The Cross Country Move

Clark and I have always wanted to do a cross country road trip together.  Though we would have loved our drive to be more of a road trip than a cross country move, it wasn't. We had plenty of long days on the road and it wasn't like we planned a schedule devoted to leisure and sight-seeing.  We missed the world's largest ball of twine in Kansas.  It was just too far North.  Dang it.

So, we still have yet to do our grand tour de America.  And if for some reason we don't find the time to do the grand tour, maybe we could just move to states in different regions of the U.S.  We're kind of on a roll and obviously we don't settle in one place for too long.  We've lived in the West and Southwest.  Now we're living in the Northeast.  I guess next we'll have to move to the South (I've lived there, but Clark hasn't) and then somewhere in the Midwest.  That should do it.

But we did make some stops on our trip.  Our first stop was at Early Castle Valley between Utah and Colorado. 

This picture makes me miss the Southwest already.  Ahhhh, am I really homesick for the desert?

 The drive from Grand Junction, CO through Vail, CO was unbelievable.  One of the prettiest drives I think I've ever been on.  The below picture was taken before we really started increasing in elevation in the Rockies.  This photo does not do it justice as there weren't many places to pull of the road on this particular stretch of the drive. I would have liked to take some photos of our drive through the Rockies but it was too dark.  

Eastern Colorado and Western Kansas were less than impressive.  But I expected that.  We did stop at the Cathedral of the Plains in Victoria, Kansas.

There was even a mini replica of the church!

We followed the road to the Oz Museum in Wamego, but it ended up being closed.  I get distracted easily by super cute churches, so I had to take a picture of this one.  It's so picturesque!

Closed.  Technically it was 6 pm but I guess we just believe that if the sun is still out, places should stay open. 

We had an uber chic hotel room in downtown Kansas City, MO.

We visited the Liberty Jail in Independence, MO on our way out of Kansas City.  Note to all: do not take the tour.  Just ask to see the jail.  I may or may not have personally renamed the jail  the Bore-House after we left.  Don't get me wrong, it was interesting.  I just don't think it warranted an hour long, tedious presentation.

Original key to the jail.

Though this isn't the original structure, it has the same dimensions of the original Liberty Jail, and the floor of the structure is the original ground of the site.

St. Louis, MO.  Lewis & Clark & Dog.

Gateway to the West.  Or I guess to the East, for us.

Tired of driving and cranky.

Unfortunately after St. Louis we didn't take any more pictures until we reached Alexandria, VA where my brother and his wife live.  We stopped one night in Louisville (I regret that we didn't go see Churchill Downs, the site of the Kentucky Derby) and then stopped outside of Lexington to see Clark's cousins Trisha, her Husband Eric and their little girls, and Clark's cousin Cristy and three of her children.  I am so glad we had the opportunity to stop and see them.  This was my first time meeting them and they are all So SOOO nice!  Then we stopped in Charleston, West Virginia to wait out hurricane Irene.  My brother really wanted us to "wait out the hurricane together" but Clark and I opted to stay inland and thus stay safely out of harms way.  West Virginia is really hilly, by the way.  Beautiful, but I totally get why it is nicknamed the Mountain State.

When we got to Scott and Dagmara's we noticed that there wasn't too much damage left over from Irene.  Broken tree branches, but that's about it.

I feel like I should post this table for Scott and Dagmara.  We were a part of their success in finding a cheap dinner table at Ikea.  Way to go, guys!

Scott took us around the George Washington National Masonic Temple.  We arrived 10 minutes late and so we didn't get to see the inside.  

He also took us down to the Alexandria waterfront.  (Scott, you didn't lie when you said it wasn't that impressive.)

Scott and Dagmara's super cute neighborhood.  I would give my right pinky to live in a neighborhood like this.

And that was our drive to the East Coast.   Can't say we've seen or done anything exciting since moving in to our flea infested apartment here in Philly.  We've been combating the fleas and even had an exterminator come by this week.  And we'll be calling the rental company Monday to have them send the exterminator back our way.  Because... the fleas are not gone.  How did the last tenants live like this!?  We truly only feel safe in the shower.  Please, if you wouldn't mind sending a few prayers or good thoughts our way, we would really appreciate it.  We'd like to move in and unpack at some point.  And not have to worry about problem that shouldn't exist in the first place.  

