Where we are

I suppose it's time, for those that I haven't been able to update over the phone or in person, to hear about where we are/what we are doing now. Bob began working at the new dealership this Monday. Just in case he signed some sort of non-disclosure/no social media agreement I won't put the name here. But it rhymes with oats flagon and dottie Ahem. Anyways, Bob really likes it at "Oats-flagon and Dottie", everyone has been very nice to him so far and, unlike the other dealership in Arizona (which will from now on be referred to as it-which-must-not-be-named), they are actually training him. By this I mean there is a real human being taking time to stay with Bob during the day and show him how things are done. Just fantastic. Not to mention he is getting the hours he was promised, is not fighting for a bay, and hasn't seen any of the illegal/unethical practices that he witnessed at it-which-must-not-be-named. I'm so happy that he is happy.
All of that said, the work is difficult, and the learning curve is steep so he feels like a giant noob all over again. I think it's cute.
As for me, I'm still trying to find a job. I'm sick of the job search, after all I JUST got done doing this back in Arizona. The good news is there are loads of jobs available in San Rafael; almost every street I go down has a "now hiring" sign somewhere on it. I got some great help with my résumé, and I even have a second interview tomorrow at a "soys tar bus". Wish me luck!
We are currently living in an extended stay in San Rafael, a few miles from Bob's dealership. It sounds about as exciting and fun as it is, but at least we have a place to sleep and we don't have to commute from Sacramento every day. One cool benefit from staying here is the mini-kitchen we have. It is set up like a basic hotel room, but then near the door we have a full-size refrigerator, a microwave, a small cooktop, a toaster, a coffee maker, and cabinets. While looking in those I found a pot and pan, three big plates, three small plates, three bowls, three mugs and three cups. There is also a drain rack, silverware, a cutting board and a spatula and spoon. I took pictures for your viewing pleasure. Now for those wondering why we would stay in a hotel for THREE WEEKS (help me!) instead of moving into an apartment I would like to say: we tried. We really did. But as it turns out, San Rafael is not only a place of great job opportunities, it is also a place of zero available apartments. At least anything within our timeframe and/or budget. We got lucky and found a studio about a mile and a half from Oats-flagon and Dottie for the bargain price of $1,100 a month, but it won't be available until the first week of March. Eggroll is staying with her grandparents until we can move in. I call them her grandparents because it drives my Dad nuts. Hehe.
Goodnight!

Silly

I have so many updates that it's a bit overwhelming. So here's some pictures of what Bob and I ate for lunch today.

To San Rafael and back

We drove to San Rafael today to get a few errands done. We rented a storage unit to hold what belongings we kept, and Bob dropped his tools off at the dealership. We are having fun seeing all the differences between Arizona and California. Bob was given his drug test today (it's done by mouth swab)and they didn't charge him a penny; back in Arizona he was charged $28! What makes it worse is while at the dealership today they told him the tests only cost them $3...curious indeed. We looked around at apartments for the rest of the day and found one that will be available in early March. It looks like a good fit, a nice area with inexpensive rent and the management was responsive. Mostly though, I have just been wowed by the beauty here. After two months in nothing but dusty brown and faded beige, all this greenery is like eye-candy. And California isn't even the most lush state out there! T
We had to get rid of a few pieces of furniture [the nasty old couch is gone woohoo! I mean...um... :-( ] and tried to take them to Goodwill but they weren't able to accept them. We found the dump nearby and dropped ( literally dropped, we had to throw them off a little ledge) them off there. It cost $59, but was otherwise a fun experience to have. There was a small mountain of tree branches and leaves to one side, and a forklift shuttling various bits of trash to separate piles. Then in the middle, a huge blue structure with men sorting the refuse out by hand.
Glad to be back in Cali and moving forward, get to see some of my babies tomorrow!

Moving back, day 2

We stopped in San Bernardino last night and stayed at a La Quinta. Eggroll was happy to be out of the car but she got a little bit too excited and kept us up part of the night with cuddle attempts. There was a seafood restaurant near the hotel with a funny name. We should be in Sacramento by dinner time, can't wait to be done; I think we are all ready to relax and unwind after sitting cramped up I'm this truck.

I guess I'm a bit older than I thought

Received this in the mail, think they may be a bit confused.

We made it!

We arrived it Sacramento! We are tired and our bums are sore but we made it. I'm sure we will sleep well tonight.

Made it to California!

Passed over the border and heading towards LA! We got inspected at the California Agricultural Inspection station , and when asked if we had any fresh fruit or produce Bob answered "I have some pretzels".

Moving back, day 1

Well we are all packed up and ready to go, my Dad flew down to help us pack and take turns driving with Bob. Eggroll is having more trouble this time but we are hoping she will calm down and take a nap soon. I will keep updating as things happen!

As fun as a barrel of..crackers?

Bob and I went to Cracker Barrel a few nights ago for dinner. It was my first time and I admit to not entirely understanding their business model. There was furniture for sale out front, and to get into the restaurant you have to walk through the Cracker Barrel store. I imagine it used to be styled more as a "general store", but now amid the old-fashioned sodas and candies sit modern children's toys, clothing, cat toys, and other seemingly random trinkets. Once seated though, our waitress was nice and the food thoroughly southern, plentiful, and yummy.
We felt a little out of place, besides a few grandchildren we were the youngest diners there; the median age was around 65. We played a little game while we waited for our order and shared a sampling of their more popular dishes. All in all it was a fun visit.