Day 1

It was surreal to finally be leaving today for our 2,500 plus mile trip. I can't even imagine how it felt for Kristen, who is moving far, far away from a gaggle of family and friends. She is totally excited for Portland, but she also kept saying she would be back.

I have to admit I was a little alarmed to arrive at her house to find this.


Had she changed her mind? How many hours were we going to fall behind? No, she was just a little delayed by having to do more cleanup of her old apartment. Friggen security deposits--I feel her pain. It only took us about 45 minutes to get everything crammed in. That was with the distraction of blinging out her cat.

Here we are on our way!


Of course we only made it about 5 miles before our first stop: Whole Foods. By that time, we were hungry for dinner! We also made a key snack purchase: a crate of satsumas. 2 hours into our trip 4 had been consumed.

We are taking the Southern route to decrease the chances of an encounter with inclement weather in the beginning of December. Yesterday, Kristen texted to inform me that it was snowing in Santa Fe. Right... We set on our course anyway. First stop: Virginia, to see my Cornell pal and maid of honor Diana.

We made it fine, with only a brief delay due to construction. The message on the gps was pretty funny.

Kristen let out a huge yawn. "Hey now," I said.

Kristen: "it's allowed. It's 10:45. That's when I start to howl."