The Results Are In!

I've been sitting on this information for a while, but decided to share it because I'm proud and want to boast. ;D

When Arlo and I took our 7 day journey from Portland, OR to Easton, PA back in October, I meticulously recorded every expense made on the trip from gas and meals to packs of gum and guitar shaped bottle openers. This is what I came up with...

7 Days of Travel

$277.59 for food
$329.79 for gas
$341.89 for hotels & misc

=$949.27 Total

Before we left, we made around $1,000 from selling things on craigslist, so that alone was enough to get us across the country. But we stayed very frugal on our trip, sometimes eating things that were not so good for us, sometimes sleeping in the car overnight, sometimes driving straight through the night, and always avoiding money pits like retail and thrift stores. Having a car that could get around 40 miles to the gallon helped a heap. Keeping track of our money helped a lot as well, and it even became a bit of a game. Avoiding most conveniences and having the will to be physically exhausted made those few splurges on a hotel or dinner at a nicer restaurant all the more rewarding. But most of all, the generosity of friends and family got us through. I look forward to the day when I can give back. =)


I'm so lucky to be with a guy that values frugality as much as I do!

The Busy Bee Rests Her Rump

It's that time of year again. That time when consumers and retailers come to a mutual agreement that the consumer gods have been appeased with the season of rampant holiday spending. And all resolve to stop buzzing around frantically like bees from an angry, disturbed hive. 60 hour work weeks are no more. Gifts have been given and received. The holiday season is over (though I admittedly listen to Christmas music through February).

Time  To  Relax  Plan!!!

That's right. I may be resting my rump, but an open-ended trip to Australia in May doesn't plan itself!! Arlo and I just got approved for our Australian Work Holiday Visas, which means we're now legally allowed to enter the country and work. We have jobs lined up at a resort in the Outback. Our next step is to buy plane tickets! After that, it's smaller research type of stuff, like setting up a bank account, getting a tax number, finding a hostel to possibly stay at for our first couple of nights, and making final arrangements with our future employer.

We're also trying to brush up on the local lingo. Lemonade is called lemon squash, because their lemonade is something closer to 7-up. If you just got into a bingle (car accident) with another bloke (guy) who happened to have his wobbly boot on (be drunk), he'd be tinny (lucky) if the blue heelers (police) didn't make him blow in the bag (take a breathalyser test) and take him away in the booze bus (police car used to catch drunk drivers).

The work visa lasts for 12 months, and if we spend three of those months picking fruit, we're eligible for a second work holiday visa to extend our stay for an additional 12 months. I'm not sure how long we'll stay. I know that we can only stay with one employer for a period of 6 months, so maybe we'll be fruit picking come November? We'll see.


Only four months left in the states before heading to the land down under. Brilliant!

Dear Men Who Are Jack-Hammering Just Outside My Window At 9:15AM...

I have been asleep for less than two hours. I am now officially wide awake, and cranky as a constipated bear. I have managed to sleep through the bustle of my morning-commuter-neighbors honking their horns, hurling curses at each other, and even the incessant barking of dogs. Your recent activity, however, has taken the cake I thought was a lie. I am awake. Please die.

The Homelife

It has been two weeks since we've been back on the East Coast, and home has never felt better. Being in new places, learning new things, and meeting new people is always great. But it's so nice to be somewhere familiar with people you love, and places you dearly miss. It's warm and inviting.
It's home.
A place so familiar can easily get stale and suffocating, but right now, it's lovely... like getting back into a hot tub after cooling down in the open air.

It seems we got back just in time for a freak October snowstorm, which gave us a generous five day serving of no power. But we went sledding in the thick of it, and it was awesome! We made a train of six saucer sleds and went SUPER-UBER-FAST!!! Good times.

Arlo and I start work this Wednesday at the Amazon warehouse near Allentown, PA. We were lucky enough to snag the same shift and department so we can carpool. Hopefully, we'll also be lucky enough to not kill each other after weeks and weeks of being together at work and home 24/7! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
But it's nice because we're going to be making about $3.50 more per hour than we were in Portland, plus lots of OT. I'm just not so sure about this night shift thing... We'll be working 7pm-5:30am. Ehhh

Last night, Arlo, Fia, Steve, and I ate at Back & Blue on Walnut St. I was excited to hear the previous tenant restaurant had gone under, as it was a front for drug dealing/money laundering. Not to mention the place was drab and the food just wasn't that good. Whoever had fixed the place up did so with good taste (in decor and food!... AND BEER!!!). When we arrived, the joint was alive with a jabbering Saturday night crowd. The decor, menu, and dress of the waitstaff reflected the recent Halloween holiday, which added to the fun! We waited a few short minutes for a table, which gave us the perfect opportunity to stare at their large chalk board of draft beer selections. I was excited to see a little bit of everything up there, and slightly disappointed my alcohol tolerance wouldn't allow me to sample them all. They know how to get you to come back! I ordered the Black & Blue Burger, which was a half pound of red, meaty joy on a bun. It was easily the best burger I've had in at least a year. The "pommes frights" (Belgian-style frites) were a great compliment, and easily stand on their own as something I would return for. There was nothing I didn't like about the place. With so many reasons to come back, I doubt my next visit is more than a week away!

Day 7: Dayton, OH - Easton, PA

2 hours after we left Dayton, OH, we arrived in Gallia County in Ohio, and enjoyed a nice breakfast at the original Bob Evans farm. Yum! We walked around a bit, and Arlo told me about his many childhood visits and how things have changed. Afterward, we visited his hometown, Gallipolis, OH. The town has a colonial, french feel to it, and was very interesting to walk around. The history of towns and buildings interests me to no end. I loved hearing which buildings used to be home to local theaters and ice cream shops. And how he got kicked out of this place for being a little punk, or how he and his friends did this and that there for fun. I heard stories of time capsules, biking around town, and land marks for many firsts. We walked by his old home, and found his hand prints and name that had been imprinted and scraped into the sidewalk many years ago. Many things had changed, but many were still the same. So fascinating!

We spent the rest of the day making our way back to Easton. About two hours before our arrival, we stopped for some slices of glorious, dearly missed East Coast pizza. That totally hit the spot! We got back around 10pm, and were very happy to be off the road.


Home Sweet Home!

Day 6: Colfax, IA - Dayton, OH

This morning, we woke up in Colfax, IA and got on the road at about 9am. It was nice to sleep on a bed after driving for almost 30 hours. We originally planned to drive the rest of the way through until we got back to Easton, PA, but we decided to get a hotel for the last night. Tomorrow, we're grabbing breakfast from the original Bob Evans, and then visiting Arlo's hometown of Gallipolis, OH. Then it's smooth sailing to PA!

We did a lot more driving today. The best part was stopping for dinner in Indianapolis, IN. We ate at Brugge Brasserie in Broad Ripple! I was there 3 summers ago, and fell in love with their food and sour beer. I was afraid that I had psyched it up to be something better than what it was, and have a poor second experience, but IT WAS SOOOO GOODD! It's really my favorite restaurant in the world. I'm so sad there's nothing like it closer to PA/NJ.

Now we're crashing at a hotel in Dayton, OH. Last night on the road! We should be rolling into Easton late tomorrow night.

Day 5: Somewhere in Wyoming - Colfax, IA

This whole day went by in a blur. I don't even really remember what happened. We drove through the night and stopped for an hour and a half to nap. After that, we drove until about 5pm when we got a nice hotel room in Colfax, IA. We spent the remainder of the night relaxing. The hot tub was nice! It was a very uneventful day.