Saying goodbye

Originally we thought we would be moving to Connecticut at the end of the summer.  Then we found the perfect place to rent, and it was available May 1st.  So suddenly I had about a month to get everything organized and packed for the move.  The hardest part is I don't think I was emotionally prepared to say goodbye to Ann Arbor so quickly.  We were definitely feeling cramped in our apartment, but we LOVED Ann Arbor.  There are so many things to love.  I've made a little list below, but I am sure it is missing things.

Here's my unofficial top 10 list:

1. Friends- we had such a supportive group of friends in AA.  We had so many friends who were also in grad school and there were lots of young mothers I could call on at a moment's notice for a play date.  I really will treasure the friendships we made here.  Thank goodness for xmas cards, facebook, and blogs.  Of course it helps that most of them are moving in the next few years...so they don't get to have fun together without us for long :)
2. Restaurants- On our dates we loved driving 5 minutes to go downtown and pay less than $2 for parking. There were so many amazing restaurants, but we tended to stick with Palio, Grizzly Peak and the Prickly Pear.
3. Babysitters- Speaking of dates, we had so many options for babysitting.  We had a couple of friends we swapped babysitting with, and then we had an amazing babysitter Aubrey (one of the young women in the ward) who we will really miss.  She was perfect (brought her own toys, took notes, cleaned up, focused entirely on Miles the second she arrived, and Miles loved her).  
4. Playgrounds- Um I think there is a playground about every 100 feet in AA.  It's almost crazy.  
5. Busch's- I have to say, I never dreaded grocery shopping when I went to Busch's.  I tried Meijer- I really did.  But I liked the milk at Busch's better (and some people know how serious I am about my milk).  I'm not one to make trips to multiple grocery stores, so Busch's won out.  They gave out free donuts, had parking spaces for expecting mothers, gave free balloons to Miles, etc.  Sigh
6. Cider mills- Richard and I loved driving 15 minutes to Wasems or Dexters to get cider and fresh donuts.  The non-pasteurized stuff at the cider mills is in another class from what is at the grocery stores.  It was always a beautiful drive and fun family outing.
7. They have everything!-  Seriously, almost every store you could want was within 10 minutes of us. I had an awesome mall within 2 minutes.  There were awesome record stores, bike shops, Target, Whole Foods, REI, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc, etc.  
8. THE Big House-  We may have only gone to 2 games, but I will still miss the excitement of seeing people walk to the games and the RVs parked in the high school parking lot.  Game day was always fun (as long as you avoided the traffic).
9. The people-  Being from the DC area, Richard and I were amazed with how nice people were to us. The UPS delivery guy, the CVS cashiers, the bus drivers...they were all so nice.
10. Our apartment- Yes, by the end it was a little small, but it was perfect for us for the 3 years we lived there.  We loved the track lighting, crown molding, and walk in closets.  We made it home by painting and hanging things on the walls.  Everything was so efficiently laid out and it was so easy to clean.  Management fixed anything right away.  It was so cozy and warm.

After we came back from NC on Saturday, my parents arrived the next night.  We got the truck on Monday, went out to Grizzly Peak one last time on Monday night, and on Tuesday morning the movers arrived.  Unfortunately I correctly predicted that the 20 foot truck was not really big enough.  Luckily the guy packing the truck was amazing, so we only had to leave behind a tv stand and 2 bookcases.  Then Richard and my dad drove the 20 foot truck towing the Escort on back, and my mom and I drove the Avalon with Miles.  We drove until midnight on Tuesday, when we finally arrived at our hotel in Salamanca, NY.  Then we drove until about 8pm on Wednesday, until we arrived at our next hotel in Manchester, CT.  Miles was so good on the trip.  He slept a lot of the first drive. The second day was a little harder, but we pulled out the portable DVD player and I held his hand the last hour or so from the front passenger seat.

I forgot to post pics of our favorite meals from Palio (pics from Richard's graduation dinner).  

This was my favorite- tortelloni con formaggi

Richard's favorite- rigatoni strascicati alla lucchese

My last trip to Busch's

Grizzly Peak with my parents on our last night

My awesome parents came to help

We finally gave in and let Miles feed himself.  Just a tad messy!

All packed the night before we moved

On moving day Miles finally collapsed on my mom for about 40 minutes and took a nap.  

It was a long day for him!

20 foot truck

Closing up the truck

You deserve a break dad!

Enjoying my mom's homemade ham spread before we hit the road

Is Miles stealing my Cheetos?

Whew we were tired

Family pic

Look at how empty it is

I got all teary when we said goodbye to the apartment.  We had amazing memories like bringing Miles home from the hospital.  It was home for 3 years.  I get nostalgic now as I write this.

Mom driving the first day

We're on our way to CT!