Our Blog v.2.0

Soooo... It's no mystery that we did NOT do a great job of documenting our trip across America, nor our transition into life together here on the West Coast. Oops... Turns out life was pretty busy for a while, and blogging takes a lot of work/time.

SO!! Now, we have decided that since we already HAVE a perfectly good blog, we will turn it into a place where we can write about all our awesome adventures. We are both kind of on the same page in the thought process that life is more about experiences than things, so we find ourselves doing something new and exciting on a pretty regular basis.

If anyone is still out there, stick around!

- Derek, Tricia, and Aedan (He apparently felt that his name should stand out...)

A few hours with my favorite ladies. (Update Part 2 of ????)

I know that there are people whose feelings were hurt when I left, feeling like I had forgotten about them or like they weren't important enough.  I think it is almost an inevitability of new beginnings.  We all want to hold on to some tangible piece of what we leave behind, and fit in that "one last visit" before everything changes.  I can understand it, because I do it myself, but I am able to find some comfort in reminding myself that this isn't Goodbye... It's just See you later. 

There is one woman in my life that I DID have to see, however, and squeeze in those precious few hours.  When you are only a year old, profound changes take place in a matter of weeks, and so much has changed just since the last time I saw Hudson.  She is walking, talking, and is taking on more and more of a personality that is all her own.  She was a little more cautious this time than she usually is, and took a little longer to warm up to us.  Maybe it was because I had an unfamiliar face with me, but it made me realize I have probably been a little neglectful of our FaceTime dates recently.  Note to self: Stop being too busy for the things that matter.

Seeing her with Tricia made me smile.  They got along amazingly, and if I had ovaries, they would probably have been thrown into full-on baby fever.  I'm sure there is a male equivalent, but I dunno what they call it, so you get the point!  We stayed up late talking, and it was nice for everyone to get acquainted, since I kinda plan on keeping her.  After the long day we had, we both crashed the minute we hit the pillow, and the following morning was filled with laundry, rearranging, and getting everythign ready to get on the road.  

Lunch was an amazing (as always) meal at the Smoking Pig, and after a tearful goodbye, we were on the road, wiping away the tears and headed for the West coast!.... Or so we thought.  Two exits down, traffic was at a dead stop, but eventually we did get moving again, with Memphis in the GPS, a full tank of gas, and visions of forever in our heads.

To be continued... 

FINALLY taking time to post something (Part 1 of I don't know how many)

So... At this point, it is no secret that we absolutely SUCK at travel blogging.  These last few days have been an absolute whirlwind, but it's been one that I would not trade for the world.  From the moment Tricia got on her plane wednesday afternoon, it finally felt real.  I knew that these were the final moments of life as I knew it, before opening the beginning of a whole new chapter of life, and ever since that moment, things have been so busy that we have hardly had a single moment where it felt like we weren't moving, so this is my attempt to recount the past few days events, to the best of my recollection.

Wednesday was filled with too many feelings to count.  Tricia was on a plane, headed my way, and in the morning she would meet my friends and coworkers, and we would load up the last of my belongings, and begin our journey to the place we will call home together, at least for now.  Add in the fact that my apartment was still half-full of my belongings, and you have the makings for a cocktail of emotion.  Had it not been for the help I receieved from a few amazing friends, and the willingness of my downstairs neighbor to take some stuff off my hands, I probably would have teetered over the edge, into a mental breakdown.

Fast forward 5 hours (Only 3 of which were spent sleeping).  It is Thursday morning, and Tricia is calling from Charlotte.  Her plane is delayed, and people are already making their way to the restaurant to meet us for breakfast.  The apartment is a mess, I am exhausted, breakfast is right around the corner, I'm not sure when my girlfriend's plane is leaving, and I still haven't showered.... Might as well get this party started, so off to the airport we go!  The flight tracker shows them in the air, as I grab a diet Pepsi at the Bojangles drive-thru, and claims they are 10 minutes out.  This should get me to the airport right on time to get her off her flight, and still make it to breakfast (Although I have to text our breakfast order, since they stop serving in 15 minutes... Hope she likes french toast!).  I pull into the airport parking lot.  The flight tracker has veered several miles off the projected course, presumably to avoid weather, but the dots have stopped... In the middle of the Pee-Dee river?  Flight status: Arrived.... They wouldn't say "crashed" would they? Thankfully, 5 minutes later, the plane DID actually arrive, and I could stop worrying that my girlfriend had died in a plane crash on the first day of our life together.  Quick hug and kiss, grab the bags, and out the door we go, cruising across town.  Breakfast is nice, albeit emotional.  The friends I have made in the past few years, are truly amazing, and it will be hard to not see them on a regular basis, but I know that the bonds we have formed, can endure the distance.  Plus both California and South Carolina are LOVELY places to vacation, so it'll be alright!

