Well, we finally got on the road (officially that is) Monday night around 5:30pm. We finished packing up the car in Maryland and headed straight to Richmond, VA to visit our friends Shira and Jack. But getting to this point was met with lots of challenges; e.g. our car stayed in the shop longer than we expected, which delayed our plans for starting our trip on Sunday morning. Though it felt like frustrating news, it also made us feel a little better because we had not been able to pack up our DoorToDoor cube yet.
Here's me in front of the pod with just the couch inside.
It's the end of the night and we finally got everything in. We even managed to get this turkey roasting pan in!
Let’s back-track a little: Last Friday (the 30th) was our official moving date from Philly. But first we had to get up at 8 o’ clock in the morning to go to a court hearing for a parking ticket due to an alleged Gay Rush Hour that apparently exists between the hours of 12:00 - 5:00 a.m. in the Gayborhood of Center City. It doesn’t make sense and it’s completely stupid, but we can’t do anything about it now. However, we were back at our car before 12:00, and the PPA officer was still writing us a ticket. So we got up and went to court. They took the $20 late fee off but we still have to pay the ticket. Blah. Whatevs. Next was lunch in China Town to say goodbye to a friend and then a quick nap at home because we stayed up all night packing the house and got 3 hours of sleep as a result. The nap didn’t help much. In fact, I think it made us dumber. THEN, we got in the car, scooped up our friend Makella and drove 30 minutes outside the city to pick up the only one-way Uhaul available and drove back to our South Philly apartment. That Uhaul pick-up experience is a whole different story, full of sketchy ridiculousness that I think we’ll have to get into later. Mak drove the truck and followed behind us, back to South Philly. We lived on a pretty small street, and anyone who knows South Philly knows that the people down there can be pretty ridiculous. I anticipated someone on our street getting grouchy about our truck blocking their path, and I even rehearsed my little speech of a response. I wanted to make sure I was kind, but firm, and therefore did not allow anyone to bully us.
I didn’t expect anyone to give us grief so fast. We got one item into the truck and already someone drove behind us and started yelling their complaints, saying she only had to drop off her groceries two houses up (rather than park in the open space right next to her even though we offered to help her carry her bags to the door). I stepped in with my speech but it didn’t seem to work and I was still busy wiping away the tears from my cheeks from saying goodbye to my dear friend Gina. So, Bex* had to help and they succeeded in getting rid of the douchebag neighbor. After that, packing went smoothly with Bex* in charge of tetris-ing all our belongings into the Uhual. We were pleasantly soothed and entertained by the little baby Bex* brought to the house. He watched us pack, and he moved and giggled and googled the whole time. About 6 hours, a handful of errands, and 2 monster drinks later (around 9:30pm) Makella got in the fully packed truck, and Puppet, me, and the dog all piled into the Corolla to head to Maryland, our first stop.
The ride to Gaithersburg was a laborious one. Mother Nature decided to give us crap-for-weather; it was dark, rainy and really cold. Puppet was incredibly tired and had a headache (packing all day on three hours of sleep can do that to a person), so the drive was even more challenging. We stopped a couple times for candy bars and juice, to walk around, and even for a 10-minute power nap. Lydia (our dog) had the great luxury of riding in the car with us and then riding in the Uhaul with Makella. Eventually we got to Puppet’s mom’s house at 1:30 in the morning. We were pleased that we made it safely and Andi (her mom) was happy to see us.
That night we slept like the dead and in the morning our whole bodies ached. We still hadn’t caught up on sleep but we still had a lot of planning to do, and the truck needed to be unloaded into the garage. So we got up and ploughed through it. Again, the weather was cold and rainy. Most of that day is a blur. I remember eating really good vegetarian Chinese food with Andi and her friend Nancy, who was lovely company. Then it was back to the house to take a long hot bath while Andi and Puppet went to Baskin Robbins for ice cream. We went to bed fairly early and in the morning went straight to packing up the cube. It took six hours (with a break in the middle) for me and Puppet to get everything into this wooden box. We were SO proud of ourselves when we finally got everything in. We even managed to cram in the Christmas tree (ahem…. Channukah bush)!! I think that the next time I play tetris, I should win it with flying colors. Our main priority was to safely pack all of the art, art supplies and our desks so that we can be productive little artists when we arrive in LA! After that, everything else could be left behind if need be. But we succeeded at getting everything we brought down to Maryland, except three small sentimental pieces of furniture, and an ikea futon frame. (The sentimental furniture has a good temporary home with Andi. But, if anyone is interested in that futon frame, let me know. You can have it for free).
