I'm in Nor-Cal!

On Sunday, a caravan of 3 cars + a moving truck made their way through the long and boring stretch known as Interstate 5. The trek started at 5:30 am and ended close to 1:00 pm. The journey consisted of 5 stops of which only 1 was to fill up the tanks with gas. Unfortunately, the other 4 stops were made to empty out some bladders. Thankfully, I had my 10-year old cousin in the car with me to keep me company. He slept most of the time as I munched on an entire bag of carrots to keep awake. Trust me, hearing the loud crunch of carrots will keep you functioning through boring cow-land while watching suicidal bugs smash right into your windshield. As soon as we unloaded the truck, you would think that we would start to unpack. That didn't happen 'til two days ago when my family finally headed home. For the first three days, we spent time with them enjoying the surroundings of the beautiful Bay Area. We had a wonderful time walking the streets of San Francisco, visiting relatives in Hayward and Milpitas, and shopping in San Jose.

Now that all the fun is over, we have been busy unpacking boxes and putting things into their rightful places. I am so thankful for Target and Ikea for being easily accessible for all my home needs! Our place is slowly starting to feel a but more homey; just a little bit more organizing is needed and we'll be set.

I miss everyone in So-Cal very much but am excited to make Nor-Cal my new home! I'll share our little city adventure in my next post. For now, need to run to Target...again!

My helpful movers: Mom, Dad, Chad {brother}, Kirsten {sister}, and Josh {little cousin}

Family from the Abellada side at a 'mini reunion' in Hayward.

Cousins!

Do you know the way to San Jose?

In the past 24 hours alone, we have had 3 different 'goodbye dinners.' Not to forget, the many other 'goodbye' meals and meet-ups in the last week. Food coma? Yes. Too much socializing? Not enough!

I never left home for college so to me, this is move up to the Bay Area may be the equivalent. I know, we're still going to be in the same state as our dear family and friends but it sure doesn't seem like it! I am going to miss everyone so much! I hate goodbyes so I'll just start saying "see you later" from now on.

Half-way through last week, I realized that I hadn't seen everyone I wanted to see yet so I called a quick last-minute dinner at Old Spaghetti Factory in Riverside last night. This is probably the only chain restaurant I keep frequenting. Thanks to their special Mizithra cheese! I was so happy with the turn-out. Did I mention, I'm really going to miss everyone? Speaking of cheese, here are a few pics from last night. Unfortunately, the only group photo we had was extremely blurry and non-photoshop-able. :(

Love these girls!

{Roeum, Inah, Alli, Jane, Audrey}

Marc & I with my 'little' brother from college, Rommel.

Marc & the guys {Doug, Leo, Marc, David}

Frostings cupcakes from my twin. Thanks Jane! Marc & I devoured them for breakfast this morning.

Following the dinner at the OSF, Marc and I rushed to LA to pick up my brother and headed to Noodle World in Alhambra where we met up with my aunt and uncle. By that time, it was 12 midnight! Marc and I just ate a little but still ate nonetheless. One of the highlights for me was running into my friend Dani who I haven't seen since college!

We'll be hitting the road early in the morning. Bay Area, here we come! Before I sign off for the evening, here are a few more photos from last night.

My brother Chad and Tito Alvin=man vs. food contest; who can eat the most pad see ew? Haha!

Below: Tita Susan and I

Blogging from my hometown

In 4 days, we will be moving up to Northern California. Marc is so excited to go back to school for his MBA at Santa Clara University. While at first I was a bit skeptical about this move, sensing his excitement makes me happy as well! Last week, we traveled back to Irvine from Redlands every day as we slowly yet surely emptied out our apartment. This week, we have been organizing everything for the move. From getting the utilities hooked up, changing addresses and shopping for some home goods, it has been quite the busy week. Most of the furniture we had in our previous apartment were borrowed pieces that have now been returned. As a result, we have been scouring the town (and nearby towns) for some essentials to call our own. We're trying to get everything down here since:

a)So-Cal has cheaper sales tax

b) we have a truck to haul stuff with!

I'm proud to say that we've secured a futon from Ikea. We've also invested in a folding table (to act as a dining table for the time being) Wal-Mart to accompany some Ikea folding chairs that were donated to us. We like to keep it real simple, especially right now when practicality matters more than aesthetics. We'll get to the 'fancy' stuff someday.

