Road Trip (part 1)

The honeymoon is officially over. :)

I tend to romanticize memories and events in my life, and this move back to DC is no exception. When I thought about moving back east, I mostly imagined walking around the city, enjoying amazing food at my favorite restaurants, going to art exhibits, attending concerts, shopping in Clarendon and Georgetown, and working on the Hill.

I forgot about the actual move.

I think moving is a lot like childbirth. Every mom I’ve talked to says that having a baby is completely worth the hours/days/months of pain, agony and stress, and that once the baby comes, everything you had to go through to get to that point pales in comparison to the joy you experience.

Here’s hoping.

Since we left Clovis, we have driven 2,292 miles – 40+ hours in a 26 foot long Penske truck with no shocks towing a Highlander (p.s. Oklahoma, Arkansas and New Mexico: you should think about repairing your roads every few decades). We stopped in Flagstaff, Arizona on Sunday night, Albuquerque, New Mexico on Monday, Shawnee, Oklahoma on Tuesday, and tonight we're in a Motel-6-esque Hampton Inn in Lebanon, Tennessee, about 45 minutes east of Nashville.

This was my view for the first day or so while I drove my Jetta...




Then Robbie came down with a cold, so we quarantined him to the car and I've been riding in the truck with Brian since then.

Here's some of the beautiful scenery near the border of Arizona and New Mexico...



Brian driving the truck...


Crossing the border into Texas!


And Oklahoma!
Checotah, Oklahoma is very proud of their hometown girl... there were about 3 different signs along the interstate to make sure everyone knows where Carrie Underwood is from!


Driving through thunderstorms in Oklahoma and Arkansas...




And over the Mississippi River into Tennessee!


So that's our progress so far! The end is in sight, and I can't wait to get there. I have a funny story to share about a discovery I made in one of the many truck stops we've visited, but I'll save that for another blog.