My new buddy

This is my new Buddy. My camera for school. It takes a film back and a digital back. I only have the film back. School will supply the didgital one. I want to play with it, but I have no film.... LOL

For my Mommy

I have not had time to blog...but this picture is for my Mom. Hi Mom I love and miss you!!! I will blog more later!

Humid...

Yes that is correct...I have my hair in pony tails. I don't know about this thing called humidity. And they say it is not really even that bad! Yikes I must say it is very different then a dry heat. Today I thought I was never going to dry out. Tomorrow is supposed to be worse. But a lady I met in town says the weather changes fast and to keep that in mind. It will only be like this for a few days then it will cooler. hmmm I will try to keep that in mind as I sweat and sweat and sweat....

I went to a store called Wilsons today. That is where I met that lady she worked there. It was humid in there too. Anyway, this store is so cool. It reminds me of the old JC Pennys in Red Bluff, Margo said there was one in Orland too, but I cant remember that one. It had hard wood floors in some places, it was very big, it was 4 stories. I thought I would take the stairs...but that was a bad choice because the higher I got the more humid it was. ick. I took the elevator down LOL. Anyway Mom if you come to visit me...or really any one you have to go to this store with me it is soooo cool. It was kind of like stepping back in time, except of course for the prices.

I found some cool cloth napkins that were on sale for .50 I am going to make pillows out of them for my couch. :-)

Neil has been working at selling stuff so he can come be with me. I am so impressed by how hard he is trying to get things together. I can't wait until he can see in person what it is like here.

Thanks to Jess lending me this table and chairs I now have some place to sit and use my computer. She also let me use here washer and dryer which is great! Thanks Jess!! I just went down in the basement to put close in the dryer. It is so cool down there. I need to get a wireless router so I can take my computer down there and hang out! LOL See the fans in this picture? There is another one you cant see pointed at me too. I have all the fans in the house blowing on me. I am a wimp I think.

A shot from the cool table Jess lent me :-)

Those of you who now me well will understand why I am so happy about finding these things at the dollar store. they are little baskets meant to put in a school locker. I put them on the back door and am training myself to put my keys and glasses and mobile phone in them when I get home, cause I lose those things usually. I am hoping this will help me. I have not gotten my hopes up though because this in not the fist great idea I have had to "help" with my problem. :-)

I miss and love you all!!!

More and more to do

Took this the other day on the Flower Bridge.

Today I spent my time on the phone calling all the people who send me bill. I called them to change my address. It sucked I hate it. You have to go threw automated menus then hold forever, then hopefully the person you talk to can help you, but usually they transfer you to someone else, then you have to tell them all your info again...and it goes on and on.

I cant wait for school to start!

Tomorrow is Travis' birthday, I am sad I will miss his party. But I want to make him a cake when he gets here. We can celebrate together after he gets here.

Jess will be in MA tomorrow, I met her on line, she is going to school with me. I cant wait to be able to have a conversation face to face with someone.

Neil should be coming soon. I cant wait I miss him.

I am going to be shooting a football game soon, gosh I cant wait for that! I miss shooting football.

OK nite!

Today

Today I went to the school for a tour. I met Andy he was very nice. I am so excited. The school is beautiful. To think someone will actually teach me stuff instead of me trying to figure it out by trial and error. It is cool. I cant wait!

I am so excited I found a different way to get to the store! LOL I am silly.

Neil and Travey should be coming soon. I miss them very much. I got to talk to my Baby A today on the phone. He squealed a lot and hung up on me a few times but it was the best thing ever.

Miss you all, but I am very well and terribly excited!!!

Exploring today

Today I went to the Poets Seat Tower. It was cool. Beautiful view of Greenfield. Then I decided to drive down the Mohawk Trail. It runs by my house and goes to Shelburne Falls. I felt strange at first going my myself, but got used to it fast. There is a bridge in Shelburne Falls called the flower bridge. It is pretty. I took this picture there.

It is a very pretty little town. I would like to go back there and walk on main street and go in all the cute little shops.

I also took the picture...I wish my front yard looked like this!

After looking at the bridge I was walking back to my car, I saw these pretty houses up the road. I decided to walk up the hill and look at them. One had a huge sun flower in the front yard. The biggest one I have ever seen. I didn't take a picture because I didn't want people to think I was taking pictures of their house. The neighborhood was so pretty. It hit me as I was walking how far from home I am and how far away my family is.

I also thought about how I sat in that office day after day in total turmoil and stress, all along this calm peaceful, beautiful neighborhood was sitting here. Day after day I thought of the contrast, I felt a feeling of wastefulness on my part.

Waisting my time and life, there used to be a reason for me to be in that kind of job and life. To take care of my family. But I think I lingered there too long and wasted some of my precious time.

