Chicago, LA, and Home Again

We wrapped up our super busy February with a move into our not-quite-completed home:

we hired professional movers this time to save our backs!

It's a little awkward to live in a home with no stove/kitchen sink/dishwasher/master bedroom/washer-dryer. We can't actually unpack things, because some walls still need to be painted, we don't have interior doors or trim, we're still missing light fixtures, closet doors/systems, and the kitchen is still under construction (counters need grinding, walls need tile). But it's such a relief to be in a home we own, with no worries about the landlord finding out about our (four!) cats, and knowing we can change anything we want.

the current state of the living room

Our current "kitchen" - toaster oven, coffee pot, and hot water dispenser.

It's not all under construction...the flooring is in, and our toilet is awesome.

Princess approves of the new floors!

our fancy toilet, with the heated seat and "nightlight."

We moved the kitties into the home, then 4 days later, took off for Chicago for Wedding Reception Round 2. It was actually really nice to see people I hadn't seen in a long while, and catch up with old friends. I was so busy with friends and family, I didn't even take any pictures!

And then we were off to LA, where we ate our way through the first few days. We had been daydreaming about the food - so we cruised around, alternating running into restaurants and eating in the car. 

Cook's tortas! It's on Atlantic and you should really go.

Donut Friend in Highland Park - I got mine with dulce de leche, bananas and whipped cream.

Ceviche at Guisado's in Echo Park.

Mole tacos and Bistek en salsa roja at Guisado's.

the charcuterie platter at Bestia, where we also saw Gordon Ramsay!

We stayed in a super creepy mansion in Echo Park's historical Victorian neighborhood. The homes are all from the late 1800s and are very well restored and maintained. However, that doesn't detract from the scary factor. This is a pic of the home from the outside:

I was pretty nervous every time we came home late, convinced I'd see a ghostly apparition standing at the top of the stairs, or around the corner....or at the side of my bed. But it did have a nice view:

  

The view from the 3rd story balcony

Honestly the location was ideal for our jaunts around town. We could be back in our old 'hood in 10 minutes. In fact, it was so close to downtown, that one morning Mike ran out and brought me back breakfast in bed!

the coddled egg from Eggslut in Grand Central Market - breakfast is served!

Our LA Wedding Reception Round 3 was just as wonderful as the Chicago one - but imagine having everyone you love in one room, with like 45 seconds to talk to each one. It's overwhelming! I wish I could spend a whole day with each one of our friends and family...and even that wouldn't be enough. I think another trip to Chicago and LA is in order for this year.

But while we're home, we're chipping away at the house projects, one by one. Today, we finally got the carpet installed in the master bedroom, and I'm finishing up the paint so we can move in. Completed "after" pic of the master bedroom coming up soon!

Adding a little drama to the master bedroom with the dark accent wall!

Los Angeles and Back!

You know how some things sound better in theory than in real life? Driving from Bend to Los Angeles is sort of like that. Since it'd been awhile (8 months!) since we'd made the drive, we'd forgotten how loooong the drive is. Even split into two days, it was still a good 7-8 hours of sitting in the car each day. On the bright side, it gave us time to work on our relationship and communication skills, especially when we finally hit Los Angeles traffic!

oh, traffic. I did not miss you.

It was all worth it when we arrived back at the Barker Block, our former home. Our friend Steve was out of town and generously lent us his loft, which has an amazing city view.

the LA city skyline.

the LA skyline during a sunset!

Of course the first thing I wanted to do was get some Mexican food....we've been missing it. We headed over to Northgate market in Boyle Heights, and picked up tamales, guacamole, and ceviche. With two kinds of chips. I gorged myself. And did not feel guilty in the slightest!

3 kinds of tamales - chiles, pork, and chicken. YUM.

Then our friend, Sheila made us kabobs and homemade hummus, with lemon cake for dessert. She does stuff fancy. I love her presentation, with her gorgeous silverware, serving plates, and cloth napkins. 

the beautiful spread Sheila made for us!

We also got to eat lots of Japanese food with my cousin and our favorite travel friends, Josh and Bernice, in Little Tokyo, but I ate all that food so quickly I forgot to take pictures! What can I say, there is no place like Los Angeles for deliciousness. Bend can't compare in the gastronomy department.

