2300 Miles in the Car Together and We are Still Married

Hi All,

On Wednesday, September 26 we left Chicago heading for California. Mike drove the whole way. I was the navigator. I know that it was mainly one highway but navigation is an important part of the process too. Besides, my driving makes Mike nervous.

The first day we only made it as far as Counsel Bluffs, IA. We got kind of a late start. Iowa was mostly corn fields so not a lot of exciting stuff along the way. Thursday we were in 4 states: Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming and Utah. We drove about 15.5 hours that day. Iowa and Nebraska seemed like one big corn field. Wyoming was a little more interesting it with mountains and large open spaces.

On Thursday night we stopped in Park City, UT. We definately want to go back there and try skiing. Park City was home to the Winter Olympics. Although with my skiing skills hopefully they have a few runs that are less then Olympic caliber. There did seem to be plenty of places to Chalet in the area.

Friday we decided to drive as far as Lake Tahoe. So we drove the rest of the way threw Utah. We stopped at the salt flats in Utah. It was pretty cool and looked like Snow.

We got to Tahoe City, CA around 5:00pm. It was pretty chilly when we got up there. It was only in the 40's. We got to see the lake and walk around the town. We are definately going back to Tahoe. It is about a 3.5 to 4 hour drive from San Francisco and is awesome. It will be a lot of fun to see some snow and ski. The temp continued to drop over night and when we woke up in the morning it had snowed. Yep, I said snow. I couldn't believe it. Snow is september. Even Minnesota doesn't have snow that early.

We arrived in the San Francisco area around 10:00am on Saturday morning. I found a temporary place to live in Pacifica, CA. I'm renting a room for a couple of months until Mike finds a new job and moves out. The place is great and is very close to the beach . . . 3 houses from it to be exact. This is the view at the end of my street.

Mike flew home on Sunday, Sept. 30. I started my new job on Oct. 1. It's been good so far. I spent most of my first week training. So far so good.

I really like the area and the weather has been great. It will be even better when Mike gets here.

Thank you to all of you who kept us company along the way. The IMing, text messages and phone calls made the drive go by a lot quicker. Hope things are going well for everyone.

Still In Chicago For A Few More Weeks

Well, we are here for a bit longer. I am starting my new job 10/1 so we will be moving at the end of September. Mike has an interview next week so we are hopeful that he will get that and we can move together.

I am really looking forward to the move. It will be a new adventure. I've never lived on the west coast so Mike and I will have new places to explore.

The extra time in Chicago has given me more time to work out with my personal trainer, satan (his name is really Jimmy). I've been working out 2 times a week with Jimmy. We have developed somewhat of an understanding. He worries about the work out part and pretends that I eat healthy and I don't tell him what I really eat. What's the use of working out if I can't have cake! I do feel bad for him sometimes. I can be a bit of a whiner when I really don't want to do something. I just don't like to sweat. You would think all of the IMing and web surfing I do would burn some calories. All and all it has done me some good.

I hope everyone is doing well and I'll keep you updated on our progress.

Moving Again

I haven't written in my blog for months. I need to reorganize my priorities. Mike and I are moving again...this time to San Francisco. I have accepted a new position with the Justice Department. I will be starting that job the beginning of September. Mike will join me there once he finds a job. If anyone knows of a good electrical engineering job in San Francisco for Mike let me know.

I'll write more later once we get organized. I hope everyone is doing well.

We've Moved!!

Mike and I have decided to try city living for a year. We have moved to the Logan Square neighborhood in Chicago. It's a pretty cool area with big old homes and condos. Also, it's a pretty diverse area. We like it so far. We've been exploring and finding new restaurants and places to hang out. Another plus is that we are close to my sister Sarah and Mike's sister Jill. Our friend Britta lives close too.

The commute to our jobs is much better. Mike's been taking the blue line to the Metra station and then the train out to work. He was very excited to get his CTA Plus card. I can take the blue line to court and I drive out to the office but its a much shorter drive.

Hopefully, we'll get all of these boxes unloaded soon. I finally found our dishes and silverware and Mike's been organizing the basement.

We can't wait for summer in the City.

Male Enhancement Ads

Since I am no longer leading a life of leisure, my time to do things I really like has been limited. I don't have nearly as much time to knit, watch tv or blog.

In fact, my Murder She Wrote viewing has really suffered. When I do get to watch it, I'd rather it be free from male enhancement drug ads. I mean, WHY?! From my years in marketing, I would guess the demographic for this show would be mainly older females. They all show some hoochy young woman grinding on the dance floor (all that's missing is the pole). Then some older male comes in. Who are they kidding?! Do they really think mature women are going to be lured into buying this product by young chickies and goofy looking older men who apparently can't get it up anymore? What's next ads for Rogaine and Corvettes?

