K is for Kirsten...and Kroger!

Yesterday, we started on the office. In my opinion, the office is our Everest, so I'm really not looking forward to unpacking it. Not only does most our stuff live in the office, but as soon as I'm organized, that means that I have to get back to my normal life - which includes work! Yikes!

It's been snowing for the past couple of days, so we have been hesitant to explore too far out of our comfort zone. We ran some errands and I suggested that we have lunch at a popular restaurant called Panera Bread. I've never seen one in CA, but I had been to a different one a couple of months ago when searching for the apartment with Mom. We were lucky enough to find a table by the fireplace.

We also went to our local grocery store Kroger for the first time. We have polled quite a few people and Kroger seems to be the "it" place for grocery stores. I made our very first dinner in the apartment tonight! Well, I guess I should say that I made "brinner" because I made breakfast for dinner. Whole wheat chocolate chip pancakes, eggs and turkey sausage. Mmmm... It was yummy. :)

Black and White

Yesterday was another day of unpacking. I've decided that unpacking is like Christmas, you get to open a ton of boxes, unwrap the paper and suddenly you have all these amazing gifts - thankfully, you like them all, too! ;)

Yesterday's highlight was was our kitties' adventure onto our porch. It was Bonnie and Chazz's first introduction to the snow!

Poor Bonnie and Chazz, instead of allowing each to acclimate to the cold first, Matt just plopped them right into the pile of snow and they didn't know what hit them!!!

Yeah, doesn't Bonnie look thrilled!? I'll have to knit them each a scarf, hat and parka! Oh yeah, and boots. :)

Nothing to "Wine" About Last Night!

Yesterday was the same old, same old...we continued to unpack. I did accomplish my goal which was to finish the kitchen! Yippie! We now have all the primary rooms done. All that's left is the office, guest bedroom and guest bathroom. Even though there are plenty of boxes around, I know they can be ignored until Matt goes back to work.

Last night, we had a great evening. Our apartment complex had a wine tasting event and it was a lot of fun. There were 7 bottles featured at the tasting and each from a different country. The wine specialist taught us quite a bit about each wine and the unique qualities of each country's soil and vineyards.



And even better, we met people!!! 2 couples, in fact! We all had a such a nice time chatting at the event, that we went out to pizza to grab dinner. We had an interesting coversation comparing the difference between what you can find in CA versus OH. Matt and I also got the scoop on the complex since each couple has lived there a few months more than us. We all exchanged numbers at the end of the night, and I definitly think it will be fun to hang out with them again. :)

Movies, Movies and More Movies

I decided to write my blog this morning because I was on a real roll with unpacking the kitchen last night. Matt said, "Hey, where is your blog posting?" I replied, "Is that now part of your morning routine?" Matt said, "Well how else am I supposed to know what we did yesterday?" He's so funny. :)

So....since this blog is in very high demand with Matt, I will "remind" him what we did yesterday....

We watched a lot of movies and continued to unpack. Hmm....starting to sound like everyday. I haven't been comfortable cooking until I had my kitchen stuff put away, so I've been motivated to get the kitchen done. Throughout the day, we had different movies in the background. I promise we did more unpacking than movie watching!

And because it was Tuesday, we needed to continue our new "date night" ritual. We have found a couple of restaurants that have some great deals on Tuesdays and at the movie theater, they have $6 movie night. Tuesdays are going to be my new Saturday. :)

We had dinner at Johnny Rockets and our waiter made Matt and I some nice ketchup art.



I must admit, though, when Mom and I went last, a different waiter did a MUCH better job!



We then saw Sherlock Holmes and we liked it. Afterwards, we came home and I continued unpacking the kitchen. I'm almost there so I'm hoping it will be done today. Finally, a meal inside our apartment for once! And the timing couldn't be better because today at our grocery store, they have discount Wednesday for AAA members. I just love finding these deals!!!

Oh, and I almost forgot the pinnacle part of my day. I was successful at resurrection an old friend. I think it turned out pretty good:

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Yesterday was our first snowy day. We've had quite a bit of rain lately and it has melted away all the snow on the ground. But, Ohio was "kind" enough to make sure we didn't go too long without a new batch.

I'm convinced that people can tell that I'm from CA just by looking at me when I'm walking around outside. I cannot leave the house without donning my snow uniform - a thick coat, scarf, gloves, hat, and boots. I've even been thinking in even investing in a ski mask! It's so... cold outside and I see people walking around with barely a coat. I swear people have lizard skin out here.

