Nikki Post: Epic Road Trip Prologue

As Claire mentioned in a previous blog post, we teamed up with my friends Lisa and Lauren to visit three and a half states (Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and a drive-through of New Mexico) in two and a half days (part of Friday, and all of Saturday and Sunday). Lisa has a policy of visiting at least one new state before every birthday, and this year, Oklahoma was the lucky recipient of our presence. Our stops in the other states were merely to make the weekend epic and exciting. We had a blast and solidified our statuses as "besties", which was especially exciting for me because it marks the first time that I can say I have best friends in both of my "homes."

I'm finally editing the photos, and Claire's helping me do research on the various sites we visited and people we met. (Because she likes this to be an educational as well as entertaining blog.) As always, I thank you, loyal readers, for your patience as I sort through and edit the hundreds of photos I took and dig through the internet for information to share. Claire's first entry will detail our trip through a stormy Kansas, our stay in a swanky hotel, fun at the Tulip Festival in Wamego, and our delicious lunch at a taquería named after a very famous terrier.

Not sure how many entries there will be, as I haven't yet split everything up into sub-folders. There WILL be additional photos from the trip added to my Facebook fan page, which may get updated before this blog occasionally, simply because it's easier. Keep an eye out there as well. :)

EPIC ROAD TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG YOU GUYS I FINALLY GET TO GO ON A LEGIT ADVENTURE AGAIN I'M SO EXCITED!!!

Nikki, me, and her besties Lisa and Lauren are going to 4.5 states in 2.5 days. No one thinks we can do it, and we probably can't, to be honest, but it's gonna be SO AWESOME to try!

First stop: Wamego, KS for their tulip festival and Wizard of Oz themed food/wine stores.
Second stop: Oklahoma City, OK because Lisa's never been to Oklahoma; we're also gonna go to a blues bar and eat barbecue
Third stop: Amarillo, TX to see Cadillac Ranch where this dude PLANTED CADILLAC CARS and then got all artsy with them
The half-state: We're gonna drive through New Mexico to get back to
Fourth state: Colorado, where if we have time, we're gonna stop off at this place named "Cimino Park," just like Nikki's family's name!

We got a new camera, because Nikki's fancy one stopped believing that its lens was attached to it when IT TOTALLY WAS, so we'll be able to document all the awesomeness of what we're doing.

See you when we get back!!! <3

Going Home

Nikki and I went back to Baltimore for Christmas with just the black suitcase and her purse. This is all we're leaving with: the suitcase, her purse, a carry-on from her mom, and a book bag she borrowed from Ginger Jon. Why all the extra luggage? While there are some Christmas gifts in the brown bag, most of the luggage is stuffed full of Utz chips. Nikki LOVES Utz chips. She's also tucked four bottles of Maryland wine into the suit case between all her clothes. Luckily Southwest Airlines allows passengers to check two bags and have a carry-on and a "personal item" to take with them on the plane FOR FREE. I highly recommend flying with them during the holidays.

Nikki Post: We've Arrived

Spoiler Alert: We didn't die in a tornado.

We all arrived safely in Colorado on Friday (8/5). My aunt, uncle, dad, mom, and Steve all helped pack the storage unit with almost all of our earthly belongings while I was left to drive Tasha to the kennel for a short stay away from Pam and Rob's place. (Apparently, I'm not considered fit for lifting.) Claire, along with the stuffed mouse (Mousey) that came with Tasha from the SPCA and the purple fairy blanket that she loves, is with her at the kennel, so the rest of the entries will be from me for a while. I can only imagine the stories she'll tell when she returns.

Here's the scoop: we're staying at Steve's aunt and uncle's place in Evergreen (see map below) until we find a place of our own in Denver.

From Evergreen to Denver

Chris and Lori (my "aunt" and "uncle") peaced outta town right after helping us put everything into storage, while my parents stayed until early this morning. We took them driving through Rocky Mountain National Park (pictures to come). They explored downtown Denver on their own. Rob and Pam had them over for dinner last night, which went rather well, I thought. Of course, having two different sides of the family meet for the first time is always nerve-wracking, so I babbled much more than I usually do (which is A LOT). But everyone seemed to like each other, and the meeting was a success. I dropped my parents off at the airport this morning; Mom cried, which I figured she'd do. They arrived safely in Baltimore this evening.