Since we ended up staying that extra day (car in the shop for super long), we got to see Puppet’s sister and her sister’s boyfriend, since they were flying in from London on Sunday, and I got to meet them for the first time. They both live in LA, and all of our itineraries were originally such that made it impossible for us to see each other in Maryland. But since the car/shop issues changed our plans, we were able to see them. The night was laid back since we were all tired. So we talked for a bit and then went our separate ways to the beds that awaited us.
The next morning, our last and final morning before our for-realzies road trip, Puppet and I got up and received the good news that our car was finally ready! We quickly ate breakfast and got straight to packing up our stuff for the car.
Just when we thought we would never really get on the road, we were finally cramming everything into our little Corolla. Food, pillows, suitcases, water, dog food and crafty supplies, all packed and organized as best as possible. Around 5:30pm we set the GPS to Richmond, VA. Lydia (our pooch) hopped in the back seat, and we drove off. The reality of the long-awaited start to our adventure set in for Puppet (she immediately started bursting with little gleeful giggles), way before it set-in for me. I think it took me about 10-15 minutes of driving, and getting on a highway, for me to catch up to her level of excitement. It wasn’t going to be real until we actually left Gaithersburg.
The drive was fun, even though the glare of all the headlights on the road gave us both headaches. We got to Shira’s house around 9:00pm and she took us to this amazing little basement vegan restaurant/bar called Ipanema. We had the best grilled tofu sandwiches ever! Thank you Shira for sharing that cozy little nook with us! We were all pretty pooped after that so we went back to Shira’s house to hang out and then went to bed. Puppet and I actually thought it could be a good idea to share the couch for the night, since our other option was to sleep on the floor. Spooning works right? Wrong! I wish there was a camera filming us throughout the night ‘cause the way we would wake up every 30 minutes to an hour and shift and change positions was hilarious. You’re just gonna have to take my word for it.
In the morning we were finally met with beautiful sunny weather and the three of us joined Puppet’s friend Jack at a local restaurant for breakfast. So far the trip has been wonderful. Not just because of the thrill of traveling and being on the road, but because we’ve already been able to spend time with such wonderful people. Check out the photos of the lovelies we got to hang out with in Richmond!
Shira, Puppet, Ashley, and Jack
"The album cover"
After breakfast, we were on our way to North Carolina to visit Missy and Jim!! Yay!! I grew up with Missy back in Florida and Jim is her fabulous husband whom I have had the pleasure of hanging out with on many wonderful occasions. I knew that no matter where they were residing, I would instantly feel at home in their presence. I was excited for Puppet to meet them both.
The ride to Canton, NC was really fun. Puppet and I listened to lots of music, battled the jerky 18-wheelers on the highway, giggled, told stories, and took coffee breaks. Along the way, as we got closer to our destination, we saw a big burly dude driving a motorcycle. To his right was a side-car with his adorable dog, and behind his seat he had a case of Natty Ice beer strapped down securely. We tried taking pictures but it was pretty hard to get a good shot.
It was also on this trip that I experienced the necessity of stretching my legs as much as possible. Apparently I was not built to stay still for long intervals.
We got to Missy and Jim’s house last night around 9:00 pm. It’s been 2 years since I’ve seen them and as always, it felt like it was just yesterday that we were all laughing together. Missy already had a huge pot of chicken and vegetable soup on the stove ready for us! Puppet managed to eat about 5 bowls of Missy’s delicious soup, and she could barely talk afterwards because her food coma was so hefty. But her slow reactions to everything made for some good laughs. She’s pretty adorable when that happens.
So now we’re all caught up. Well, kinda. There is, of course, lots of details that I just don’t have the time to mention. Right now it’s Wednesday October 10th and Missy, Puppet, Lydia and I just got done romping through a corn “Maiz”. Missy is in the kitchen cookin’ up a huge dinner for all of us, so I think I’m gonna step away from my computer to draw some pictures and enjoy the amazing smells coming from the kitchen.
Tomorrow we’ll be on our way to Tennessee!! Yay!!
