We Made It - The first 3 Days!

New Years Eve marks our third day here in San Francisco.  We just finished having lunch in the apartment and before I doze off into my afternoon siesta, I wanted to write a quick update.


The last 778 miles from my last post went smoothly and on schedule.  We spent Monday evening in Fresno with Dexter.  While we missed Malen and the kids, it was exciting to see their new HUGE home.  We had a lovely dinner at an all-you-can eat sushi joint, which was really good :)  Dex warned us against leaving too early for the city because of the fog so we set off the next morning by 7:30am.


Our last leg was only 180 miles so given our average 650 miles days, this was nothing.  We were all so excited and extremely weary from all the driving.  Here are a few pics (although non with Dex! I can't believe we forgot to take a few pictures while we were with him!):

Anna's a trooper in the car.

We made it to California!!!

The Mojave desert - glad we didn't run out of gas around here.

This was on our last day of driving after our stop with Dexter in Fresno. It was bright and sunny and umm, we we glad to get out of the somewhat depressing US-99 - the industrial agriculture heartland of CA.

Crossing the Bay Bridge into San Francisco!  $4 to get across the bridge to our new home :)

At 10:30am it was a bit foggy.

Driving through the city on our way to North Beach.

Classic newbies, we were so excited to see the signs to North Beach.

Our street!! A steep incline on a residential block just steps from all the action.

The gang dances in celebration.  Our view is of the financial district - since its south facing, we get a ton of sun!

After we arrived, we took a walk around the block and relaxed for a bit before we started the next phase of unpacking.  It was a long day.  We got in at around 10:30am then picked up the Penske truck and then our stuff from ABF then returned the truck.  We were done by 11pm and we were spent.  At least we got that over with right away.

The next day (yesterday), we went to Anna's school in the morning to meet her teachers and hang out with her new friends.  The school is about 5 blocks from our apartment and it was so great to walk!  Anna had a great time and I'm thrilled that she has such wonderful teachers.  The afternoon consisted of more unpacking and we've essentially repeated that same schedule today.  After our afternoon nap, we're going to go out and be tourists :) I can't wait!!

Happy New Year everyone!! 2009 was amazing and I can't wait to see what amazing things 2010 will bring :)

1850 Miles In

We made it to Flagstaff, Arizona this afternoon.  It's been an epic trip and we are so grateful to have dodged a treacherous winter blizzard that has ravaged the country from coast to coast.  We hit a few spots of flurries earlier on in the trip but nothing that slowed us down too much - the main catch was that we had to leave on Christmas day.

Here is the summary by leg:

LEG ONE - MI / IN / IL / MO:  We bid farewell to the midwest in classic midwest winter style - cloudy with a chance of flurries.  The landscape here was familiar though we proudly caught a few shots of wind farms along the way.  From my parents house on Christmas day, we swung by Holt to spend Christmas morning with Zane's family.  It was a bittersweet way to leave Michigan - we set off at 10:30am and arrived in St. Louis by 6pm.  We caught a glimpse of the famous arc - our gateway to the west :) and enjoyed a quiet dinner at the Sheraton's restaurant, which we were so happy was open!

Hello Illinois! Check out that weather!!

Ominous clouds - PLEASE don't snow!

Wait - how long do I have to stay back here, again?!

We made it to St. Louis! Time to have some Christmas Dinner :)

She doesn't have any siblings but she does have a dog...

LEG TWO - MO / OK:  I was the first one up and volunteered to take the morning shifts.  At 5:45am Sasa popped his head out from under the bed and gave me the "you're crazy to be up this early" look.  We got the troops out the door and on the road by 6:30 - not a bad transition time for the day after Christmas.  The drive itself was uneventful until about 4 hours into the trip when we suddenly hit a patch of highway that was still covered in snow.  It was sunny and clear but the landscape was clearly hit by a bad storm - we spotted at least 2 dozen cars on the side of the road. The less then optimal roads slowed us down by an hour. So, we decided to take a long lunch in Tulsa to make up for the stressful delay :)

On our way out of Missouri

Anna watches a movie - Thanks for the outfit G&G Williamson and DVD player, Grandma Lisa!!

LEG THREE - TX / NM / AZ: The landscape here quickly became scenic.  Anna was fascinated by the red rocks and the plants and trees of the desert.  At one point, she asked, "Can I have a drink? I'm thisty 'cause I'm in the desert."  She's been a great road traveler.  Not a single complaint - just one request  yesterday for us to stop early and get a hotel.  She was done with the car for the day :)

Climbing up to 6,000 ft towards Flagstaff.

Hanging out in downtown Flagstaff today.

Sasa: HUH?!

Tomorrow, we're headed to Fresno, CA to spend the night with our good friend, Dexter :)  From there, we'll be 3 hrs 15 mins from San Francisco! Woot!

T-3: Ode to the Sentimental

The road trip is consuming my thoughts.  I'm so excited yet I'm equally worried about the weather. How will we best pack up the car? Have I finished that packing list yet? etc. etc.

Meanwhile, work continues at a frantic pace - surprisingly, I actually remembered to pack up all my files and books this evening.  It's my second to last day in that office and while part of me will miss those colleagues,   I'm thrilled to leave that commute behind.

On the ride home, I reminded myself to get the car cleaned.  The thought of going on a road trip with a dirty car irritates me, which I realize is slightly crazy.

