The Drive

My poor Ford Escape appears to have much space... well when you are moving across the country.. not so much. We loaded that bad boy up to the very tip top and had things shoved in every open space we had, we even ended up holding a few things on our laps! Ugh! We were so full up that we actually ran out of space and I had to play household goods survivor and had to vote a few things off the island; that and I forgot a few things to boot (like my hairdryer) But luckily there was room for myself, mom, dad and NiBo and all our essentials, oh and don't forget about Oliver! 

Oliver enjoying the views.... well sort of. He was a good little cat for the loooooong 2 day drive. He was a little meowing at first, they he realized it was no use and just sat in his carrier and chilled out, not a peep! He was a little freaked out when we stopped and probably a little overwhelmed about all the newness of the hotels, but he was a champ! 

Dad, NiBo and I all took turns driving. We'd drive and drive and drive until we got tired or needed a break. I was surprised how much of Route 66 we saw, it runs parallel to US 40 is which was carried us from Small Town to my new home. Here is what Texas looked like...

NiBo was driving as we went through Amarillo, TX. I had mentioned before that maybe we could stop and look at some roadside attractions (turns out we all just wanted to get to our destination) but I had mentioned Cadillac Ranch before our trip as a possible stop but didn't think much about it again. But as we were driving through Amarillo, NiBo noticed there was a bunch of cars pulled off along side the frontage road of US 40, then he was like "oh look, there are those cars buried in the field" ... so I demanded we stop.

Pretty random and kinda not all that interesting, but it's a piece of Americana and now I can say I've been. The sad thing is all the spray paint cans that people leave behind. It's encouraged to spray paint the cars, as you can see. But come on people, there was a garbage can on site, for the love of Pete, RECYCLE! We saw lots of people that came prepared with their own shade of paint to add to the display of Cadillac's from yesteryear, we took pictures and selfie's instead.

New Mexico is a state of pretty views, but not much else. We had like no cell service for the duration of our trek through the state, unless you were near a big city. So here is New Mexico...

Then we finally made it to Arizona! The Grand Canyon State Welcomes me! 

Oh, thanks for the warning, welcome to AZ! 

The Arizona leg of the trip was my turn to drive. Once we got to the state line we still had about three hours left until we got to the hotel for the night (which was right next door to my condo, perfect!) We made it to the downhill mountain climb of our trip after the sun went down, I'm sure it was pretty views but at night, eek! 6% down grade here, another 6% there. I didn't realize how far down we had to come, it seemed like forever! Trying to keep within the speed limit you had to pretty much ride the brakes the whole way down! Whew, that that is over.

Once we arrived we settled into our hotel room for the night. We an across a 24 hour Subway (and it delivers!) and had dinner in our room. The movers would arrive the next morning so we had to get our beauty rest. Check back tomorrow for all the unpacking details! 

I managed to make it all the way through Illinois winter without getting sick, then day 2 of living in Arizona, I'm sick! Ugh! I'm achy and have runny nose and just plain ole don't feel good, hopefully we can still get some fun things in before NiBo leaves on Saturday! 

The Goodbyes for Now

The hardest thing about moving to another state is saying goodbye to your dear friends. I have been in the same department for the past seven years, and it's the same department I started the insurance company at. Seven years is a long time to spend 5 days a week with people. They become your very best friends and then they become family. I am seriously going to miss all of these people, and these are just a few of my extended work family.

I knew I had friends at work, but I was completely overwhelmed by their graciousness. On my last day, which was last Friday, there were so many people who gave me gifts and cards, which was completely unexpected, a goodbye hug would have been enough, but being the people they are, they wen't completely above and beyond.

Here, is myself and skinny on his last day a week prior with Pat.

These people know me so well! I got my favorite guacamole and chips! 

Pat was very sad that I was leaving so we decided to pack her up and take her with! 

My Screaming Pumpkin buddy and I have planned to meet up (when we are both in better shape) to do a very awesome race since we won't be around for the annual running of the Screaming Pumpkin race at Halloween this year.

My girl T and I on the last day

... and this is what is left of the awesome '6 Pack' the others have moved on as well. You can kinda tell from this picture that the tears are starting to build as Pat is getting sadder and sadder. Don't worry for Pat though, I have made her my IL secretary. She will be the first one to get updates and then pass them around. She had already done an awesome job with her first assignment! 

It was hard to say goodbye to friends but I hope they will look me up if they are ever out in AZ. 

The other surprising thing is how much stuff you accumulate in your little cube after 7 years. I tried to consolidate it down to 1 box, which I kinda did, but ended up bringing another box home with me, which as you'll find out in the next post, I didn't have quite as much space as I thought I did in the Escape! 

