Oops

So, I just noticed a big mistake on our part...

We found out about having an apartment on Wednesday.  So, we went in to the Post Office on Thursday to fill out the change-of-address forms.  Since we didn't have a known address when we left our apartment in Logan, we just had the mail forwarded to Jared's mom's (using family for our last name and individual for my maiden name).  So, back to Thursday, we went in to have our mail forwarded from his mom's to our new address.  We filled out the same forms as we did last time.  Have you caught our mistake yet?

Here's a hint:  Jared's family carries the same last name that we have.

Another hint if you really haven't caught on (or have never used mail-forwarding):  We filled the application out for family.

Yes, we will be getting everyone's mail now including Jared's mom's and his sister's/brother's.  Oops.  Jared will have to go in on Monday to see if he can fix this since we're both complete idiots.

My random thoughts after showering tend to be critical thoughts I should have thought of during those critical moments...

Apartments

So, Madison is a very dog-friendly city.  And that's a good thing because we have a dog.  We found about 15 different apartment complexes that allowed dogs.  So, we went and saw a lot of them.  The price ranges really aren't all that different.  There was probably a $200 difference between a ghetto apartment we considered and the one we'll be moving into.  But this ghetto one did not have washer/dryer hook-ups (actually no apartment had w/d hook-ups unless they came with a w/d).  So, the coin-operated shared ones would cost $1.75.  Factor in four loads a week (I obsess over clean blankets), and that's $28 a month.  And then add the fact that there's no covered parking unless you choose to pay $50 extra.  And then, there's not a true clubhouse.  So, if you plan on using a gym (like I do), then add the $50+ gym membership.  Also, this ghetto apartment had radiator heating and a box air conditioner versus the central heating and air that we're used to.  So, all-in-all, the ghetto apartment would cost the same as the one we will be moving into, but ours looks nicer haha...

Things are a little different here.  After getting so used to Utah's close-minded liquor laws, it's mind-boggling how different here is.  What people see in a liquor store (including the hard liquor) in Utah we see in the grocery store here.  I remember as a kid in Georgia seeing a wine and beer aisle, but I don't remember seeing hard liquor in grocery stores in Georgia.  Also, we can buy it on Sundays and any time we want until ten or midnight I think.  Also, every restaurant has an open bar in it.  We went to a Cheeseburger in Paradise the other day, and we didn't get carded (nor were we given the evil eye by the waitress and family sitting nearby).  It's different, and I like it.

I think I could get used to living in Madison...

Huge Update

So, a lot has happened since the last time I posted...

Two weeks ago, Jared's grandpa past away.  It was hard to see such a big family mourn for him.  We'll miss him dearly.

George Denos

Rest in Peace

Next, any employer who can't respect an employee who's dealing with the death of a loved one doesn't deserve that employee in the first place.  So, K-Mart, I sarcastically applaud you for being stupid (note, not all supervisors were being stupid, just one).

We had to quickly pack the rest of our shit since we were running short on time due to the need to mourn and see our families one last time.  We spent a few nights at Wal-Mart begging for boxes from the over night restocking crew.  And then the day came for the moving company.

We left Utah on Friday.  It took us three days to get to Wisconsin.  Let me tell you the drive was horrendously long.  And Gizmo was so friggin bored.  We stayed in Sidney, Nebraska the first night.  And let me tell you, there is absolutely nothing in Nebraska.  And since there is nothing, the hotels can take your money as they please (the hotel was expensive).  We stayed in Des Moines, Iowa the second night.  We had more time that day, so we got to wander around a little.  Jared got to experience a firefly for the first time.  His reaction was very amusing ("What the hell was that?!?")  We drove over 1000 miles on I-80 East.  And then we arrived in Madison on Wednesday.

Our first rest stop in Wyoming.  It was very windy...

Gizmo and I bored in the car.  Gizmo was sick of his bed.

So he laid in my arm for a couple of hours.  Looks very comfortable...

Gizmo looking for some left over food...

We began our hunt for an apartment on Monday.  We saw probably 15 different apartment complexes.  On the way home (after 5:30), we decided to check out Target to get a few necessities.  We were stopped at an intersection.  The light turned green and the car began to go and never made it past the intersection.  It died and wouldn't restart.  That's when I frantically screamed at Jared to get out and push the car to the shoulder and out of the intersection.  After questioning my seriousness, he got out and pushed the car twenty feet uphill.  Did I mention the car was completely dead and wouldn't let me steer all that well?

So, our car was towed.  At least it didn't die in the middle of Nebraska where there were moments without cell service (and other signs of life).  So, the distributor went out on our car.  We had to spend Tuesday taking the bus to our apartment appointments.  3.5 hours on a bus.  And then we picked up our car which was fixed (YAY!!).

So...  Car breaking down:  unexpected.  Moving company screwing up their quote and topping off our total to $1000 on top of the original quote:  really stinks.  Finally having an apartment to move into on Sunday:  awesome!!

Overall, we're figuring things out.  Sure, we're going to be financially hurting for a little while, but it's just a little while.  I think in the long-run, this move will have been worth it.  Plus, what the locals have to say about my future employer makes me think I picked the right employer.  I start on Monday by the way.

Our little adventure is barely beginning...  I'm so excited!!!

Uh

Memo to Self:  Excedrin will not work for you...

I had a horrible migraine yesterday.  My head hasn't hurt that bad in a very long time.  And lately, my head's been hurting.  And ibuprofen has not been helping.  So, I bought excedrin and thought I'd try that (even though I know acetaminophen does not work for me).  Well, my head went from 95% pain to about 70%.  So, I went from my skull's going to crack to my head really hurts.  I decided to take some more six hours later because I didn't want my migraine to go back to how it was.

Long story short, I went a little crazy.  We were in Salt Lake and on our way home when I got a really bad panic attack.  My heart started racing and my throat began to constrict (and my feet went numb).  It was not fun.  So, I've come to the conclusion that I was on a caffeine high or an aspirin high or an excedrin high (excedrin has caffeine, aspirin, and acetaminophen in it).

Either way, excedrin does not get rid of my migraines.  It just brings pain everywhere else to get me to stop thinking about my head.  So, for the future, continue with only ibuprofen...

Babies

My cousin had her baby today.  A baby girl!!  So exciting...

My brother just informed me that his girlfriend is pregnant.  So, he's expecting a baby next year.  Freaky (but I'm worried about the whole situation).

And the best news?  No baby news from me!!  I still want to wait at least another two years before I want to happily announce something.  The funny thing is if I were an elephant, I'd have to be pregnant real soon if I wanted that kind of time frame, haha (gestation period for elephants is two years).  Random thoughts.

Life is good.  And I'm happy.  And I'm still packing all of my junk into boxes.  Tons of fun.  ...Not.