days 2-5 in denver

i've made it to denver! the roads were cleared the following morning of the storm in gallup, nm. i was able to stop in las vegas, nm to see a friend and have lunch with her. coincidentally, it was her birthday so the visit was a happy occasion. she and her family moved to the town recently, and everyone seems to be adjusting to the new place well. she seems happy with her new job even though she's exhausted from the long hours.

the rest of the drive to denver was pretty uneventful...except for the brief hail storm in colorado springs. i managed to find my friend l's place quite easily, and we went to a concert that evening - melissa ethridge. neither of us were familiar with her music except for a couple of songs. l got the tickets from someone who had to leave town over the weekend. we enjoyed the show though - melissa ethridge has such amazing energy on the stage.

over the weekend, we took it easy. we saw 'little miss sunshine' and loved it! dysfunctional families rule - otherwise, how boring life would be. on sunday, we went on a hike just outside of the city. the scenery was incredible. giant slabs of red rocks jut out of the ground at an angle, like frozen waves of the red earth, contrasting with the green hills in the back drop and the bold blue sky above. the city created an outdoors concert hall, taking advantage of the accoustics the rocks offer and the fresh air in the openness.

and today, it's been a while since i've had a decent monday. getting to stay home (well, l's home) and watch the u.s. open is not too bad. people in denver seem extremely nice and sweet - it's like being in the south without the drawl. we're going to boulder tonight to have dinner with one of l's friends. the woman is apparently really nutty but an absolute sweetheart. it'll be an interesting evening.

day 1

despite the complications that surfaced in preparing for my move from los angeles to new york, everything worked out well. my sister, who's going to be my roommate in nyc, was a little overwhelmed apartment hunting earlier this month. it's her first time looking for an apartment, ever, and if your first time is in nyc, it's quite daunting, if not horrifying. but she pulled through and found what sounds to be a great 2 bedroom apt for us in the upper west side/west harlem.

then, three of my amazing guys helped me load all the furniture and boxes into a moving container/pod last weekend. the truck arrived to pick up the container before we finished loading. thankfully, the driver was super nice and made another run to give us another hour. but the guys not only doubted that we would finish but also fitting everything into just one container. but it all worked out - everything fit and we finished with over half an hour to spare.

but today...mmm...not so well. i am driving cross-country to north carolina to do a car swap with my mom before heading up to nyc and have planned to stop in:

1. las vegas, nm
2. denver
3. st louis
4. hendersonville, nc
5. mom's

i'm seeing people along the way so each leg of the trip gives me something to look forward to (the exception being st louis). but this morning, i started the drive an hour later than i had hoped, having to call new york to find out about setting up a phone line and internet service and loading up more stuff than i thought i had. while driving through arizona, a huge storm decending upon the section of the highway i was on. it lasted for about half an hour. at one point, my car was beside an 18-wheeler, and the rain suddenly fell so heavily that i couldn't see anything out of my windshield for three entire seconds. quite a frightening experience i never want to encounter again. and now, i'm stuck in gallop, nm because the monsoon has flooded the highway, and there are 2 major accidents on each side of i40 (not to mention the train derailing), trapping everyone in this town.

so nevermind about making it to my first stop on my first day as i had hoped. but at least i'm safe and not part of the crazy accidents. and thankfully, the hotels in the area had rooms available so i can rest well tonight before continuing the rest of the drive. so i should take advantage of it and hit the hay now. more tomorrow...hopefully, no more drama!