The apartment is still a mess, but again, with the help of an amazing friend, we made quick work of the disaster (while I assured Tricia that the current disarray was not an indication of what to expect in the future), and we loaded the Kia to the brim.  Just to give you an idea of how packed this car is, I literally had to readjust a few things just to make room for a calender.... a CALENDAR, almost didn't fit in the car! By 4:30 we were on our way to Karla's, and for the last time, I watched the town that I have called home for the past 8 years, disappear in the rearview mirror.  I am not always a huge fan of change, but the hand that I was holding as we drove away, reassured me that there are far better things ahead, and that the life that is waiting for me, is finally the one I have been searching for all along. 

To be continued... 

Finally getting started!

It's 5:29 on Friday night and we are just getting on the road. Yesterday I arrived in  South Carolina after working all day and flying all night! -exhausted! Derek picked me up after freaking out and trying to figure out if "arrived" was the same thing as crashed after getting a flight notification that I had landed...and the website showing the plane stopped in some swampy location. We had breakfast with some pretty awesome people and said a sad goodbye, went back to the apartment and finished packing the car. Laura came and helped us, thank God...but it was another super emotional goodbye. We headed to Karlas around 4pm and arrived around 8pm. We hit a little rain storm, but really enjoyed having our best friend right by our side! -lots of drum solos and screaming to post hard core. We stayed up way to late hanging out and playing with this super cute baby we found(totally going back to steal her).  I think we finally went to bed around 1am...I dont know how either of us managed to do this! We had every intention of leaving first thing, but all 3 of us just sat around trying to prolong the inevitable...all day. As the day progressed Karlas offer of staying another day or 5 began to look better and better. Finally around 4 we decided we should probably grab lunch...we went to the smoking pig and now I feel like the blue berry girl from Willy wonka. Soooooo than we had to leave....super depressing. It's kind of amazing how Derek has made such a positive impact on so many peoples lives and I know he will be missed....BUT we'll be back!
So here we sit about 2 exits from Karlas in traffic....wishing we had just another day of travel time so we could spend just a little more time with them.

It's almost here!!!

Lately, the days seem to fly by in the blink of an eye, so it's been a few days since I have posted anything on here.  Between trips to the dumpster, trips to goodwill, trips to get boxes, and trips to Starbucks, there hasn't really been an abundance of free time... Also, I may or may not have lost my iPad for a minute behind a pile of boxes/bags in my bedroom... Don't judge!

It is hard to believe that it is REALLY almost here!  What started off as a "wishful joke" months ago, has culminated into the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me.  I typically get a little rattled when it comes to change, but it is different this time.  The "old me" would have surely been at least moderately anxious, surrounded by boxes, piles of clothes to sort through, and not a piece of furniture in sight.  While there are a lot of different feelings that I have been processing this week, Anxiety has not been one of them.  Never in my life have I looked forward to forever like I do now.

I am sure that most people feel this way about their own relationship (while the world mutters a collective *gag* or "get a room"), but I feel like I got lucky... like WE got lucky.  I don't know how many people are really fortunate enough to find the one person that was made just for them.  The one that truly sees and understands every crack and scuff that makes them the person that they are, and instead sees those "flaws" as the glimmering facets that make them beautiful. 

What I DO know, is that for the first time in a long time, I wake up smiling every single day, I never spend one moment feeling alone (despite the 2,762 miles that have been between us) or uncared for, I look forward to doing little things together that I used to consider tedious, and that in just a few days I will get to wake up every morning to the most beautiful face I have ever seen.  I'm not going to lie... I kinda feel like the luckiest guy in the world. 

Now that I have mushily tested everyones upchuck-reflex, there are still things to do before I get ready for work tonight. It's my next-to-last day!!  Hope everyones day is awesome!

3 Days, 17 hours, and 49 minutes!

- Derek

Ain't no rest for the wicked!

You ever wish that someone had taken all those naps you refused as a kid and put them into an interest-earning savings account that you could withdraw from when you hit your 30's, or is it just me?  I am so sleepy! Turns out getting ready to move across America is a lot of work. Who would have thunk?! 

Lots going on at 1419 Valparaiso the past few days, hence my lack of posts here. Allow me to take a moment to update you... 

1.) The Grocery-getter got a bath and is completely cleaned out in preparation for being loaded with all my worldly possessions. 

