0 Our detour to Disneyland

How I managed to overlook my trip to Disneyland during stage 1 of the move is beyond me.

{cue sarcasm laced sentence. Like I didn't have a million other things going on? haha!}

When B and I were planning to drive out to Austin from California, we knew the trip would be crazy. What I didn't expect was for him to look at me very seriously, and ask me a question like this: "Do you want to be completely irresponsible and cram a trip to Disneyland into the move?"

I didn't even miss a beat as I enthusiastically agreed. We needed a little fun to look forward to as he said goodbye to California. I also hadn't been to Disneyland in about 20 years. Far too long. Billy went regularly through his teens, but knew I was desperate to go back, so I think this was mostly for my benefit, rather than to say farewell to a California staple. 

So there we were, rolling down the highway in a Mustang stuffed with video games consoles and all of Billy's clothes, heading to the happiest place on Earth, before heading to our new home 1,700 miles away. This is a very photo heavy post, so scroll and enjoy :)

We made good time traveling from NorCal to Anaheim, about 7 hours with a dinner stop. We stayed at the Hotel Menage, picked purely because the name made B and I giggle like 12 year old boys. The next morning, I bounded out of bed and was anxiously waiting for a proper time to head to the park. It was opening at 10am, and I was ready to go before 9. B was a little less excited, but thought I was cute in my enthusiasm, even though he's really not a morning person.

I think I made a little Australian girl's life when I asked her parents if I could pose with the princess outside our hotel while we waited for the shuttle. Rapunzle never looked so adorable.

We started our day at California Adventure, knowing we really just wanted to hit Cars Land before heading into Disney for the real adventure. I felt like the biggest kid, thrumming with excitement and ready to run to all the rides! Billy is a huge car guy, and we both really love the Cars movies, so I know he was almost as excited as I was be there. It's truly amazing, too. You walk into the area and swear you are in the movie. I loved it.

I put the tire hat on Billy and literally could not stop laughing. I was dying. I'm not sure exactly why it was so funny, but oh my goodness, you would have thought I was at a comedy show!

 He made me wear the cone {of shame} hat for a picture to make me see what it felt like to be laughed at. I thought it was great!

We found much cuter hats inside the store. You will see, I had an obsession with head wear while at Disney, and wanted to try on all the things. 

The mountains even look like tail ends of classic cars!

We ate at Flo's V8 Cafe for breakfast, it was cute and decent.

Just like the movie.

 I loved that there were character cars driving around, interacting with people!

 B didn't like this hat, as seen by his unhappy smile, but I was sold. Too bad he vetoed it.

 It looked so real!

 We rode single rider for the Cars ride, and it was so cool! We got to race :) My car won.

We finished with Cars Land and made a quick stop at Soaring over California, which was awesome, before heading into Disneyland. Thank goodness for park hopper passes.

 Ahh, the happiest place on Earth!

See? Totally tried on all the things. I even made Billy try on a few too, much to his embarrassment.

Welcome to my new home! Err, that's not in Austin. Okay, fine, it's a castle, not my home.

 We were at the park on the first official day the Haunted Mansion was decked out in Nightmare Before Christmas fashion. It was excellent!

 I did not get the sword from the stone.

 These were the only characters I hunted down for a photo. I love me some Alice in Wonderland.

We were quite tired after traipsing around the parks all day, so we called it early instead of sticking around for the parades and light shows.

After spending the day like kids, we finished in a very adult fashion back at the hotel.

Detail: Our detour to Disneyland

0 desserts spelled backwards

Oh, hello!

Big news!! Our offer on the house was accepted! 

We are currently under contract, or as I like to think of it, paperwork purgatory. We sign, they sign. We sign again, we wait for them to sign again. The mortgage people need specific information, we give it, oh wait, it's not the right info and we can't get the right people to verify. Ugh.

We should close by early October if everything goes well. Until then, I am not considering the house "ours", and won't hold my breath. {even though I really want it to be ours and would pass out holding my breath if it were a contest in order to get it}

So on top of the craziness of packing up our apartment and figuring out the logistics of our 3-stage move, I am running around being a naive first time home buyer on top of figuring out the packing, planning going away parties, and continuing my insanely busy work schedule. And let me tell you, my clients are NOT happy about this move. They really want me to stay and continue to doing their hair as usual.

Let me explain that 3-stage move for you. 

Stage 1: Billy has to be out in Texas for his first day of work on September 23. We will be driving out the week before and getting him settled, then I fly back while he stays.

Stage 2: Sometime in October, after our house has closed, my mom and I {and whomever we can wrangle into helping us} will load a U-Haul and drive it to Texas, to set up our house, and then she and I will fly back. Billy will get to hang out in the fabulous new house on his own, but we will probably take the kitties out so he will have company.

Stage 3: Once all of my booked weddings are completed, and I have my last weekend at the salon, I will pack up my last little bit of things and do the drive a 3rd time with Sadie in tow. 

Whew. 

I have already started packing, as I have no clue when I have to get our stuff out of the apartment. And the apartment....I have to figure out how to either get the office to change my lease end date so we just finish our lease rather than break it, or find a sublease for the 3 months left on the lease. Just one more thing to add to my already long list of things to do.

*throws self on floor, kicks legs, and cries*

And that is about the extent of the mess I am sitting in right now, preparing to move out of the state. Continue with the positive thoughts for the rest of this crazy journey!