But thank you again to all my friends who have been so good to me since I have began in the department at the insurance company. I will miss you all very very much! Words cannot express how thankful I am for each and every one of you! Love ya lots! 

Tag Line

As you know, I'm moving soon to the great state of Arizona! I've mentioned before that 'North of 10th' will stay but 'stories, dreams and random thoughts from the brick streets of a small town' just won't work anymore. So I'm in need of something new.

When I got to work the other morning Arizona (blog Arizona not the state) had an email waiting in my inbox with some suggestions, #bored.

Stories, dreams and random thoughts...

~ from the west side of the Mississip
~ from the Midwest to the Southwest
~ from corn to cactus and everything in between

I think I liked the last one the best, because it ties back in with Illinois. Which led me to think of this one.

Stories, dreams and random thoughts from the Land of Lincoln to a Grand Canyon state of mind.

But I need your help! Do you have a favorite from those listed, or do you have a whole new idea? Leave a comment or click the handy 'email North of 10th' link on the top right and let me know what you think! 

The Empty Rooms

The moving truck arrived on Saturday to scoop up my things and send them on their way to Arizona. This is really happening, for realz, no turning back now. Having someone come and do all the packing and heavy lifting is so the way to go! All I had to do was say this goes, this stays, this goes, this stays.

If you know me, you know I'm a worrier. I can't help it, I like to have everything planned and if it's beyond my control then I worry. I was worried about the packing. If you know me, you also know I procrastinate, which sometimes leads to more worry. Well I didn't really start going through things until the Thursday & Friday before the movers come on Saturday. I tried to get through as much stuff as I could so I don't end up taking things I don't need right away. I mean that's what parent's houses are for right? A holding area for all your things until you have a house of your own? Well it got to be late on Friday night and I just said forget it, pack it up! I'll figure it out later. 

So who knows what I'll end up with. The biggest concern was making sure I have enough clothing and stuff to get by for the next two weeks before we head out. With that being the main objective, I think I did ok.

It's insane how much stuff accumulates in just a few short years. I had 3 things on my missing list and was able to find 2/3, which isn't bad. My poor Germany hat is still MIA. Zero clue where it is. It's also funny how un-sentimental you get about things. Do I need this? Nope, throw it out! 

Motorcycles in snow and ice is sketchy. I ended up having to dig another path through our neighbors snow to his driveway so we could 'safely' push the bike up front to get it on the truck. My shoulder is so sore from shoveling, I'm very much tired of all this snow crap! The snow has also melted and refroze so it's super heavy. I also fell on the ice for the first time this winter, and fell right on my left side, I have a bruised hip and shoulder for a battle scar. The bruise should really be a lot bigger for as bad as it hurts. I hate when the bruises don't show the pain. But anywho, the fall was unrelated to the bike moving. But we did manage to get the bike all loaded on the truck safe and sound. Here's hoping for a gentle road and smooth transitions for all my things.

So there you have it. The empty rooms. I'll miss these rooms, I'll miss those beautiful wood floors. But I'm excited for my adorable new condo as well! 

For the time being I'm taking up residence in the extra downstairs bedroom. I've downsized in a few ways. I did have a queen size bed, but now I have a twin bed, but on the plus side it's adjustable and I can move the head and foot of the bed up and down, it even has a massage feature! The other downsize was the TV. I've gone from my beautiful 47" LED HD TV, to the tiny crappy color resolution 20" tube TV that I won at my senior after prom. It ain't pretty but it gets the job done! 

Poor little Oliver doesn't quite know what to think. He kinda freaked out when the movers were here and then when he ran upstairs to hide he kinda gave me a WTF look when there was nothing to hide under. He's calmed down though and has been chillin. He's been very cuddly lately too, I think he things I'm going to leave him next! 

The good-bye dinners have already started. It's going to get harder and harder to say adios to my friends. So many of them are working towards their own adventure as well. Everyone has been so supportive of each other and offering a helping hand, whether it's spell checking a resume or helping prepare for an interview, it's so great to see friends come together and help. Even though we are moving away, one of the great things of our generation is the ability to be so connected even when we are miles and miles apart.

I Read it Somewhere: Eleanor Roosevelt

I'm in that weird stage at work. I have a few weeks left in my current job and have already checked out kinda mentally. I guess it's more ADD than checked out per say. I still put forth a quality work product, it's just not nearly as productive as it could be.

