Safety first!

Bob made me tacos for dinner tonight. He didn't understand why I thought the safety goggles were so funny.

First Day at Work!

Bob had his first day with Nissan today. He was nervous about getting everything right but he told me his coworkers were very nice. He is worried about his pay, until he is able to work faster than the flat rate it will be less than we thought. Not much to do about it at this point but work hard and keep a close eye on our budget, but we wish we had known before upending our lives and moving. I will be out looking for a job tomorrow, hopefully I can find something full time.
I walked around the complex some more today and found a little courtyard with three pretty fountains in it. I think we will go back on Bob's day off to hang out and draw.

What a waist!

I made Bob a new belt today, he needed something called a "mechanic's belt" for work. There are a few versions of the belt, but we went for simple and easy: Duct tape! Just kidding, we decided that a Velcro closure made the most sense, and seeing as I had four coupons to Joanns from our grocery store, it seemed like a good match. My sewing machine is doing much better after oiling it on the advice from a coworker , so I was able to make him the belt from start to finish in one hour. We picked out two straps that matched Nissan's colors ( the one in the back is a solid red nylon, and the one in front is cotton with a black, grey and red stripe), and I sewed one on top on the other for extra strength. The Velcro is sewed on separately so that I didn't overtax the machine. Overall, we are both pretty happy with the belt, and I might make more with a few tweaks!

Yep, still not fond of malls

We experienced our first Arizona rain today, it wasn't much but it was nice to see all the same. Hearing the sound of the raindrops through our fireplace was especially comforting for me. Did I mention we have a fireplace? I plan on filling it with candles, seeing as we won't really be able to use it. There are very few days a year that people are allowed to light fires in Arizona. It is so dry here, it is hard to explain the feeling exactly. We have both been drinking as much water as we can stand, just to keep up.
We walked over to the mall near us today to look for a mechanic's belt for Bob. A mechanic's belt has no buckle on the front, not even a plastic one, so that he won't scratch paint while he works on the cars. We didn't find one, so I will have to make him a temporary one until he can buy it from work or online. The mall wasn't overly crowded, especially as close to Christmas as we are, but after an hour or so I needed to leave.
Bob starts work on Monday, wish him luck! Here is a picture of him unpacking a box looking for a matching pair of shoes. Look closely at the shoes- this was completely on accident and every time he pulled out another I started laughing harder!

Might never leave!

Bob and I have done some walking around now, and we discovered a Hobby Lobby and a Joann etc, which is like a super-Joann. The crafter in me is getting pretty antsy! Here I am in the (huge) Joann's:

Blerg

Painters came today, one of our walls was a weird beige color when we moved in so they are painting it back to white. I have a cold that turned into a scratchy cough and am taking it easy today. Bob had his drug test for work earlier, he starts in about a week :-)

All moved!

Bob and I had a long day, it is so nice to settle down into our own bed again, knowing that all the boxes are in our new apartment. Got our keys at 10:00am, then brought Eggroll into the apartment and locked her in the bedroom. Then we had to wait a bit for our garage to be ready, because all of Bob's tools and his motorcycle (in pieces) were the first things to come out of the truck. The maintenance man was very nice and got everything clean and fixed for us very fast. Then the fun began. For those who don't know, we now live on the second floor. That means every box and piece of furniture also had to be on the second floor. Including what may very well be The Largest Couch in the World. So we walked up and down, up and down, up and down, until suddenly there was only one small table left. I started cheering I was so happy to be done.
We did take breaks, and had lunch at a nice sandwich shop. That helped keep us from getting too tired.
The new apartment complex is very nice, lots of pretty plants growing all over, palm trees and bougainvillea everywhere. It is very well maintained and so far the staff have been very friendly and helpful. I took a picture of the courtyard in front of our place. We are on the left side of the picture, at the top of the stairs.
Eggroll is doing well, she has been pretty hyper, exploring all of our belongings all over again. I'm glad that the trip didn't seem to effect her negatively.
The apartment is kind of a mess right now, I will put up more pictures as things get organized and decorated. For those wanting our new address, I won't be putting it up here in case of crazies, but I will try to text or email it out to everyone. If I forget to send it to you for some reason, just bug me until I remember ;-D Time to sleep!

Day three

We were on the road before 10:00am today, which really helped because it is starting to get hot! Not sure it we are just maladjusted to the temperature or are dressed too warmly but I'm starting to sweat. Doesn't feel a bit like December to me. I suppose I thought that it would still be slightly chilly here, like it was in Sac, but as far south as we are that hasn't been the case. Lots of sand and palm trees! We even saw a windmill forest. Eggroll had more trouble at the beginning this time, but she seems to be doing better now. She cries every time Bob gets out of the car to put in gas or get food.
***EDIT***
Just crossed the border into Arizona! Getting excited, can't wait to be in our new apartment. Saw our first official Arizona cactus too.

Day two

Had a shorter day yesterday, tried to take it easy after the long drive yesterday. We even took in some sightseeing. Eggroll is doing much better today, and is sleeping a lot.

Eggroll is a daddy's girl

Settled down for bed at our first stop of the trip. We made great time... And then we hit LA traffic. Ended up an hour past when we thought we would stop, but it all worked out in the end. Eggroll calmed down right away once we got her inside and away from the van, she's laying on top of me and purring right now. I think we are all happy to be out of it to be honest. We went through one of those weigh stations for semi-trucks on our way here, does anyone know if we are supposed to or not? The moving van is 16 feet long, by far not the largest you can rent, and we felt very small and foolish among all the big trucks. Alright, time to go to sleep. Despite not having to drive and basically just sitting on my bum all day, I am really tired!

Should we be worried?

Moving Day!

Today is the day! We got on the road around 12:30 and traffic has been pretty smooth so far. We had to give Eggroll a sedative to help her stay calm during the drive. It's helping a bit, but she still isn't happy to be in a car. She was hiding under Bob's seat for a bit, and has been making sad meowing noises.
We have the cab of the van all set up for her with her scratching box under my feet and her favorite toy, and then between us we have food and water next to a litter box. That took up all the room so I had to hide snacks all over like a squirrel getting ready for a long winter.
It was hard leaving everyone behind, and we will definitely miss everyone like crazy, but the excitement of a new adventure is starting to creep in. Goodbye Sacramento, we are on our way to Arizona ( Or, as one of the little ones I took care of calls it, "Anazana") !
Ps- we didn't think we had very much stuff to move and would be able to fit everything in the moving van easily. So much for that!