Detail: desserts spelled backwards

0 Holy ish, it's really happening

Yes, my friends, it has finally happened. Mr. B, my hubby, has been applying for optical management positions throughout Texas since last December {a few posts: here, here, and here}. 

At first, we got our hopes all tangled up in each application, only to be very disappointed, yet relieved, when he didn't get the position. Recently, a brand new store in Cedar Park, about 20 minutes from downtown Austin, started taking applications. Of course, Billy applied. I didn't think too much about it, and didn't even do my typical house hunting spree online, even though this is the ideal location for us. He had a phone interview last Monday, and thought it went well, but again, we didn't get our hopes up. 

On Friday, I went for a run in Santa Cruz, and came back to a text from Billy letting me know he is the new optical manager for the Cedar Park store. I am not gonna lie, I totally shot back a text that said in all caps "are you f*#$@*^ kidding me?!" I had to go by his store and stare at him in disbelief, wondering if he was going to get a call back saying "Oops, just kidding! We hired someone else." We are shell shocked. It's hard to find that excitement I had about moving to Texas last Spring now that it's actually happening. 

So my vacation to Dallas and Austin this week "just to check out the area" has now turned into a house hunting trip. The warehouse opens in mid-November, but Billy will have to move out there earlier, though the date is TBD just yet. I have weddings and salon clients booked through November, so I don't plan on heading out there until late November. 

So wish us luck as we house hunt {both for rentals and to check out the buying market} this week, and then as I freak out and pack my entire over-stuffed apartment up, sell furniture, freak out some more, get in all the California stuff that I have yet to do in my 28 years, and soak up all the things I love about my home state. 

Detail: Holy ish, it's really happening

0 Texas bound?

Hola chicas, buenos noches! It's Tuesday night and I am catching up on TV with my love, baking a no sugar added, no oil, gluten free banana bread. Wish me luck on that one, I don't have high hopes, but I do have a hankering for lots of bananas. Since my last post was a Tasty Tuesday banana bread post, I'll save you the repeat, and talk about something else that's been on my mind recently: Texas.

As Billy wrote in my birthday guest post, we have been considering a move to Texas. In December, it was to San Antonio. Billy didn't end up getting that position, but at the end of January, a new opportunity was presented. There is a brand new Costco store being built in Sugar Land, an affluent suburb of Houston, that will open in July. A new store means so many things; what Billy and I see as the biggest draw is that he could essentially build his department and train his employees to be exactly what he wanted. No stepping into an established department where he would have to correct bad learned practices and behaviors or deal with resentment of the new manager. It would be his department.

A management position is a huge jump in responsibility and position for Billy. However, he consistently leads in sales and more than meets their objectives, and has been groomed to be a manager since he started over 3 years ago, so this is a great opportunity for him. Doubling his income in a place that is 30-40% less expensive than where we live now is also appealing.

A rendering of the new Sugar Land Costco location via Telfair life

It's also freaking scary for us both to even consider. 

Just on Billy's end, he would be moving away from his immediate family, whom he is incredibly close with, and suffers from homesickness if he doesn't see them every few weeks. To be several thousand miles away from them, instead of 10 minutes away, would be tough. We would have to plan far in advance for when we would travel home, and it would be a bit of a struggle to make that as often as we both would like. 

As for me, I would be starting over, completely. The clientele I have built up and the contacts I have made over the last 7 years were hard earned and trying to re-do all of that won't be easy. I've never lived anywhere else. San Jose is my home, my family is here, my friends all live here, and I know the area so very well. It's intimidating to imagine moving across the country to a place where we don't know a soul, and have to start all over.

The scariest part? Should Billy get the job and be transferred to Sugar Land, he would be going out there as early as May or June. Me? I have weddings booked steady through the end of August, with weddings every other week or so through November. The earliest I could move to Texas? September. A four month separation would be awful. You can believe I've looked at flights, and a $500 booty call to visit my love while we are separated ain't cheap.

Despite all of the scary parts of a possible move across the country, I have been incredibly optimistic! I have been the one pushing Billy to get his recommendation letters from his department manager and the warehouse manager {both were so glowing and wonderful!}. I'm the one asking him every day if everything is all set and ready to be mailed in. I'm on realty sites daily, scouting out the market and dreaming of the homes we could own. I am the one who ordered the relocation guide for the county, reading all 65 pages of it, and I researched the area, finding out the history and learning as much as I can about our possible new home.

I am willing to do all of this is because I am 110% committed to supporting my husband in this endeavor. At the end of the day the only thing that matters is being with my hubby. He's my best friend, and I can do anything with him by my side. The life we could create for ourselves in Texas far exceeds anything we could make here in the Bay Area. Buy a great big house and pay less for a mortgage than we do for rent on our one bedroom apartment? We have our pick of any number of beautiful homes. Save for retirement because we won't be strapped for cash and retiring at 65 and living like kings? No problem. If we one day decided we actually want children? We could afford it.  That all just blows my mind.

I will miss the beautiful Bay Area with it's multitude of amenities, and  proximity to, well, everything wonderful, and the amazing weather we have year round. Moving away doesn't mean we can never come back, or at least visit though. I can get my California fill on those trips to visit family and see friends. I will really miss this little dude, but he already can use an iPad better than I can, and likes to video chat with Billy, so I know we will still "see" him regularly if we leave.

Billy's transfer application went in today. We have no idea when we will hear back about it, so please keep your fingers crossed for us, we need patience and positivity! You better believe I will be keeping you all updated on this, getting it or not. 

Detail: Texas bound?