A Brief Sojurn in Louisiana: Days 2 & 3

After a full day of packing and traveling on Wednesday, we were excited about the prospect of getting some rest at Roxi's parents' house for a couple of days.  Our original plan for the move was to be packed up and out of Memphis on Friday August 19.  Thankfully, we finished packing on Wednesday which gave us the opportunity to leave early and spend a few days with family before continuing our journey.

We spent much of the day Thursday recuperating from the busy Wednesday but we also did a little work.  We unloaded a few small items from the car that would be staying in Lafayette.

There is a much more direct driving route from Memphis to Los Angeles, but our motivation for the detour was to visit family before we moved.  Besides getting two days with Roxi's parents, Roxi's sister's family made the trip from Florida to see us before we left.  Before they arrived on Thursday afternoon, we had the chance to visit my grandparents as well.  So Thursday ended up being a very relaxing family day.

Friday was much the same although Roxi and I did take some time to go through our luggage and make sure that everything we had packed was really essential.  We were both able to remove a few items thus lightening our load.  I took care of my to-do list arranging things for the rest of our trip (hotels, car shipment verification, etc.)  and then focused on family time the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Roxi's brother's family drove in from western Louisiana to visit and Roxi's dad made a fantastic seafood gumbo for dinner.  We had a very nice family meal and the first of my two family birthday celebrations was capped off with an assortment of deserts that Roxi's mom and sister made.

Today will be a hard day for us: we say goodbye to our cat Jupiter for the next four months.  I was never really a cat person before Roxi and I started dating, but Jupiter is my adopted pet now and I will miss her so much.  She is in good hands here in Lafayette, but she doesn't like it when one if us is not around.  I only wish there was someway that we could make her understand that this is in her best interest.  Despite all the other things that we have to do to get to Hawaii and get settled in, I think that this will be the most emotionally difficult.

Go West, Young Man...Far West: Day 1

Three weeks ago today, Roxi was offered a teaching position at Hawai'i Pacific University in Honolulu. Of course we were excited but there were so many things to plan for: Roxi is required to be there by August 27, we had to figure out what to do with everything in our apartment and we had to figure out where we would live on Oahu.  The prospect was exciting but extremely overwhelming to say the least.

This didn't exactly come out of the blue.  Roxi and I have been scheming on how to get to Hawai'i for a while now but didn't expect it to happen so soon.  We spent our honeymoon on the island of Oahu three and half years ago and of course we loved it; it is paradise after all!  As long as we've been together, Roxi and I have never really agreed on where we would to settle down.  I don't care for extremely cold winters and after years of life in south Louisiana, Roxi is tired of the endless summer heat and humidity.  I would prefer a Stateside life while Roxi has dreamed of living abroad.  Six or eight months ago, we discussed the possibility of Hawai'i.  It seems that the islands offer everything that we want: a moderate climate and an idyllic setting that is part of the United States but feels foreign thanks to the cultural differences and the fact that is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

It is a daunting task to try to make such a major move given several months notice but it is even more extreme when you have about twenty-eight days. This process has been stressful but it has also been extremely liberating.  When we moved to The Netherlands a few years ago, we stored our things in a POD and arranged for them to meet us in Memphis when we returned to the States.  When we opened the POD and saw our things after nine months overseas, we couldn't believe that we had actually paid to store so much junk.  We decided that we would not repeat our past mistake this time.  It made more sense to sell everything and only take with us what we truly need.

The process of letting go has been a very rewarding and freeing experience for both Roxi and I.  We have come to realize that so much of what we have are just things, many of which we don't use often enough to keep.  What's more, nearly everything is replaceable if we want it again.  Of course there are a few items that have sentimental value and those will be saved and graciously stored by our parents, but everything else is just stuff.  I've always tried to be a practical person but now, if there isn't a frequent and practical use for an item, I will not be buying it.

After three weeks of planning and several moving sales, yesterday we loaded up our remaining things along with our cat Jupiter, and left Memphis, our home for the last two years.  Although we have gotten rid of nearly everything, we are taking a car to Hawai'i because it will be a useful thing to have plus it is a convertible and what better place to have one than a tropical island?  Very practical if you ask me!  We are shipping our car from Long Beach, CA but to get there, we are taking a trip through Louisiana and Texas to see our families.  The full trip will take us 2250 miles but we are fortunate to have friends and family along the way who we will also be able to visit.

Sadly our cat Jupiter will not be able to travel with us to Hawai'i.  Hawai'i is rabies free and there is a strict protocol for any pets entering the state.  After proving that the pet is rabies free by blood test, there is a 120-day quarantine period that can occur either Stateside or in a facility in Honolulu.  Neither option is great but it is better for Jupiter to stay with family for four months than to stay locked up on the island in quarantine.  As of today, Jupiter passed her blood test and the clock has started so she will be able to join us in four months.  It will be hard on us and her but it is in everyone's best interest this way.

We left Memphis at around 4:30 pm yesterday afternoon, several hours later than expected, but we made good time and managed to arrive at Roxi's parents' house a little after midnight.  It was a long day of packing and driving but it was nice to get the trip started and finish the first stage of the process.  We will be spending the next two days here in Lafayette getting Jupiter acclimated to her home for the next four months.  Stay tuned for daily updates as we make this trip and begin a new life in the 50th state.

Day 1: Memphis, TN to Lafayette, LA, 443 miles

Jerikaye's Firedance at Roxi's PhD Party

Today's video comes from our trip back to the States in May for Roxi's graduation. On May 24, 2009, we had a huge party at Roxi's parents' house in Lafayette, LA to celebrate the achievement. The evening culminated with a fire dance performed by Roxi's friend Jerikaye.

Boating on the Bayou with the Benoits

Roxi and I spent Saturday with her parents taking their new boat for a test drive along the Vermilion River here in Lafayette. Roxi's dad, Larry, and I spent the first two hours trying to tow the boat out of their driveway. The problem was that the boat was parked under their carport which is down a hill and under their house. It took some finesse and ingenuity but we finally got it up the hill and we were on our way.

We went to the nearest boat launch at Rotary Point only to find that it was closed. Metal cables had literally been strung across the entrance to the ramp making it impossible to back the trailer into the water. So we made our way to the next boat launch at Beaver Park. Thankfully it was open and we easily got the boat into the water despite the high waters from this week's severe storms. Larry navigated the boat down river around the floating debris, again left over from this week's storms, and we docked at the deck behind the Benoit's house.

Roxi and her mom, Vicky, as well as the Benoit's friends Pat and Maureen loaded into the boat with a cooler full of beer and we took the boat further downriver.





I took the opportunity to call my grandparents who live only a short trip down river from the Benoit's. We made a brief stop at their river front yard that has been dubbed "Raine's Bend" and had a little chat before proceeding further along towards Milton.



After a suitable cruise along the river, we turned around and headed back to the Benoit's house taking in the scenery on the way home.



As we passed back by my grandparent's house, I took the opportunity to shoot this video of "Raine's Bend."



Finally we returned to the Benoit's house, docked the boat and called it a day with a late barbeque lunch.



This is how Memorial Day weekend was meant to be!

UPDATE: More pictures from our boating day courtesy of Larry and Vicky.



After a long day in the heat on the river, Roxi and I had to steal a little nap before the barbeque.

Festival International 2008

Festival International was last weekend here in Lafayette and Roxi and I walked between the stages on Saturday night shooting a little video along the way.

New Orleans Bingo Show!


Hot 8 Brass Band


Yerba Buena