Updates, updates, updates!!!

OK, so let me start with an apology for the lack of updates. We started this blog to keep everyone informed about our whereabouts once we started this Toyota adventure and we have yet to blog SINCE the Toyota adventure started. So this update will be jam packed with a lot of events... so readers beware!

Let’s start with THE MOVE…
The move was pretty uneventful. Mac and I each took a car FULL of our stuff. Literally, we each only had room for one small dog in the front passenger seat of each car. Fortunately, we only have 2 small dogs... worked out well for them. We spent a few nights in Carrollton with my parents before we made the long drive, so it ended up being a 14 hour drive to Northern Kentucky.

The first night of the drive, we stayed in Memphis. We were able to meet up with Mac's cousins and enjoyed dinner and some beer with them. We went to this great bar with a fantastic band and had a lot of fun catching up with them.

The last time we saw them was at our wedding...

We arrived at our hotel on July 4th, but it was all nasty and rainy... so no fireworks for us this year. Here are a few pics of our hotel room with all of our stuff strategically placed.

Entrance...

Master Bath

Kitchen (no dishwasher)

Living Room

Bedroom/Nook/Alcove

Dog not included with room, he's just cute...

I know what you’re thinking… so much space! Yes, I think every couple should live in a hotel, for 9 weeks, early in their marriage. Personal boundaries do not exist and “what’s mine is yours” really starts to mean something. Hmmm, I wonder if I could go on Oprah with this storyline, “Young Couples Living in Hotels in Kentucky.” Trust me, they could get some really good footage of the locals. Walmart in Kentucky is something that every human being should experience.

Fortunately, we were really close to Ohio where there is a dramatic difference in the population. Cincinnati is a beautiful city full of nasty food. We tried their so-called “spaghetti and chili.” All I can say is anyone who likes chili should be offended that they call that chili. Mac’s description of it was perfect, “it’s like baby poo on noodles.” Try it if you must, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Mac and I with a great view of Cincy behind us

In August, I got to go to my favorite place in the world… the BEACH! Many of you may remember, from an earlier post, pictures of the renovations to the beach house in South Carolina. Well it was finally finished in July and so we all got to enjoy the new and improved house. Mac was unable to make it because he was back in KY working hard (I know, not fair). We all missed him but still had a good time. The weather was perfect and the beach gorgeous as always.

Mom and Dad enjoying the deck

Mandy and Caleb

Granddad and myself

Our last few weeks in KY, we did as much as we could to explore. We spent a Saturday at Cedar Point Amusement park in Sandusky, OH. Lots of fun, lots of roller coasters. We also attended a Cincinnati Reds baseball game. Mac and I are not big baseball people, but we had fun regardless.

Cedar Point Crew

Go Reds!

That leads me to the present… We moved to Ann Arbor, MI a week ago. This is the location of Toyota’s research and design facility. Mac was super pumped to be here because this is what he wants to do. We will be here till next summer. Our apartment is really nice and so far we like Ann Arbor. This past Saturday was the first football game of the season and all I could think the whole time was that I was definitely in the wrong college town! I miss College Station and Aggie football games. Up here they don’t really care about the Big 12, it’s all Big 10 blah blah blah. The OU game was on TV, but we all know how that turned out. So I think the only way I’ll get to see my Aggies play is if they turn out to be an incredible team this year or if they are playing some incredible team that actually gets to be on TV. We’ll hope for the first option.

I am currently trying to find a job. A few interviews have been set up, so lets just hope that one will turn into a job offer. I’ll post some pics of our apartment here in A2 (that’s what they call it here), just give me a little more time to finish unpacking/cleaning.

Mexico Trip

Kristi and I just got back from a week in Cozumel. It was a combination honeymoon/last vacation before my job starts. I won't bore you with words...

Captions are above the pictures.

