tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10390592377033657532024-03-05T15:41:22.844-06:00Writer's Bloc...Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-64303126086507850112013-03-13T00:37:00.000-05:002013-03-13T00:37:00.286-05:00Weight Loss Challenge: Day 2Tuesday<br />
March 12, 2013<br />
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Today is day two of the challenge. I am really looking forward to trying my chocolate shake mixes. I have my mixtures already planned out but I still need to wait a few more days for it to arrive. <br />
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Breakfast: Wheat wrap, scrambled egg whites with a little pepper (no salt), a spoonful of salsa<br />
Lunch: Homemade chicken salad with 2 slices of tomato and a piece of lettuce on a spinach wrap<br />
Dinner: I created a salad (spinach, tomatoes, celery, carrots)<br />
Snacks: Fruit (cut up pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon and grapes)<br />
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Drinks:<br />
Breakfast: Diet V8 Splash (hey don't judge there was a little left in the bottle)<br />
Lunch: Water<br />
Dinner: Water<br />
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A total of 8 glasses of water today. Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-62334735276907787542013-03-12T13:42:00.000-05:002013-03-12T13:42:59.805-05:00Weight Loss Challenge: Day 1Monday<br />
March 11, 2013<br />
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Today is day one of the challenge. Since I ordered my DVD and Shakeology a bit late, it won't be here until March 14th. I am on my own. I have gone to the store and come up with a healthy menu from the list that was sent to me.<br />
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Breakfast: None (I woke up too late)<br />
Lunch: Oven Gold Turkey (2 slices) with 2 small scoops of salsa and a pinch of cheddar cheese<br />
Dinner: A mix of brown and jasmine rice and veggie stir fry (just used seasoning- no soy sauce or other sauces!)<br />
Snacks: A cup of chex mix<br />
Drinks: 6 glasses of water<br />
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<br />Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-92106153829512298972013-03-12T13:40:00.000-05:002013-03-12T13:40:15.862-05:00Weight Loss Challenge: Day 0I am doing a weight loss challenge. My goal is to loose a total of 60 pounds. I want to try and loose 30 pounds by July 1st (since August is my wedding month). This goal is attainable as long as I stay on track and do what I am supposed to do. <br />
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Join me in my journey. I will be blogging about it as I go along.<br />
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I am going to be using the Chocolate Shakeology as well as Hip-Hop-Abs and eating healthy.Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-83463223978460264452013-02-04T01:08:00.000-06:002013-02-04T01:09:14.677-06:00Book Challenge 2013<b>I have attempted this type of challenge for the last two years and came no where close to completing it. I'm taking a wild guess that this year will be no different. Normally I wouldn't be so pessimistic while starting a challenge. However, the odds are against me. One, it's already February 4th. Two, The last book I read, which I finished tonight, took me just about four months to complete. And three, I don't exactly have a ton of time on my hands. Work, wedding planning, oh and I start school in August. But, I like challenging myself. Especially when it comes to reading. So here it goes. </b><br />
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<b>Book Challenge 2013</b><br />
<b>My Goal... 70 books by December 31, 2013 at 11:59:59! </b><br />
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<b>Book Number 1- </b><br />
<b>The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales</b><b> by Oliver Sacks</b>Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-56022846040060522592012-11-06T12:12:00.001-06:002012-11-06T12:12:38.112-06:00You got here when? It took how long to circle the block?Part of me believed -J- and the other part of me thought he was crazy when he mentioned that the mail, most of the time, doesn't get here until right before he gets home or right after he gets home from work. I agreed that it didn't get here by the time I left for work at 2:20pm but I never realized what time they actually do come to drop off the mail. <div>
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4:37pm. </div>
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Yes. You are seeing that right. I was sitting at my computer working on part of my novel yesterday when the mail truck came. The time said 4:37pm. I rolled my eyes and continued on with my writing. </div>
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5:11pm. </div>
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That was how long it took for the mail truck to go down the block and circle back around to get to the people living across the street. </div>
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Am I wrong for thinking that my mail should get to my house before twenty minutes to five? Or that it should take almost a half hour to drop off mail? If I am let me know... but I shouldn't have to check my mail when I get home from work at 10:45pm. I should be able to check it at 2:20 when I leave. </div>
Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-83363421406330508982012-07-24T02:02:00.000-05:002012-07-24T02:02:41.019-05:00Our Engagement!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpo27I57ULB6114LmIEbVLo4MoDv__gge3p2gMTSs1pCOdF3JXm68ef6g2rKxzK4HA0c4Qm4maagxCcpoyTtoEfw9QoML3efIWNIDFcPPsk1JSfLdxoCkpu9Aa7fDoWxJRwZaCsFxw2no/s1600/564709_10101175560239701_62004154_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpo27I57ULB6114LmIEbVLo4MoDv__gge3p2gMTSs1pCOdF3JXm68ef6g2rKxzK4HA0c4Qm4maagxCcpoyTtoEfw9QoML3efIWNIDFcPPsk1JSfLdxoCkpu9Aa7fDoWxJRwZaCsFxw2no/s320/564709_10101175560239701_62004154_n.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Yes, after 8 years of being together, we're finally engaged. Julius had been telling me that we couldn't get engaged until his "ducks were in a row." Well, apparently today was the day (well yesterday now- July 23, 2012). We had just come from closing on our new house. He had lined up 4 bright yellow rubber ducks on the steps inside. The last step held the box with the ring. My initial reaction was "oh my goodness." I smiled and looked at him. He grabbed the box, took out the ring and said "I got all my ducks in a row" while putting the ring on my finger. I said "oh my goodness" shook my head yes. </span></span><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="font-size: 14px;">While we were sitting downstairs on our chair(s) that the previous owners of the house left for us he said "oh yeah, do you want to Marry me" I laughed and said "yes."