Then, I remembered to breath and get a freakin' grip.  What's the point of all the excitement if you can't actually sit back and enjoy it?  Zane was on his way to visit with his Grandmother and I decided this would be the perfect evening to have a girls night with Anna.  She was the ideal date for a few errands and some much dreaded Christmas shopping.

It occurred to me after a few hours of chatting in the car, catching up on her day over dinner, giving her the update on her new school and teachers - particularly the bit about my joining her for 3 half days in her new class to help with transition - that she is really coming into her own and free from the neurotic genes I was convinced I'd passed on.  She uses words like, "suggest," "actually" and phrases like "I thought about it and.." "have you considered"...I found myself very easily and quite happily conversing with a lovely and hilarious little girl.  I felt totally at peace - that is, until I lost it cracking up when after asking her what she did for lunch, she said, "I don't want to get Lolo in trouble but....he brought me to Wendy's again.  Sorry Mom.  But he really just doesn't know how to cook!"  Comedy.

We ate a light sushi dinner together before braving the stores and getting our Christmas shopping done.  For the first time ever, I actually enjoyed it.

I'm not a particularly sentimental person but in the last days of our time in this little midwest town that I spent a good chunk of my life in, I can't help but think about how I've come full circle with this place.  All my years as an immigrant kid growing up here, I never really felt like I quite fit in.  And I never really felt like I perfectly fit in back in the Philippines either.  And frankly, when I was young, it was a bit of a struggle - this is probably cliche but there's a reason why I chose the title of this post.  Cut me some slack.

Today, I was grateful for what my time here has given me: a place for my daughter to spend the first 5 years of her life.  In particularly, it's given her a chance to get to know her family, and have some grounding in her roots - her mother is, after all, a transplant from Manila, to Michigan, to now, San Francisco.  I guess she's just carrying on the tradition - I'm just happy my experiences are giving me the insight to help guide her through it.

3 more days 'till departure.

T-4: Cross Country Check List

I managed to sneak out of the office at a decent hour this evening, only to find myself sitting in Toyota's waiting room while our Matrix gets serviced. Thanks to their free wi-fi, I've been able to finalize our cross country trip.

At this point, a winter storm is cramping our style and we've decided to add a few hours to our drive by heading south. In light of this longer drive, we have subsequently decided to move up our departure date to Christmas Day. We were terrified to tell our family but since safety trumps all - we are confident with our decision and teaming with excitement! Besides, we figured that the best time to throw Anna in a car is after hours of celebration and umm, present opening.

I would be lying if I said I was filled with ONLY excitement. Growing up in the midwest, I have a pretty good idea what kind of winter storm nightmares await in December and I am hoping that the first leg of our trip will be ok! Also, this is Anna's first cross country trip and I HOPE that we make it fun for her.  Here's the plan, more or less (thanks google maps):

Leg One 12/25

Home - St. Louis Missouri
Miles: 493
I-55

Leg Two 12/26

Destination - Amarillo, TX
Miles: 756
I-40

Leg Three 12/27

Destination - Flagstaff, AZ
Miles: 608
I-40

Leg Four 12/28

Destination - Bakersfield, CA
Miles: 480
I-40

Leg Five 12/29

Destination - San Francisco, CA
Miles: 283
I-5

Count down continues!  The car is ready!

A New Era

It seemed fitting to start a new blog as the countdown for 2010 begins. 2009 was an epic year for us - among our many activities / events two stand out the most: (1) November Wedding in the Philippines and (2) Pending relocation to San Francisco.

This family has experienced a range of emotions as we've made arrangements for a destination wedding, switched up preschools and made huge career decisions. The logistics could even get Martha Stewart a bit frazzled I'm sure. But here we are, 4 days from our winter cross country trip to our new home, marking a new era as the 'official' J-W clan and we have our health, sanity and a big a** smile across our faces.

For me, I can't believe how far we've come. It seems like it was only yesterday when I sat across from my then fiance and tried to make the case for why we should consider relocating. I had just received the opportunity from my company. It all seemed so impossible - after all, we had a mortgage, a 4-year-old, family close by, terrible job markets, a wedding to plan, you name it. There were obstacles all around.

The bottom line for me was that I felt I had out grown Michigan. I'm not quite sure what that means exactly but basically, I allowed myself the opportunity to trust my instincts and say out loud that I wanted to leave. In terms of the practical, however, I really wasn't convinced that Michigan would be a safe bet for either of us in terms of job opportunity and growth given our respective industries. And of course, whether we like it or not, employment is such a critical base / necessity for any happy, healthy family. I managed to convince them both. And between both Anna and Zane's support, I had the confidence to lead the charge for us to uproot to a new place.

Since then, our plans have fallen so perfectly into place that perhaps the fiercest atheist would term it, divine. Of course, all that planning was not without its share of stress and anxiety - in fact, I have the first 2 gray hairs to show for it! Regardless, we enjoyed an amazing marriage celebration in the Philippines, surrounded by loved ones near and far who have extended their undying love and support. We have packed and shipped our belongings to our new apartment, in a wonderful location where all three of us will be within walking distance to our respective offices / schools. And yes, you read that correctly, Zane got a job - during a time when most are losing one, not gaining one.

In short, we are in a reflective stage i.e. a point where we're not scrambling or stressing over getting something done by deadline. All the major tasks have been taken cared of and we are looking forward to 11 whole days off during a holiday season for which we have much to be grateful and thankful.

I'm hoping to capture and share the many adventures we have ahead of us on this blog for family, friends and anyone else interested. It's an incredibly exciting time :)

Happy Holidays!