Yes I know I'm totally skipping three months. Similar to Christmas 2010 (still not blogged), I just get overwhelmed when I get behind and my computer tends to give up on me loading too many pictures with not enough brainpower to connect them with stories. For that reason I'm skipping to the move in a vain effort to catch up with the blog, then (and after some around-the-house projects) I will start catching up on the summer that my brain has already forgotten most of. As a special note, I will interject some wedding posts whenever I get pictures from the photographer and am able to sort through pics from 6 different sources (THANKS to Ashley, Amber, Candy, Danielle, Carrie, and Destination Photobooth!!) (If you are someone not on that list that has pictures from the wedding, I would really like them, please comment on this or email me or something, I promise to make the transfer of photos as painless as possible)
That being said, I'll go back 2 weeks to my move to California. I totally punked out and took the easy trip - a direct flight from Portland to Fresno - and allowed my wonderful in-laws to drive the moving truck. I figure they are stuck with me now, so ... thanks! Anyway, I had a lot of extra time in the Portland Airport, due mostly to the fact that I always assume I need 2.5 hours to get to my gate, and that's just not true. That presented me with the challenge of entertaining Olivia while dragging around a carry-on, diaper bag, stroller, and Olivia. She has flown lots before, and has always done awesome, but the last time we flew she was 4 months old and she just slept. This trip was a little different. There was way too many fun things to see and do in the airport, so I finally just let her push her own stroller and I followed with a guiding-steering hand. This worked well to pass an hour, and after a quick bottle (that I thought would precede a nap...I was wrong), we were ready to board.
Here is Olivia having the time of her life pushing her stroller. I wish I had a better picture, but I found it was extremely challenging to have even the two seconds necessary to take a picture when she was running around as fast as she could, and running into things and people in the process.
Olivia did fairly well on the airplane. I don't know how parents with more than one child do it, and I will no longer judge parents who let their children roam the aisle during the flight. That being said, she spent a lot of time flirting with the people around us and did take about a twenty minute nap. It was a very long 2.5 hour flight on a prop plane, but we made it and I had to keep reminding myself that it was much better than the drive would have been.
Alex picked us up at the airport, and we had a nice evening getting reunited as a family. I was glad to do the reuniting process for the last time after a whirlwind summer. Mary and Gary had arrived already, and we stayed in the same hotel, so they were able to watch Olivia and Alex and I went out on a mini-date. It was very nice, and helped me be physically and mentally prepared for moving the next day.
Saturday was the first Fresno State football game that Alex worked, which meant that he left the hotel at 9 AM and got back home around 11:30 PM. I signed the lease (which Alex had already done) at 11, so around noon we got the truck to our new place and started unloading. Now I've moved myself quite a few times, but I've always just had my stuff (which all fit in one bedroom), and had my dad move the furniture. This time was a little different. My parents would arrive the next day, and Alex would be home then, but Saturday was just Mary, Gary, Olivia, and me to unload the truck. That was hard work. Luckily we had a lot of help from Olivia, who helped carry quite a few loads (pictured below :) )
Now here are the "before" pictures from our apartment. This is after everything is moved in but nothing unpacked. Here is the living room:
Dining Room:
Kitchen:
sorry for the sideways picture, my picasa isn't agreeing with my windows file folders today...
Olivia's bedroom:
please note the Victoria's Secret bag is Olivia's birthday present from her Casqueiro grandparents...I knew they were crazy but I'm a little anxious to see what they got her! :) Mary assured me - after I asked as tactfully as I could - that it was a reuse of the bag, and it happened to be the one that fit. I'm still a little concerned, but we will see in a couple weeks.
Where the magic happens (still debating if I should change this title...deciding to leave it for now), Master Bedroom:
The 1/2 bath in the Master Bedroom (toilet beyond second door):
My first walk-in closet to myself (I did have one growing up in the Blodgett house, but never at the same time as I had my own room). It's very big, big enough for Olivia's mattress to fit comfortably in there (for her Saturday naps) even after some boxes were packed in.
Full bath in the hallway:
The washer and dryer are actually in our enclosed patio, which is kinda like another room. I was weirded out by this at first, but once you see how it is set up and enclosed, it really is fine. No one can see into the patio area, and it prevents the dryer from making the apartment an oven all the time.
This apartment is about thirty feet from a basketball/tennis/foursquare/hopscotch area, and about 60 feet from a pool and hot tub area, The area is great, and the community seems very nice and orderly. So far we haven't had any trouble with noise, and are loving the new place. The only thing missing is all of our family and friends :).
We just finished hanging all of our decorations (at least the ones that we have), so after pictures will be posted soon.
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