We continued to unpack and we have hit a bit of a lull. Perhaps it's because we had our first fatality today. My poor little clock has seen better days...


2006-2010
RIP my dear friend

That's OK, I've decided to resurrect her into a mirror instead! Already tore out the guts and now I just have to find a mirror that size. :)

This evening was our big date to take advantage of our new "Mug Club" membership at the brewery we recently visited. We had a good time! The place was packed and the event was free for members, which included a yummy meal of bratwurst and sauerkraut, beans, chips and of course, beer! Well, technically I gave Matt my drink ticket and got a soda. But I did sample each beer and liked them.





Matt even got a fancy card saying that he's an official Mug Club Member. The card will give us invites to future events and we'll get discounts off beer and food any time we go to the restaurant. All for $10!!! Gotta love it!

A Strange and Lazy Weekend

This weekend was quite relaxing...a little too relaxing!

We had a great time in Ann Arbor on Saturday. It's a cute downtown, with great restaurants and of course the campus UofM (which is huge by the way!)

Something that has been strange about these past 3 month is that this whole move has felt surreal. Everything has gone by so quickly. It still hasn't quite hit me that I've even moved - although you would think that the snow and cold alone would be my shock therapy! But it hasn't. I feel like I'm on vacation and that I'll be heading back to CA soon. However, when I was in Michigan, it started to hit me a bit. Locals would ask me where I'm from once they discovered I hadn't visited Ann Arbor before. My instinct was to say CA but then I would catch myself and say Ohio. It was so weird!!!

So whereas it hasn't quite sunk in yet that I've moved, I'm getting closer. We got home at about 2:30pm and I suddenly became really tired. I decided to take a nap and woke up 15 HOURS later. It was a record for me. I literally slept the rest of Saturday away and woke up late this morning. I couldn't believe it!!!

Today we lazed around the apartment and unpacked. It feels good to settle in. Maybe that will help me realize that I'm not in CA anymore! :) So far, we've unpacked the master bedroom and closet and half our kitchen. It's getting there!

This evening I had a great Skype conversation with my parents and grandparents and I finally watched the movie Julie and Julia. I liked it - just as I had hoped.

Well, on to bed.

This Post is Dedicated to Mom

Yesterday, Matt and I needed to get some computer work done so we headed to our local library! When Mom and I originally went to Ohio, we discovered the library and she fell in love. It is a pretty neat library. There are indoor fireplaces and plenty of areas to sit and read or work. Beforehand, we even went to Mom's favorite deli! Geez, Mom, you have more favorites than we do right now! :)

When we came home we unpacked the master the closet.

Today we are driving to get our car - finally!!! Then we are heading to Detroit to drop off our rental car and explore Ann Arbor. My old neighbor, a huge UofM fan, will be so proud of us. And to Dad, I apologize.

Our Stuff Has Arrived!

Our stuff made it, safe and sound! The movers arrived yesterday at 9:30a and finished by 2pm. Now, we have some work to do!



I thought since there isn't much detail to yesterday's move, I would give you a tour of our apartment complex. One feature that attracts me to this place is a huge pond outside our apartment. I was really hoping for a water view and I got one...or so I thought. Right now, it's more like an ice view!

Here is the view when I first got the apartment in November:



And here it is now - what happened!?!?!? :)



And now our tour continues to the club house - or as Matt likes to call it, "The Lodge." This area is where a tenant can go to hang out:



Watch movies in the Movie Room (while eating free popcorn):





Play pool:



Work-out in the gym:



Eat/drink unlimited cookies and coffee:



Or go to the Media Center, to get more free coffee and free unlimited printing:



Eventually they are working on a concierge service - come on! I may never want to leave!!! :)

Ahh..The Finest Food Ohio Has to Offer

Today started off with such good intentions. We had planned to get up early, have some lunch and go to Toledo's art museum. However, the day went down a little more like this:

Instead of getting up early, I got up at 11am.

After I arose and actually got ready, we suited-up for the below freezing weather and took off for lunch. (Quick side note: Something you should know before continuing this segment is that every time Matt visits Florida, he has to eat at a diner-style, restaurant called, "Steak and Shake." Apparently this restaurant chain is only found in select places on the East Coast.)

Now, imagine Matt's excitement when suddenly he saw a sign with the words (practically etched in gold) - STEAK AND SHAKE. Well, there was no stopping us...especially since Matt was driving. I must admit, I enjoyed my shake and burger. Granted, I was expecting to eat steak (I mean, it's in the name, right!) but apparently Steak and Shake's definition of steaks are burgers.

