There She Grows

What happens when you mix Peggy Bundy, Martha Stewart, and Ann Romney?

You get me!

This is not a huge stretch. I have the fashion sensibilities of Peggy Bundy. I have almost exclusively worn stretch pants since I have arrived in California. Like Martha, people be constantly fawning all over things that I make. And like Ann Romney, I have a husband who is ready and willing to indulge my every whim.

You thought I was going to say Ann and I both have MS huh? That would be correct also. But when Mrs. Romney was diagnosed her husband went and bought her some of the prettiest ponies in all the land. Now as part of her therapy, she gets to flat iron their hair, weave ribbons in their tails and prance them in pretty circles.

Mine bought me a big bag of dirt.

I'm taking up gardening. Urban gardening to be precise. Apartment gardening.We have a tiny apartment with a large patio that gets sun all day long. It's perfect. It's the first stepping stone towards having a our dream farm and the next step in my housewife project.

A few weeks ago Chris and I bought a Basil plant and a Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano combo plant at TJ's. I've been wanting to learn gardening for a while and these were my starter plants. I've managed to keep them alive and blooming for the last three weeks so we decided I was ready to take the next step. I have also read several blogs and websites about apartment gardens. The best piece of advice was so obvious: grow what you can feasibly eat. Yeah corn is delicious. But at 2 heads a stalk how much space are you willing to take up? Herbs are best. They are the most useful and are hearty. I looked at getting a community garden spot but the waiting lists around here are 2-3 years long. So we went to Capital Nursery and picked out our goodies.

Chris is my gardening teacher. While I have never seen him do anything harder then water a Hosta in the last 10 years, he swears he is an advanced gardener. His credentials are his Future Farmers of America jacket from high school that we have been dragging around with us the last 10 years. It's covered with pins and ribbons so he must have excelled at being a future farmer. I have a text book too.

 

Here are my supplies. We found pots on clearance at Target and decided that was perfect. We had a blast at the nursery. I'm committed to learning all this botanical stuff so I can grow cooler stuff later. Like a lemon tree. And tropical flowers. Did you know you can grow Hibiscus and Plumeria here in Cali? Blew my little PNW mind when I learned that.

So yesterday I put on my gardening hat and my fancy new garden gloves and got to work. I know that plants like music and that transplanting them can be a little traumatic to their roots and stuff so I decided to play cheerful music to them.

The Stoop by Little Jackie has always been one of my favorite summertime songs. We listened to Jay-Z after that. My plants should get accustomed to the neighborhood.

I realized while planting that I must have done this at some point in my life and just don't remember it.  Girl Scouts perhaps? I instinctively knew I was supposed to soften the little starts root clumps and pack them firmly but loosely in the soil. Or maybe I was just born to be a plant mama? Should I post their pictures on FB every 30 days so you can track their developments? I think I am going to photograph them for my own benefit. Someday when my beans are fully grown and at my dinner table, we can look at their pictures and wax poetic about their sprout days. And then we will eat those little fuckers up.

A couple of things are bothering me though. First is that I didn't get to plant my starts as far apart as recommended. Chris assures me that this is fine. That it is for optimal growth but it doesn't mean that they won't grow. I read in my Western Garden Edibles book that if they grow to close together I can thin them out by replanting them in another container. I have already forgot what the second thing was.....

When Chris came home he inspected my homework and said I don't have enough soil and I need to replant them again.  He also said I need to soak the plants when I planted them so the soil integrates better. I had  lightly watered them because I was afraid of traumatizing them further. He also approved of the plant stand I purchased for them. Extra credit for me!

Today I got another bag of soil and got to work with my beans and onions. I'm afraid for the little onions. In there little start packages they were all happy and upright. Now they are kind of... splayed? (Is that a word?)

We listened to a little Brandi Carlisle in case my beans aren't hip hop fans and I filled the containers up, replanted the beans and onions and re-watered them all.