Here's our resort from the ocean side:

The view when we walked in our room:

Kristi tries out the balcony:

We went down to the "office" for a "conference call":

We took a couple sailing/snorkeling trips and saw some sea creatures:
Lobster:

Starfish:

Nurse shark:

Sea Turtle:

Just out of the water:

At night we went downtown and discovered a great little bar called Wet Wendy's. The margaritas were some of the best I've ever tasted, and they were definitely the biggest! We bought a bottle of the owner's homemade tequila, and it's VERY good.


We also went to Chakanaab national park and did a swim-with-the-dolphins program; it was amazing!

Our buddies, Pegaso and Athena:

One last dip in the ocean before we head home:

Kingwood Going-Away Dinner

Thanks to everyone for having dinner with us at ol' J Christopher's Pizza and Pasta in Kingwood before Kristi and I move to Kentucky!

Racing Volvo Suspension Mods

I bought this Volvo a while ago as a beater, and because I have a thing for wagons. Since then I've installed a four bike roof rack, and done general maintenance and clean-up tasks. I've decided to sell the M3, so that leaves the Volvo as my primary car until the urge (and cash) to buy a new car hits me. With that in mind, I'm willing to spend a few grand upgrading the Volvo; it's a lot less than a new car.

When I bought it, the suspension was shot - the rear end was sagging badly and pushing on the fender would leave the car bouncing for several seconds. So I bought IPD sport springs, Bilstein dampers, IPD sway bars, and an adjustable panhard rod.

I installed them in my driveway over the course of about 8 hours total. Total installation time would have been much less if not for a few problems:

1)A frozen nut caused the entire threaded stud to come out of the chassis at the rear spring pad - I had to replace it with a M10 bolt
2)The collar locking the left strut cartridge into the strut tube was also frozen and required soaking in penetrating oil for 6 hours before removal.
3)Left steering tie rod was frozen, 3 hours of penetrating oil did nothing, I had to destroy the boot to get it off.

Here is the before and after shot of the car. Note the rear ride height did not change much because it was worn out and already sagging below stock ride height in the before picture.

Before:
After:The installation of all the parts was straightforward and pretty easy. It was nice that the front springs and struts could be replaced while still on the car - disconnect the steering and swaybar links, and the assembly can be swung out from under the fender and worked on. I must have mis-measured the length of the adjustable panhard rod (or the original misalignment of the axle), because the axle is still about an inch off-center. I will fix that later; I'm tired of rolling around on the ground for now.

The next stage of the upgrade is wheels and tires. Here is what I'm getting:
They are 17" replicas of Volvo Turbo R wheels. Unfortunately, they are back ordered, so I won't have them until early August. I'm really looking forward to the wheels, I think they will complement the suspension mods, and look very good on a Volvo of this vintage.

We are moving to KY (Recap)

We type little updates about our living arrangements and such over the next couple of years, not realizing there are probably a few people reading this wondering what the hell we're talking about.

I am taking a job with Toyota that starts July 6. I don't have an official job title other than being a part of the new college graduate rotation program. "Engineer in Training" would describe it in other company's vernacular. During the two year rotation program, we will spend our first three months in Erlanger, KY (technically KY, but really a suburb of Cincinnati, OH). We will then be relocated when I am assigned a 9-month project, and then relocated again for a 12 month project that will complete the two year training period. After the two years, we will likely be relocated a final time when I am given my "job" - I will have a job in two years, but neither I nor Toyota know where or what it will be right now.

Though it may surprise you, we are excited about the prospect of moving a few times over the next few years. We are currently child-free, so that makes the prospect of relocating much more enticing - we're looking forward to seeing different parts of the country (and possibly other countries), and the best part is that Toyota pays for all of our living (not just relocation) expenses.

So if you've been wondering why we keep talking about packing, and moving, and traveling, etc. - this is why.

Mac

MS150 Ride Report

First, THANK YOU to all that supported me and the MS150 cause with donations or support. For those that don’t know, the MS150 is a two-day charity bicycle ride from Houston to Austin, with the proceeds benefiting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

My riding partners this year were Bryan Knight, Jason Knight and Dustin Orrick. Bryan and Jason both attend Texas A&M, and Dustin is a high school friend who lives in Austin.