Not to forget, we are currently shacking up with my parents which inevitably involves endless chores and errands. What is with parents slacking off when their kids are home? Haha! I was hoping to utilize this week to catch up on some personal projects and visit friends. Unfortunately, both have been put on the back-burner as I've been consumed by the mis-fortune known as responsibility. I did get to have lunch with some old office mates yesterday which was a nice break in my day. I'm hoping to see everyone on Friday night for a little get together. Ah! I'm already starting to tear.

It is surely hitting me that we are moving. While I had my list of things to do in the OC, I definitely have my list for the IE as well. Sad to say, I don't think I'll get through this list. As 'crappy,' as people may think the IE is, it will always be my hometown!

Farewell 112

For the past 13 months, we have made our home at 112 Santa Barbara in Irvine. This past Thursday, we finally moved out our last box and turned in our keys. It was a bittersweet moment. 112, as we so fondly referred to our apartment, was our first place together. Though we will not miss the sound of the leaf-blowers in the early mornings, the wet halls after 'routine cleaning,' and the gate blockages due to constant tree cutting, we will always remember this place as our first home.

Cleaning out the almost-empty apartment

I'm going to miss my kitchen! :(

Our bedroom all emptied out.

Marc, on our final descent from our 2nd floor home.

Farewell Santa Rosa Apartments!

Fun with the pups

Greetings from the Bay Area! Marc & I are here for a few days for his school orientation and to check out places to rent. In fact, I am waiting for an online lease approval as I type. Unfortunately, it can take anywhere from 2 minutes to even an hour. Well, it's taking forever! I figured, I might as well get some blogging in while I can. We're staying with the ever-so-gracious Missy. It would be an understatement for me to say that I am thoroughly amused by her two sweet dogs, Burger and Derby. They are keeping me company as everyone has stepped away for the day. Oh how I wish I could live their lives of sleeping and playing all day. I spent the last 10 minutes trying to take pictures of them. These rambunctious balls of fur are so active and such a joy to be around! Here are some non-blurry pics of the two.

Little Derby

Photogenic Burger

The dynamic duo

I went to Starbucks this morning for a cup of tea and since then, I feel like I have been dozing in and out of consciousness. I just recovered from a cold as evidenced by my red-as-rudolph's nose. I think my body is finally catching up to me and telling me that I need some rest. My eyelids are shutting as I type and it's 2:15 pm. Something isn't right.

Still moving

One of Marc's most prized possessions. Not only does it include instructions on how to properly fold a dress-shirt; it doubles as a template. What a nerd! I just witnessed him neatly folding his dress shirts with this contraption. :)

I suspect that the next few posts will involve this same subject. Trust me, we don't have a lot of stuff to move. So why is it taking us forever to clear out of our current place? Well, it just so happens that the husband and I are so particular about packing. We're not the type to just stuff whatever fits into a box. There has to be some sort of order, categorization and mind you, even color-coding of boxes. Call it anal but it just makes life that much easier...and entertaining, if you please. All of our large furniture was taken out this morning and moved to the temporary holding place known as my parents' house. We will be sleeping on our makeshift bed on the floor for the next few days. I feel like we're on an extended camping trip. Next week, we plan to scope out potential living spaces. Plans for that are to be made this weekend! I can't wait!

Boxing up the goods

Please forgive me for my lack of posts lately. My spare time has been consumed with exciting activities such as re-constructing boxes and filling them up with belongings. I'll have some fresh posts once the chaos dies! :)

I'm trying my hardest not to populate our tiny apartment with stuff. Sadly, shopping is temporarily on hold. In the last few months, I've been trying to get rid of old clothes, papers, etc that are no longer being used or needed. Thankfully, Christmas brought us more greens and gift cards than actual goods so not much was added to our pile. So, why am I doing all this? Come March, our 13-month lease on the apartment ends. Wow! I can't believe we've lived here for awhile now. Marc is adamant that we move as we've had way too many issues with our place. More specifically, our disrespectful neighbors who keep us up throughout the night, the owl that won't shut up, the single-pane windows that beats heater 1000 times and many others that I won't bother to mention. Where we'll be moving to is still unknown but regardless, we still have to pack everything in boxes, stick them in a moving truck and head somewhere. We could be moving 4, 40, or 400 miles away. 'Til the verdict is revealed, I will keep on packing as I know that March will be here before I know it. This is both exciting and frustrating but I know that it will all work out somehow. I'll post updates because you never know, I could be your next door neighbor in the near future!