Veni, Vidi, I'm Moving!!

Holy hiatus, Batman! I’ve missed you guys!!!

Well, we’re back in good ol’ Crustville and I’m more restless than ever. That is to say our visit to Charlotte was absolutely ah-may-zing.

Let’s start from the beginning.

There was the 10 hour car ride (the first half of which included the pups in the backseat). They were dropped off with the Boo’s Big Ex and I have to admit they were only marginally annoying for the duration. I was impressed.

The Boo insisted on driving the entire way without my assistance (for which he later admitted was not for the original reason he gave me [“I just want you to rest.”] but rather because I drive too slow, in his opinion. Whatevs. Nap time for me!)

So we got to Charlotte around 5:30 pm on Thursday and checked in to this little badass hotel right hurr. It was crazy nice (read: huge 42 inch LG flat screen tv on a swivel wall mount. Thank you very much!) We kicked it in the new crib for the rest of the night with a pizza and a 12 pack of Heiney’s and rested up for the big day ahead.

Friday is when the real fun began. As we all know, I’m pretty anal retentive when it comes to planning things so to say that I was “ready” for the house hunt would be a gross understatement. I made a spread sheet here, people. That’s right. 20 different properties with their accompanying realtors, addresses, phone numbers, floor plans, sq ft, price ranges, amenities, comments and apartment ratings ranked in order of preference and then labeled sequentially so as to provide the most cost efficient trip in which we could see the most properties in one day.

I like to be organized, yo.

We spent the majority of the day plugging addresses into the GPS and ooohing and aaahing at our new surroundings. I mean, really, you’d have to see it to believe it. The whole city is literally a complete 180 from where we’re at now so suffice it to say I LOVE it!!

We saw several properties that day (and in record time, I might add) but in the end we were pretty much sold on the very first one we saw (my personal favorite). So we grabbed a bite and a few Blue Moon’s (Sorry, diet. I ditched ya this past week. Again. I’ll catch ya on the flip side) and headed back to our dream home to fill out paper work.

Now I promised the Boo that I wouldn’t post any names or pictures of the place until we were sure we got it so keep your fingers crossed. It really is fabulous and as soon as I hear the word I will overload you all with pictures and details, fo sho! So get ready.

After the whole finding a place to live nonsense was taken care of, we headed off to this adorable little restaurant, Upstream in South End Charlotte. (Side note: I could not get enough of the gorgeous scenery, the ridiculously friendly people, and the weather. Priceless.) We settled in at our table, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed to observe our surroundings and take it all in. We started off with a smoked salmon, shrimp, and avocado roll and a few raw oysters for an appetizer and then for the main course I had the Sesame Crusted Hawaiian Ahi Tuna and the Boo had the Seared Duck Breast and Foie Gras. It was absolutely amazing and head over heels better than one of our last culinary adventures. Phew!

The next day we scarfed down a little breakfast at the oh so classy IHOP (which, scoff if you must, but this one was actually very, very nice. I was shocked, and pleasantly surprised) and then we headed off to see the infamous Uptown Charlotte. We took the train into 7^th street (which was so, so fun because the Boo had never been on a train system like that before [crazy, I know] and neither one of us have ever lived in a city with one. We tried not to be too overtly touristy about it all but inside we were super stoked.)

We wandered around the city letting ourselves get lost. It was an absolutely sublime day, sunny, high 60s, slightly breezy, and everyone out and about. We found the main library and of course I had to scout it out. Huge, nice, state of the art. I’m in love.

After that we stopped by a brand new high end bowling alley/sports bar and had a drink there but by the time we were done we had decided it was too nice to stay indoors. So we meandered around a few more blocks and took our pick of the many wine bars and sidewalk cafes lining the street. We settled on this one and perched ourselves on the outdoor patio to enjoy the scenery. We indulged in a bottle of Pinot Noir, some bleu cheese chips and some wonderfully stimulating conversation. It was quite possibly one of the most relaxing and fulfilling days I’ve had in a long, long time.

We ended the night with dinner at the hotel lounge, a few more glasses of wine and a rented movie. It could not have been any more fun, enjoyable or (sad face) shorter.

Sunday came all too soon and then it was back to reality. The Boo insisted on doing all the driving once again but we made good time and got back around 5 last night.

Now we’re just (im)patiently waiting to hear the outcome of our application which should be by the end of today. We’re both so in love with this place that we’re praying we get it but if not, we do have a couple (almost) equally great back-ups.

So cross your fingers boys and girls. I’d rather not be arrested for trespassing when they find me squatting on the property if I get denied. Handcuffs and shackles are not a good look for me.

Trust me, I know.

(headed up to the Queen City)

(our kick ass room at the Hyatt)

(some of the houses near our future home. the boo said i was being a burglar taking these. oh well.)

(headed out to uptown)

(some building in uptown with the nc flag in front. cool huh?)

(i think i remember this being the bank of america building.)

(i love this picture. you can see the bus, the lynx line (train) and the time warner arena in the background.)

(keepin it classy. i know i look monstrous here but the boo loves to capture me from horrifyingly hideous angles. my apologies.)