Friday afternoon we left College Station late and I was worried we may not get a seat on the bus from Austin to Houston, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. At 4:30, Dustin told us Day 1 of the ride had just been cancelled due to torrential rains Friday night and Saturday afternoon, so it was better that we were still in Austin.

Since the MS150 Day 1 was cancelled, we did our own ride in Austin on Saturday. Our 8:00 departure was delayed until an early morning storm cell passed, but the weather was perfect the rest of the day. The route was a 52 mile route on the west side of Austin encompassing a large portion of the “Dam Loop” as it’s known, and two well known Austin climbs, Redbud and Mt. Bonnell.

The first half of the ride was uneventful; the roads began to dry out and we got some great views of Lake Travis. Around mile 30 we hit Mt. Bonnell, and I’m pretty sure Bry and Jason were taken aback by the grade – we don’t have hills like that in College Station! Next was Redbud. Redbud has an “upper” and “lower” section; if you don’t know about the upper section, you get a sinking feeling when you realize you’re only halfway to the top. But everyone made it to the top in decent shape, and after a stop to refill water we were on the home stretch to Dustin’s house. We ate lunch at The Oasis at Lake Travis, which was a huge, beautiful restaurant with great views.

After a 5:30am bus ride, Day 2 of the MS150 started in LaGrange. The ride started out with flat roads and mild winds, with not much “action” to speak of in the first 25 miles.

However, my favorite part of the course was up next: Bastrop State Park. The road through the park is narrow, winding, and constant short, rolling hills. The scenery –tightly surrounded on either side by large, densely packed pine trees – is equally pleasing.

When we finished the park section, we regrouped and had about 20 miles until the lunch stop. We ate lunch, but didn’t dawdle too long, and got a nice 30-40 minute rest. After lunch I wanted to pick up the pace a bit and I pulled at a faster pace for about the next 15 miles, with the rest of the crew in my draft. I worked for about 45 minutes into the headwind, and the guys did fine behind me.
We took it easy the last 10 miles into town. We talked and agreed to cross the finish line four abreast, with Bryan, Jason and I giving Texas A&M salutes and Dustin giving the UT “hook ‘em”.
I had a great weekend. The mileage was 56 and 76 miles Saturday and Sunday, respectively. I really enjoyed the Saturday ride in Austin, though having the MS150 cut down to only one day did take some of the mystique out of it. Also, I had no significant pain associated with the bike wreck and surgery two and a half weeks before. I am already trying to figure out if I will be able to do it again next year…

NOLA and the Move

Outside the Real World New Orleans Mansion

Mac drinking his "Pimms Cup" at its place of origin, Napoleon House

At the Carosel Bar inside the Hotel Monteleone. You can't tell but we were going around in circles!

Hurricanes at Pat O'Briens


Jackson Square

Mac and I recently returned from a quick trip to New Orleans. It was a surprise trip that I planned to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, Mac is one smart cookie and he already had the location figured out by the time it was revealed. So we spent 3 days, 2 nights celebrating 1 year of nuptual bliss in Southern Louisiana. We had a fantastic time eating, drinking and spending money! It's hard to believe that it's been a year since we tied the knot. We have had a great year and hope for many more to follow.

When we returned home from the trip to NOLA it was back to business. We've been slowly packing up our house and preparing for our upcoming move. I now have only 2 weeks left at work and am counting down the days. This week we have tried to kick it into high gear and really pack up some stuff. Our plan is to be out of our house by July 1st and then we will spend a few days up in Dallas with my parents before we drive up North. We will be driving and moving to Northern Kentucky the weekend of July 4th. Before our move, Mac and I will be taking a 6 day trip to Cozumel, Mexico. We thought it was only appropriate to return to Mexico and this time we are going to snorkel!

We are both looking forward to the move but it is still bittersweet. I'm sad to be leaving the friends that I have made here these last couple of years. It will be way out of our comfort zone to leave Texas and our families behind. This challenge is something that is both exciting and scary at the same time.