Bend also doesn't have our friends or family, which we miss dearly! We are trying to convince them to visit and/or move up to Oregon...it took me years and years to make good friends in LA, and it'd just be easier to import your friends to your new hometown, you know?

Funny thing about this picture - two of the people "drinking" don't actually drink!

We had to leave town after only 3 days, but we managed to squeeze in a couple burgers at In-and-Out. 

My half eaten cheeseburger and Mike's animal style fries.

And when we finally arrived back in Oregon, a rainbow was there to greet us. Sure, it dumped 8 inches of snow the very next day, but we're still happy to be back home. We're getting used to shoveling the driveway; it's great cardio. 

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2015, and may your year be full of adventure! 

Adventure Time!

Mike had been gone 10 days when I decided to fly down to Los Angeles and help him drive the van up. I had found a $109.00 ticket, leaving in two days, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity. I packed, arranged for a pet sitter, and called the cab.

When I got to the airport, I found out I had actually booked my ticket for JULY, not June. Oops. When I thought about it, it was very weird that I could buy a super cheap ticket only a couple days in advance.

Yes, I am a moron.

Luckily, the kind, no-nonsense lady at the ticket counter rescheduled me to fly out that very day, same times, for no extra charge. I am now a huge fan of Alaska Airlines!

I got to LA just fine, and helped Mike finish up the van.

me, putting on door seals.

We got it running and figured we'd do the rest (interior, etc) up in Bend. We christened the car with the name we had picked for a future child: Mortimer Danger Manser. "Morty" for short. Human Morty is probably super glad he was never born and subjected to that name. I think Vanagon Morty loves his name, though. It fits. He's an old soul, but tough.

Mike, baptizing Morty with a bath.

We couldn't wait to leave on our first adventure back to Bend! We decided to take the coastal route up (much prettier than the I-5), and pass all the VW Vanagon specialty service shops and suppliers. We needed to buy a few things for the interior, and a few things for our other Vanagon. And in case you didn't catch that, yes, we have another Vanagon in the works, up in Bend. She's blue, with a sunroof! 

It's so fun to be on the road; you can do whatever you want. I'd never been to a mission before, so we stopped at the Santa Barbara Mission for a quick tour.

Mike at the front of the Santa Barbara Mission, which is over 200 years old.

Inside the church. Opulent, as most churches are...

skull and crossbones outside the door, marking the entrance to the cemetery.

Huge, gorgeous tree in the cemetery. Love these!

We were SO lucky we took the coastal route, because Morty decided to lose part of his shift linkage on the way. It was one of the only mechanical pieces we didn't replace. Guess he thought he should have a new one. We heard something bouncing off while we were on the freeway, looked at each other and said, "rock?" Then, "wouldn't it be funny if Morty was just falling apart?" HA. We lost the part only 20 miles from San Luis Obispo, so it was an easy tow to Westy Werks. 

This is where the cool vans hang out.

We felt comfortable the second we pulled up. There were at least 8 other Vanagons/Westfalias/Synchros at the shop, and the guys that work at Westy Werks are super nice, professional, and extremely experienced at working on VWs. They hooked us up with some sweet t-shirts that totally appeal to our sense of adventure, and their shop tag line is, "love the life you live." I think we came to the right place!

Mike's new Westy Werks t-shirt. Thanks, guys!

Tonight, we're off to Santa Cruz, to camp at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, and wait for Van Cafe to open. Our first adventure is off to a great start, despite our mechanical problems. Being broken down on the side of the road is so much better together, rather than apart!

Last Weeks in Los Angeles

Now that we've gotten our place in Bend locked down, we can turn our attention to enjoying our last few weeks here in Los Angeles. It's a frenzy of packing, eating at all our favorite restaurants, visiting friends and family, and trying to use up every last condiment in the refrigerator (because there's no way I'm lugging a half jar of mayonnaise on a 14 hour out-of-state move). 

One of the first things we did was use up all our leftover gift cards and gift certificates - especially ones that don't have a store in Bend. Mike had bought me a Japanese cooking class as a gift, and so we picked a class together. Here's Mike at our yakitori class at Foodstory in Downtown LA, learning from a chef straight from Japan. Useful and fun!