Well I guess nothing is wasted, everything happens the way it is supposed to. I just wish I would have been enjoying my time in some New England village, wallowing in its peace and calmness instead of toiling away for meaningless nothingness. It probably strengthened me in someway, made me more appreciative of beautiful calm things :-)


Then I went home to Greenfield MA

The inside of my home

The little things...


This is my little bear. My Mommy made this bear for me when I was 4 I think. I remember I was in pre-school and we lived in Montrose, CA. He has an injury on his leg, I fixed him myself. He goes everywhere with me. I was going to leave him with my Mom and have your fix his leg, but I changed my mind. I am glad he is here with me, makes it feel more like home.

This is my pretty new shower curtain I got...I love it. It is kind of girly, so I hope Neil doesn't hate it. LOL Cause if he does...sorry babe you are stuck with it. LOL


These are my cute cute new bathroom curtains!


This is a cool pretty smelling thing I got


This is a cute little plant that I have had for a few years. Somehow I have not killed it. I brought it across country with me. He rode in the drink holder, I broke a couple of leaves off. Neil says it may be hard to get him back into CA when I go home. I don't know if he is meant to be in this climate. We will see...I hope he lives.


The inside of my home. This is from the living room towards the kitchen.


The upstairs hall


Our bedroom, my cute little air bed. If you have a fan here it is great. Keeps everything nice and cool.


Cute little stand thing at the top of the stairs


Shot from the top of the stairs


The kitchen


My garbage and I HAVE to recycle because this is a small state...not much room for landfill


My heater...I think LOL


The stairs to the basement


I made this curtains by cutting off the bottoms of the others, then I used the iron and fusible stuff.


Living room


My new used chair

My used new couch

I keep getting lost!

I keep getting lost and ending up in the same lost place. I don't know how I got there, or how to get somewhere I recognize but somehow I figure it out. It is ok getting lost here, because everything is a new sight or sound.

I miss my Baby A and my boys, and Neil and Travey and my whole family.

It's been a while since posted anything here. I have been running around town looking for things. Like furniture, vacuum cleaner, plastic drawers, and stuff. I think I found almost everything I need so far.

There are a few things I noticed that are different here, like the cheddar cheese is white, road signs are hard to see until it is to late, you should not pronounce Aunt like the bug - you should say it like the English, when the walk and don't walk sign in the crosswalk changes it rings a bell - thats kind of cool, everything is so green and old it is beautiful here. Dunkin' Donuts is bigger here then in CA. Then are 2 that I know of in Greenfield, there may be more. I know that if I get lost and find one all I need to do is turn left or right depending on my direction and I will end up somewhere familiar. There are many other things I cant think of at the moment.

I found a couch and chair at a local furniture store here in town. I was on my way to a dent and chipped appliance store, when I noticed saw the furniture store. I decided to stop on the was back. I met a very nice gentleman there that showed me some furniture someone just traded in on new stuff. He told me it was high end stuff and when new very expensive. I didn't really care cause when I saw it I fell in love with it. Yes it is used and older and could use some cleaning, but I love the style. They are made by a company called Clayton Marcus. I am so removed from the world of expensive stuff I don't even know who that is, but it sounds pretty cool. The set cushions are worn a bit so I but a sheet over them. I thing they still look pretty cute.

I got to go to Hallmark, I had to pick up some paperwork. I am going on Monday for a tour. I cant wait. It is very pretty there. Turners Falls is a beautiful little place. Going there feels like you are stepping back in time.

Here are some of the wildlife around my home. This kitty is not wild, but made sure I understood he would only look at me, or acknowledge my existence if he felt it was worth his wild. And he didn't often think it was.

Cute little dudes...

Getting stuff done...

Yesterday was an adventure. I looked up the closest Target/Walmart to me and found them both in Hadley. I needed to get cleaning supples and basic living stuff.

I made my way over there using my directions from Google maps. It is very different here. At home there are square blocks. Here it seems like the roads go willy nilly. It is easy to get lost. Which I did after I left Walmart. The more I tired to fix it the more lost I got. I ended up in Amherst for a While. Then out in the country somewhere. It was beautiful out there. Big red barns with big white farm houses. It is so green here. I managed to find my way back...I really have no idea how. But it was cool, I got to see a bunch of neat stuff.

I took some pictures around the house so you all can see what it looks like here. I dont really know how to explain it. It is very different then Northern California, that is about all I can say.

Travis this first picture is for you. I took it from your bed room window through the screen. This is your view from the window!


And this is from the front porch


Looking the other way off my porch


The back yard shot from the side porch


And again from the front porch

I am here

I am here...this is my trip...I am tired so this is all I will say. Oh and Google map is incorrect it was 3098 miles and I don't know how many hours but I made it in 5 days.

