A Grand Adventure

I write this post, sitting (hard to believe I'm saying this) from my new apartment in Brooklyn. The remainder of my time in Ann Arbor came and then went much quicker than even I could anticipate. My last few days in Michigan were filled with last lunches, last trips to Zingerman's, last drinks at Grizzly Peak (thank you darlings all for coming) and awkward last moments in the place I still consider home. Bright and early Monday morning, the moving company showed up to pack and load our worldly belongings. It was really happening. There was no way I could back out. I tried to hold it together the best I could.

Moving chaos

Can we really fill this truck?

Signing and hoping our stuff arrives safely

Monday evening after the movers left, the Mister and I found ourselves taking one last trip to MDen (He needed shirts Stephanie, I swear!), followed by a final sushi dinner with the Gorski's at Nagomi. I still refused to believe it was goodbye. Merely a prolonged "see you later."

Nagomi deliciousness

Gonna miss this nerdiness

Tuesday morning, there was no denying the truth. Our house was empty, the cats were paniced, and the Mister left to go pick us up a rental car. He returned with a surprisingly brand new Ford Explorer (wooo free upgrades) and we busied ourselves packing it with our remaining clothes and computers. One final bathroom stop, and I busted out into tears. I know you're laughing, because this lady isn't one who often shows emotion. I assure you though, it happened. Moving is tough! Especially moving from the only place you've ever considered "home." I grew up in Rochester Hills, but to this day, my 18 years there never felt like a place that belonged to me. Ann Arbor IS home. Could I really up and leave it? I love visiting New York, but would it ever really be home? Guess I didn't have much choice but to adventure on and find out. The kitties were already fighting and whining in their cages, so it was time to hit the road Jack. Tears and all.

Goodbye houseGoodbye home
Hello Roadtrip

After my tears subsided, let's just say the drive to New York took much longer than expected. Did the Mister try and tell me for weeks that it would take about 11 hours in the car? Yes. Did I listen and comprehend? No. I apparently convinced myself that this trip would only take 8, maybe 10 hours. Do you have any idea how long it takes to drive through Ohio and Pennsylvania respectively? Good GRIEF Pennsylvania. Nobody likes your hills and valley's for 6 hours straight! It probably would have been an okay road trip on it's own, but a car filled with two terrified kitties is enough to put any nervous mommy on edge. Cleo did really well and curled up in the back of her cage and slept most of the trip after some initial scared meowing. Pepper on the other hand, was nothing but a disaster. He probably didn't get quite as much tranquillizer as Cleo did, and the difference was noticeable. Pepper spent about 1/2 of the trip whining and meowing in his carrier, scratching and biting at everything he could get at trying to escape. We finally gave in near the end of Ohio, and for a while at least Pepper calmed down asleep in my lap. He was much happier roaming free in the car than being contained.

A couple of quiet Pepper momentsCleo is scared but sleepyDestination: New York City!The rolling hills of PA

All in all, the road trip, despite being long, was a pretty good one. We only got lost once, when we made a wrong turn in Jersey City and the GPS lost it's data connection. For the record, can I just say two things about Jersey City? 1) It's a dump and 2) it's AMAZING to drive down the expressway into Jersey City and all of the sudden see the Empire State building lit up in the distance, knowing that you're going to live where that beautiful building resides. Sometimes I still can't believe it. Anyway, once the GPS restored itself, we followed our fearless leader through the Holland tunnel, and then appropriately enough, across the Brooklyn Bridge. Driving the Brooklyn bridge is not nearly as magnificent as walking it or viewing it from afar, but it was befitting of our arrival.

The Holland tunnel

The Mister did an amazing job navigating the streets of the city, and we made it alive to our apartment. We double-parked and unloaded about 5 trips up and down the elevator. The kitties were scared of their new surroundings, but were both more than happy to be let out of their cages. I had my first glimpses of the apartment, and despite an initial terrified reaction of wondering where all our stuff would fit, was quite pleased. I mean, seriously, can you go wrong with this night view?

Night view of Brooklyn from our living room

And with that, given that it was 1:30am, we fell exhausted into our aerobed. More updates on the apartment tomorrow!