Ha! I remember the second thing! I bought the wrong kind of beans. I thought I picked up a container of Blue Lake Beans, what I actually have is six little starts for Kentucky Pole Beans. I did my research and if I can grow them correctly they will need a trellis they will get so big. We will see. In a month I can plant what I really want: Garlic and Carrots.

Here is my end result:

 L to R: We have Marjoram, Rosemary/Thyme/Oregano, Italian Basil, Peppermint, Garlic Chives, and Sweet Basil.

Back to Front: Kentucky Pole Beans, Green Onions, and Yellow Onions.

If I can keep these plants alive I will plant Garlic and Carrots in September. I've been reading my book and the internet and studying when you can plant what for a winter garden. I would really like to plant berries in the spring but I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself. I still need to learn about pest control as I don't have a chicken to take care of that for me. But I will someday :)

And yes, I made my garden markers. I snagged a handful of paint stir sticks at Home Depot, painted them with craft paint, stamped them with a little leaf stamp, and wrote on them in Sharpie. Easy Peasy.

So, How many of you are gardeners? Got any advice for me? I'll take it. Have you container gardened before? And I'm still taking suggestions on " Woman's Work" and other things I can learn while I am a temporary housewife. I hit up the grocery store this morning for the ingredients for my next blog and am currently saving up Michaels coupons for soap making ingredients. Did I mention my grandfather called me a homesteader? Yeah. At least I know that when the Zombie Apocalypse comes, I will survive on my food making skills. Which reminds me....

Chris and I have seen two gangs of wild Turkeys since we have been here. I always thought a group of Turkeys was called a congress but a Google search says it's a gang. Which is hilarious since there is only one male and several females in a Turkey gang so it's really more of a Turkey Harem but who decides this stuff anyway? The first gang we saw was in an rural area but the Tom stood in front of our car while all the hens crossed the road. We could not stop laughing. When we mentioned this to other people, they were not surprised. Apparently it is very common to stumble upon Urban Turkey Gangs in Sacramento. We were baffled but in love with the idea that we live in a city where Turkey gangs run the streets. Then we saw a gang of Turkey's in the parking lot of Chris's office. I shit you not.

Urban Turkey Gang Bitches (Hens) with their Turklets (Poults).

Their baby daddy, Big Tom.

Because I am curious about hunting these Turkeys we asked around about gun laws etc. Chris says I cannot discharge a fire arm in city limits. This halts my ambition of driving up and shooting the Turkey out of my car window. His cousin informed me that I cannot use a bow and arrow or slingshot either. This sucks because last time I was home my Grandpa and I made a totally sweet slingshot together and yes, I really have homemade slingshot in my kitchen. Which only leaves me one option:  I will have to learn how to make snares and traps. Chris and I had a great laugh imagining me setting traps in his office parking lot ( They were back again on Monday), while sitting on my SUV and blowing my Turkey Sex Whistle. I mean, If I can be an urban gardener why can't I become an urban hunter? In case of  the Zombie Apocalypse I don't want to be one of those lazy asses on The Walking Dead that is always digging around for canned food. I'm going to be Daryl, with a garden. A stretch pant wearing, poncho crocheting, urban hunter-gatherer who has a bad attitude and a requires a lot of naps.

My Day with Julia

A big Happy Birthday to Julia Child who would have turned 100 today!

oh wait... a grande Bon Anniversaire to Julia Child who would have turned 100 aujourd'hui!
(My french is getting rusty)

Oh Julia, dear Julia, you were the first celebrity chef on television. You took french cooking and made it look easy and fun and not stuffy and complicated. You made us laugh with your goofiness that was never intentional. It was just you being you. If you are a francophile like moi, you are envious of Julia's gastronomical adventures. And sometimes when you are cooking you hear Julia's voice coaching you on. I mean when I drop meat on the floor, I say "What would Julia Do?" in my head. The answer is always "pick that meat up and keep cooking it!" When I wonder if a sauce could be better if I added wine, the answer is always " Of course! Add some and drink the rest!".

