Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Update from Austin...

I've been in Austin 2 weeks today, so I figured it was time for an update!

It was a lot of work (with help from friends and family, who I owe big time) packing and getting utilities turned off in Charleston and on in Austin, opening a new bank account (I had SC Federal), and getting ready for a really long drive. I have to say (and they're not paying me for this), using UNITS Storage and Moving was the best decision I made. They have amazing customer service, my UNIT was delivered exactly when they said it would be, shipped to San Antonio over the holidays, and the driver from San Antonio actually called me when they left for Austin to give me a heads up on their arrival time. And I did a lot of calling around to similar companies (like PODS) and the quote from UNITS was well under the rest.

On travel: I drove to Austin in my Honday CR-V with a sedated cat in a crate in the back seat and my Pomeranian, Lulu, in the passenger seat next to me. I left on Sunday the 2rd and drove for two and a half days, stayed two nights in Interstate hotels (the first night in Tuscaloosa, AL, and the second in a tiny town called Buffalo in TX). The whole drive was about 21 hours and there was a freak cold front in the deep south. Snow flurries the entire drive through Mississippi that didn't let up until Louisana, having to make frequent stops because of the dog (who was surprisingly patient and well-behaved the entire trip), not being able to find pet-friendly hotels before dark (I hate to drive long distances at night).

But I made it to Austin and so did my furniture. I'm still unpacking because I jumped into work pretty quickly and am now going into the office every day (which is weird after working from home for over a year, but it made me realize how much I missed having a place to go every day and working with other people). I love what I'm working on, even when it's a little stressful.

I get flashes of homesickness from time to time, but am keeping busy and it's exciting to be in a new place and explore a new city. The freakish cold weather has subsided, the sun actually came out this week, and I'm sleeping through the night again.

More soon...and lots of love from Austin!

3 comments:

  1. Yeah! Glad to hear you are settling in.

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  2. Yay! I'm so glad you're making your new home in such a cool city. Keep us updated!

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  3. Sent you an email (is your address the same?) just checking in. What a brave woman you are -- the pet friendly hotels alone would defeat me. Keep me posted on all the cool food, shops and music!

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