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I was completely surprised and with the fact that we had just bought the house I was also completely overwhelmed. I'm pretty sure it didn't sink in until ... well around now. I woke up at 1:34am (I'm not even sure I was fully asleep because my mind felt like it was racing with what happened today) and now I sit here, boxes all around me, needing to be up in 6 1/2 hours to start moving our stuff over to the new house, wait for the movers and be at work by 2:30pm, with tears in my eyes. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Here is what I will say before I go lay back down in bed and actually attempt to get some sleep. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Julius is the most sweet, loving, caring, generous guy in the world. It doesn't matter how I'm feeling he can make me laugh. He wipes away my tears when I am sad. He gives me space (for a little while anyway) when I am angry (before trying to make me laugh to get me in a better mood). </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14px;">He is my rock. He is my other half. He is my soulmate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I can't wait until the day I get to say "I-Do.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14px;">" </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14px;">Julius- I love you! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div>Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-2079179285747875642012-07-09T13:56:00.001-05:002012-07-14T16:56:29.416-05:00A Journey of House Ownership<span style="font-family: Puritan; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">For those that don't know: -J- and I are buying a house. Yep... a house. It is a really nice house too. It even has a backyard! Granted that back yard, as of now, isn't fenced in. I'm not exactly sure how the current owners lived without a fence for all these years, but that's their problem. Not ours. Well no, now it is... we have to put in a fence. The house has three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. It has two living areas: one up and one down. It has a built in bookshelf in the basement where our B&N Classic Book Collection will sit for years to come. That area will be -J's- office area. He can do what he likes with it as long as it looks good. One of the bedrooms upstairs will be my "office." I even know how I want to set it up already. Heck, I knew what I was doing to this room before we even put an offer in on the house. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Puritan; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">A new desk (and desk chair) will go on one wall. The room will also house a futon for when people come and we need an extra sleeping space for them. A large bookshelf (or two small bookshelves) will have all of my writing binders and other materials I need for my writing along with all of the books of mine that -J- thinks I should get rid of (yeah right). The decorations will be of my choosing and I will do what I like with it as long as it looks good. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Puritan; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">As of right now things are on the right track and closing looks to be July 23rd. Or, well, it better be because I just switched a shift to be off on closing day. This whole house stuff is foreign territory for us. We've lived in houses... but we've never owned one of our own before. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Puritan; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">This section of my blog is going to be a journey of house ownership. It will start the day we close. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Puritan; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">Happy Reading.</span>Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-23568489805297512822012-05-23T10:45:00.001-05:002012-10-26T11:16:15.624-05:00Through My Camera's Eye: 365: Introduction<div style="text-align: justify;">
Originally I was going to have a separate blog for "Through My Camera's Eye:365." I soon realized that I may not actually be able to keep up with two blogs so now it will be a section of "Writer's Bloc..." Starting January 1, 2013 I will take one picture a day and then try to write 1,000 [or more] words about that picture. Turning the picture into a story. </div>
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Now I have to be realistic. I may not have the time to take a picture, write 1,000 words and then upload the picture and post to the blog every single day. All of the pictures will have a date stamp on the bottom of them. I will try and post every day but pictures from two or three days may get posted in one day. I may post a picture and come back later to write a 1,000 words. But it will get done. 365 pictures. 365 stories. 1 camera. 1 imagination. </div>
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I hope you join me on the journey Through My Camera's Eye! </div>
Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-79290837295014897932012-05-22T10:02:00.001-05:002012-05-22T10:02:03.647-05:00All 50 States: Introduction<div style="text-align: justify;">
-J- and I love road trips. Sadly, our work schedules don't really leave much time for randomly driving to another state these days. But that doesn't mean we won't travel! Last July/August we drove from Daytona Beach, FL to Sioux City, IA back to Daytona Beach, FL. We then headed down from Daytona Beach to Parrish, FL back up to Tampa, FL and over to New Port Richey, FL before moving to Sioux City, IA for good. </div>
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It probably would have been a lot easier to fly- but what's the fun in that? I see flying as a way to get from *Point A* to *Point B* in the least amount of time possible. Granted we were on somewhat of a timetable but it wasn't to the point yet where we felt spending $2,000+ on plane tickets was worth it. In the end a $40.00 oil change (twice) and $400 in gas money plus $200 for hotels and probably less than $200 but I'll say $200 for food anyway made driving a whole lot cheaper. That and we got to see states that we had never seen before. Like Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, and many more. Our trip at the end of this month will take us through some un-driven territory as well and we are excited. </div>
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This "All 50 States" section of my blog is going to take a while to get through. The page that I created has a list of the states. As -J- and I travel (whether by plane or train or car) to the state and actually stop to do something... not just stopping at a gas station to fill up or eat... unless it is at some historic restaurant...I will blog about it and then cross that state off of my list. If we visit that state more than once and do or see something spectacular I will add to it. </div>
