Time now: Friday, June 13: 3:22 pm
Total miles traveled: 1135 miles
States traveled through today: WV, MD, PA, NJ, NY, CT
Current location: In a traffic jam outside of Danbury, CT
Miles left to go: around 150
Current driving speed: around 20 mph
Frustration level: very high
Games played today: the state capital game & thinking of all the different names we call poop
Most ridiculous experience today: paying $32 to drive over the Geo Washington Bridge in NYC
Best food eaten today: Big Sky chocolate chip cookies
Worst food eaten today: sleeve of mentos...you know I'm bored if I'm eating mentos
Most expensive gas so far: $4.49/ gallon
General attitude check: delirious
Friday, June 13, 2008
5 States Down
Time now: 6:55 am, Friday, June 13
Distance traveled yesterday: 770 miles
States driven through yesterday: AL, GA, SC, NC, VA
Miles to go today: 523
Sleeping place last night: Holiday Inn Express Woodstock, VA
Lowest/ highest gas: $3.78/ $4.05
Attitude check: Grumpy. In need of some coffee.
Worst state traveled: NC (terrible roads)
Best state traveled: VA (gorgeous scenery...lots of farms :)
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Honk if you love farmers!
Well, I'm not sure how we got from point A to point B but we are actually on the road! We will drive for the next 2 days (probably 12 hours each day) and travel through 12 states. The U-Haul we are driving is ridiculously large and ridiculously full. We had to cut ourselves off from adding just "one more thing" because we added "one more thing" about 100 times.
Thank you to all who have emailed- I haven't had time to respond individually but I appreciate all of your positive feedback and encouragement! It was a strange feeling leaving my house this morning...knowing that our lives are about to change...in wonderful and mysterious ways that we can't even fathom at this point.
We'll keep you posted on the progress! Honk honk!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Save the planet- eat organic!
I really don't want to use this blog as my soap box but I just can't help myself today. The kids and I ran by Moe's for lunch today...yes, we're eating junk food- we know those days are numbered! There was a hand-written sign on the door that said, "No more fresh tomato products until further notice." Hmmmm....this can't be good. While we were checking out I asked the woman running the register what happened to the tomatos. She told me there was a problem with " the dye" they were using in the tomatos...with a sort of bewildered look on her face. The owner came screeching around the corner to correct her that No No No...it isn't the dye...it's just that there's been an outbreak of salmonella found in tomatos in 22 states so until further notice the government has recommended that everyone stop serving fresh tomatos.....Thank Goodness- it's just salmonella and they're not really dying our tomatos. I feel so safe knowing that the USDA has caught the problem- only 160 people were sickened because of it. Go USA.
I've had a lot of mixed emotions going on inside of me for the last few weeks. Why am I really doing this? Is it the right thing for my family? Is it really just nuts after all? Is our industrialized food system really that bad? How important is the local food movement? The funky tomato scenario is all the confirmation I needed. Maybe it was me coming down from the double shot of espresso I had at Starbuck's this morning (seemed like a good idea at the time) or maybe I'm just really tired from all the chaos trying to get out of town but, honestly, I really could have stood there and sobbed at the cash register if I had let myself...raising my hands to the sky- THIS is why I am moving to a farm!!!
People all over the world... join hands...start a love train! Love your body, love your mind, love the Earth... say "NO THANKS" to funky food. Save the planet....eat local & organic.
So, I promise not to use my blog as a platform....except when I just can't help myself :)
I've had a lot of mixed emotions going on inside of me for the last few weeks. Why am I really doing this? Is it the right thing for my family? Is it really just nuts after all? Is our industrialized food system really that bad? How important is the local food movement? The funky tomato scenario is all the confirmation I needed. Maybe it was me coming down from the double shot of espresso I had at Starbuck's this morning (seemed like a good idea at the time) or maybe I'm just really tired from all the chaos trying to get out of town but, honestly, I really could have stood there and sobbed at the cash register if I had let myself...raising my hands to the sky- THIS is why I am moving to a farm!!!
People all over the world... join hands...start a love train! Love your body, love your mind, love the Earth... say "NO THANKS" to funky food. Save the planet....eat local & organic.
So, I promise not to use my blog as a platform....except when I just can't help myself :)
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Simple is hard.
One of the intentions for this move is to learn to live with less and simplify our lives. It's ironic how hard it's been to do that. Simple = Easy...right? Well, not exactly. I feel like things are exponentially more complicated as I try and untangle the web we've spun ourselves into over the last few years. I wish the "simple fairy" would just fly down and figure out how make it happen for us.
This process of simplifying and letting go has actually been a work in progress over the last few years. I've had yard sales and taken countless loads to Good Will, the FUMC rummage sale and needy families. I've stopped using retail as therapy for a bad day. I've gone "shopping in my closet" for functions instead of getting a new outfit. I sold my business. I've stopped mindless spending trips to Target & Old Navy. I'm mindful about cooking food that is in our pantry and eating leftovers. I've learned to say "no" to any volunteer projects that I'm not passionate about. I've cleaned out every closet, cabinet, closed door & chest of drawers... weeded out, sorted out, thrown away, recycled, donated and passed down. I have pondered on Sheryl Crow's song lyrics: "It's not getting what you want....it's wanting what you've got...." reallllllly pondered on those words and have come to truly believe them.
