Christmas 2016

I had mentioned to Gil a while ago that I'd once taken Amtrak to Utah to visit my brother.  He was quite taken with the idea and we decided to take the train to Utah to spend Christmas with his family there.

My mother's cousin who lives in the Sacramento area dropped us off at the train station downtown on Friday.  We boarded and found seats.  A train may be a lot slower than a plane, but my goodness, those seats are so much more comfortable!

As we began the climb over Donner Pass, we were very glad we had at least decided not to drive.  This was a view of Truckee, CA outside the train window.

The only picture of us from the whole trip and I attempted some edits to make it a bit easier to see us... best I could get.

We arrived in Salt Lake in the wee hours of the morning.  Gil's mom picked us up and we caught a few hours of sleep.  We spent the rest of the day chatting and running a few errands before Gil's sister and her family, Gil's younger brother and his wife and her mother and her husband, and his younger brother all arrived at his mother's house.  We were quite tight.  We had a lovely meal and then a family gift exchange.  I think the highlights of the evening were the light sabers for the kids and a handmade nesting paper boxes from Gil's sister to me.

We went to church with Gil's mom Sunday morning then went over and played games and had dinner with his two younger brothers and his sister-in-law.  Monday we went and saw a movie then visited in the evening with his sister and her family.  When we arrived, Gil's sister was on the phone with the oldest brother, beginning to plan the family reunion for the summer.  Gil's mom is one of six and each year one of the siblings takes charge of the reunion.

Tuesday we laid low until our train later that evening.  It was an uneventful ride back to Sacramento where my mom's cousin picked us up again.

It was a lovely holiday.

With Reluctance

It was a long day.  It was a really long day.

It started around 8am when I left my apartment.  I drove into incredibly heavy fog which made it near impossible to see street signs, let along numbers on buildings.  Somehow I found the DMV.

Do you have your current drivers license? Yes!

Do you have your current car title? Yes!

Do you have your birth certificate or passport? No!

Do you have two separate documents stating you live where you say you live? Kind of....

Will a utility bill with my name spelled wrong still work? No!

(My first and currently only utility bill spelled my name wrong.  How?  I have no idea.  My service request was made on-line and I know I didn't spell my own name wrong.)

I then drove through the treacherous fog all the way back to my apartment where I searched for my passport.  I also found my signed lease, in electronic form only, and got that on a jump drive.  Then I got on-line and found a Kinkos and was off again.

I found the Kinkos and got my lease printed.  Thankfully the fog had lifted quite a bit and my second attempt at finding the DMV was much easier.

Do you have an appointment? No!

It wasn't bad.  Not as bad as some of the DMV waits I've had in Houston.  Less than a hour.  We started with my car title and registration.

Do you have your smog test? No!

Can you tell me where I can go to get a smog test? No!

I went as far as I could with the title and registration without a smog test, paid $182, then was shunted over to the drivers license desk.

Do you have your request form? No!  The other lady took it.

Have you had any traffic infractions since you've been here? No!

Why, then, is there an "X" next to your name in the system? Ummm...

Turns out I was given a temporary CA license number so I could get my government drivers license for work.  Thankfully it didn't take too long for me to figure that out.

Do you wear glasses or contacts? No!

Are you ready to take the written driving test? What?!

I took a 36 question test and passed the first time. (Did you know it's legal in California to leave a child younger than six years old in a car as long as there is someone older than 12 in the car attending him?)  I got my picture taken.  I paid $33 and got a temp license on a piece of paper.

I tried again.

Can you tell me where I can go to get a smog test?  No!

I was told to Google it.  I pulled out my 10 year old flip phone and my best "really?" face.  Still no luck.  I was told to drive around.

I stopped at two different gas stations and asked.  I have noticed this before but people in California are horrible with cardinal directions.  Horrible!  I actually think it's a skill many people are losing due to GPS, but we really don't need me going off on that topic at the moment.

I finally found a place to get my car smog tested.  For $68, she passed.  Way to go Little Car!  Not bad for almost 13 years old and almost 205,000 miles.

Back to the DMV.

Do you have an appointment? No!

I finally walked out of the DMV with new license plates and a temporary drivers license about 2pm.  My next stop was the local insurance agent to get that transferred too.  My rate in California is almost double.  I got home a little after 3pm.

With great reluctance (and maybe some tears) I took my Texas plates off Little Car and put on her new California plates.  It just doesn't look right.  There is a "Q" in the number, which is a small consolation.

It didn't help that lonely neighbor from downstairs decided to keep me company during this process and kept telling me how wonderful California was and how she was a Cali girl and how she didn't like Texas and how we all talk funny and there are too many horses, cows, cowboys, and dust.  

"You're a Californian now."

I turned and wagged my finger at her, looked her right in the eye, and said, "On paper, yes.  But in my heart, I am a Texan."

It was a long day.

So Accomplished

I found an apartment.  I like it.  I am excited to live in one place for more than six months.  However, the habit is so ingrained, I'm having trouble parting with my moving boxes.

I made my first major purchase for the apartment just before Thanksgiving.  Thanks to the wonder of Skype, Gil and I went on-line together and decided on a dresser.  Together.  I know.  This was big.

This was also my first Ikea purchase.  Other than the dresser pieces coming in three separate staggeringly heavy boxes, it was pretty slick.  I had to document the process.

(Please note there is no overhead light in the bedroom.  I had to use the closet and hallways lights, hence the dimmer pictures.)

Oh man, this was so exciting.  Three big boxes.

 Setting out the first pieces.

 Taking shape.

 This was easier than I thought it would be.

 Getting closer.

 Ready to flip and put the drawers in.

DONE!

I realize this was nothing like my one dear friend who went to the hardware store and got lumber and built her family a dining room table, but I really enjoyed the assembly process and am ready for my next Ikea furniture project.