New Home, New State and a New Blog + a New Chapter

It was a long Temecula from Bismark, ND. I will not be missing the North Dakota winters any more this much I can tell you. I fell in love with this area when my former boyfriend was stationed, Pendelton. I would fly in to visit him occasionally, my love with him had faded away many years ago but not my love for the wine country.

I wanted to blog my life since my divorce since I will be really starting a new chapter in my life and honestly a much-needed adventure. I recently applied for a teaching position at a few local schools and was offered a position at a local high school. Having a job secured made the move a lot easier.

The real shocker was looking at homes. the cost of living was much more affordable in Bismark than it is here in southern California, even with the higher pay scales. I really wanted to buy a home but the cost of Temecula real estate is far more than I can afford at the moment. So I settled into a nice apartment complex. I think, for now, renting a small place will suit me best. 

I sold all my furniture when I left South Dakota because it was just too expensive to ship everything. the value of it was far less than the cost to ship it. 

I start my new job tomorrow and I am really excited to get my new life started.

A new chapter....

My divorce is final, I gave notice to my employer and my landlord. I will be moving out by the 30th and heading to California. I decided I need a new start in a new place after the last few years of my ugly marriage. All of my kids are grown up and in other states, so there is nothing left to keep me here. I have always wanted to live somewhere that was warm and California is where I have always wanted to be.

I spent time there when I was younger and I thought it was the most amazing place. The only thing that I was not expecting was the cost of moving there as well as living there. When I checked with movers they all quoted me over $8,000 to move my stuff. I could replace it all with new stuff for about that amount. So I decided to sell everything off and just drive my car there and only keep what I can pack in my Toyota 4 Runner.

Trip Begins

I planned on doing the 1,600-mile trip in 2 days. I was going to be tired but I also knew I only had a few days until I had to be at my new job on Monday. So I was off early on Wednesday morning to start my drive.

I was planning to get to Salt Lake City late in the evening and then get a room. The Drive was nothing too exciting on my way to Salt Lake City and I checked into my room at Motel 6 around 9PM. The hotel was not the greatest I must say, but the bed was clean and that was all I really needed after 14 hours of driving. At this point, I wanted to sleep and get to California in the morning.

Final Leg

I woke up early and grabbed breakfast and a coffee at the McDonald's drive-thru. I was thinking of stopping in Las Vegas but I know I really did not have the time. I figured it will be close enough to my home that I would be making a weekend trip there in the near future anyway.

I finally got into California by late afternoon. I love the trees in the desert (Joshua Trees?). They are nothing like anything I have ever seen before and were quite beautiful.

Finally Home

I rolled in the apartment complex around 8 PM. I applied for this apartment when I interviewed for my job. Once I had the job I had the apartment manager mail me the key so I would have it upon arrival. This would be the first time I would see the actual apartment I would be calling home. I had seen other apartments when I toured the complex a few weeks ago but they did not know what would be available until signed the agreement and gave them a move in date. 

The apartment was clean and very nice. I had a pool view which I really liked. But at this point, I really just wanted to get some good sleep. unfortunately, that won't be happening until I get a real bed. For, now I just need to inflate my air mattress and get some sleep.