But emails have started rolling in from my new boss with updates about my new job. Most of the emails have been about training sessions that I have been signed up for and curriculum that has been added to my course listing, today's email was asking if we needed new mouse pads as they were placing an order. Yes I could use a new mouse pad, something that never gets asked in my current position.

Anywho, at work when you get an email you can usually see everyone that it was sent to. Slowly people have started to update pictures on their email profile so when I get an email from the new department I like to take a look and see if my new coworkers are hideous or not... I kid. Just trying to familiarize faces. But on your profile you can also add a "what are you up to" status (it's basically a Facebook for work) most people use this space to add a quote or something funny. One of the girls had this quote from Eleanor Roosevelt.

 " Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively, unless you can choose a challenge instead of a competence. "
~ Eleanor Roosevelt"

I like this quote. I think it just stood out to me because the word 'adventure' just stands out more these days. After I read this quote I was quickly sucked down the internet rabbit hole searching for more of Mrs. Roosevelt's wisdom. 

“The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

“We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt


“Friends, you and me... you brought another friend... and then there were three... we started our group... our circle of friends... and like that circle... there is no beginning or end.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt

The Adventure Begins

The great trek west kicked off Wednesday. Mom and I traveled via plane to the Wild Wild West (Arizona) Our main objective was to find me a place to live! The good news is..... it was a success! I found a very nice two bedroom condo with a garage! So you know what that means... the motorcycle is coming! 

Our trip was not without some drama, of the plan variety. Our flight #1 IL to Dallas was fine, flight #2 was delayed an hour due to something with the front tire, which had to be changed (we literally could feel them jacking up the plane to change the tire) but we finally made it to sunny AZ.

 
My condo was found completely by accident. I was already to sign for another one when a friend of my moms called. She said she had just happened to be talking to some of the ladies at her water aerobics class about the weather and mentioned some of her friends from IL were in town looking for a condo. One of the ladies said, "oh well I have a condo for rent" and the rest was history! Super cute place, new carpet was just put in and it looks great! Very quiet, 2 pools and lots of trees and green! It is perfect! 

We had several dinner outings with friends. One of the places we went to served Watermelon Iced Tea! Um Delish! Another place had a fabulous mountain view from the patio.

While we were there, Phoenix broke several record highs. The temperature was in the high 80's, something we haven't seen for months! While on our adventure we checked out IKEA and the local Harley Shop (obvs) Then it was time to head back home.

Flight #3 from Phoenix was delayed 2 hours due to a left engine noise. We were already pulled away from the gate, and when the pilot turned the engines on there was a very loud, very noticeable banging noise. Luckily the ground and flight crews notified the pilots, who then thought it would be a good idea to return to the gate and have it checked out. Then we actually had to get off the plane again. So 2 hour delay when you are catching your next flight an hour after your plane is supposed to arrive equals missed connection. We were able to get on the last flight for IL but it didn't leave until 8pm. So we got to hang out for about 5 hours at the Dallas airport. Then flight #4 from Dallas to IL was delayed about 20 minutes for some air speed tube that needed to let the glue dry after they fixed it. Actual arrival time back in IL was 10:40 pm (which should have been 4pm) Needless to say it was a less than perfect flying experience. 3/4 plans had maintenance issues, but we made it back in one piece.

Fast forward a bit today and I wake up to a Winter Storm Warning for 5-7" of snow with ice. We ended up getting out of work an hour and a half early due to the weather. Boooo Illinois (the "s" is silent btw)

Well next step in the adventure is the packing/shipping. Movers come Saturday (and I'm kinda freaking out) Shizz is getting realz y'all..

The Topic of Conversation Lately

Oddly there has been much conversation about my motorcycle lately. I can't very well have a blog name of 'Easy Rider' and be without can I? 

I've heard everything from "but your a girl" to "it's a big city" as to why I shouldn't take my motorcycle with me. While I have thought much about it myself, it's amazing how much other people have thought about it too.

The great company I work for will pay to ship my bike, so of course I'll take it. My thought on this initially is it will be great for a commute, it's literally like 300 days of sunshine year round and if nothing else, it might be a better market to sell it out there. 

This brings us to the question where will I keep it? Not having a house in this case will be a downfall. Several people have said it will get stolen (ok well I have insurance, and also hope I find a place in a neighborhood that won't steal my bike) I'm hoping to find an apartment or condo with a garage then that problem is solved.

Will I ride it much at first? Well honestly probably not, I'd like to get the lay of the land before I venture out on the bike (which I will do at some point) but how freakin sweet would it be to ride a motorcycle across the Hoover Dam or around the Grand Canyon?!

