We Moved!

Depending on what time of day you read this, you may want to settle in with a cup of coffee, your favorite hot tea, water or perhaps even an adult beverage. I anticipate this to be a lengthy post :)


After months and months of talking about this, we finally moved!

You might be wondering who the 'we' is. We = my husband Josh and our dog Emma. However, if you talk to Josh, Emma is 'mine' whenever she acts up. We'll talk more about her another time. I digress....... 

We're experienced movers- a total of 4 times in 5 years- but this last move was no joke. 
850 miles to be exact. 

Why such a drastic move you ask? I have been accepted to begin doctoral studies in Nutrition. I promise to get more in to this in the future, but for now, let's get up to speed with how we landed in our new, well actually temporary, home.

Where did we come from? St. Louis, MO

Home of:

• The St. Louis Arch (Gateway to the West)
• St. Louis Cardinals baseball team (most of our family and friends are mildly obsessed)
• Rams football (so proud of what this team stands for and I personally look forward to the upcoming season, win or lose)
• Blues hockey (really fun atmosphere)
• Excellent restaurant scene
• Extremely healthy(not), signature foods like toasted ravioli, Ted Drewe's custard, Gooey Butter cake and pork steaks to name a few
• Amazing park/museum/zoo district (have you heard of Forest Park?)
• Great universities
• But most importantly, a majority of our family and friends

Saying goodbye to everything we knew and called home.

Where did we go? Raleigh-Durham, NC (a.k.a the Triangle)

Home of:
I'll have to get back to you on this one. I could do a google search but would rather give you an insider's perspective.

Here is the 'we' I told you about above. Josh, Emma, and I say hello to our new home state.

I imagine that moving halfway across the country is a lot of work and has the potential to be extremely stressful. Well Josh and I didn't really find that to be the case. We only began to actively plan about 2 months before the big day and remained surprisingly calm and cool during the whole process.  There were some unknowns in the process, so we just waited until we had the most information we could before making decisions. It worked for us.

After some spreadsheet-like comparisons (this was all me) of how to get our stuff moved from point A to point B, we opted for a portable storage device. Note to anyone looking to make a big move- websites for these types of companies ask for information but then require that you call to get your quote. If you don't call them, they call you. Again. And again. And again. I had one company e-mail and call me several times per week for more than a month. And just last week I got an e-mail saying, "Your date has passed, do you still need us?" I digress...

We ultimately settled on Pack Rat- the customer service was, and has still been, amazing and our sales associate made the same move we did. The Pack Rat concept is amazing- they drop off the storage unit, you fill it, they pick it up, they drive it across the country, and then store it until you need it.

Post drop-off from the Duck Dynasty-bearded guy. He was awesome.

I initially worried that our drop off day coincided with street cleaning day; parking maids heavily ticket this day each month, but with our permit we were free and clear for whatever :) Street cleaning day was actually the way to go, because this meant we didn't have to worry about staking out space for the huge truck.

Josh and his dad took the lead with stuffing everything in on Tuesday and Wednesday. You can check out their handy work below. By Thursday, the device was picked up and off our hands. I continue to receive wonderful updates- phone and e-mail- from our coordinator about where our stuff is. It currently resides in a warehouse in Raleigh and we can access it any time we need to. Having said that, Josh doesn't know where the keys to the lock are....If that is the most 'devastating' thing that happened with our move, we'll take it.

Everything fit!

The weeks leading up to the move were filled with family and friends.

Cardinal game with my co-workers. 

Family wedding.

Goodbye party with friends (and family).

Moving away sure has a way of making you realize what you're leaving behind. Through observation and personal experience, I find it interesting how people seem more willing to share how they feel when they know something, or someone, is going away. This has inspired me to change my approach to people. I am on a stealth mission right now, but I'll share with you once it's complete :) The bottom line is this- we have wonderful family and friends. We can only hope to find a few gems in NC to add to our collection.

Let's finish up this story by talking about the actual move. My parents and half of my in-laws came along for the ride. They were the absolute BEST company and moving crew.

We loaded our two cars and the in-laws allowed us to take over their truck as well. All the stuff, people and dog fit comfortably.

The moving crew (minus Sheri) at our first rest stop.

Sheri & Ed

The drive was split over two days. This allowed us to take plenty of time to stop, stretch, gas up, eat and relax. We really lucked out with weather, traffic and safety. We only came to a halt once, and it was less than 5 miles from our destination. We thought it was a drug bust, but it was probably something less exciting. We just chose to make it something that sounded worth the time we were parked on the interstate.

The scenery was beautiful. We passed through fields of the Midwest, rolling hills of Tennessee, Smoky Mountains (they were smoky that morning), and tree-lined highways and streets of our new home. I drove the entire time, so I didn't snap any photos. If my parents share theirs, I'll share with you.

