leaving some really nice things behind...about $500 worth! We did what we could, and I guess in the end, it was good that someone benefitted from our things instead of it getting thrown in a dumpster.

David and Chris drove the Penske truck back to Indiana, which was about a 14 hour drive. I stayed the night with my friend, Nancy, and we had a great time going out for sushi and drinks. I flew back to IN the next day by myself.

On Friday, Aug 7th, we loaded up some furniture that I had at my Mom's house and at my Grandma's house, and got ready for our next part of the move....heading up to Bloomington. We actually rented a U-Haul truck to use since we couldn't fit more into the Penske truck.

On Saturday, Mom drove the U-Haul and I rode with her, David drove the Penske truck, and Carolyn drove the SUV with Chris in tow. We hired two moving guys to unload everything, which was worth every penny! Those guys were great! They unloaded everything in under an hour and a half. We didn't have to wear ourselves out with lugging things up and down the one flight of stairs that we have.

We have been slowly unpacking and settling back into life here in Bloomington. Some things have changed, and other things have stayed the same. It's comforting knowing where to go around the city, and not having to learn where to go for groceries and other items. We are not the only Prius owners here, which is great. :) We passed 10 Prius yesterday while we were out and about! Bloomington is such a great city, and we are enjoying being back. We joined the local Co-op and are reconnecting with friends in the area.

Michelle, Ryan's fiance, has been living with us the last two weeks while waiting for their apartment to open up this weekend. It's been nice having the opportunity to get to know her better before the wedding next month.

Oreo is settling in a bit, but not sure why Michelle is here. He's not too keen on having a roommate. :)

Our apartment is not entirely unpacked, but almost there. I will be posting some up to date photos soon! We love our new place. It's HUGE, and the grounds are very nice and green. It has the feel of being in NH with all the trees, the ponds right outside, and the buildings remind us of our friend's condo. We have been to the pool once so far, and plan on going to the gym soon. We have two pools and two gyms on the grounds, plus a walking path and other ammenities. The place is so much nicer than other places we have lived here in the states.

Check out our photos HERE

Proud to own a Prius!

Today, Chris and I did something I didn't think we would do...we purchased a car! We knew we would need one after moving back to IN for the year, but we had thought about borrowing one for the time being. We started shopping around and got "the fever" to get a pre-owned (doesn't that sound better than "used") car.

We test drove a Camry, a Taurus, and then an 05 Prius. We would not have thought about looking at the Prius, but my father in law brought up the idea and so we started doing some research. The research was very positive, so we had to take one for a drive to see for ourselves.

We went down to Clarksville, IN to test drive an 05, and we were SO impressed! Even Chris was impressed, which REALLY says a lot since he hates driving. The car wasn't in the best of shape though, so we decided to do some more shopping and see what was around the area. David found 3 listed for Bloomington, so we made a trip up there today to check them out.

The first car we looked at was a blue, 2007 Prius fully loaded. We took it for a drive and fell in love. We came back to the lot and told the guy we needed to go get some lunch and think things over, and he told us to take the car with us! We talked it over while eating Thai food, and then came back to wheel and deal. When buying a car, you really have to "play the game" as David says. The three of us dealed rather well and we ended up driving away with our blue Prius!

On the way home from Bloomington to Salem (an hour drive) we averaged about 50 mpg! WOW!

This car is SOOO amazing.....GPS, leather seats, Bluetooth, backup camera, you name it! It's incredible!

Now I'm having to fight Chris to drive it, which is absolute first in 11 1/2 years of being together. hahaha

This car is the perfect car for us considering we are all about eco-friendly things, recycling, and being as green as possible. Call us hippies, but we are happy to help the environment, while saving money on gas and having a safe, reliable, family friendly car. I think we are really going to enjoy our first car together!

Misc things going on

Over the past few weeks, we have been dealing with some sick kitties here at the Becks. Oreo was diagnosed with colitis a few weeks ago, and then Callie Coco came down with the same thing. Clinton has avoided getting sick so far. We thought we were in the clear this week, but now Oreo is sick again. It's been quite frustrating and not easy giving medication to the kitties. Chris & I are hoping that a few meals of chicken and rice will clear things up with Oreo this time around, and we are going to watch closely to be sure that the kitties don't eat each others food.

On a happier note, we have had a lot of great produce from the garden here. Lots of summer squash, blueberries, and now some green beans and tomatoes. Looking forward to eggplant, sugar snap peas, pumpkin and winter squash plus lots of herbs!

Chris and I enjoy the wildlife here. The Becks have TONS of Canadian geese and ducks around. We also have a squirrel that I have named "Acra" since she's an acrobat on the bird feeders...hanging upside down and spinning. We have seen a few strange bugs, including an assassin bug....which is REALLY gross.

We will be in NYC two weeks from yesterday! So excited to get our things out of the Bronx and to move in to our new place. We were going to move some things in on Aug 1st, but now the Beck family will be having a get together on that day, so we will have to wait until later in the day or on the 2nd.

The weather here in IN has been amazing for July. It has been in the 70's and 80's here, which is unheard of. The weather report said it is the first July since the late 1800's that we have not had a day above 90 degrees around here. I hope the cooler weather sticks around through Aug, for our move in.

CLICK HERE for photos

Our New Blog

Chris and I have completed our 9 month French adventure, so we thought it would be a good idea to begin a new blog for our next adventure...living in Indiana (our homestate) for a year.

We are currently living with Chris' parents at their lovely country house. We spend our days picking blueberries and garden veggies, tending the garden (herb and vegetable), and going through our mass of boxes down in the basement to prepare for a yard sale in September.

We will be able to pick up our keys to our new apartment in Bloomington on August 1st. I'm SOOO looking forward to finally seeing our new place in person! Chris' parents were nice enough to find it for us. On Aug 5th, we fly up to NYC, get our things out of the Bronx storage unit, and haul it back here. By Aug 8th, we will be moving in our furniture and will be able to start settling in.

Being back in the states after living in France has been quite an adjustment. I really do miss Marseille, but am feeling better about being back. Somedays are harder than others...when I look up at the grey sky and think about the beautiful blue sky of the Mediterranean, or go to the supermarket and am unable to find good produce & wine, or driving in a car for hours to get somewhere...but there are good things too, like being on the same time as family and being able to see them whenever we want, and not having to think in dual languages every day.

Chris will be going through the research information he aquired in France this year, and will write his PhD dissertation. As for me, my schedule is wide open. I am unable to work as a Hypnotist in IN, due to the insane hypnosis laws, so at this point, I'm not making any plans to work. I have a few projects I need to complete this year, and am opening myself to other opportunities if they were to present themselves.

We are still off the cell phone grid at the moment, but will be getting new phones soon and will update everyone on that info when we have it.