My bike is just one of those things no matter what, even though I've contemplated it, I just can't bring myself to get rid of it. It means so much more to me than just a mode of transportation. There is something uniquely interesting about a girl who can ride a motorcycle and it's just become part of my identity. I hope it can be used as a mode of introduction as well, there are about four or five Harley dealers in the great Phoenix area all with HOG chapters, which would be a good way to meet new people. 

Here's The Thing

So here's the thing... My brother informed me this evening that I am a horrible blogger, and he couldn't be more right. I informed him that I have nothing interesting to write about because I have been busy working OT every chance I can and freaking out in my head about finding a place to live in Arizona. He then said, well there you go, write about that ( I did also indicate I have been doing great with my project 365 with a picture a day, but he said that is not writing) I hate when that kid is right.

So to catch up, nothing exciting has happened. I've been working until 7pm every chance I can to make some extra money to pay things off before I leave. I spend a better part of my evening throwing a dart at a map trying to find a place to live (the shear geographical location is enough to make your head spin) and there are a million different options, and everyone and their brother has an opinion and I don't know which opinion is correct. So needless to say I'm freaking out, it's overwhelming my mind. Mom and I leave Wednesday to go find a place, we have 3 days. I feel like it's a needle in a haystack to try and find a place that I can afford, has a good location, and is safe enough that I could leave my windows open overnight. YIKES! It's a lot on my brain.

But something else did happen. I turned 28. I'll recap that for you tomorrow (well this evening now since it's 12:33am) I went down a the YouTube rabbit hole this evening as a distraction of apartment websites and got a little farther down than I wanted, hence the late hour.

But here's a quick 10 things to hold you over.
- I've been shown BBC's 'Sherlock' and I'm obsessed
- Oddly attracted to Benedict Cumberbatch (who plays Sherlock)
- I wish Tom Hiddleston was my boyfriend
- I am entirely over this winter, it fees like it's never ending
- I got many Facebook posts for my birthday, but the texts from friends meant the most.
- The movers come to take my things on their adventure West Feb. 23rd
- I feel like a lazy blob and gained all the weight I had lost after my 83 days Fat to Fit
- I hope I can lose it all again once I settle myself in, I like that there are mountains to climb and hiking trails, and maybe even mountain biking
- I promise I will be a better blogger once the adventure gets going
- I haven't even had time to freak out over the fact I'm starting a whole new job, that in itself is stressful, so throw a whole other state in the mix (what was I thinking?! jk I'm excited) { I'm very lucky to have my work bff moving along too, that will make the work part easier } 
* Bonus * The Walking Dead is back!

So there you have it, I guess this is my official entry back into blogging. The adventure west begins this week so stay tuned, I'm sure there will be great stories to be told, this is mom's first time flying so that shall be interesting.

Postcard Arrival: Liviv, Ukraine

Traveled 5002 miles in 16 days

This sender is my age and likes to read books, a perfect postcard for the occasion. She recommended 'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett, which is a great book that the Page Turners read a few years back.

One Week of 2014

I have sat down several times to write my first post of 2014 but I feel like this first week of 2014 has been so much longer than a week and every time I sat down to do it, I didn't so let's go back in time for a sec to catch up! 

NiBo and I spent NYE playing Mario Kart and Mario Tennis on Nintendo 64...

Then New Years Day I worked OT...

On the 2nd day of the New Year it snowed...

The 3rd was just another lazy day...

On the 4th I prepared for the giant snow storm by washing my car (I was 8th in line at this point, and it took me an hour to get to the front)...

Then as the snow was coming down on the 5th Oliver tried to eat my breakfast...

Then on the 6th it was time to clean the snow off the cars, oh and the windchill was -39°F, and we had a Snow Day at work! :)

It warmed up on the 7th to -24°F, the roads were still icky so I took another snow day,

We couldn't leave town because of the roads but we could go down the street! You see, the city dumps all the snow they pick up from the downtown area to an empty lot, we call it Mt. GC, and as the pile got higher and higher we had to go climb it! 

A.drama

That's me! 

Oh hey down there

Then we noticed the giant icicles on the side of Gpa's workshop

Which brings us to today. Today I went back to work the roads were snowpacked in spots and the snow was still in half the lane in some places too, but I made it to work (oh hooray) Tonight all I have done is this blog post and watch the People's Choice awards. If you were impressed that I remembered what I did each day of the new year, you have my #Project365 to thank! A picture a day for a whole year, you can follow along on Instagram! (hlb_7)

Hope everyone has had a wonderful first week of 2014! Stay tuned for this year's Word of the year!