Progress

Things seem like they are falling into place at a snail's pace. Everything is finalized with our apartment and we can move in on March 3rd. I am off the 6th and 7th, and am heading to Raleigh to pack for my official move. I know you guys want to come over to help me pack. :)

I am looking forward to settling into my new life. We actually get to bring Bailey back up with us and I'm so excited about that. She's been with my parents for almost two months now. I miss that crazy dog! It will be great to have a refrigerator that can fit more than two drinks and to be able to cook a meal instead of going out for literally every meal. Plus I'm hoping that this will make me feel a little more like I belong here. I feel like I'm on this emotional roller-coaster and can't seem to get any balance. I have only been here a little over two weeks so it's to be expected, although I feel like I've been here for months. I'll be glad to see my parents next weekend and hopefully some of my Raleigh friends.

Other good news, I had another showing on my house yesterday. Fingers crossed for positive feedback and an interest to buy. If that happened I might actually be happy for more than 10 minutes at the time!

Off to the grind......
-K

Maybe the sun will come out today

You know how you feel like you almost have a grip on things, and then everything is suddenly so difficult? That's the way I felt yesterday. It was just one thing after another.....Our GPS is missing, I cannot get through with anything at work, I have to get an absurd amount of money orders by noon today for our rental, the hotel is being difficult about including one breakfast with my daily rate which it clearly states in our contract with them. My health insurance has expired and I haven't not received my new card. The insurance company blames it on the postal service, but then don't we all?

On another front, I have signed a lease for a rental in Edgewater. It is right on the Hudson river across from Manhattan. It's tiny and the closets are non-existant. Plus I realized yesterday that there is no form of cooling system in the place. Guess who gets to buy a window unit she'll have no use for in probably a year or two?! Fun stuff.

I am off to start another day, praying it'll be better than the previous....one more thing, it's COLD!!

Are we ever going to find a place to live?

I feel like all we have been doing is looking for a place to live. I am so ready to get out of the hotel and have my own place, own stuff, and most importantly, BAILEY! Eating out every single meal got old really quickly. We finally found two places we were really interested in, one around the corner from my office here in Teaneck and the other in Edgewater. I was going back and forth between the two, unable to decide which would be a better fit. Edgewater is a great town on the river. It has lots of restaurants and is really convenient to all of the places we like to go. The house in Teaneck is much bigger and so close to the office. I seriously could walk to work(not in Winter though!).

Now I hear from my broker that the one here in Teaneck is off the market because someone is interested in it and is currently going through a credit check. It seems like the decision has been made for us. I just wonder if it's the decision we'll be happiest with......stay tuned!

Better I guess

We actually made it through the first week with no major problems. Here's a few things we learned thus far....

• Exact change of $1 in the Easypass pay toll does not mean a one dollar bill. It literally means CHANGE. Luckily, while we were fumbling around for change no rude Jersey drivers came up behind us, beeped and flipped us the finger.
• Pay close attention when driving around here because if you take the wrong turn you could end up heading to the GWB like we almost did. Talk about seriously freaking out.
• Garmin considers convenience stores and grocery stores the same. They are not.
• Men up here stare without trying to be discrete. It's kind of uncomfortable.
• People have been really friendly so far. Random people talk to us. I think they can't resist the southern charm. ;)
• Where Erica lives (down the shore, picking up the slang already...) is pretty similar to Raleigh traffic wise. Where I am is a million times worse.
• Erica, her family, and friends made us feel like we belong this past weekend. Pictures to come!!
• I like room service!
  

Things do seem better. We're finding some places that we're interested in. We've learned our way around a little bit more. I think work is so busy I don't have time to think about how much I miss home. It's overwhelming and I feel like I take one step forward and two steps back. But I think I'm getting the hang of things slowly. I miss everyone like crazy though!!

Lost southerners in the big city

So we made it here.....When Weston and I saw the NYC skyline on Monday when we arrived we were a little, who am I kidding, very shocked. I knew that the city was close but it was still surprising to see and realize that I will be living less than 10 miles from it. We both knew that we were in for a complete culture shock. I have to admit I was terrified and still am. There is SO much traffic around north Jersey. The roads are kind of confusing and that damn woman on Garmin and her recalculating is a little frustrating!

The first night was the beginning of our adventure. Who knew trying to find a grocery store would be so hard. After all, there are no Piggly Wiggly's up here and I hadn't a clue the name of a northern grocery store.....we gave up finding a grocery store and settled on a convenience store to get what we needed.

The first day of work started off bad. I arrived at the office 10 til 8 and rang the door bell. No one answered. So while I'm standing there panicking and feeling like I was going to puke, I realized I couldn't get into the bathroom because the door has a code on it. I called Mom and she helped me to not turn around and walk back to the hotel, pack my stuff and drive back south. Luckily, I didn't wait long to get in and then everything was fine. All of the people in the office have been really nice and helpful. I have been questioned quite a few times why in the world I would move from NC to NJ. I am still sitting here wondering it myself. Then I try to remember I came up here for the job and the opportunities that would follow along. I didn't come up here because I like the cold or the snow, or the terrible, rude, impatient drivers, or even to experience real city life. But my wonderful friend Erica has made it much better than it ever could be if she wasn't here.

I know my facebook page has sounded down and I'm not going to lie, I'm homesick and it's really hard for me already. It hasn't even been a week!! I miss my dog, my family, my friends, and my comfort. And poor Weston, he's a completely different story. He's great and supportive, and I'm so grateful he's here with me. Things will get easier once we find a place and get our things up here. I don't know if we'll ever adjust to life here as much as we just have to accept it and make it work.

I'm in south Jersey this weekend with Erica, her family, and friends so it'll will be a good time and it'll keep my mind off of other things. I guess I should go take a shower so we can begin our fun times!!

Happy Valentine's Day ya'll!!