We arrived to our final destination and our family/roomies/hosts greeted us with open arms. I'll tell you more about our roomies another time, but I will tell you they are a huge part of why the move was so easy!

General tips for those moving long distances:

• Have a great support team. This made it super manageable. 
• Think about forwarding your mail before you leave. See below. 
• Let your bank and credit card companies know that you're moving (i.e. change your address). They may or may not cut off your activity due to what they think is fraudulent activity. They might then proceed to send replacement cards to the address they have on file, which then won't make it to you because your mail has not yet been forwarded. Not that I would know this from experience or anything :)

Now comes the time for healthy tips.

Traveling has the potential to wreak havoc on your eating and physical activity. Think about it- you're sitting for hours on end, potentially bored, and then when you get gas those irresistible snacks and drinks scream at you. I know Josh and I struggled as we tried to avoid buying food we knew we would have to get rid of before moving. But the good news is, travel doesn't have to throw you off your healthy routine.

My in-laws had just returned from a west coast road trip, so they had tons of experience for keeping travel healthier and more affordable.

Here is a list of ideas for your next road trip:

• Take time to stop. At rest areas. This is a great option to allow you to get up, move around, and stretch. Being physically active can be just as stimulating for your brain as that caffeine. It can also give you dedicated time to eat, instead of snacking while driving. This allows you to either focus on driving or focus on eating. Much safer right? :)

Getting a short walk before lunch.

• Pack a picnic. We brought all our meals for the actual driving portion of the trip. This allowed us to limit the amount of time and money spent at restaurants. We were also able to stand while we ate- a nice change from sitting- and we were able to have plenty of healthy foods available. Ed & Sheri brought stuff to make lettuce wraps- brilliant! This involved wrapping a cheese stick and deli meat in lettuce. My parents supplemented the protein with cold fried chicken from Hodak's. So maybe not the healthiest, but you gotta have options right? We also packed tons of fruit, veggies, yogurt, and water. Don't worry, we had some sweet snack foods in there too (trail mix that had chocolate), but they were a way to end the meal (not be the meal)

Picnic time on day 1.

Emma hoped they drop some chicken. No such luck- only water for her.

• Be sure to have plenty of ice in your cooler. Food safety is super important, especially when you're traveling in hot summer months. Be sure to pack that cooler full of ice to keep your foods in a safe temperature zone. Check out this fun, practical site for general food safety tips. 

• Pack or wear comfortable clothing and appropriate shoes. I always pack work out clothes so that I'm ready for whatever is available, whenever it is available. Think about giving yourself that same option.

• Commit to some sort of physical activity. Something is better than nothing. We took turns strolling with the dog at rest stops and then I walked her once we settled at the hotel. Josh and I also took advantage of the hotel basketball hoop and gym. It was super tiny, and we didn't have a lot of extra time in the morning, but again something is better than nothing :)

That's it for this week- thanks for reading!

Stay tuned :)

Allow me to tell you how I got here

Hello there. 

Welcome to my new blog- simply nutritious living. I came up with the concept for this blog, about a year ago, while taking a class on social media. Good things come to those who wait, right? 

I like to read headlines to keep up with what the world talks about in terms of nutrition and healthy living. I like to know what my patients, colleagues, and family and friends might be talking or asking about. Based on these ever changing headlines, it seems that guidelines have become ever more complex, prescriptive, restrictive, and contradictory. It can be overwhelming and confusing to filter through all the information available through TV, Internet, family, and friends. 

At the time I envisioned this blog, I worked as a research dietitian with a prestigious nutrition research group focused on obesity and metabolism. I thought, how nice would it be to blog about the headlines in a people-friendly way that brings in science and allows people to walk away with a practical take-home point? 

Four months after my original idea, I finally came up with a name. Let's be honest, you can't blog without a cool or catchy name. It came to me while sitting in a training session on weight management. How appropriate right? This name stuck with me because being healthy is about living; living to fuel your body with the nourishment it needs. While my emphasis is on food fuel, other fuel may come from physical activity, spirituality, and/or community. I recognize healthy living can be complex, but I think it is quite possible to approach it in a more simple manner. Hence the name- simply nutritious living.

Well, time is a very valuable thing, because 9 months later I'm finally taking this concept live, albeit with a twist. Hmmm....now that I type this, 9 months makes it seem like something worthy of a birth. I can't say that anything so profound will come of this, but a lot has gone on in my life and there is a lot to come.  The name also symbolizes my quest to lead a simply nutritious life during this time of transition. 

While I look forward to sharing insights on headlines here and there, my emphasis will now be on sharing experiences as I move across the country, go back to school, and enter a new decade in life. Having said that, I will be sure to throw in some simple health and nutrition tips, because let's be honest that was the original purpose of the blog :)

Don't worry, more details will come about all of this. I had to begin by letting you know how I got here- my first post.