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Thanks for joining me on my journey to All 50 States! </div>Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-57203594111354914432012-04-30T18:47:00.000-05:002012-05-15T15:32:20.420-05:00Story: True Insanity: Excerpt 1I sat in the park across from Harrington Academy. My hands were clamy and I had sweat droplets forming on my pale forehead. Today, now, I'm not exactly sure why I did what I did but back then it felt good. I was powerful. I took him down and got exactly what I wanted. Exactly what I needed. What I am afraid of at this juncture is him finding out. He can not ever find out.Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-53462094290132685572012-01-25T12:18:00.001-06:002012-01-25T12:18:37.161-06:00Let the Writing Begin...<div style="text-align: justify;">
For the longest time, while working on a short story, I randomly typed words onto the computer screen hoping they would make some sort of sense. They didn't. Then one day, as I sat there staring at the blinking cursor it hit me. I was writing about a story line that I had never outlined... never thought out... never knew where it was going to go. It really was just random words thrown onto a <strike>pice of paper</strike> computer screen. After a while, I realized I would never be able to change that story into anything [at least not in the foreseeable future]. My realization made me sigh. I shockingly felt guilty for leaving the story unfinished. I'll come back to finish it- one day. <br />
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An amazing idea came to me a few hours later and I nearly jumped out of my seat in an attempt to get something written down before all was lost. If it hadn't happened to me before I don't think I would have jumped that fast. But considering I've had some amazing ideas before [I know they were...really] and I couldn't remember what they were even minutes later, I wasn't going to take any chances.<br />
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Pretty soon after, I printed out the template I had for a Novel Notebook and began filling in sections. As of right now, the title of my book will be "Fire Trapped" and I have a pretty damn good [IMHO] vision for what I want the cover to look like. My main character has a name, age, likes, dislikes and a major irrational fear- or is it so irrational? I have pretty good ideas on who the other characters will be, what they will be like, etc. Now I just need to come up with some fitting names. <br />
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Let the writing on my book begin! </div>Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-63282280101392086362011-10-09T08:18:00.000-05:002011-10-10T11:56:32.533-05:00The Novel Notebook<div style="text-align: justify;">
Most of the time when I click the "Next Blog>>" link on the top of my page, I'm not expecting to see anything too exciting. Also, I had pretty much given up hope that clicking on that link would bring me to other blogs that are somewhat similar to what my blog is about. I get frustrated when I click on "Next Blog>>" and end up with a blog about a random vacation taken by a family that lives in Europe, or a blog that in order to figure out what it's about Crome has to translate it for me. Okay, sorry, rant over. </div>
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I did find an awesome blog the other day, though. However, I didn't do it by clicking the "Next Blog>>" link, I did it by googling "novel notebook" in hopes that something -anything- would pop up to help me organize my stories. <a href="http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/">Paperback Writer</a> is a blog that came up as the fourth link in my search. Like I said earlier, I find this blog awesome. It not only is a great blog to read, it's a great resource for writers [like me] who are just starting out. </div>
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So yesterday, I went to the store in order to get some materials for my Novel Notebook. I bought a 1" binder and 3 sets of 5 dividers [I was unsure of how many I would need]. One of the other pages that popped up was <a href="http://www.writer2writer.com/notebook.htm">How to Build a Novel Notebook</a>. She wrote about the tabs that she used in her notebook to keep organized. As I read through the tabs, I determined which ones I should use and which ones I shouldn't use; I ended up writing each one on a tab, however, the ones I was unsure if I'd need (considering as of right now, I'm not actually writing a novel, I'm writing a short story) I put towards the back. I put a few pieces of loose leaf paper behind each tab that required it along with some plain white paper behind the tab that I am using for drawings. </div>
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Maybe drawings isn't the correct word to use. A sketch may be better, or even a blueprint. Needless to say, I have spent numerous hours so far attempting to write my short story. I've sat there attempting to picture the locations my characters are at in my head. The layout of the diner. How many floors are in the house again? How many rooms? What did I say the color of that wall was earlier? The number of chairs around the table was what again? So I decided to draw my locations. I am going to draw the block of brownstones. I am going to make a layout of each floor and where things are supposed to be placed. I am going to layout the diner and where the minor characters will stand and sit. I am going to draw the road going from the city to the outskirts of town. It may sound funny and these drawings are pretty much only for my eyes [which is good considering that I can't draw very well] but it just may help me keep those details [even the minor ones] consistant. Nobody wants to read about a room with a light beige wall and then on the next page have it some other color. </div>
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I'll keep you updated as to how the whole Novel Notebook is going as I use it more and more. </div>
Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-32591281022889135982011-09-24T09:41:00.000-05:002011-10-09T09:51:16.806-05:00Writing + Organization<div style="text-align: justify;">
I think I finally figured out my problem with writing (or attempting to write) my longer stories. I am extremely unorganized. For the longest time, I was able to just sit down at a computer, place my fingers on the corresponding letters and let whatever thought was in my head [for that story] to flow out onto the computer screen. My problem. Too many thoughts. Too little organization.
Organization was never on my mind. I never actually sat down and wrote an outline. I never knew exactly how I wanted to start the story, or where the characters would end up at the end of the story. I never knew how many pages, how many chapters, would there even be chapters...?