Steve and I spent about six hours today looking for a place to live. Either the places were too expensive, didn't allow cats, or were in sketchy neighborhoods. We left some voice messages and sent some emails, so we'll see how that goes. We originally had this long list of requirements:

- 2br, at least 1ba

- cat and dog friendly (we want to adopt a dog soon)

- gas range on the stove (b/c neither of us can cook very well on electric, having never grown up using it)

- guaranteed parking

- NOT in an apartment complex

- prefer single-family home or townhome

- no more than $1150 (and that's pushing it) with at least some utilities included

After only two days of serious searching, and four days on a guest bed without our cat, we're starting to drop our standards. We want to keep the 2br so we have a guest room/office, and the price range has to stay the same. If we can't adopt a dog, so be it, but we need the cat approval. We'll learn how to cook on an electric range, and if we have to live in an apartment complex, then fine. We'd at least like one with high approval ratings on ApartmentRatings.com. Having lived in a fantastic apartment in Parkville, MD for so long, I had forgotten how AWFUL and frustrating it is to find somewhere new to live.

I have a final job interview tomorrow at a local university, so I'm going to iron this shirt I dug out of one of my boxes of clothes and call it a night.

Nikki Post: My Mount Everest

This is my desk. Before getting my new laptop, my old computer (see on the right), monitor, and keyboard took up most of the space. To the left was always the recycling pile. And on top of the desk....an archaeological dig going back months sometimes. There's an organizer in there - an inbox of sorts - on the left side, under that pile of...well, the box is really the only thing I can clearly make out.

This has always been my catch-all area. My shoes and purse are always here. The drawers were littered with miscellany, although I was recently able to clean them out. Do you need a pen? I have - no joke - over 30. Markers and highlighters, Post-It note pads in different sizes and colors, and small notepads from the various places I've worked in the last five years.

I'm not a hoarder by any means. I LOVE throwing stuff away, giving stuff away, purging my life and apartment of unnecessary things. But my desk, for some reason, never really gets cleaned. Once in a blue moon, I'll have a manic episode that gives me the strength to dig through everything until I can see the countertop again, but those episodes, thanks to my medication, are few and far between.


Today, I'm tackling this hot mess of a desk. TODAY, I stand up to the clutter and remove it from my life. Today, I go through my "important documents" drawer (second down on the left), which holds paperwork on my car, my cat, and God only knows what else.

Pray for me.

Nikki Post: Packing Made More Difficult

Like I don't have enough to worry about with the move - packing my belongings, giving away the stuff I don't want/don't need, settling accounts in MD - I have to deal with Tasha's utter fascination with all things box-related. I don't know what the hell is so special about a bunch of cardboard boxes, but she's been rubbing her face all over them and insisting on sitting inside of them, regardless of their contents. Here's a picture of her being rebellious after I told her multiple times to stay the hell off my clean towels:

She's lucky she's adorable.

It's Gonna be a Looooooooooong Ride

I've been trying to find some good songs about armadillos so I can make a couple of mix CDs for our trip west. Unfortunately, we armadillos aren't a popular muse for musicians. Elton John had a song about us, so maybe I'll buy that off iTunes, but otherwise, the pickin's are mighty slim. I found the below link on YouTube, for example. I was really excited at first because I LOVE old-school style hip-hop, AND it was a song about armadillos! But....well, as you'll hear, it's just a hot mess, and I'm not really sure it's actually about armadillos at all. It sounds more like something a bunch of white potheads came up with in their dorm rooms instead of studying for finals. (Armadillos are known as harsh but honest critics of all things.)

I guess I'll keep looking around Google for something better. If anyone can suggest any good songs (only about armadillos), please comment! Without proper fingers for typing, internet searches (and blog updates) can be quite the hassle.

http://youtu.be/OriLPInOICw - worst hip-hop song about armadillos EVER.

Pre-Move Worries

I've been spending a lot of time lately comforting the cat. She knows something's up, but having a very small brain, she can't quite figure out what it is. The humans (Nikki and Steve) have a lot of their possessions in boxes or strewn all about the place, which makes for a very cluttered mind. A clean home = a clean brain.

While I love Tasha to pieces, I honestly hope they drug her to high hell on the drive out west. She does NOT do well in car rides. I love them. Feeling the wind in my furry back plates, listening to Nikki's strange but wonderful music...makes me feel more alive.

Only 20 more days until we move.