Life Updates

Goodness, look! Two posts in one day, haha. Just wanted to give a few updates since my last post (well, my second to last post, in March).

So, at the end of March, we moved from South Dakota up to Fargo, North Dakota. My husband found a new job up here, hence the move. We found an awesome 3 bedroom apartment, 2 bathrooms (yes, I have my OWN bathroom), plus, what I've always wanted: a walk-in closet! It's not a very large walk-in, but I'll take it! :)

So, since we moved to a new city, I obviously had to quit my old job at Target. It was bittersweet since I enjoyed working with so many people there. Although, we had just gotten a new store leader whom no one was fond of (she made me cry twice, argh, not to mention others), so I definitely didn't miss saying goodbye to her, lol. Anyways, ended up getting a job interview at a customs broker the same day my husband started his new job. I must have done well, since I got a call back from the staffing agency I went through less than 2 hours later about them wanting to hire me! I of course said yes and starting my new (and first) full-time job two days later!

After a few weeks of living here, we also adopted an adorable cat from a local shelter. Her name was Topanga, but we re-named her to Catniss. Her story: she was found under a tarp with her 3 kittens in December, the dead of winter. She ended up losing the tips of her ears to frostbite. But, thankfully she and her 3 babies lived. Her 3 kittens had already been adopted when we visited. Here's a few pictures of her I put together (the middle one was taken by the shelter):

And here's a picture taken by the shelter of her and her 3 kittens:

Since moving here, the used car I got from my husband (which he had driven before, a few years ago) was getting worse and worse, mostly having acceleration problems. In May, I finally decided to get it looked at as I wanted to get it fixed, whatever it was. So, I made an appointment, and on that Saturday, both my husband and I went. Unfortunately, they thought I had wanted an oil change (they never actually asked over the phone what I wanted done, d'oh!). When I explained what I wanted, he asked what issues I was having. He thought it might be a transmission issue, which they didn't deal with there. He suggested another place to go to instead, but as it was a Saturday, we decided to just go home as they'd likely be all full. My husband lightly suggested we go to the Toyota dealership in town to test drive a Prius. I've wanted one for years, but have never actually sat in one before, lol. So, after lunch, we headed over. I jokingly told my husband, "I better not leave in a few hours with a new car" as that's what happened to my husband on one of his regular visits to the Audi dealership about a year previously. He ended up leaving with a new car, even though he didn't have any intentions to do so. Anyways, so, as with all car dealerships, as we began looking at cars, an employee came up and began talking with us. A few minutes later, I found myself test driving a Prius. After that was done, I found myself in his office, lol. He began to show me the different options and pricing and such. And, to make a long story short, a few hours later, I drove away with a brand new, 2013 Prius, leased under my name. LOL. Not how I had planned the day, but it is what it is, lol. I was happy though as this was MY first car! The one I was driving before was simply given to me and it didn't feel like MINE. Anyways, without further ado, a picture of me and my new car, the day after I bought it:

And I think finally, to wrap things up, I have two upcoming trips. Next week, my husband and I will both be going to Washington, DC. He has some work training there and I decided to tag along as I've never been there. This is what I did previously for Seattle and Chicago. So, very excited about that! But, I'm way more excited about a solo trip I'll be doing this September. FLORIDA!!! I'll be going to Disney and Universal over one week. I absolutely CANNOT wait! It's been more than 7 years since I've been and that's been way too long for this girl, haha.

Anyways, think that's all the major points. Oh, my husband and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary on May 21st :) It was great :D

~Saylin

Moving

I know it's been a few days since I moved, but I just kept putting this off, lol. Anyways, here it finally is!

So, on Thursday, my dad and I got up around 7am. Did some last minute packing. At 8am, I had someone come to buy a dresser I had for sale. Once that was gone, my dad and I finally put all my stuff in his car. It like just fit. I was in the front seat incredibly squished. I had two bags and a box on the floor by my feet, my laptop bag squished up against the window, my purse on my left, and a 20" computer monitor on my lap. I could not move for the hour it took to get to the border.

Picture of all my stuff right before it was all packed away in the car.

