SUSHI !!

For all those who love sushi... there is a great place near us called Amura. (Well, not really near all of you, but anyway...)

The sushi is not only delicious and fresh, but the presentation is amazing.

I had the Kiwi Philly Roll which has smoked salmon, cream cheese and kiwi and the Hawaiian Roll which is tuna, spicy tuna, salmon, avocado and cucumber.

The orange topping on the Hawaiann Roll is caviar


Joe had the Louisiana Cousin Roll which had crawfish, avocado, and a white sauce on top and the Volcano Roll which is baked scallops, crab, salmon and avocado.


The pictures don't give it justice... but take my word for it!

Soooo yummy!! We will definately be going back soon.

The Beach

So Joe and I have ventured to the beach 2 times since our arrival in Florida. The closest one to us is New Smyrna Beach...only about a 1/2 hour away. We went with Joe's parents the 1st time and then just the 2 of us on the next.
As you can see... you can drive right onto the beach here... sooo coool!!! Just unpack your chairs and towels, put on the sunblock, and head to the water.

The water is much warmer(72 degrees actually) on the Atlantic ocean side vs. the Pacific. When you are in the water here it is cold at first but then your body gets used to it kinda like a pool.

There are lots of seagulls and pelicans flying and walking around. I attempted to get a picture but it didn't come out to clear... I'm sure there will be many more visits and I will try again... if only they would sit still! Oh and we are coming into sea turtle season so maybe I'll get to see one of those as well.

And on a side note.... I HAVE A JOB!! YAY! I start tomorrow at a vet clinic in the area as a receptionist. I will keep everyone posted on how it goes.

And Now... The Rest of the Story

Next stop Mississippi...



Biloxi, MS happens to be where my mom was born. Tried to get a good picture of the water tower...kinda difficult in a moving vehicle.


There was a scenic drive we could have taken that goes right along the coast line to see the lighthouse, but we stayed on route to our motel in Moss Point, MS. We will need to go back without "the kids" to actually do sightseeing stuff.



At this being our last night at a motel, I would like to give acknowledgement to our wonderful accommodations we had along the way.
La Quinta Inn, Thank you for having convenient locations, reasonable rates and for being pet friendly (and not adding an additional fee for pets!!)



OK, Can anyone guess what state is next...




Yup, That says Alabama! The camera decided to focus on the wonderful bug splatters on the windshield and with the sun shining in that is what you get... oh well...




Here is a pic of the battleship Alabama







And to all Forest Gump fans, Bubba Gump Shrimp this a way --->
In the far bottom left hand corner on the exit sign in AL says "Bayou La Batre", if it's hard to read. If you click on the picture it should make it larger... that goes for all the pics!

Florida, the Sunshine State, welcomed us with what else... SUN. So, yet again, NO picture of the sign (looked just like AL - a buggy windshield), but this is what it looks like thanks to a pic from the Internet :~)

We arrived safely at our destination in Sanford, FL. Joe's mom and step-dad welcomed us with open arms.







Our "kids","Lilly" top right,"Guiness" bottom center, were introduced to their dog "Charley",top left in pic. They seem to be tolerating each other well.

The moving truck arrived 3 days later. Everything traveled well, nothing broken or missing so that's good. We unpacked what we needed and the rest was loaded into a storage unit until we have our own place.

Time to explore our new surroundings... GO TO THE BEACH... oh...and find a job!!

The Move

It's hard to believe that 2 weeks ago we were in AZ. Here is how it began...

Boxing and packing up our stuff... lots and lots of boxes... only about half are in this picture!









Here is the moving company that loaded all of our belongings and took them safely down to FL.









And these are the FINAL 2 boxes to be waiting to be loaded.








The truck is tightly packed (our portion of the truck anyway), everything looks secure!









The moving truck started its journey the day before we left. My mom and dad played host for Joe and I for 2 nights so we wouldn't be stuck in sleeping bags in an empty house. It was nice to spend the extra time with them right before we left.



We picked up this U-Haul car transporter, Dad gave Joe a hand with getting the car loaded. Can you believe that the trailer had a flat tire before we ever started on our journey... They sent someone right out to replace 2 of the 4 tires. We are thankful that it happened before we were on the road.


With the car loaded on the trailer, hitched to our truck... Joe in the driver seat, myself in the passenger seat, and "the kids" all in their places (Guiness and Lilly together on the seat behind me and Carmella in her cage on the floor behind Joe)... away we go!





AND THE JOURNEY BEGINS...
It took Joe and I 4 days to go from Gilbert, AZ to Sanford, FL. We drove on average 8 hours each day with stops every 3 hours or so to strech our legs, and let everybody(except Carmella)go potty. (She can go whenever she wants...lucky bird!)

Sooo I missed the Welcome to New Mexico sign... I think I'll go with "What sign? They didn't have one". Yup that's my story and I'm sticking to it... lol.
Even with no evidence, I promise we did drive through it!!!

Next came Texas...


I thought we would never get out of Texas. It's HUGE!!! We did 2 nights one in Fort Stockton and one in Houston.



These funny looking "mountains"?? are missing something...weird!








Lots and lots of pretty spring flowers along the highway...


And these beautiful pink flowers (have no idea what they are) were actually at a rest stop right before Louisiana...









I even got a turn driving... Yay!




And then came Louisiana...




... And now I believe its time for a brief snooze... :~)


TO BE CONTINUED