hello cambridge!!!

We made it! After months of waiting, wondering, pondering, and planning, we are finally living at our final destination for the next two years. Oh, and what a journey is has been.

John & I started the whole process by packing our Penske truck with all of the stuff in storage (which had been down-sized yet again). We then headed out towards the east coast in our truck with the Honda in tow on August 8. Not even 20 minutes later we pulled off the freeway & called U-Pack. We knew that 6 days of driving in a loud, slow truck wasn't going to cut it! The rest of the day was spent moving our stuff out of the Penske truck & into a an ABF trailer. Lots of lifting & a very dirty job to say the least.

On August 9, we officially set out in the Honda on our way to Cambridge. We said our goodbyes to Janet, Tom, & Coco (who we'd stayed with in So Cal over the summer) & headed out. Can't say that driving across country is much to write about. We basically saw the freeway for about 6 or 7 days, although we did have a fantastic time in Santa Fe (highly recommend the Sage Bakehouse!) & got to experience dining at the Cracker Barrel! Arizona & New Mexico were really beautiful, as was our route through New Jersey...who knew?

On the way we picked up Bonnie (John's mom) for help & support with the moving endeavor. We also had a great time for the short stay at her place in Easton, PA.

The move in wasn't the breezy time we were hoping for. The elevator was broken (we're on the 3rd floor), the apartment was not in the best shape, & the moving truck came about 5 hours late - not great when you have to move all of your stuff up 3 flights. The neighbors were so supportive. Even had a fellow HBS'er helping to move our boxes into the building. And another neighbor brought us a fruit plate & a glass of wine. But it still wasn't looking so good, so by about 9 pm we were on the phone with a 24 hour moving company to help with the process. 30 minutes later, 2 outrageously strong guys show up with straps & move EVERYTHING in about 45 minutes! I've never seen anything like it. That is definitely the way to go:-)

The last couple of weeks have entailed a lot of scrubbing, painting, cleaning, organizing, unpacking, shopping, returning items, etc. Very exhausting, but at least we are loving our apartment & our new city. Lots of walking to be done & the most beautiful weather (at least now). Not to mention a fantastic bakery/cafe called Hi-Rise.

John started his first day at HBS on Tuesday. The work is already crazy, but he's loving the experience. The people have been great. And the gym is awesome!!! We've even had our first overnight guests. Alex & Sharon from the Bay Area stopped by for a quick visit. Lots of fun. Hopefully, with the 2nd bedroom, we get to see lots more visiting from friends & loved ones over the course of the next 2 years.

That's it for now.