We arrived at the Champlain border around 10:15am and was out around 11am. To read what happened at POE, you can read my review in the previous post. My dad and I then headed to Burlington, Vermont where I was renting a car. We got there around 12:30. Took maybe 30 minutes at National and then I finally had the keys in my hand. My dad then drove up the parking complex and met me and my rental. We transferred all of my stuff from his car to my 2011 Chevrolet HHR. Again, my stuff just barely fit. Phew. Here's two pictures of the car I had:

Front view of the car at the parking complex at Burlington.

Side view at some service area when I stopped at some point.

Anyways, I think it was 1:30pm by the time I finally left. Said goodbye to my dad and headed out. The drive itself wasn't very exciting. Getting through Vermont took awhile. The road I was on didn't have a high speed limit. I eventually got to New York around 4, maybe. I was on the 87 for just a bit before I had to get off at Saratoga Springs. I had been trying to find a Pizza Hut so I could eat lunch, and I finally found one at the exit. So, at 4:45, I finally had lunch. It was really late, but oh well. After eating, I finally headed out again. 

The rest of the day wasn't very exciting. Just driving and stopping every few hours to use a bathroom, stretch my legs, and wake myself up a bit. Stopped at a service area near Rochester for supper around 8. I probably should have waited as I wasn't really hungry and most of my food ended going in the garbage. Finally, I was through New York; it felt like forever. Pennsylvania was short and didn't last long. Then I reached Ohio. I think around the PA/OH border, Ben called me and we talked the rest of the trip. I had planned on stopping at a hotel in Elyria, Ohio which is right outside of Cleveland. Ben kept me awake as by the time I got to the hotel, it was like around 2am and I was exhausted. I had found a coupon online for this hotel for $47, so it was nice and cheap :) Even though I was exhausted, I had a lot of trouble falling asleep.

Morning soon came. I had set my alarm for 8:15am. I didn't want to get up and all I wanted to do was sleep, but I knew that wasn't an option. So I eventually got up, showered (with no pressure whatsoever, let me tell you), and quickly checked my email. I checked out and was back on the road around 9:30am. 

Got through Ohio an hour or two later. Stopped for lunch somewhere in Indiana. And then hit Illinois. This was the part I wasn't looking forward to as I was going through the outskirts of Chicago and I had to get on and off like 4 interstates. There was traffic, lots of it, although not as bad as Montreal traffic. At one point, I thought I had taken the wrong exit, but 30 minutes later or so, I breathed a sigh of relief as I was going the right way. After I passed Chicago around 4pm, it began to rain. And not light, it was a downpour. It got so bad at one point that I could only see a few feet in front of me. This downpour probably continued for an hour or two. Then it finally started to lighten up a bit.

Finally hit Wisconsin. Stopped somewhere to fill up on gas and had supper at a Subway in the same building. At this point, I realised that I wouldn't be able to stop anymore if I wanted to make it to Sioux Falls before 11:30pm when National closed. So, I got back to driving and started to push it. But then, traffic like I've never seen (not even in Montreal) hit me. It took about an hour to get through 5 miles. An hour completely wasted. At this point, I started to get a little worried that I wouldn't make it. As soon as the traffic ended, I zoomed along. Within an hour, I hit Minnesota, the last state before South Dakota! I think Minnesota was my favourite state to drive through as the speed limit was 70, the highest out of all the states I had driven through.

As time ticked by, I slowly started to realise that I would never make it to Sioux Falls before National closed. I would have had to go like 200mph to make it, which is ridiculous, lol. So, at this point, I slowed down and just took my time as I knew I would only be able to return the car the next morning. Ben was going to come meet me in Sioux Falls, so when we realised I wouldn't make it, he booked a hotel near the airport and where I had to drop the car off. I got to the hotel around 1:30am and Ben arrived about 20 minutes later. It was finally nice to be back with my husband for good :)

I slept like a baby. It was my first good night sleep in like 3 days. Before heading to National, we switched all my boxes to the truck he borrowed from his boss. Ben then put a tarp over my boxes and tied it down with cords. After filling the car up with a full tank of gas, we headed to National and I dropped off the keys. Then Ben and I were on our way back to the apartment! We had to stop a few times as the tarp was coming off. I finally suggested putting my suitcase on top of the tarp, and that finally fixed it. We arrived in town around 1pm and unloaded the truck. I had seen a video Ben took of the apartment, but when I saw it in person, it looked sooooo much bigger. So much space! I love it!