I would expect to see these ads on Spike TV, ESPN or during Monday Night Football. NOT on the Biography Channel during Murder She Wrote.

The whole thing is putting a damper on one of my favorite past times. I may need to start Tivo-ing it so I can fast forward threw these flights of middle-age male fantasy.

I Got A Job!!!!

After a long search I have finally found a job. I start as an Associate in the Foreclosure dept. at Codilis & Associates on Monday, Feb. 5. I can't wait. It all happened pretty quick. I interviewed on Tuesday, got my offer on Friday and I start monday. I heard about the job from the Justice of the Phi Alpha Delta Western Suburban Alumni Chapter. He was kind enough to submit my resume to the hiring attorney.

Although, I am really going to miss my friday morning knitting at Wool & Company. However, I plan on going to the knitting guild meeting on wednesday evening so I can knit with the ladies and get my fix.

I'll keep you all posted.

The Yarn Store Lawyer

I visited a local yarn store today and the sign in the window said "Business For Sale". So I started thinking that maybe I should become the Yarn Store Lawyer. The dual business thing worked for Ed, he owned a bowling alley and dispensed useful legal advice. I know I watch way too much television.

I thought I could knit, draft wills and represent clients all at the same time. Sell a little yarn, give out some legal advice. I think it would work. Maybe I could find a few partners that can knit, sell yarn and lawyer all at the same time. I could have weekly drop in knitting/legal advice sessions. I'm sure I could come up with a fitting name for the yarn store/law firm: Wills & Wool or Lambs, Esq. or Stitch & Sue.

I did have an interview this week. Hopefully something good will come of that. If not, maybe this will be a viable option.

Anyway, that was just my thought for the day. Hope everyone is having a good week.

New Winter Knits

I have just finished knitting a new scarf, hat, mittens & head band. I can't wait to try them all out. I have been wearing the scarf for a couple of weeks now but I just finished the rest of the ensemble. My bf Neen gave me some great yarn for Christmas and it has been great for these projects.

The hat has ear flaps to keep my ears warm during skiing or skating. I lined the ear flaps with red fleece. It's tres stylish. The ear flaps can be tied up to create that every sexy Elmer Fudd look.

I made the mittens out of red fleece with a knitted cuff. I actually broke out the sewing machine to sew the fleece part. I'm kind of scary with a sewing machine. I'm just glad I didn't sew my fingers together. Even my brother Kyle did better them me in the sewing part of Home Ec. His drawstring bag actually closed. I sewed the channel for the string shut in several locations.



I also made a head band from a pattern found at www.knitty.com. Both Jody and Carla, Friday Knitting Buddies, made one. After seeing theirs I had to attempt it too. It looks pretty good and if my head was slightly larger it would fit better. I am trying to shrink it a little now. We'll see how that turns out.

I think now I'm going to work on some socks that have been in progress for quite some time. It would be nice to get those done.

Anyway, I'll have some quality knitting time tomorrow at the "Knit In".

Oh yeah, I have been looking for jobs too. I had an interview Jan. 15. It went ok but I didn't get the job. Oh well, there will be others. I have been sending out lots of resumes so hopefully something will come up soon. Until then I'll keep busy with my knitting.

Things I've Learned From Jessica Fletcher

As many of you know, I love Murder She Wrote. Jessica Fletcher is definitely a snarky chick. She's intelligent, beautiful, self confident and not afraid to voice her opinions. While I am fully aware that she is a fictional character, I have learned many things from watching her solve crimes.

1. Be observant
JF is always aware of her surroundings. She always notices a missing earring, fire place poker or letter opener. Later that missing item proves useful in solving the crime and finding the real killer.

2. Follow your gut feelings
Even in the face of seemingly incontrovertible evidence, JF has confidence in her feelings. In many episodes Sheriff Mort arrests someone he believes is guilty. It is always left up to Jessica to find the real killer.

3. Believe in yourself
No matter the obstacle, JF puts her best foot forward. She's a woman who followed her dream to become a successful mystery writer. She travels the world visiting her many friends and bringing justice to all.

4. Think outside the box
She is able to look at a situation and not let initial appearances lead her to the wrong conclusion. Her ability to view things from many different angles and come up with novel ideas is inspirational.

5. Never be afraid to voice your opinions
This is one of her best traits. When the powers that be want to push her aside, she makes them listen. Her confidence and logic shine through when she delivers the narrative of how the crime really happened.

I'm sure if I had more time to think about it I'd come up with a much larger list. However, I think this is a good start. For those of you who read this and want to watch an episode or two of Murder She Wrote, it's on the Biography 2 times a day - 11am, noon, 5pm & 6pm.