Anywho, school is really busy and the only reason I am finding time to blog is because I need an outlet from studying that is semi creative and cathartic.  There is just too much stress here with school, an unemployed spouse (I love you Clark and I know you are trying!) and a flea infestation.  The blog is helping me keep my sanity.

Happy Friday, hope you all have a great weekend!

  

Crib bumpers...BAD!

Ok, since I have two sister-in-laws who are currently with child and I am sure more of my sister-in-laws will have future children and some of you blog friends may have kids and want more kids too, I thought I would share some news with y'all.  I am just a wealth of knowledge now that I'm back in school.

Not really.  But I did think this was an important bit of information to pass on:

DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, FOR ANY REASON, EVER, FOR ANY REASON, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES (Channeling my inner Michael Scott here) USE BUMPERS ON A BABY CRIB!!

Seriously, the American Association of Pediatrics does not support or endorse the use of bumpers.  They can lead to suffocation and an increased risk of SIDS.

All you need is a well fitting crib mattress and appropriate flame retardant sleepers for the baby child, and if absolutely necessary, a blanket tucked under the mattress allowing the bebe's arms to be free is ok.  

Beware that most cribs are still sold with bumpers even though bumpers should NOT be used!

This is one good looking crib.  Aren't you glad you read my post today?

Bryce Canyon, the condensed version.

Oh my gosh, I am SO far behind!  Moving sucks, not having internet sucks, and moving in to a flea infested apartment also sucks.  More about that later.  *shudder*

Before we made our grand move to Philadelphia, PA, we met up with Mom and Dad Tobler at Bryce Canyon National Park.  It was glorious.  I am also ashamed to admit that I don't have the patience to wait for many photos to load, so I am posting only a few.  My advanced physiology studies are calling me.

The beautiful Bryce Canyon.

Look at all those hoodoos!  I must admit, I thought Karl was making up the word hoodoo when he kept referring to the unique rock formations.  Turns out, it's a real word.

Enjoying the start of one of the most popular hikes in the world.  It's a big deal.

Down amongst the hoodoos.

Queen Victoria in the Queens Gardens portion of the hike.

The scenery is just unbelievable.

Hangin' out at the camp site before walking to get ice cream.

Old  Bryce Town.

I love this one.  Clark is the ULTIMATE TOURIST.

It was a great couple of days of camping.  Thank you Mom and Dad Tobler for meeting us up in Bryce Canyon!  We had a ton of fun!

Boise

Since arriving back to the U.S. life has been extremely busy!  Luckily, in between the hectic madness of trying to organize our lives, we were able to meet up with some of my family up in Boise.  Boise is halfway between SLC and Pasco, so it worked out really well. It was a really quick trip; we arrived on a Saturday afternoon and parted ways on a Monday afternoon. Even though time with family was limited, we made the most of it.  We were able to eat out at some Man v. Food establishments and nearly all day Saturday we relaxed by the hotel pool.  It was so good to see my parents, my sister, and her three kids.  

The first day we checked in to the hotel, then we donned our swimsuits and hit the pool.  Teya loved playing with her momma in the kiddy pool.

I absolutely adore Teya's swimsuit (I bought it for her last year in anticipation of this summer).  I wish they made watermelon swimsuits for adults.  After I purchased this swimsuit I literally googled 'adult watermelon swimsuits'.  I didn't find any.

Proud Aunt Rachel with Teya.  I had to keep my eyes covered for nearly the entire visit.  every day my eyelids were puffy, red and itchy.  Just went to the optometrist, I guess I had contact dermatitis.  She gave me some ointment and it has since cleared up.  Huh.

The group + half of Chase's body at the pool.

Later that evening we hit the Flying Pie Pizzeria for dinner.  This place was featured on Man v. Food.  It was too dark to take any photos inside, but the pie was good!

