Peppy's Dream Moving Adventure Blog

L'Shana Tova!!  SHALOM!!  A happy and healthy New Year to all our friends and family!

Eric finally got the RV back from the mechanic and we are SO happy to be back in business!  There are still things to be fixed in the RV, but nothing that’s more than an inconvenience.  Eric really felt the brakes were in bad shape and, of course, he was right.  They were in TERRIBLE shape.  If we had been going fast on the thruway and had to brake, the RV probably would have flipped, because one of the brakes was in such bad shape that it was “frozen” and would have made the car pull dramatically to one side.  Anyway, once again, Eric’s knowledge of automobiles has saved us from a disaster.  I’m so lucky to have such a smart and handy guy!

Our friend, Jerry, gave us these t-shirts when we were in Chicago.  Dreams DO come true!

We drove down to Ft. Lauderdale late this afternoon to see Eric’s sister and the whole family.  We got a fast tour of Ellen and Rich’s house, because I’m allergic to their adorable dog – Zoe.  Ellen and Rich have done a lot of work to their house, and it all looks great, but their kitchen is fantastic.  It looks like something out of Architectural Digest!  I was so impressed.  It must be such a luxury to cook in a kitchen like that.  Maybe if I had a kitchen like that, I’d enjoy cooking!

We were treated to a fantastic dinner at a great Italian restaurant called CARRABBA’S, in Plantation.  Our party consisted of Eric’s sister, Ellen, and her husband, Rich, our niece, Michelle, our nephew, Scott, his wife, Jaime, their two gorgeous children – Kyle (who will turn 5 in 9 days), and Rian, who is six months old, and Scott and Jaime’s friend, Adam. 

I had fun with Kyle, who showed me all his karate moves, but I fell madly, deeply and hopelessly in love with Rian.  She is so beautiful and is at that age where getting a smile from her just melts your heart.  She is so chubby and sweet and Jaime was kind enough to put her high chair right next to me, so I could play with her and amuse her (I hope as much as she amused me) during dinner.  She is the kind of baby who will let anyone hold her, so I got to give her lots of hugs and kisses!

After they treated for dinner, we insisted on going next door to DAIRY QUEEN and treating everyone to dessert, but most declined (such discipline!), so only a few of us indulged.  We sat and talked for a while and then went back to Ellen and Rich’s house to say our goodbyes.

It is so sad to say goodbye to family, but when you’re going to a place as fabulous as San Diego, you know that they will definitely come to visit, and that makes the goodbyes that much easier.

We are planning to leave very early tomorrow morning.  That goodbye will be the hardest of all, as my parents have told us they probably will not make a visit to San Diego, so it will be up to us to come back to Florida to visit them.  I have always come down, once a year, but if I get a job in San Diego I’m quite sure I won’t have vacation for at least six months, and we will be so busy settling in, so it may be hard for me to visit for a while.  My mom and I talk on the phone very often, and we email back and forth, but it’s still hard for both of us, as we are very close.

Tomorrow we are going to try to see our friends in Orlando and our nephew, Brandon, in Tampa, before heading to New Orleans.  More goodbyes!