Washington D.C.

So I ended up going to Washington D.C. yesterday. I went to go meet a lady who had a bunch of horse tack she was giving away, and on the way home I managed to get thoroughly lost, so Dustin directed me (on the phone, as he was home) through D.C. since it would take a half hour off the time to get back home, and of course I ended up getting lost in D.C. as well, even with him on the phone trying to tell me where to go. I need to get a car charger for my phone as well, as by the time I finally got out of D.C. I only had one bar of battery left on my phone. I got to go down the Washington Memorial Parkway, but didn't get to enjoy any of the history because I was so worried about getting lost again. What should have been an hour drive ended up lasting about 5 hours.
So at some point Dustin and I want to go down to D.C. to actually see the sights, and take in some of the history when I'm not stressed about trying to get home. It really is an amazing place, and I would love to see everything when I'm actually wanting and planning on being in D.C.
I did finally talk to someone who knows where the local feed store is, and its in Brunswick near the library, so tomorrow when I return a few books I'm going to stop by and see what they have, and introduce myself, and see if they know of anyone who wants help. I also want to see if they know of a local tack consignment store so I can hopefully sell some of the extra tack that I have that I don't want sitting around.
I'm happy that I'm familiarizing myself with the area, and starting to get to know where things are, and who to talk to if I need help finding something. The people here are quite nice, and have been very helpful when I've asked about the area, and where to find things, and hopefully soon I'll know the local area well enough that I don't need to ask for help anymore.

Quick Note

Just want to say one thing.

Maryland is amazing.

But, besides that. Some of the steps we have had to go through are just crazy. One is getting the car and drivers licenses transferred over. Apparently Maryland is on the higher end of insurance requirements, and so most insurance policies from other states are not applicable here.

Then, in order to get driv

ers licenses, they require a good handful of things, including two proofs of residency. One of the main ones which I imagine most people have, are utility bills, and utility installation bills. However, we're basically "roommates" with the house owner, so the utilities are all in her name already.

One thing I did do when I changed our address with Wells Fargo was order checks (with both Holly and Dustin on the checks) and one proof of residency they will accept is a cancelled check with the names. So, when the checks get here I suppose we will just have to find something to buy. :-) Oh darn right.

Anyways, that is getting worked out. I just had no idea how complicated it was going to be. I figured a week or so after we got here we would just mosey on into the DMV, flash our California licenses, fill out some papers and presto, new Maryland licenses. Oh well.

On another note, we have some local deer that come by nearly every day. Pretty cool (until they start eating the garden.) Sometimes (like last night) when we leave from or return to the house after dark, they will even be in our front lawn, or by the mailbox.

(Click the image to see it closer. Or, click here to see it in picasa.)

Just Another Day in Paradise

Hi Everyone,

Dustin here. Holly added me as a "guest blogger" so I can add posts here as well. I've tried setting up blogs in the past, but I have often forgotten about them and stopped posting. Hopefully I can get into a routine of posting. Holly has been doing very well. :-)

Today was nice. We went and had a little picnic up the road a ways. After the picnic we went to Wal-Mart and got a... wal-mart dresser. (Plastic bins, lol.) These will at least help us get some clothes off the ground until we get a real dresser.

Heat Wave

I still haven't had the time to upload all the pictures, but it is definitely on my to-do list.  It has been in the high 90 to low 100's here the last few days, and apparently the forecast says its only going to get hotter.  There are also thunderstorms in the forecast for the next couple of days, which I do like.  Its nice to be able to go out in the rain and not be cold.

On a different note, I am now looking for a new job as things did not work out with Tonia and I.  So that has been taking up most of my time.  Tomorrow is my "day off" from job searching, so I hope to get to the pictures then.  I'm definitely having to take a bit of a different approach to finding jobs here, as I still don't know where much of anything is, so I'm having to ask people, and look up individual companies online, to see where they are located, and on google maps, to see what else is around them.  I want to make the most of my driving time when I go to apply places, but things are so spread out around here, that nothing it within an easy few minutes.  The closest "shopping center" type place is about 20 minutes away in WV.  So wish me luck.

Today Dustin and I are going to go back to the library, and hopefully be able to get our library cards.  I'm excited, because that will give me something to do in the evenings to unwind, and relax.  I've also started my basil and tomato seeds, and hopefully in the next few weeks will have little sprouts.  Slowly but surely I'm building my herb and vegetable garden.  Some of it will be indoors, or on the patio because of the heat and the snow in the winter.

Keep tuned, and hopefully tomorrow I can post some pictures.

Back In Maryland

So, I flew back to Maryland yesterday, and arrived safely at 11:30 pm.  I was finally able to get my computer to connect to the internet, so as soon as I have a few minutes I will upload lots of pictures.  I am excited to be here and to be settling into the house, and getting things set up while Dustin works.  The flight was uneventful except for the fact that I haven't been on a plane in about 5 years, so I'm a bit out of practice, and the take off and landing on the first flight made me lose my sense of direction, and balance.  Connecting flight was fine though.

I couldn't find my cell phone when we got to the car, so I took a few minutes trying to find it which was fortunate for the other couple who were on the bus with us, as they had a dead battery, and needed a jump and we were the only ones around.  Helping others does make you feel so good, and we were glad that we were able to help them before we left.

Made It To Maryland

So I made it to Maryland finally.  Arrived the on Wednesday July 6th, but am heading back to California tomorrow for my second trip.  We got to have our own personally fireworks show on the 4th in Tennessee.  The son of the owner of the place we stopped had gotten the big fireworks, and was setting them off in their backyard off their pasture fence.  Never had our own personal show before, it was very neat.

We have started moving into our house, and Dustin and I love it.  It has the original door molding, some of the doors have the original handles and locks, and they even have a door between the bathroom and what should be the formal dining room, its Dustin's office now, that has been sealed off.  I'm thinking that the kitchen may have been where the bathroom is, and that was the door between the two.  It's definitely an old house with a lot of character, and I love it.  Once I'm back in California with internet and my own computer I will post up the pictures of the house as well as the trip and write more about our adventures, of which we had many while on the road.

The facility is beautiful, very green, and well set up.  Much more beautiful than it looked in the pictures.  It already feels like home here, and I can't wait until I get back from the second trip to really settle in, and start my job.  I should be back sometime on Tuesday, and will start posting about the trip then.  Thank you for all your support, and I can't wait to tell you about my adventures, and how amazing Maryland is.