It's been a sad couple of days.  Mike took Zuzu in for her check up and turns out she had a large tumor on her kidney.  She just was so sick and most likely in pain so we made the decision to have her put to sleep.  Mike was with her the whole time and I'm SO glad she didn't go alone, but how I wish I had been there to pet her and hold her just one more time.  I loved that cat SO much and I just can't believe we're starting this new life without her.

Pretending

I can NOT believe I haven't blogged the whole time we've been in Atlanta! Well....there was quite some time where we didn't have the most reliable internet...but still! For shame!
So yeah! We made it safe and sound! We spent our first week camped out at a swanky hotel (The Grand Hyatt in Buckhead- Ryden now thinks Room Service is available everywhere).  Ryden and I  hit the pavement hard looking for a place to live while Mike started his new job! We started out looking at houses to rent just outside of the city.  There was one we really wanted, but someone put in an application and was accepted right before we got ours in...damn! Then we saw a few more that were DISMAL! We're talking probably empty for a good few months and LORD, the bugs I saw!!! Lets just say one place had something the realtor called "spider crickets" all over.  When a realtor tells you "yeah, y'all might want to get some pest control"...it's not the right place.  I mean, really? SPIDER CRICKET.  It's like my 2 bug nightmares rolled into one! So we decided to stay in the city, hopefully within 5 miles of Mike's new job.  We had to nix the house idea for now and ended up meeting with this really great leasing agent! He went over all the neighborhoods "in town" that were safe and had good schools.  He gave us a list of 5 apartment buildings to check out and lo and behold! The first one we went to, we grabbed! Didn't even look at another place! They're "luxury apartments" and seriously, I feel like we're living at a resort! There are 2 pools, a gym, rec room, business center and 2 BBQ areas! Ryden and I have been swimming like crazy! And it's only about 6 miles, 20 minutes with heavy traffic, from Mike's work! Hooray!!! We've been here a week and a half already! How is that possible!?! Anyway...now we just need our crap! I am SO tired of sitting on the floors (though it's all hardwood! Yay!).  Mike left today for Santa Cruz so that he can meet up with the movers on Friday and coordinate all that business.  He's also going to be flying back w/our cat, Zuzu.  Ahhh,  Zuzu....We love this cat like crazy.  Before Ryden, she was our little baby cat and we have at least 10 million pictures of her! Mike's parents  have been watching her for the past couple of weeks and she just hasn't been eating...She's getting on, I think she's about 15.  I'm just SO worried about her.  Mike is taking her to the vet tomorrow to get checked out and I'm so worried and sad.  What if the vet says she's just not strong enough to travel? Mike said she's really skinny, and if you know Zuzu, you know she's a BIG fat cat.  What if there's something wrong?  I will be heartbroken if Ryden and I never get to see her again.
Ugh.  Well, Y'all. I best be getting my beauty sleep.  Our cars are coming some time tomorrow! Thank GOD! Ry and I have been housebound, or at least bound within walking distance! I found a great little neighborhood park about a mile away! Took him there again today and we had a blast! I should mention though that there are NO bathrooms at the park.  Closest thing besides home is a grocery store across from our building. So with that in mind, here's what happened today:
Ryden: Mommy! I have to POOOOP!
Me:  Oh no! Ok baby! You GOTTA hold it! I'm going to push you as fast as I can to the potty! (thank      god i had the stroller!)
Ryden: Ok mommy! Go fast!
(Mommy practically RUNS the mile to the grocery store and makes it in 6 minutes! A record! I get in the store and breeze past the dairy aisle to get to the restrooms....)
Ryden: MOMMY! Get my yogurt!
Me: After the bathroom, Hun! Not now!
Ryden (LOUD as can be with at least 4 people in the aisle): Mommy, my butt was just pretending. I don't have to poop, really.  Can we get vanilla?

                                           -Yup. We're in the South now!

                                                     -Cute park...no pottys!

                                                    -Last night in the hotel w/Room Service!

                                                    -Chillin at our new pool!

Yeah.  Life really is good!!!

It's currently 11:15 PACIFIC standard time....I won't be able to say that too much longer! Our flight to Atlanta leaves in about 7 hours and 15 minutes!!!! Then we'll officially be Eastern Standard Time...that is SO weird to me!
It's been a hell of a day packing! We met with the trucking company and got that all squared away and came to the realization that it would be mega lame for us ALL to fly out, pack a few misc items and ALL fly back to settle in Georgia. So Mike, Ryden and I will be flying out tomorrow together and once we find a place, Mike will be flying back solo, packing up and getting the truck squared away and then flying to our new home with our cat, Zuzu.  Saves money and just makes sense.  I can't WAIT to get to Atlanta and find a place to live! We've been looking at all these amazing places on Craigslist and I just want to find an awesome place to call home! An awesome place with 5 bedrooms! Haha! But hey! You never know! A 5 bedroom house is cheaper to rent than the 2 bedroom 1 bath that we rented in Los Angeles!
Yikes!
Ok...time to pretend to sleep!

Headless Chicken...

God... I feel like a chicken with it's head cut off! We just found out that our timeframe for going to Atlanta is a bit faster than we had thought! The company will be flying the 3 of us out to Atlanta NEXT WEDNESDAY for 2 whole weeks! Mike will be going into the office to finalize paperwork, meet the execs and coworkers, etc...Ry and I will probably chill out that first week and get the lay of the land and then the hunt for our new home begins for real!
So with that, we're heading down to LA and the OC to see my family and some friends one last time! It's going to be a whirlwind trip, that's for sure! Then we get home Monday, Tuesday we're getting estimates from 2 moving companies coming out to view all our crap that's moving with us, and then Wednesday we head to Georgia! I figure after that trip, we come home and pack and then fly back to ATL for realsies!
Ryden has never been on a plane...I have no idea what gear to bring! A car seat? Probably. Stroller? I guess...? How the hell do parents do this? Don't even get me started on how we're going to get our damn cat across the country.
CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK! I need my head back!

Ps...this pic is of Mike the Headless Chicken...google it. Freaky. Shit.

On My Mind...

Well, it's official!  After almost 2 years struggling to find work,  Mike has accepted a job! It's in the same industry (tickets, baby!) and pretty much the same position that he held in Los Angeles.  Buuuut....it's in Atlanta, Georgia.  I've rarely traveled outside of California and am now going to be living on the other side of the country! I still can't quite wrap my head around it! And living hours from a coastline!?!? This Southern Cali girl is kinda freaking out! We've been living in Santa Cruz with my in-laws while we struggled to find work up North.  And while it's been challenging, it has also been an amazing experience! We have discovered so many amazing beaches, have explored the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk countless times, picked blackberries, kiwis and strawberries at the many farms dotting the coast and hiked through so many amazing forests hunting for banana slugs...Santa Cruz really is a little kid's (and those young at heart's) dream come true!
There is so much in California that we are going to miss.  The Pacific Ocean, In n Out (oh god...In n Out!!!!), The Boardwalk, The Hollywood Bowl, DISNEYLAND....it's endless. But what we are going to miss the most and what is really breaking our hearts, is leaving our family and friends.  It's going to be so hard living so far away from everyone! I get freaked out when I think of Ryden growing up with his Grandparents so far away.  Will he remember them? Are they going to be like strangers? Will I let him fly alone when he's old enough to visit? Ugh. My brain is frying.

Even with all these fears, I know in my heart that this is the right thing for us.  It's going to be an amazing adventure!