My Move in Instagram

Guess what?

My new kitchen is almost put together! I’m even baking this afternoon!!

WOO to the HOO!!

*ahem*

Sorry. I’m super excited, though. Clearly.

I wanted to spend today giving you all a little update on how the last few weeks have been. I know it’s not nearly as interesting as sugar and frosting, but I hate that you all are being a bit neglected due to the move, so here’s some fun from my move.

Plus…I have food for you guys later this week. Yay!

So this whole thing started about three weeks ago with the arrival of my boys, stateside. Best. Day. Ever. I have family in Minnesota, so we met up in Minneapolis, where we had to hit up the Mall of America. Of course.

Then, the Hubster and I sent our boy on his way, to visit with his aunt and uncle and his cousins, while we celebrated our tenth anniversary in Minneapolis for a few days. Alone. It was heaven.

Can you tell we’re having fun? Up until this point, it had been a long time since we’d been together, so we were pretty much giddy lovebirds all weekend.

And check out the swag he got me for our anniversary!! This necklace is from Etsy seller goseek, and I have wanted it pretty much forever. I mean, I’ve had it pinned on Pinterest for at least six months. So. Yeah. Hubs did good there.

But if that weren’t enough, he also got me a gorgeous new anniversary band (AND tickets to Cirque du Soleil). Yes, I’m totally bragging.

We spent our days laying around or (shocker) doing food related exploring. We hit up Penzey’s Spices, and we were both in heaven. We’ve been ordering from them for at least 8 or 9 years, so it was totally fun to get to visit one of their stores.

We also had an excellent dinner at a great rotisserie called Brasa. It was delicious, and healthy. But it totally didn’t seem healthy. I highly recommend it.

After that, we joined our boy up at my sister’s and prepared for the long drive across country to Oregon.

Early on, while we were still in Minnesota, we hit this long, straight, empty patch of highway. And you know what a long, straight, empty patch of highway is good for? That’s right. Teaching the kid to drive. It was his first experience on the Interstate, and I can’t lie…it was pretty nerve wracking. I think we’ll put off Interstate driving for a while longer yet.

Aside from Minnesota at the start of our trip, and Oregon at the end, we drove through South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington. Seriously, friends, our country is beautiful!

And these are the hats I wore along the way. Yes, that’s a tiara, Minnie Mouse ears, A sequined leprachaun hat, and my homemade Doctor Who fez (which is actually my old Halloween pic, because I forgot to take one on the trip). I’ve decided it’s time to make a big confession to you… It’s a very little known secret that I have a small big obsession, and collection, of tiny hats and fun headgear. Only my family really knows about it. And now you do, too. I prefer to wear them while baking, but they’re fantastic for road trips too.

There. I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

Seriously, how can you not be happy when you have a tiny, sparkly green top hat on?

Anyway. We chased the sun West out of Minnesota and into South Dakota, where we stopped in Rapid City for the night.

The next morning we got up bright and early, and went to see Mount Rushmore, before heading west into Wyoming to see Devil’s Tower.

Devil’s Tower. You know…the big mountain-y rock plateau thing that they show in Close Encounters of the Third Kind? The one that Richard Dreyfuss builds out of mashed potatoes? Yep. That.

I’d like to announce here and now that Wyoming is just plain GORGEOUS. That is all.

No wait…that’s not all. It’s, like, really super seriously gorgeous.

And then there’s Montana. It’s not called Big Sky Country for nothing.

But for real, that big sky is kinda terrifying when it gets mad.

I don’t have any photos of Idaho or Washington, because this is how we were all feeling by then. We really just wanted to get there already.

Then, after what I can only describe as a terrifying drive through the Columbia River Gorge (seriously??? No guard rails off the cliff edge?? REALLY WASHINGTON?!), we finally crossed the narrowest, tiniest, see-through-iest little, scary bridge into Oregon! At last!!

That’s when the real fun began. It’s house hunting time!! House hunting is both one of the funnest and one of the most frustrating things ever.

In the end, our choice came down to this gorgeous city apartment with a tiny kitchen but amazingly gorgeous view…

…or this great house in the burbs with a wonderful kitchen and lots of room, inside and out.

The kitchen won. As did the yard…

…the fireplace…

…and this sweet little loft that I instantly claimed for my own. Won’t it make the best office EVAH?! I think so, too.

So, there you have it. Our long move and road trip in an Instagram nutshell. Now all we have to do is wait for our furniture to arrive. In three to four months. But that’s okay…camping is fun, right? Right?!

Love you guys! Thanks for all your continued patience and understanding!! I’ll see you really soon with some food. Of the sugary variety. Promise.