2.) My sofa, chair, computer desk, bookshelf, urn, entertainment stand, and TV are all sold, and have a lovely new home! I spent Sunday morning taking everything apart and getting it ready to be picked up, and we had all of it gone by around 4:30. Not too bad if I say so myself! 

3.) I had a super nice "farewell dinner" with some of the awesome ladies (and ex-ladies) of South Tower (and almost stole Amber's beautiful baby)! 

4.) I got the title/registration to my car switched over to my name, now that it's all paid off (which, for the record, is an amazing feeling!). 

5.) LOTS and lots of packing/sorting, with LOTS and lots of trips to the dumpster. 

6.) And now I am at work... with somewhat droopy eyes, an excess of caffeine in my blood, and the sound of my bed in my ears, yelling my name! 

So, things are moving along, but I'm not gonna lie. I am ready for this part to be over. I really miss my partner in crime, and I am ready for her to be here so we can get to get to the fun part!

Hope all is well with everyone, and hoping to see a few more of you before its time to go! Behave yourselves, and stay tuned! 

 9 days, 4 hours, and 6 minutes!!! 😮

 

Flight info!!

MARCH 4th!

Making progress!!!

Here I sit staring at my tablet as I waste an exorbitant amount of data, watching Derek dose off because he just got off work and is exhausted. So I figured why not write something since I am just waiting for all my participants to arrive so we can start our day.

It's starting to feel really real! Derek's nursing license is pending, which from what we understand basically means that it should be any day now, so we are crossing our fingers that it will be done by the end of this week so he can call and get everything set up and start shortly after getting settled!! My plane ticket is bought, I have everything planned and approved, Aedan is staying with his dad for 5 days while I'm gone which is great for them to get the extra time! My vacation is approved and my crew is covered, which for Lompoc it's not always so easy. I guess it just feels like everything is coming together, flawlessly and quickly! 

 I feel like I should be stressing, like this is a huge life event and there is so much to do that I should be ripping my hair out for not having everything, every step planned and a binder full of what we will be doing every second of every day....and for some reason I feel like I should be stressed that I have no desire to do my typical and plan in some ridiculous way, as I always have.  We have decided that we are not going to book any hotels or make any plans for our trip, so that if we get stuck in traffic or something happens we don't lose our deposit and if we can go further than intended...why not! I am hoping we can make it to California by Sunday...and waste Monday at Disneyland...cause what better way to stretch out after a long drive than standing in 2 hour lines and going on rides that only further damage any back issues.

I suppose I should probably work now ..because getting fired would really suck!

Have a great day everyone!!
-Tricia
13 days 21 hours and 7 minutes

Derek Ramp, RN (again)... Status: Pending

OH MA GAWWWD!!! 

FINALLY the California State Board of Registered Nursing website shows SOMETHING! Granted, it only says "pending", rather than listing my new license number, but it's a step in the right direction. It's not sitting in a pile on someone's desk, and someone has actually taken the time to open the envelope and acknowledge that I exist! 

Since we already know I'm an inconsiderate jerk when it comes to respecting time-zones, obviously the first thing I did at 8:30 am was make a Skype call, blasting my girlfriends eardrums awake at 5:30 pacific time. Thankfully the good news outweighed the small heart attack she suffered from the whole ordeal. 

Now we are dorkishsly stumbling through Little Mermaid songs, while realizing that there is probably a good chance that neither of us are getting enough sleep these days. Meh... Worth it! I'm gonna keep her!

On another note, I was correct in my previous post... Work last night kinda sucked. I got floated to another floor, and had to fight to stay awake. Tonight I get to go back and do it again, with all different patients. 

Now that that is out of my system, BACK TO THE HAPPY DANCE! 

13 days, 23 hours, and 34 minutes! 

- Derek

Circadian train wreck.

2:12 am - I decided a while ago that it was time to lay down and get some rest. There is a lot to do tomorrow before work, and I've reached that "too tired to be productive, but still not sleepy" phase.  Tricia is on Skype, on the grainy, almost dark iPad screen, propped up against the pillow next to me (yes, we are THAT dorky couple), and I am pretty sure she just fell asleep.  I am still awake, learning 32 ways to decorate your home with Mason jars on Pinterest. It makes me feel almost as confident in my newly ignited passion for interior design as the previous page, where I learned 13 ways to turn wooden pallets into functional masterpieces. Oh... And I am also pretty sure I found buyers for most of my furniture today. 1 step down, 999 to go... 

