So before I get into all the moving business that has totally eaten up my week, I wanted to talk about our Sunday, because it was amazing. We started the morning out by going to Briones Regional Park for a hike. It was such a beautiful trail. It was dog friendly (which is often not the case out here), and there are TONS of other trails we could explore another day. It was the perfect way to start a morning.
Obsessed over how you could see the bay from our hike. Anyways, we grabbed lunch from my new favorite spot: Urban Plates, which totally reminds me of one of my favorite Denver spots, Modern Market. I love it because their ingredients are all organic, meats are grass fed and sustainably raised, there are tons of veggies to choose from, and everything is so fresh. I told Shawn that I want to try everything on the menu, because I can’t find a single thing that doesn’t look delicious. Luckily, we now live in range to either drive or order delivery on a regular basis now.
After lunch, we went back to the hotel and got ready for our reservation for a champagne tasting at Domaine Carneros winery in Napa!
Holy shit. This place is gorgeous. I will say, the parking situation is bullshit. They have 3 different lots to park in, they require reservations, and there STILL wasn’t a spot available. We basically created a spot and hoped we wouldn’t get towed. Other than that, we had a freaking blast.
I was struggling to decide which of the two champagne flights I wanted to do, so Shawn and I ended up getting both so we could try all of the different ones on the tasting menu. Then, our server told us he would go ahead and bring out the 9th and final champagne for us to try as well. So we literally got to taste every champagne they have to offer, and it was just wonderful. I did find some I didn’t love, believe it or not, but for the most part, they were really, really good.
We ordered a cheese plate to pair with the drinks, and just sat on the patio enjoying the gorgeous weather, chatting, laughing, and soaking it in that this is our real life.
If there is anything I’ve learned over the past couple of months, it’s that I am so incredibly lucky to live this life. Even when there are things going on that are pretty shitty, nothing can change the fact that I am so blessed with an amazing husband, a loving and supportive family, and a fabulous life where I get to see and do so many cool things. Despite some challenges we will continue to face, we have so many things to be grateful for, and I wouldn't choose any other partner to have by my side through it all. Also, who would have known I would have been living in California, a stones throw away from Napa, where I could go on a random Sunday and sip champagne at a beautiful estate? Um, ok, I’ll take it! Shout out to my long-time client and friend Mike for suggesting this place. Highly recommend visiting Domaine Carneros if you’re ever in the area.
We got a call on Sunday from an apartment we had toured on Saturday that I was pretty set on renting. It’s in the middle of the city of Concord, walking distance from the downtown area. They have a ton of amenities (including a brand new fitness center), the building is brand new, and the units are super nice. It turns out they had a unit available for us to move into right away! Last time we traveled to a new place, we gave it a go with the AirBnB route, and it was fine, but moving 4 times was not my favorite. This time, we’re giving the whole start from scratch in an empty apartment a try. Although living this way is also wrought with its own challenges, I think, eventually, this will feel like the way to go. Fingers crossed! I thought it would be a month of hotel life before we could get into a new place, but the apartment that I put at the top of our list was available now! So we took it.
Remember that we did NOT rent a trailer to pull across the country this time. So we basically only have stuff that we could fit in the truck bed with us. LOL. It’s fine, everything is fine. We decided to rent furniture, because, guess what? When you have NOTHING, shit gets a BIT expensive. Who knew?
We rented a few pieces of furniture from Brook Furniture company, including a bed, dresser, nightstand, couple couches, a coffee table, tv stand, and bar stools. My experience with the company was pretty stellar. There is a one time fee, outside of your monthly rental fee, of $250 for delivery, setup, plus take down and removal later on, but they do EVERYTHING. I honestly felt myself wanting to help out, but they seemed pretty adamant that I just hang out. It was just awkward because I had no where to sit at the time, so I was just standing there trying to look busy (and failing) the whole time they were moving my stuff in. Anyways, they did a great job. And we have some furniture now, so that rules. Sitting is fun. Not sleeping on an air mattress is even more fun (it was only for one night, but still...).
Since we got the go-ahead to start moving in on Monday at noon, I have not stopped moving. I mean, it’s been madness. I have been running around like a chicken with its head cut off all week. Move-in day (Monday), Shawn was working, so I had to pack up all our things from the hotel into the truck, which believe it or not, was actually a lot of shit for only having the truck bed on the way out to store stuff. Then I had to unload it all by myself as well. We’re renting in a pretty large building which confused the shit out of me when we first got here, so moving in was a chore. Our unit is NOT close to the parking deck, so I was sweating to death while I made trips back and forth from the truck. Thanks CrossFit for helping me be athletic and allowing me to not throw my back out while I picked up heavy shit and carried it half a mile to my apartment. I also bounced back and forth between Target and Walmart getting all the things that we still needed after moving in, and we still need shit. Ugh.
Side note: this big ass island is quite possibly my favorite thing about our apartment. Islands are the shit.
All the money and sweat later, we are finally settled, for the most part. Y’all know I love to cook, and I don’t have a whole lot of supplies in my kitchen right now, so I’ll slowly have to gather some things for that. If anyone wants to send me an airfryer, a crock pot, some nice knives, or really any other kitchen supplies, hit me up over email or text, and I’ll send you my address. Right now we just have a few basics to get us by. We have access to a grill, thank goodness, so for the time being, we’ll be using that a ton.
We FINALLY have someone coming out to set up internet today, so that will be a fucking dream come true. I’ve been jacking the wifi from the business center down the hall, which, amazingly, works, but it’s spotty. I get kicked off all the time, or the quality will be super shit, so getting our own internet today will be lovely. Can’t wait for that.
We live within walking distance from so many restaurants, coffee shops (Starbucks is literally a 3 minute walk from my doorstep), a movie theater, dessert shops (Lord, help me), parks, and a cute little square. I can’t wait to explore more this weekend! Also, everything that isn’t walkable is so close by car. Although people drive like maniacs around here, I’m loving the city life so far. Ask me in a week if I still like it. No, I’m kidding, I think it will be great.
The plan this weekend is to hike Mount Diablo, which is only about 15 miles away from us. It's also the mountain in the background that we could see from our hike in that first picture on this post. Everything is named after Mt. Diablo around here, including Shawn's project, so that was a must for us. We also want to explore San Francisco: walk the Golden Gate Bridge, tour Alatraz, check out the beach, etc…but I think we’ll save that for another weekend. Let me know if you have any San Fran/Bay Area must-dos! Looking forward to getting into the community here. Hope y'all are having a wonderful week!
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