So the other day as I was wandering through Walmart, I decided to pick up two packs of those larger index cards. I figure I can use a card for each character, one for summary, plot, etc. If this whole organization thing works... I may actually be able to finish a story at some point! </div>
Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-8425235787433511132011-09-05T14:45:00.000-05:002011-09-05T14:45:13.097-05:00I love to write<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">I love the fact that I can be as creative as I want and need to be. I can create situations, settings and story lines that may or may not happen in real life. I can use my imagination. Enter a whole different world. A whole different thought process.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Of course, it's sometimes not that simple. Especially when I get that nasty case of "Writer's Bloc…". When I'm sitting there, at the computer, staring at a blank page with the cursor continuously yelling at me. Blink.Blink.Blink. Nothing.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Even with the headache of the screaming cursor. Even with all the blank pages. Even with the second, third, fourth and even fifth drafts, one thing stays the same.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong>I love to write. </strong></span></div>
Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-67763035750687658252011-09-01T13:48:00.003-05:002011-09-01T13:48:49.233-05:00The Start of Something New: Drive to Our New State: Part 2<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
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Our main goal for day two of driving, besides getting to Sioux City, was not hitting Highway 59 or Highway 20 when it was dark outside. We planned it quite well, actually.</div>
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Our alarm was set to go off at 9:30a.m., but I woke up around 8:00, couldn't fall asleep again and had a sudden urge to get the heck out of Motel 6. So I shook -J- to get him out of bed and told him that it was time to get the show on the road! We both got done, I ran inside to give the room key back, I re-organized the backseat of the car a bit so things weren't falling all over the place and we went to breakfast at the Waffle House before going to the gas station to fill up the car.</div>
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Traffic was a bit slower than what we were used too, but not too bad. We realized that we were going through St. Louis, MO in the morning, on a weekday. We just continued listening to our music and going with the flow.</div>
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We still ate the bagels from Tampa in the cooler, which, even a day later, tasted aaaa-mmaaa-zing! Now that I'm thinking of it, I wish I could go and get one now. But, that's going to have to wait. Ever since our road trip back to Florida a few days before we were scheduled to drive back, -J- had this idea of what to do for dinner when and if we were in a certain state around the time we had to stop for dinner. We were. </div>
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Kentucky. Can you guess where we ended up for dinner? KFC. It was pretty good. Before that, the last time we ended up at a KFC was in Tampa. </div>
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Another thing that we were very excited about was that we hit Highway 59 and Highway 20 when it was still light out. We pulled into Sioux City (at Caribou Coffee) a few minutes before 7:00p.m.</div>
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The next step was to find a hotel for the night. Our keys for our new apartment were going to be ready to be picked up the next morning. </div>
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Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-35066197919396828052011-09-01T12:56:00.002-05:002011-09-01T12:56:47.526-05:00The Start of Something New: Drive to Our New State: Part 1<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Five o'clock -am- on August 8, 2011 the alarm went off. We left -J's- parents house at about 5:30 in the morning to head to Tampa. I'm pretty sure we added an extra forty-five minutes to our trip by doing that but we were on a mission to get bagels from our bagel place, one last time.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">We pulled into the parking lot, got out of the car, and reached the door, just a few moments after they opened. We made sure this was the case. Wanted the freshest bagels and freshest cream cheese. The other good thing is that we called a head to place our order so we could just pay for our breakfast/lunches for the next two days and get on the road sooner.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">-J- was filling the car up with gas as I was attempting to figure out how to get the six bagels in the cooler, which was filled with ice and a twelve pack of soda, some water and a few rock stars. After both things were completed, we were off.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">For the last time, we drove Fletcher Avenue, past the University of South Florida (GO BULLS) towards I-75. We merged onto the interstate, -J- sent cruise control, we turned on the GPS, then the music and we decided how long we could wait to eat our first bagel. It wasn't that long.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">This time, the drive through Florida and Georgia seemed to take even longer. I'm not sure if it was because we left a little bit later in the day or if we were anxious to get to our destination. But we continued on...</span>and on... and on... and on.</div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Considering that I have already pretty much went over our road trip, the first time we did it, I am really not in the mood to sit here and go over it all again. The only difference is that we altered course a little bit; we didn't go through Arkansas at all this time.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Our stopping point for the night was in Missouri. St. Louis, MO to be exact. I don't think either of us would have made it any further. The hotel wasn't the greatest. It wasn't like the hotel that we stayed at when we pulled off the road on I-95, when driving back to Florida from New York, where I didn't shower and I slept in my clothes and sweatshirt (with the hood up and tied). It was more along the lines of... it can get to that point, but I can still shower and feel like I'm clean and the bed looks clean enough to sleep in my PJ's without catching some disease. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">It was just about midnight. I set the alarm and we both fell fast asleep. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">(Originally posted on my wordpress blog -soon to be deleted- on August 30, 2011)</span></div>
Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-31303115828765305752011-09-01T12:54:00.002-05:002011-09-01T12:54:56.663-05:00The Start of Something New: From July 28th to August 8th<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Exhausted. Zonked. Fried. Dead-Tired. Tuckered-Out. Fried. Drained. I'd continue, but I think you get the point. I must give anyone who is reading this some advice, which comes from personal experience. Never make a 1,600 mile trip in one straight shot.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Did you know that weekends tend to go a lot quicker when you actually have things to do? That's pretty much what happened from July 28th to August 1st. We know we went through the days, but for the most part they're a blur. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">August 2, 2011 at about twelve o'clock -noon- the movers had finally arrived to pick up our things. Thank goodness. On Sunday, we pulled all the sheets off the bed, washed them and packed them away. Our thinking was we'd have nice clean sheets when arriving in Sioux City if we did this. In the meantime, since they were scheduled to arrive on August 1st, we would just go ahead and sleep on the couches in the living room. Heck, since our air conditioner was broken, it was a bit cooler anyway. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">By two o'clock p.m., the movers had loaded all of our things into the truck and were ready to take off. We stuck around to do some last minute wiping off of counters, etc. before we took off to spend a few days in three different locations. We went to my grandmothers house first, then to one of our friends house in Tampa before ending up at -J's- parents house for the last three days. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">By the time those three days were up, we were RUNNING out of there. It was 5:00a.m. on August 8, 2011 and we were beginning our journey, again, to our new state (this time for good). </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">(Originally posted on my wordpress blog- soon to be deleted- on August 26, 2011)</span></div>
Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-33343678373149014642011-09-01T12:53:00.002-05:002011-09-01T12:53:12.889-05:00The Start of Something New: Journey Back to Florida: Part 2<br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Apparently, according to my parents anyway, when my sister and I were younger we used to sing the "Kentucky" song while on road trips. Now, I don't remember this. They, however, do. You know how I know? When I called them when we left St. Louis, MO and entered Illinois I made the mistake of telling them that we were going to end up going through Kentucky. They then began to sing the song:</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">We're going to Kentucky </span><br /><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">We're going to the fair </span><br /><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">To see the senorita </span><br /><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">With flowers in her hair. </span><br /><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Shake it shake it shake it, </span><br /><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Shake it like you care, </span><br /><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Shake it like a milkshake,</span><br /><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">And shake it everywhere. </span><br /><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Shake it to the bottom, </span><br /><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Shake it to the top. </span><br /><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Now turn around and turn around </span><br /><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Until you make a stop.</span><br /><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">S-T-O-P spells stop.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Not only did they sing it once... they sang it twice... then a third time... then they began laughing that they were signing it. I found it hilarious. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">I don't think we were in Illinois or Kentucky for that long because before we knew it, we were in Tennessee again. Now, I think I may have failed to mention that this is still the day we left Sioux City, IA. Navigon was telling us that we were going to get in at nine o'clock in the morning. -J- said that as soon as we got in, we would take the necessities out of the car (which really wasn't much), sleep as long as we could and then unpack the Camry. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">We were both getting extremely tired. I was unable to stay awake and ended up falling asleep through most of Tennessee. Since the latch on the gas tank on the Camry seems to latch back in place almost as soon as you pop it, I have to make sure I am standing there to open it right away- those were the only times I woke up. Though, each time I did, I kept asking -J- if he was okay to continue, telling him how I thought it would be best if we just got off the road and continued after we both slept. He said he was fine. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">I was sleeping and before I knew it we were in Georgia [I despise Georgia]. If I wasn't sleeping, I was sure staring out the window and making sure -J- stayed awake. I must have dozed off because at one point, around six o'clock in the morning, I felt the car come to a jolting stop. We were at a gas station at the fourth exit in Florida. -J- had said he wasn't able to go anymore. I drank a can of soda to wake myself up a little bit and hopped into the drivers seat. We used the bathroom, got some caffeine and filled the tank up with gas and were off. </span></span></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Two and a half hours later I pulled up to the mailboxes in Pelican Bay where we lived. -J- grabbed the mail and told me he wanted to drive to the spot. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Even though he didn't go straight through -J- was able to get us home! </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">(Originally posted on my wordpress blog- soon to be deleted- on August 17, 2011)</span></div>
Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-26297426177152734882011-09-01T12:51:00.002-05:002011-09-01T12:51:33.252-05:00The Start of Something New: Journey Back to Florida: Part 1<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">As if the drive getting from Daytona Beach, FL to Sioux City, IA wasn't bad enough, we only had 4 days to recuperate before we had to do the drive from Sioux City to Daytona Beach. Needless to say, we weren't even close to being ready for the drive and just wanted to get back to get everything that needed to be done- done.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">The alarm buzzed at six o'clock in the morning. Both of us wanted to leave earlier than seven o'clock, however, we did not, I repeat, did not, want to end up on Highway 20 or Highway 59 while it was dark. I guess you can say that we both have some underlying fear of a deer running out in front of our car trying to kill itself [or us]. So, after we finished getting done, we took our still groggy selves with all of our bags and brought them out to the car. I ran inside the office of the hotel to hand in the keys and grab a recept for our stay and we were off. The gas tank was still half full, so we decided to wait and see how far we could get. We knew that on both of the roads there were tiny towns that did have gas stations... we thought.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Off of Highway 20, not too far from Highway 59, we saw a Shell gas station. By that time -J- was in desperate need of coffee, so we pulled off the road. He filled the tank up with gas and I ran inside to get him coffee, me a soda and a bag of ice to fill our cooler which contained various drinks and snacks for our journey back to Florida.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Two and a half hours, I believe, is what it took us to finish both of those roads before we saw the sign to pull off onto I-80E. We were happy to finally see that road. Though, both of us would admit, that 59 and 20 were a lot easier to do when you can see what is on the sides of you as you're driving. We still will not ever go on either of those roads in the dark- ever.