And so that was a summary of my trip! I apologize for it being so long, but it was a span of 3 days.

Now I'm just waiting on my green card and, more importantly, my SSN!

~Lindsay

Moving tomorrow!

The day has nearly arrived. I'm moving tomorrow! My dad and I will be leaving around 9am and we should get to the Champlain border around 10ish. Then, hopefully, it won't be that busy in secondary and we can be on our way to Burlington. My reservation with National is for noon, but they'll hold the car up to 12 hours if you're late. So hopefully, by about 1pm, I'm on the road and on my way to South Dakota! I'm planning on stopping the first night somewhere in Ohio, after Cleveland. Then, depending where I stop the first night, I might be able to make it to Sioux Falls (the drop off location for the car) before they close at 11:30pm on Friday. If I can make it in time, I'll drop it off Friday night, even though I have the rental til Saturday noon. No point in spending $50+ for a hotel Friday night if I can make it to Sioux Falls.

Anyways, here's some pictures of everything I'm bringing (almost everything). I'll take some more pictures tomorrow once it's all in the car. Well, I hope everything can get in the car, I have so much stuff!

A box and two bags full of bathroom stuff, household cleaning products, as well as some kitchen stuff.

My bulletin board and a bag full of shoes. Plus my winter boots!

6 large purple and blue boxes. And I cut off its head, but that's the red bear Ben gave me for Valentine's. He's going to be sitting in the front seat with me to keep me company ^_^ (I wonder if he'll talk back? Lol)

Another blue box in my closet with two plastic bags of clothes on top. Then two beige bags that I'm keeping up front with me. In the right bag contains my sealed envelope. There's also a tiny box on the left with 4 bags and my collapsible hamper.

Small box as well as a bag with a blanket and backpack with my Macbook case inside.

I also have a large suitcase with a suitcase inside it full of clothes. I was originally going to fill up both suitcases with my clothes, but I thought it would be better to only have one suitcase then just bags with clothes as those can fit better in tighter spots than a suitcase.

I also have 2 computer monitors I'm bringing with me. As well as 2 pillows (one large, one tiny). And I think that's it, lol.

Anyways, if I can, I'll post tomorrow night. Depends if the hotel has decent wifi and how awake I am from driving all afternoon and evening. 

So excited!

~Lindsay

Car reserved

Quick update:

So, about an hour ago, I made a reservation on National for a car from Thursday, May 12th to Saturday, May 14! There was also an option to "Save Time" where you can input the driver's information (license, address, birth date, etc) to save time at the counter the day of the rental. Did that. Now I just need to wait about 16 days to go pick the car up! :D

~Lindsay

Moving route and car rental

So, a bit more than a week ago, my father and I went to CAA (like AAA in the US), so we could get a TripTik for when I move to the USA. If you don't know what a TripTik is, it's this awesome map thing. They break up your journey into many pages (for mine, it was about 20 pages), so you could get a closer look at your route. So, we told the lady where my starting and end points were and what highways I wanted to take. While we were there, I got a huge map of the USA as well as two TourBooks (have listings of motels) for Indiana/Illinois/Ohio and Michigan/Wisconsin. I'm thinking the first night I'll be stopping somewhere in Ohio, and then the second night somewhere in Wisconsin. We then went last Thursday to go pick the TripTik up. A few pictures (click them to enlarge):

This is what I got on the first trip to CAA.

The package I received for the second trip.

A view of one page of my route in the TripTik.

The route I'm taking from Burlington, Vermont to South Dakota.

I'll actually be renting a car from Vermont, not Canada. I found the cheapest price was to rent from Vermont and then drop it off in South Dakota for about $400 from National Car Rentals. Every other company I looked at was around $800, whether renting from Vermont or Montreal. There were actually very few companies that had an option of renting in Canada and crossing the border and dropping it off in the USA. That's why I decided to rent from Vermont. My dad nicely agreed to drive me and my stuff down to Vermont :) I'll actually be reserving my car at National either today or very soon!

~Lindsay

P.S. Only 7 more days and 16 hours to go till my interview!