Day 4

Today was hard again. I think when I push my self so hard the next day I pay. LOL

first thing I did was slip and fall this morning while getting
out of the shower! I am OK. Just glad no one saw me hee hee.

I am in Cleveland OH. Tomorrow I will be there for sure.

I was kind of sad that I didn't make it in 4 days...but I just could not pull it off.
I am not used to driving like that. I do have 2400 miles under my belt and nine states!

California
Nevada
Utah
Wyoming
Nebraska
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Ohio

I have

Pennsylvanian and New York left to go...then I am in Massachusetts!

I was just thinking about if this was a year ago I would be to scared to make this trip. I told Neil on the phone tonight it has been hard, but I think it is making me a stronger person. You all know I always want to be a stronger person.

Today I drove through Sound Bend Indiana where my grandpa was born. I probably have family there I don't even know. I also drove through Elkhard, and Bristol, both places I worked with at ATC.

Today I saw

-A very bad wreak
-Some cool thing that detects if there are animals on the interstate and warns drivers
-Beautiful old farm houses and barns

New things I did today
-Drove on a toll road and had to pay a toll
-Sliped on the bathroom floor and hit my head, ear, neck, shoulder and feet on the door frame of the bathroom

How I feel
cold
tired
sad because I miss Neil and Travey
excited to see my new house tomorrow
very sore from the fall...I am a dork

Day 3

Today I drove 13 hours, and 860 miles. I am tired, but made it to Illinois!

I have been craving a change in my life. Driving in Eastern Nevada and Utah was defiantly a change. At first is was cool, but it got over whelming. It is funny, I felt much better in Nebraska, I think because it reminded me of home. That is weird, for someone that craves a change. Oh well.

I forgot to say yesterday that I saw cattle guards on the on and off ramps LOL, the first time I have seen a minimum speed sign on the interstate, and driving in tunnels makes me smile.

Things I saw/heard
Locust in Iowa...listen



Corn




Corn



OH!!! and some Corn too!


Things I learned today
In Illinois when they put a sign out that says bump, the mean BUMP

Things I did for the first time
Drove over the Missouri River
Drove over the Mississippi River
Ate at Hardees instead of Carl's Jr
Stuck in traffic jam in Iowa
felt humid heat for the first time ever...it is weird

Questions I have
How come there is no paper toilet set covers here?

How do I feel
excited I might be MA tomorrow
tired
tired
my lip is chapped from the air conditioner in my car and hurts
really miss my Neil and Travey and Nick and Reyna and Ayden and Bri and Alice and everyone!

Taking things for granted

Picture taken from my car window, my view for the past 10 hours or so...encluding the bugs that hit my windshield.


You know when you have a lot of something, you tend to take it for granted. You tend to not appreciate it as much as say, someone without it. I have taken the company of family and friend for granted. I do not always see the people I love face to face, but there is a comfort in knowing if I wanted to see them it would only take a few minutes. Now it would take days.

I already miss people. Well I think I am very tired too. I knew it would be hard driving across the US, but I didn't know it would be as hard as it is. Its just that this area is big and open. Every time I get to the top of a hill or a bend in the road, I get excited to see what is next, but then I see, it's just another 50 miles of openness leading to another bend in the road or top of the hill. Today I thought I kept passing the same truck, until I realized it was just from the same company. It seems every tenth car I pass is a Honda CRV, or and elderly couple in a big white car.

I don't think we should worry about over population of the world, just move the extra people to the eastern parts of Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. I have not seen the eastern parts of Nebraska, or Iowa or Illinois, and where ever else it is I am going yet. I shutter to think it those states too hold huge openness with repeating vehicles and people for me. OHHHH I wish I was already there!



Tonight I am going to bed early and am going to try to get a lot of sleep. I think that is what is wrong with me tiredness.

Things I saw today
-gates that can be closed across the interstate to stop traffic in bad weather.
-big walls build to break the wind from hitting us drivers on the road
-cool big hills made out of piles of big rocks
-truck drivers pulling trailers swerving all over the road because of the wind
in Wyoming the slow lane on I80 is red for miles...for some reason and the fast lane is not
-some truck driver hauling molton sulfur (sounds scary I wonder what that is)
-OH I almost forgot! 3 people riding motor cycles WITHOUT helmets. I thought it was a federal law. Maybe not...or maybe there is some kind of million trillion dollar insurance policy you can buy that allows you to ride without a helmet. I don't know I am tired.

Things I learned
I don't like how cement highways sound in my car, or how they feel
to trust my instinct
family and friends are important

How I feel
tired
sad
excited
tired
miss Neil and Travis a lot
cold
tired