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">On our way to Sioux City, we saw a few oversized trucks carrying what looked like airplane wings- they weren't. They were pieces of the wind turbines! I have never seen anything like it before. We saw a few more as we were going back East. However, this time, we also saw them put together and working on the sides of the roads. It was too dark to see the first time. I took pictures. A lot of pictures.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">You know how when you are going somewhere- it feels long. Then when you go back to where you came from- it doesn't seem as long? The beginning part of our journey back seemed to go quicker than I would have imagined. It seemed as if we were at the Iowa welcome center in no time. Though, it came at a great time. We both needed to get out of the car.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Navigon had us going in a different direction than earlier in the trip. I'm not exactly sure where it took us, but we went on a scenic route. In fact, part of it was quite sad. As we went down I-65 in Missouri, we came to a section of road that had signs saying that water was over the road. There were a few workers present directing traffic onto one lane of the two lane road. In the beginning, we saw the start of a farm. Then we saw the farm, on both sides of the road, suddenly turn brown. Then we saw the farm, still on both sides of the road, as far as we could see, under water. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I wanted to un-see what I was seeing.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">We drove through the rest of Missouri and didn't really hit any major problems until St. Louis. I guess we didn't time things as well as we wanted and ended up stuck in rush hour traffic. It didn't last too long, but it did eat away at our gas milages. One good thing... I got a few pictures of the gateway arch.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">(Originally posted on my wordpress blog - soon to be deleted- on August 17, 2011)</span></div>
Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-25331759124040281382011-09-01T12:49:00.003-05:002011-09-01T12:49:48.343-05:00The Start of Something New: A Fun Filled Week of Apartment Hunting<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><em>Before I begin, I have to say one thing, our tires did not pop on our journey. If you remember one of my previous posts, I mentioned bringing our car into firestone to get a "check up." Well, while we were there, the mechanic had told us that 1) we had an oil leak (oh- you mean the same oil leak that you fixed less than a month ago showing us the same spot your showing us now) and 2) all FOUR of our tires were so bad that they weren't going to make it another few days (we made it... and got other opinions... they all said to stay away from firestone and that our tires were FINE!).</em></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Day 3. We were staying at a Super 8 just off of Highway 20 and over in the Morningside area. It wasn't the greatest hotel in the world, but, for $55 a night, it was the cheapest and it had what we needed; a bathroom, a bed and a television. It was Sunday and honestly we had no idea what was in store for the day. We used our extremely slow, free, wireless internet connection from the hotel in order to search for some suitable places to live. To our surprise, one apartment complex was open for a few hours on Sundays! We quickly gathered our things, put the address into Navigon and we were off.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">The clubhouse, which held the office, was not too shabby. It had a full kitchen, a large flat screen television mounted onto the walls with two couches and a few chairs. If you walked towards your left, you were led into their fitness center and then towards the back were the doors that led out to the pool. Overall first impression: pretty good. We sat down at the ladys desk, I honestly can't remember her name, and told her we were in need of a place and quick. We were advised, that no matter where we went, things were tighter than usual, due to Dakota Dunes, SD residents and residents from other areas that were misplaced by the Missouri River flooding. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">She went through our options and then we had a tour of the model apartment. It was quaint, however, a bit too small for us. We wanted an extra bedroom. They, however, did not have a two bedroom apartment that would be ready for a while. We took all the information that we were given, hoped back in the car, explored the area a bit more and then went back to the hotel to do some more searching on the internet. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Sunday night came quickly. We were both extremely tired from our drive and realized that in two days we would have to drive back to Florida gain. Well, that is if we found a place. If not, we would stay until we did. My mind was racing as I thought of all the things still left to do when we got back home to Daytona. Though I had to shift my focus back to where it was needed... even though that wasn't an easy thing to do. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Day 4. Monday came quickly. In fact, the last week or so has flown by. By now, I've lost track of what day of the week it is and the date. -J- and I were up bright and early. As I got done, he made some calls to set up appointments for us to visit the apartment complexes we were interested in. The entire day was a blur. We were in the car, out of the car, filling out paperwork, taking tours, filling out more paper work, getting back in the car and then getting back out of the car. By the end of the day, we were so sick and tired of apartment hunting. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">There were two apartments we knew we wanted by the end of the day. The only thing left to do was to sit down, weigh the options and then call the property manager of the apartment complex we wanted. This took us the remainder of the day on Monday along with part of the day on Tuesday. But, by early afternoon, we had our deposit down, papers filled out and we were ready to go to a BBQ with some people that -J- was going to be working with. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">One weight was off of our shoulders. Relaxation was key for the rest of the night as we were getting up early to start our journey back to Florida. I think we should have flown... </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">(Originally posted on my wordpress blog - soon to be deleted- on August 16, 2011)</span></div>
Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-50309902548844505532011-09-01T12:47:00.002-05:002011-09-01T12:47:40.811-05:00The Start of Something New: A Place to Live: Part 4<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Highway 59 was just one quick turn off of the I-80W exit. We weren't too sure what to expect from it, as someone, somewhere on our journey, had said that we shouldn't be surprised if we hit roads that weren't paved. That's when we looked at each other and whispered that we hope we hit all paved roads. We were in luck- it was paved.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">We had attempted to get Navigon working as we hit the beginning of the road. It worked for enough time to tell us we were going to be on the road for about an hour to an hour and a half. Okay. That's doable. We shut off Navigon and put on some music to keep us both awake. It was getting late, we had been driving for quite some time and were very tired.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">No moon = bad time to drive on an extremely dark highway in a state you're not familiar with. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">It was just about midnight. I was trying so hard to keep my eyes awake and -J- had set the cruise control on the car to rest his foot for a little while. We lowered the music a bit since it was getting loud and I had just leaned my head against my pillow which was propped up by the window. Something caught my eye. Not a nothing-something, but a something- something. I screamed as I saw an image unknown to me in front of the car. -J- jumped and shut off cruise control while slamming on his breaks. A deers butt was in front of his car. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">The deer was fine and ran away. -J-, who wasn't expecting a deer to jump out like that, was a tad bit shaken up. We continued on Highway 59, now following a large truck who had bright lights on the top of the car as well.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">We were excited when we reached the next road. Highway 20 wasn't much better than Highway 59, but at least it was the last road we needed to take. -J- kept cruise control off for the remainder of the trip. We went through small little towns on the next road, which broke up the darkness of having no moon and it being nearly one o'clock in the morning. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">All of a sudden we hit some road construction. The car squeezed in between tons of skinny red and yellow cones and the edge of what looked to be some kind of drop off. Then it happened...</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">We entered Sioux City and saw the hotel we were staying at. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Day two was over. Time for some sleep! </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">(Originally posted on my wordpress blog -soon to be deleted- on August 16, 2011)</span></div>
Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-88444056894493986352011-09-01T12:41:00.002-05:002011-09-01T12:42:08.021-05:00The Start of Something New: A Place to Live: Part 3<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">If anyone is wondering, which your probably not, I could have put "The Start of Something New: A Place to Live" in one gigantic post. But, in my honest opinion, I figured it would be easier if I split up the posts into different parts, especially considering this journey consisted of two days driving from Daytona Beach to Sioux City, along with three full days of fun filled apartment hunting and then the drive back to Florida. Too long for one post- I think so. Now... where was I?</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Day two. We were finally well rested. Of course, we would have liked to hop on the road at 5:00 in the morning, like we did the day before, but we had made plans to meet a friend for an early lunch before hitting the road. I believe we got back on the road at 1:00pm. We figured this left us plenty of time to drive while it was still light out and we wouldn't get into Sioux City at some ungodly hour of the "night" (by that I mean morning).</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Missouri is a gorgeous state. Our car seemed to still be handling all of the hills that the road provided us to drive on. I think we both felt like we were on a roller coaster- not one of the fast rides, you know, that dragon ride that is at the small town fairs, where you outgrow it by the time your in 2nd or 3rd grade but still try your hardest to let the ride attendent let you on? Yep... that kind of roller coaster.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">We headed down the road, on US-65 [I think that's the road anyway], towards Kansas City. Part of me wanted to turn to -J- and ask if we could visit Kansas. I've always wanted to go to Kansas. But, I resisted the urge and instead began staring at the window counting the lines in the road. After a while, I looked up. The counting not only made my eyes extra tired, it made me feel a tad bit sick to my stomach. I fluffed my skinny pillow to make it look a little larger, folded it and stuck it next to the window to lean on.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Signs for Kansas City finally began to appear. I never knew how big Missouri was until we did that drive. Considering I-29 was closed, do to the Missouri River flooding it, we had to then hop on I-35N in order to get to I-80W and then other roads from there.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">"The People of Iowa Welcome You!"</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">After what seemed like forever, we finally made it into Iowa. Missouri took f-o-r-e-v-e-r! One of those nice big gigantic blue signs on the side of the road let us know that the Iowa welcome center was a few miles down the road at exit 4. As the exit approached -J- clicked off the cruise control and began to get over into the far right lane. We were both excited to be in Iowa- after all, it was going to be our new home state!</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">It was getting pretty close to dinner time. We had a map of the entire state of Iowa in hand along with some other reading materials for when we were at the hotel. Though, when he slammed on his breaks later on in the trip, they ended up ruined when the cooler tipped and spilt water all over them.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">West Des Moines, Iowa seemed like a great place to stop for dinner. It was around 7:30 and we had been driving for quite some time. We decided to make it a longer stop and go into a sit down place to eat. We chose Fudruckers. After we ate our dinner, taking half of it to the hotel with us, we made a quick pit stop at Walmart to get a new light for the inside of the car. We figured, since we were loosing GPS at certain points, had no idea where we were going, it may be easy to read a map with a new light rather than our iPhone flashlight application. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">The sun had gone down by the time we merged onto I-80W. It was one of the last roads that we needed to take, yet we were still about 4 hours away from Sioux City. Both of us wanted to stop, but we knew we had to continue. I reset Navigon to tell us how long we had left until we hit Highway 59N, sat back and listened to the music we had put on. I think it is road trips like this where you wish that you had a car that would drive you, instead of you driving it. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">We finally came to the end of I-80W. We were down to our last two roads. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">(Originally posted on my wordpress blog - soon to be deleted- on August 16, 2011)</span></div>
Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-85135340729147000302011-09-01T12:39:00.001-05:002011-09-01T12:40:14.530-05:00The Start of Something New: A Place to Live: Part 2<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Two days before our trip, we took our Toyota Camry into firestone in order to get it a "check up." Heck, we were going on a 1500 mile journey into territory that was going to be completely foreign to us- we wanted to make sure we weren't going to randomly break down. Plus, the car needed an oil change. Two things were learned from that day. One, the people who work at firestone are liars who will tell you that you need things done to your car when you don't and two, we are never going to step foot in a firestone again. This will be explained in more detail as I continue writing.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">I'm not a fan of Georgia and my boyfriend -J- hates it even more than I do; for reasons I will not disclose at the moment. But, considering that our car mount for our iPhone (which is also our GPS) lost its suction-ness a few months before our journey to the midwest, we had to locate a Best Buy and quick- well I guess it didn't have to be that quick. However, if you had to hold a phone up to the windshield so it didn't loose GPS signal wouldn't you want to buy a new car mount too? After our quick stop at a Georgia Best Buy, we got back on the road and continued on our journey.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">A sigh of relief came upon us as we finally hit that lovely sign... welcoming us into Tennessee. Not only were we out of G...G...Georgia, we added a new state onto our list of states we've been to together. I was now on the lookout for one of those gigantic blue signs; preferably one that said there was gas at the exit.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">As much as we both loved driving through Tennessee, I can honestly say, it wasn't too good to us. We were in Memphis, TN when it came close to dinner time. Those gigantic blue signs were beginning to get very sparse; we were hungry and in the need for another gas station. We continued to follow the road Navigon had put us on- up the hills, down the hills, around a large left curve and around a large right curve. I looked into the distance, past the tiny green mile marker on the side of the road... is that a hint of... blue!? The first blue sign finally came into sight- GAS! Then the second- FOOD! We pulled off at the exit. A almost desolate area of Memphis, with dust flying around the sky, a gas station that was hardly being used, and a diner with tons of cars and trucks in the parking lot.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">The food was good. I had their salad bar and -J- had some BBQ, though what kind at the moment is escaping me. He wasn't too fond of the sauce that they gave but whatever else he had, he liked. All of he veggies on the small salad bar were fresh and the dressing choices were good. Before getting back on the road, however, we decided to take the opportunity to use the facilities this little diner offered. I walked in.....and walked right back out. Gross. He walked in..... and came out, letting me know later on that he was disgusted that there was no soap in the bathroom! [Did the cooks and servers not wash their hands? Eww]</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Back on the road again. I don't remember how long we had left until we hit our stopping point, in Branson, MO, but the time seemed to go on forever. It wasn't too long after dinner that we saw a bridge in the near distance. As we got closer, we realized that there was a sign on the bridge that was welcoming us into a new state. We had left Tennessee an entered Arkansas.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">We were... where? -J- and I quickly glanced at each other and laughed a little. Again. We were... where? Navigon has never failed us before. I tapped the center of the screen and brought the map of the U.S. up. It looked like we were going to be in Arkansas for a while. Do we have enough gas- check. Do we need to use the bathroom- nope. Is -J- okay to continue driving- yes. Good.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">We don't like the state of Arkansas very much. Well, no, that's not true. We don't like the part of the state that we drove through in the dark. It wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't an extremely curvy and hilly road through the mountains, with signs that told you to pull of and check your brakes before going down in elevation!</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Boy were we happy when we came to the sign welcoming us to Missouri. Our destination for the night was a Ramada Inn in Branson, MO. It was about 1:00a.m. (2:00est) and we were exhausted. We checked into the hotel, brought our bag upstairs, laid down on the bed and we were out.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Day one of driving was finally over.</span></div>
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(Originally posted on my wordpress blog- soon to be deleted- on August 13, 2011)Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-60833530099701822742011-08-31T21:15:00.001-05:002011-08-31T21:15:09.649-05:00The Start of Something New: A Place to Live<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">I must have slept funny because both of my arms were tingly when I woke up on the morning of July 22nd. I rubbed my eyes and did a double take at the alarm clock- 4:00a.m.- and then made a slow dash for the bathroom where I immediately turned the handle and stood under a stream of ice cold water in order to jolt myself awake.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">While staring off at the tiles, I stood there, hoping that I was dreaming and wishing I was still curled up under my nice fluffy comforter- sound asleep. Definitely not a dream. Crap, now I have to finish packing up the suitcase so we can get out of here by the time we decided on [4:30a.m.].</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">The suitcase was a lot heavier than I had expected; I even had to unzip the extender in order to shove the rest of our shampoo and another pair of shoes in for both of us. I pulled it off the bed onto the floor. It made a loud thump as it hit the floor. Eventually I got it sitting the right way, pulled up the handle, grabbed the other bag and wheeled both out to the car. I walked back inside pretty quickly, already complaining that it was hot outside, to begin packing up the cooler. Sandwiches, sodas, snacks- check, check and check. I closed the cooler, made sure the doors were locked, double checked the coffee pot and all buttons and knobs on the stove were in the off position, turned off the light and walked out of the kitchen.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">McDonalds was our next stop. Not so much because we wanted breakfast, but because my lovely boyfriend wanted an enormous cup of iced coffee so he could wake up even more. Also, he doesn't do too well without his morning coffee. We did, however, pick up some breakfast sandwiches so we wouldn't have to pull off the road in an hour or two.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">By the time we hit the entrance to I-95N, it was 5 o'clock in the morning. We were still on schedule. Our trip from Daytona Beach, FL to Sioux City, IA to find a new place to live had officially begun!</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">(Originally posted on my wordpress blog- soon to be deleted- on August 13, 2011) </span></div>
Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039059237703365753.post-74067099696098161572011-08-31T21:12:00.002-05:002011-08-31T21:12:29.750-05:00Blogger to Wordpress... Wordpress to Blogger<div style="text-align: justify;">
A while ago, I decided to leave blogger and switch over to wordpress. I though that it would be easier to use. Boy was I wrong. I am so glad that I didn't delete this blog! Wordpress is a pain to navigate, it doesn't let you really customize your blog the way you want it. Well it does, but you have to pay for it. </div>
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Over the next day or so, I'll be copying the posts that I had created on wordpress and bringing them over to blogger. I will be putting a link on my wordpress blog for those who read it to come over here if they wish. After a month or so, I'll be deleting it completely. </div>
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I know that there were a few followers of my blog before I mysteriously disappeared. I hope you're still willing to read and hang in there while I make these changes. </div>
Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05164261032142324601noreply@blogger.com0