Here is Matt, enjoying the new bliss of what Ohio has to offer:



As we continued our drive to the art museum, another sign caught my eye. As many of you know, I love doughnuts... a lot. I had been separated from a good friend of mine for too long - as she does not live in the West Coast. Her name is "Dunkin Donuts." Well, folks, we were re-united today and I remember now why we were such good friends. DD (that's what I like to call her) we are no longer apart.



OK, so at this point, we probably should have walked to the art museum given how much we ate, but we were quite determined to get there, so off to Toledo we went. However, there was a small glitch. We got lost - really lost. We saw everything in Toledo BUT the art museum. Then, when we finally got there, we pulled into the parking lot only to find out that the museum was closing within the hour. So, alas, we did not go. We will all have to wait for another day. I was pretty tired at that point, so we headed home.

But, the good news is that our stuff should be arriving tomorrow so we hopefully will have an apartment filled with furniture by the time I write my next post!

Lunch and a Movie

Today was quite fun! We still haven't quite adjusted to our new time zone, but that's OK, because we have lost so much sleep in the last 3 months, we are fine with catching up! We decided to go to a brewery that Mom and I had visited back in November.

After lunch, we found out that the brewery has a "Mug Club Membership." They are having a huge event next Monday as a way to celebrate their new ale coming out. We asked them how much the membership was and the waitress said, "ten dollars." I then said, "oh, like $10 a month?" and she said, "No, just $10 - forever." I don't even drink beer and I'm sold!!! So, next Monday, Matt and I have a date to return back to the brewery and try out our new mug club membership. Apparently we do not waist time when it comes to beer! (I'm in it for the free food that comes with the beer - but don't tell Matt) :)

These pictures are of the outside of the brewery. I took them when visiting with Mom. I would have used a current picture, however, everything is literally covered with ice and snow.





I thought this was pretty cool - I've never seen a chess board this huge before.

We then saw Avatar in 3-D. We liked it - especially since we found out that every Tuesday is $6.00 Tuesday! Apparently all the theaters in the area do this. How cool is that!? You know where to find us on Tuesdays...

Ohio - Day #1

Yesterday marked our 1st official day in Ohio. Before we started our activities, we had a very important decision to make - Where will our very 1st meal be in Ohio???

This was not a decision we were taking lightly - this 1st restaurant would mark a whole new chapter in our life of restaurant eating. And then, as we were driving, I saw it...it was a sign - no literally, a sign - a BIG BOY's sign!!! I knew it was meant to be - this was a childhood favorite of mine so we pulled in and couldn't resist having lunch and taking a picture! :)

 

We then went supply shopping and did some exploring in our main area. I'm thrilled with where we are living because it is near everything! That night for dinner, Matt wanted to try a Mongolian BBQ place that I had found the last time I was in Ohio. Many of you know, that Matt's favorite place in CA was a restaurant named Hula's and he was hoping that he could simulate the same experience he had for so many years. Alas, he did not succeed - but, he did say it was worth going back. I, on the other hand, had cereal. :)

Ohio, Here We Are!

We made it! We are official Ohio residents! It is so surreal to think of how much has changed in just 3 months! It hasn't hit us that we are no longer living in CA...you think all this snow would smack us into reality. Our stuff hasn't arrived yet but we have managed to unpack what we brought:



And it's nice, because the cats managed to unpack their items, too:

Bonnie's Pink Brush


Chazz's "Tigger Tail"

Ohio, Here We Come...Wait, Not So Fast!

Many of you know that we were supposed to move this past Tuesday. However, we found out that our moving truck and car are delayed and won't get to OH for another week! So...we are still in CA. It has actually turned out to be quite nice because it has given us a bonus week with family. Today we had a great lunch with M&D. The restaurant is deceiving from the outside because it was converted from an old Dairy Queen. However, the inside was nice and the food was amazing!!!



And then after lunch, we watched movies. Ahh...that's my perfect way to spend time with family! :) Our new flight is scheduled to leave on Sunday.

Welcome To Our Blog!

Hi Everyone,

I was inspired to write a blog for my grandparents so they could keep up on our new lives in Ohio. My cousins K and J do an amazing job at their blogs, so I'll have to keep up! :) This will be my way to share what's going on this year with our friends and family. We hope you enjoy!