Across Country Drive | take 2

So somehow my original post was deleted. Lame!!! But we will try this again. Officially a week until I am on the road and with the decision of which route, when to leave, who drives what is basically all on me. ok not really the who drives what but you know what I mean. There were 2 route options so with only one including my favorite city . I-40 straight thru was the winner.

California | Arizona | New Mexico | Texas | Oklahoma | Arkansas | Tennessee | 

North Carolina

Since the days are getting closer researching routes and time frame is pretty important. [ I'm not one who would want to end up in NOLA randomly lol ] Knowing when my apartment is ready was my deadline. I'm not financially capable of doing a week long road trip. As great as that sounds working until the very last minute was my goal. With that being said I'm 2 shifts away from leaving my job after 4.5 years. I think I'm done babbling for now... I figure two days will be plenty of time to drive. Especially knowing both of my parents will be helping me. 

With looking up which way to take and when ...yada yada yada, Google Maps was my go to on exact directions. Lucky for me its not very hard when it is only 1 hwy. I have been on road trips with my "sister in law" numerous times and we have concluded the love/hate relationship with the 40. I have been on it enough to know when it's time for me to pull over. Oklahoma and I are not friends. But Texas is.

Pros of Hwy 40: lots of signs for rest stops // welcome areas // gas // food // restroom , fast route , somewhat empty

Cons of Hwy 40: certain states are speed traps , pitch black in one state at night {no lights} , 2 lanes only {sharing hwy with semis} 

Last time I drove the I-40, I was coming back from Missouri [Ft. Lost in the Woods/Leonard Wood] to be exact and I remember stopping at the most twice in each state. That included snack stop + potty breaks for the dogs & humans. That was about a day and half trip so I know with 3 people driving it will not take longer than 2 days. The only detour in my plan is Nashville & Gatlinburg Tennessee. Excuse the fact I'm obsessed with Nashville, But Jacks BBQ is a must whenever in Nashville. The thought of smoked meat, homemade style mac&cheese, baked beans makes me gain the weight. Be prepared on my instagram: @delene_andrea for the #foodporn obsession when I get there. 

Gatlinburg is my next detour because I love some flavored LEGAL moonshine. And in the middle of the smokey's is where Ole' Smokey Moonshine is made...bonus. For a about 2 hours I will be a tourist sampling different ones and buying probably everything in the gift shop. 

 [insert DRINK UP here]

  

I know my family is really worried about weather and gas. So thanks to Google, roadtrippers.com & intellicast.com are my go to during the trip. Roadtrippers gives an estimate on how much gas and places to stop {waffle house & crackel barrel is a must}. Intellicast will be checked daily to give me the weather forecast on the hwy. It's a great website because It just gives the cities on the highway, no other random infomation. I will probably look up if they are apps just to make life easier for all of us. 

Is there any other apps, websites, or stops I should know about? 

happy thursday y'all 

Moving Monday | Apartment Hunting

Everyone has asked me if I'm excited. As much as I'd want to have a much needed celebratory drink, I'm not as excited as one should be. Apartment Hunting has taken over my life. It normally starts at 7 am and doesn't end until 6pm. If I have work it doesn't stop me from my home search. Thank goodness for apps & google.
Townhomes, condos, apartment...not all the same. If you know me you know my pup is like my kid [he is NOT a guard dog at all] So safest area possible on a budget is #1 on my list. With moving in the humid months a pool is #2. It being pet friendly is #3.  Being about 2000 miles away is kinda hard to tour anything so I have to go by what leasing agents say. hmm knowing they make commission off of my renting they aren't my go to. Luckily my new boss [C] has been willing to help me since she grew up there. If I mention an area she lets me know Yay or Nay. We'll lots of decent, pretty apartments are in areas she doesn't really recommend. So all 15 million apartments I called got thrown away.
Apartment Search take TWO! Between websites & apps, here are few of the best ones I liked.
rent.com : is my top apartment search website to use. Sometimes if you lease from rent.com they send you $100 gift card. It's really easy to use. Filter: City , Budget, Amenities, Laundry
google.com : not for apartment search but for apartment reviews & google the area and map out how far it is from my main office. My parents and I have become google map pros!
apartments.com : is like rent + google maps together! The best part is I can search a radius around my new job. I just didn't like I couldn't put my exact max. price budget.
apartmentguide.com  I loved that it was easy to use. Looked around the area other than the city searched.

I suggest calling apartments and speaking with a leasing agent. Some are very friendly and others just want to make commission. I'm very big on personality, therefore if you do not want to engage in conversation but just want my money... #byefelicia

Lucky after another 3 hour search. A townhouse in my price range with my top 3 necessities were included. I put in my application. Everyone please pray I get it.