Our yakitori turned out awesome and delicious! I learned lots of new ways to make sauces and cook things (like steaming in sake and green onions - yum!).

We've also been visiting our favorite place, the Huntington Library and Gardens, as much as possible, as we're members.

Mike's "hiding" from me here in the left picture, in one of their many conservatories. They have beautiful orchid collections and a cloud forest.

On the right is a pic from their rose garden, which is in full bloom right now. It smells just heavenly to walk through there.

One day last week I made sure to visit 99 Ranch, the local Asian grocery store, to purchase all sorts of goods I may have a hard time finding in Bend, like galanga (a dried herb), xiao xing wine (I may have spelled that wrong, but it's a Chinese wine), rice paper wrappers, ginseng, and my most favorite sesame flavored ramen noodles. On the way home from the store, I stopped off at Elite Restaurant (the BEST for dim sum) and picked up three of my favorites, that I know I won't be able to make myself...

Macau egg custard tarts, shrimp and asparagus wrapped rice noodles, and vegetarian dried bean curd wrapped mushrooms and bamboo. Soooo going to miss these things.

And since I haven't been to Disneyland since I moved to Los Angeles in 2005, we decided it was high time we went!

We went on a Wednesday in late April, so there was the least amount of people possible, which was still a whole hell of a lot. But waits for each ride were only between 20-45 minutes. Not bad for Disneyland, I've heard. I got to ride Space Mountain for the first time since I was 5 years old. LOVED IT. Mike and I both couldn't stop laughing throughout the whole ride.

Other favorites were Thunder Mountain Railroad, the Haunted Mansion, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and Soaring Over California (at the California Adventure Park next door). Star Tours was fun but I totally got motion sickness - I can't handle a 3D virtual world very well! The Jazz Kitchen was dee-licious for lunch.

I also got an opportunity to walk through the sky walks around downtown Los Angeles, which connects you from the World Trade Center to the Westin Bonaventure, to the Citibank building. Kind of fun and appropriate, since I had just watched 500 Days of Summer...

Above, a view from the middle of the skywalk. 

Below, the staircases inside the Westin Bonaventure building.

A shot of the checkout counter at The Last Bookstore, downtown Los Angeles. It's really quite something inside - lots of well chosen classics and modern releases, in an industrial but somehow cozy setting.

This pic is outside Wurstkuche, our local sausage and Belgian beer place. We got to come here one last time and had our favorite triple dipped Belgian fries.

We're doing a good job tackling this town, and I'm glad we have this time to say goodbye. I'm packing up my kitchen this week but I made one final meal for my friend Bernice and I, to use up some bottles of white wine left in my fridge. Fresh steamed clams with pancetta, butter, garlic, onions, shallots, and of course, wine:

One thing I've been reflecting on, these last couple weeks, is that it took an out-of-state move for me to do some of the things I've been wanting to do in Los Angeles. And they were so fun that I was like, "why on earth did I not make time for this sooner?" Don't wait! Put down that remote control, call in a personal day to work and explore your city! You will be so glad you did. And we are going to be sure we continue to do the same, in Bend. Life is short, and time keeps ticking...

Goodbye, Nine to Five

This week, I had my last day of work. It was very bittersweet, as expected. What I didn't expect was for people to express how much they would miss me, which was really touching and made it a little difficult to keep it together all day. But I did - I didn't shed one single tear until I was alone in my car, driving home...and I totally bawled. 

It's been almost nine years that I've been at my job, and it was the only job I've had the entire time I've been in Los Angeles. It is inextricably linked to my LA experience, as are the people there. I will sincerely miss the people, the conversations, the support, and the feeling you get from being really good at your job (and appreciated and sometimes hated for it).

But, happily, I can say I will not miss the work! I will not miss customer service, the cheapo, elitist company owners who do all sorts of awful things just to avoid paying taxes or benefits for their employees, and I will not miss standing in front of my closet, trying to figure out an appropriate outfit for each day. 

There is both a sense of freedom and a sense of panic that comes from chucking convention out and doing what you want. These last two days, I've experienced both feelings, and often! But Mike and I keep encouraging each other and reminding ourselves that we are in the middle of a grand adventure. I think sometimes the important part is supporting yourself, and remembering to make choices that are right for YOU. Not everyone would leave an amazing, stable job where they were totally appreciated. But I did! And it feels good.