Yesterday, I decided that I wanted to celebrate Julia's Anniversaire and eat one of the recipes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Problem is, that I don't actually own a copy. I have an antique copy of The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer and several antique copies of Prudence Penny's cookbooks but no Julia.

(Sidenote: One when working at Antwons I checked in a guest whose last name was Rombauer. I said, " Oh, like Irma Rombauer." And she was all " You know my grandmother? No one your age knows who my grandmother is. " Well I do. This was a pretty cool moment for me. I met the granddaughter of a cooking deity. She definitly got a window seat.)

A quick internet search showed that all across the county restaurants were having Julia Child themed dinner for their guests and that Whole Paycheck was having promotional prices on ingredients used in her cooking. Knopf publishing had released online the famous Boeuf Bourguignon recipe as well as the supplementary recipes for Champignons Sautes au Beurre ( sauteed mushrooms) and Oignons Glaces a Brun ( brown braised onions). What to do?

Well the answer was plainly obvious... cook the Boeuf Bourguignon! Did Julia write those cook books and host numerous cooking shows to teach us how to go to a restaurant? NO! She wanted us to cook at home. She wanted us to know how simple it can be to prepare quality food. I feel that going to a Julia themed meal at a restaurant is a bit of a slap in the face to her. If you want to honor Julia, you have to do some cooking.

To start, I got dressed properly. And by properly I mean like Julia.

Button up shirt is required. Be a lady and make sure you have your lipstick on. Make sure you wear a fabulous apron. Mine was a gift from my Grandmothers friend. She heard I like ruffles.

Then you assemble your ingredients. Julia was able to go the fresh markets to get her ingredients everyday. I on the other hand go to my local Fresh & Easy Market. I'm sure I did Julia proud with my home grown thyme. I also economized by getting a chuck roast instead of a rump roast. Julia reccomends the rump roast but always gives options and says get the best you can afford. She was clearly a woman of the people.

I started with the mushroom and onion recipes first. The recipe calls for pearl onions and I couldn't find any at the 3 stores that I tried. So I improvised with half of a yellow onion. The onions smelled l'amazing while cooking! I love l'onions. Which is fortunate since this recipe calls for onions three times! The sauteed champignons call for chopped green onions at the end. Then you add those to your pearl onions. Good l'oignion-y grief.

I took a break before starting the actual Boeuf recipe. Had to make sure that my $2 bottle of Cab was adequate. It's spicy and tasty. Big Kahuna is the house brand at F&E. The wines are $2 a bottle and Chris and I have yet to be dissapointed with them.

So here's what happens next. You cook your bacon in a skillet. Make extra because you know you are going to snack on some while you cooking it. Cook it softly and then remove the bacon leaving all the drippings in the pan. Then you sear your stew meat. The recipe specifically says to make sure the beef is dry so it browns properly. It encourages using a paper towel to dry the cubes. I can honestly say that I have never thought to dry my meat before cooking it, but I did it, and it browned marvelously. But a thought occured to me,

" I just seared steak in bacon fat. Fucking genius. I love you Julia Child."

Then you sautee your vegetables in the bacon/beef fat. And you have a giggle fit that a recipe that calls for 3 lbs of rump roast calls for one solitary carrot as a vegetable. And more onions of course. I made a half recipe with only 1.5 lbs of chuck roast, but I used the whole carrot. Then you have a giggle fit because you realize that even if you double the amount of vegetables in a recipe, the point is totally moot if you fry them in bacon/beef fat. Place your bacon, beef, and vegetables in an oven safe cassarole dish with a lid. The recipe says to toss them in 2 Tbsp of flour and put it in the oven for 4 minutes to coat the meat with a browned flour crust. This seemed really hokie to me but I did it. 

Julia does not lie. As you can see, it is indeed covered with a brown floury crust.