The next morning we decided to go see the capitol building.  And parked right in the hotel parking lot was Nikki Sixx's tour bus.  

Cole and chase in front of the Idaho capitol building.  Clark actually rang the bell.  It was loud.  I was slightly embarrassed.

Katie and Teya inside the capitol building.

Clark marveling at the marble.

Later that day after spending nearly six hours at the pool, we went to Rockies Diner for dinner.  Rockies is another Man v. Food establishment.  This is where Adam Richman did his food challenge in Idaho. 

God bless you, Adam Richman!  

Of course, we took the table with Elvis.

My Dad whipped out his glasses to read the menu.  Clark and I instantly noticed how off kilter they were.  It was pretty funny.

After dinner we went to a park so Chase could show us his roller blade skills and Cole could use his scooter.  

The next morning we went back to the same park so the kids could play a little bit.  Teya loved the swing!

And so did Katie.  I thought she might flip over the top of the swing set, but it didn't happen.

Mom and Dad even got in on the swinging action.

We had such a great time seeing you all!  Thank you so much for meeting us in Boise for a quick visit!  Can't wait to see you all (with the addition of Scott, Dagmara, Cedar and Ty) at Christmas!

Philly

Welp, we arrived back in the U.S. of A late on August 2nd, and on August 6th we flew out to Philly to find a place to live.  We just love TSA, I guess. And airport food. And screaming kids on every damn flight. No, actually I don't love that last part at all.  Control your children, people.  Crying babies can't always be controlled, but shrill screaming for no reason 3 year olds can be!

After our horrific rental hunting experience in Sydney, Clark and I were a little gun shy and planned for the worst. We gave ourselves 5 days to find a satisfactory dwelling place.

We ended up finding a place, signing the lease and paying the deposit/rent by mid morning on the third day. Success!  So we drove down to Alexandria, VA to visit my little brother Scott and his wife Dagmara!  We stayed the night in Alexandria and the next day drove up to Baltimore, MD to visit with Clark's brother Kyle, his wife Kim, and their kids Charlie and Greta.  It was awesome to visit so much family in two days.  We feel so fortunate to have family so close by in the future!

I brought our camera along but took very, very few photos over the course of five days.  I took some photos of our venture to Tony Luke's for some fine Philly cheesesteaks, and one photo at Scott and Dagmara's.  Dagmara threatened that she would leave if I took any photos of her so I put the camera away and didn't take it out the remainder of the trip.

Anywho, here are a few pictures from Philly.  I swear we drove the entire city twice but never took any pictures.  I can't wait to do some in depth exploring of our new city in the near future.  I think we're going to love it :)

Oh we won't just visit PA, we will live here!

Most of our nights were spent at the Holiday Inn right near the Phillies stadium.  Literally, we opened our curtains in the room and the stadium was directly in front of us.  A missed photo op, for sure.

Mmmmmmmm, Tony Luke's cheesesteaks!  We both ordered cheesesteaks with cheese wiz, the real deal.  It was amazing.  

I know, it's kind of ridiculous.  I didn't make an effort to take photos of the city, family, or our apartment, but I made sure to document our stop at Tony Luke's! I have priorities ;)

Clark was a little embarrassed that I brought our camera along.  But fortunately for me, tons of other people were taking pictures of this sign and their food.  I can't prove it, but it's obvious that Man v. Food helped this place gain popularity among non-Philadelphians.  Oh how I love people who love food, and more importantly, people who love Man v. Food!

Clark and Scott hanging out in Alexandria.  Scott and Dagmara live in the cutest neighborhood.  (But so do Kyle and Kim.)  Our apartment on the other hand may or may not be a few blocks away from some questionable West Philly neighborhoods.  But we feel good about it.  And, everyone....everyone we talked to or mingled with in Philly was so nice! Such a breath of fresh air after having experienced life in SLC for 14 months before moving to Australia.

It was a successful and fairly non-stressful trip.  Can't wait to visit Alexandria and Baltimore again!  And of course, we'll have to make it up to Boston to visit some more of the Tobler clan that has relocated in the past year! East coast is where it's at!