So, as I'm packing for our big move on Thursday I'm wondering why it is that we still have all this STUFF?!? Yo Sheryl...when you have 30 t-shirts in your closet do you really need to want that many because you've got them? I guess the bigger question is why as Americans do we feel that we need all this stuff?....obviously I think I need it or I wouldn't have it.....or... maybe... I just want it....thus the untangling begins. It's hard to be simple!
First on the list to go....cable tv...really- it's gone! We've talked about doing it for years...even threatened the kids a few times with it but we've really actually done it! It's amazing how you don't really even miss it...ok, so maybe we've missed it a little but not nearly as much as I thought. And, perhaps if I don't have someone telling me why I need all these things then the list of what I want will become more clear. Maybe I'll be able to recapture my own sense of style which was so much part of who I was when I was younger rather than falling into the "Pottery Barn" version of life we're bombarded with now. It's sad how homogenized we've become...did you know the Target in Keene, NH has EXACTLY the same merchandise as the Target in Dothan? Did I expect something different? I must have because I couldn't help feeling disappointed when I made this realization.
Second to go- marketing by email...I have been consciously unsubscribing to all of the Gaps, JCrews, Banana Republics & Anthropologies telling me about their deal of the day. Thanks Bluefly- I'll pass on the extra 15% and by the way, unsubscribe me from your list. Even Oprah and a whole bunch of other "self-help" e-newsletters that I've subscribed to haven't made the cut. If I can figure out how to remove myself from all of the catalog mailing lists I'll do that too....although I think this might be a little trickier. It would be interesting to save all the paper catalogs I receive in a year (I'm sure the number would be staggering) and figure out the carbon footprint that me & my little bitty old 349 S. Park self has left on the planet.
This process of simplifying and letting go has actually been a work in progress over the last few years. I've had yard sales and taken countless loads to Good Will, the FUMC rummage sale and needy families. I've stopped using retail as therapy for a bad day. I've gone "shopping in my closet" for functions instead of getting a new outfit. I sold my business. I've stopped mindless spending trips to Target & Old Navy. I'm mindful about cooking food that is in our pantry and eating leftovers. I've learned to say "no" to any volunteer projects that I'm not passionate about. I've cleaned out every closet, cabinet, closed door & chest of drawers... weeded out, sorted out, thrown away, recycled, donated and passed down. I have pondered on Sheryl Crow's song lyrics: "It's not getting what you want....it's wanting what you've got...." reallllllly pondered on those words and have come to truly believe them.
So, as I'm packing for our big move on Thursday I'm wondering why it is that we still have all this STUFF?!? Yo Sheryl...when you have 30 t-shirts in your closet do you really need to want that many because you've got them? I guess the bigger question is why as Americans do we feel that we need all this stuff?....obviously I think I need it or I wouldn't have it.....or... maybe... I just want it....thus the untangling begins. It's hard to be simple!
First on the list to go....cable tv...really- it's gone! We've talked about doing it for years...even threatened the kids a few times with it but we've really actually done it! It's amazing how you don't really even miss it...ok, so maybe we've missed it a little but not nearly as much as I thought. And, perhaps if I don't have someone telling me why I need all these things then the list of what I want will become more clear. Maybe I'll be able to recapture my own sense of style which was so much part of who I was when I was younger rather than falling into the "Pottery Barn" version of life we're bombarded with now. It's sad how homogenized we've become...did you know the Target in Keene, NH has EXACTLY the same merchandise as the Target in Dothan? Did I expect something different? I must have because I couldn't help feeling disappointed when I made this realization.
Second to go- marketing by email...I have been consciously unsubscribing to all of the Gaps, JCrews, Banana Republics & Anthropologies telling me about their deal of the day. Thanks Bluefly- I'll pass on the extra 15% and by the way, unsubscribe me from your list. Even Oprah and a whole bunch of other "self-help" e-newsletters that I've subscribed to haven't made the cut. If I can figure out how to remove myself from all of the catalog mailing lists I'll do that too....although I think this might be a little trickier. It would be interesting to save all the paper catalogs I receive in a year (I'm sure the number would be staggering) and figure out the carbon footprint that me & my little bitty old 349 S. Park self has left on the planet.
There's a whole lot of other stuff to be worked out too....we sold about $25,000 worth of loot for a mere $500 at our garage sale Saturday (and were skipping to my loo to get that) and left the rest on the front porch for the Rescue Mission to pick up tomorrow....admitedly the pile is growing as I'm continuing to pack.
I believe the first step to change is recognizing the need for it and then setting your intention to make it happen. My intention to simplify is there and the wheels are in motion to make it happen....and oh boy- I definitely recognize the need after going through this packing experience!
Feels Like Home
Our trip to Mass was immensely successful. We loved the house- it felt just like home! We spent time giving our new yard some much needed TLC and even had time to get our garden started. None of us wanted to come home. Stokes & I leave Thursday for the big move.... stay tuned for more pics & stories of the journey north!
Friday, June 6, 2008
I'm so glad that I went up there for the first time. It was sooooooooo pretty. I went to my school while I was there. It is way different than the school I go to now but it was cool. We also spent some time in New Hampshire and Vermont. I am so glad that I can go to England with my school. My school's name is the Village School. They have a garden on the playground. I have NEVER had a school with a garden and probably will NEVER again have a school with a garden.
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