7:23 am - I'm awake, and my body immediately panics and assumes I have overslept, since I didn't wake up to a blaring alarm. Miraculously, Skype didn't disconnect while I was asleep, and there is a beautiful face on my iPad, smiling back at me. I'm not sure why she is awake at 4:30 (her time), but I'm pretty sure it's related to the fact that she doesn't have the giant 3-gallon bladder of a nurse. Regardless, I'm not complaining, because she is kind of my favorite thing in the world to wake up to.  Apparently I have been "dancing to Thriller" in my sleep, and haven't been still since she woke up. 

8:05 am - My body has decided to inform me that it is no longer interested in sleeping, so I suppose that means it's time to get up. There is packing to do, garbage to take to the dumpster, laundry to be washed, and I'm kinda hungry.  I think my girlfriend is asleep again, so it's time to put the coffee on and get to work! 

Waking up the same time I am usually falling asleep should make for an interesting night at work tonight! 

15 days, 1 hour and 18 minutes! 

- Derek

Stuff, stuff everywhere!

Several blog posts that I have read, roughly equate driving across America in a U-Haul to "hell on earth". One guy even went so far as to say that he felt like he had thrown so much money away, that he wished he had burned all his worldly possessions in the front yard, and rented a Lamborghini to drive across the country.

That said, I think we are now pretty confident in our decision to scratch the U-Haul idea, and just start fresh when we get to the other side. It will be way more enjoyable to make the drive in a car, and lets be honest... This whole thing is all about being happy! U-Haul: 0 - Kia Rondo: 1

This leaves me with the logistical dilemma of what to do with all this STUFF! There's stuff everywhere. Some of it is garbage... The stuff that means little to nothing to me, or has just been accumulated because I was too lazy to throw it out, and that no one else would have any interest in.  Then there is the big stuff. Stuff I can sell... Furniture, electronics, decorations. That stuff should be fairly easy, because I can just list it online. The stuff that is throwing me off is all the stuff in between; The stuff that isn't necessarily "worth" anything, but that also certainly isn't garbage.

Soooo... House-cleaning party? Everyone come over to say hi before I go. For every ten minutes you plan to stay, you have to take one item home with you! Think it would fly?! LOL

But yeah, for real... if anyone wants some stuff, I know a guy...

Now back to the party!

- Derek

So much to do...and so many ways to do it!

I think we are both feeling like there are a million ways to do one little thing and each little thing is a tiny part of like twelve big things! It's crazy stressful and exciting, I just can't believe that in 16 days 9 hours and 10 minutes I'll be stepping off an airplane in South Carolina officially starting this crazy adventure we have planned together! I can't wait, but I can because I know that the only way to make this work is one step at a time and not by trying to rush and move things along to quickly because thats when mistakes are made...and we don't make mistakes. I feel like we are two overly cautious people who have always over thought every decision in life and all of a sudden you put us together and we fly by the seat of our pants....and its not even scary!

And so it begins...

Ahhhhh... The arduous task of trying to balance real life (paying bills, being a "grown-up", and work - or at least some semblance of it), and squeezing EVERYTHING that needs to be done, into the next 16 days and 23 hours.  What do I want to take with me? What am I better off leaving behind? What does she already have that isn't worth moving because we don't need two of something? Should we book hotels along the way, or stop when we get tired?  Do they have Starbucks in the Mojave desert? When can the dentist/primary care physician/optometrist squeeze me in before my healthcare benefits run out? When is my California license finally going to endorse? These are the daily ponderances that gallop through the left side of my brain...

Meanwhile, the right side of my brain is a firework display of rainbow-colored craziness.  I can't wait to see her walk off that plane! I can't wait to wrap my arms around her and kiss her lips and look in to her eyes in person, rather than on a computer screen! I can't wait to make our way across America to OUR home, where we will start the next chapter in our lives and finally build on the happiness that both of us deserve, but neither of us ever allowed ourselves to believe we would have!

Yes... I am a little wired.  I just got home from working a 13 hour shift, I am already 3/4 of the way through my Venti iced Cafe Americano (Approximately 300 mg of caffeine, according to the Starbucks Nutrition facts... Just for reference sake, a 5-hour energy shot contains only 207 mg.), Tricia is on the Right half of my computer screen, snoring on Skype because her boyfriend is inconsiderate of the fact that there is a 3-hour time difference, and I am pretty sure she just 'dropped me' between the mattress and the nightstand.

I should probably be packing, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to take a moment to share a bit of the craziness in my head. Now off to put on sweats, break out the boxes and packing tape, turn on some "packing music", and make some magic happen!

Catch you on the flip-side!

- Derek

We have a Blog!

Thats right, kids... We are taking a road trip, so what better time to become bloggers than now?! Check back soon for the latest updates!

- Derek