Things We Will Miss

They finally announced the job opening at my workplace, which allows me to actually speak about my leaving! It's such a relief. We have gotten the chance to see lots of friends this past weekend and announce our departure. It's very bittersweet. While we are super psyched to be headed somewhere totally beautiful, and looking forward to our year of fun, we are also very nostalgic about Los Angeles and all the wonderful friends and family we will be leaving behind. Just a sampler of things I will miss:

1. The Hollywood Farmer's Market: this is our church! We'll have to find a new routine on Sunday mornings.

2. Latin food - the restaurants, and Northgate in Boyle Heights and the Amapola in Paramount. Where am I going to get masa preparada por tamales in Bend?

3. Warm weather. I spent a good portion of my life in Chicago, so my 9 years in LA hasn't been quite enough to erase the nightmare that is winter. I will miss the constant sunshine and 75 degree days, year round.

4. Asian food, and the Asians here in general. They give me a sense of anonymity that I won't have in Bend...where there are less than 1,000 Asians.

5. The diversity of the beauty here. I really love that people in SoCal take care of themselves and present the best version of themselves that they can possibly be, and that there are millions of different kinds of beautiful here. I like this lesson of living up to your maximum potential. And I appreciate the aesthetics of it.

Oh, Los Angeles. I'm glad we're going out while we still love it here, rather than when we're sick of it.

Goodbye, Los Angeles!

Remember when I posted about Life Changes Pending? It was partly inspired by this story I read on NPR. This guy, Winston Chen, heard a Ted talk about taking 5 years of your retirement and spreading them out throughout your working life. It inspired him to move his family to a little island in Norway, where they got to experience 24 hour daylight, 24 hour night, and the Aurora Borealis. You cannot put a price on that type of experience - and wouldn't it be so much better to experience it while you're young, with energy and physical stamina/strength?

So we made a decision! We're going to do the same thing (not the Norway part, but the retire-for-awhile part), and we'll be using this time to have new experiences and also to do a little soul searching about our own life paths and careers. 

To give you some background, here were the numerous options we considered:

1. Taking off in the van. Where? Anywhere! But first, the US and Canada, visiting Nova Scotia, Banff, New Orleans, Key West, and everywhere and everything in between...with the amount of money we want to spend, we could only afford about 6 months.

2. Going to Greece/Italy.Starting off in Athens and backpacking through the islands, taking the ferry across to Italy and touring up the coast, ending in Milan and crossing over eventually, into Germany (to visit a friend in Munich and then head home). This option? We'd run out of money in about 3 months.

3. Staying in L.A. so Mike can continue working (I'd be just writing) and we'd still be enjoying time with our friends and his family. We could do this for about 8 months before hitting our budget.

4. Moving to Chicago. Moving to Seattle. Moving to Joshua Tree. Moving to Grants Pass, San Luis Obispo, Medford, San Diego, Eugene, Salem.....options are endless! Obviously, depending on the location, the budget stretches further for some cities.

After extensive discussion and detailed spreadsheets, in which I calculated every single expense we could have (including haircuts, kitty litter and a winter wardrobe, if needed), the most cost effective option was to move - FOR A FULL YEAR OR MORE! - to....

....wait for it....

The most awesome place we could find, that would offer opportunities for fun, outdoor recreation, gorgeous breath-taking scenery and new adventures in our van with access to Canada and Alaska...and still have everything I needed (Target, REI, Trader Joe's, organic eateries, a local bakery):

By Matthew Johnson Studios

By Amanda Green Bottoms

by Mike Putnam Photo

This place looks pretty ridiculous, right? It's sort of an isolated medium-sized town, with 80,000 people, surrounded by state and national parks, snowboarding 20-30 minutes away, a nice dry climate (no bugs!) and a Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. 

Haven't guessed yet? It's Bend, Oregon. The only downside is I hear they hate people from Los Angeles (and California in general). They call us "equity immigrants." Which, fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, is exactly what Mike and I will be. But whatever. I'm actually from Chicago. And we are going to have the most amazing year ever, starting in a few months.

I can't wait!!!