 It will look similar to this when you put it back in the oven for the next three hours. That's right, it has to simmer in the oven for 3 hours. The smell will taunt you for 3 hours. It will waft right out the door so amazingly that your neighbor says, " Hey girl, whatchu got cookin' in there?" when really you know he just wants to know why you are prancing around in a ruffled apron with the doors and windows open when he knows you are unemployed and have worn nothing but stretch pants for the last three weeks.

Then, enjoy a popsicle or delicious cold beverage of your choice because you are going to have your oven on for at least three more hours and it's 100 degrees outside. 

After three hours, take your cassarole dish out of the oven. Get a big whiff... ahhhh. Beefy heaven.

Strain the contents of your cassarole dish into a sauce pan.  Place your Boeuf back in the dish or place on a serving platter with your boiled potatoes. I didn't include the potatoes in the pictures because, well, you should know how to boil potatoes by now.

 Simmer your drippings until all the fat rises to the top then skim the fat off. This sauce was so rich and velvety. Put it in your gravy boat and pour it over your stew and get ready for the belle of all boeuf dishes.

Voila! Stir in those onions and mushrooms and dish it up. Bon Appetit!

 "I think careful cooking is love, don't you? The loveliest thing you can cook for someone who's close to you is about as nice a Valentine as you can give." - Julia Child

Chris was ridiculously giddy about this meal. He came home after a 10+ hour shift, caught a whiff, and just about melted into the chair.

Like my gravy boat? Oui, I know it's supposed to be a creamer but putting gravy in it is so much more fun. You will see why in a bit.

"Cooking is like love; it should be entered into with abandon or not at all."- Julia Child

I'm including this picture just to show you how beautiful the plate is. 1931. I think Julia would approve of my details.

Like my adorable Eiffel Tower spreaders.

 "Learn how to cook -- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless and above all have fun."- Julia Child

Like the puking cow? She's been our favorite for years. We really are that mature.

So what did I learn today? I already knew that cooking was fun. I like cooking, I love baking. I like shopping for food at the store. I love shopping for it at the farmers market. What I learned was exactly the point; cooking doesn't have to be intimidating. This recipe seemed complicated but was actually very simple. And delicious. I know I will be making it again. In the winter. Because it was 100 degrees today and we ate beef stew for dinner. I wish I had a full copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking because tomorrow I am going to roast a whole chicken. It's on my list of things to learn while I am a temporary housewife.

"The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken. Bon appetit."- Julia Child

Tomorrow, I'm going to whack the hell out of this chicken.

Also, while I have you here, what else should I learn during my temporary housewifing? Should I make soap? Make butter?I'm taking suggestions. I've been doing a lot of jamming lately. My jam cup runneth over. Post your ideas in the comments below.

Jamboree

Last Sunday was our first official day in Sacramento and what was the first thing we did?.....

Find a farmers market!

One of the things we missed about our life in Kitsap was going to the market every week and getting fresh produce and bread from Borrowed Kitchen Bakery. Farmer's Markets in Las Vegas were a joke. We did most of our shopping at Cardenas, a mexican market that had the best produce prices ever and I miss dearly. Here in Sac grocery prices are out of control! I have hit several stores over the last 10 days to see the prices of things we regularly eat and I am not impressed. Supermarkets populate the place as opposed to Vegas which was full of smaller regional markets like Sunflower Market and Fresh & Easy Market.

But the farmer's market, oh the farmers market.... It was heavenly. It's about 3 blocks of farm stands. And by farm stands I mean there aren't any crafts. Just stand after stand of produce, local honey, local artisan cheese, local ranchers, and flowers. It was as crowded as Pike Place on a weekend and the produce stands actually barter prices with you. We had a successful adventure there and we went back again this weekend.  A 1/2 flat of strawberries, 14 lbs of peaches ( $1/lb Lady Elberta Freestone Peaches) and more came back home with us. And then I got to canning.

Last week I used all my fresh basil and made a batch of fresh pesto. It turned out fantastic! It also made a ton, about 24 oz, so I canned it. Well you can't actually can pesto. So it's in the freezer in little 4 oz. containers.

I used Ina Garten's recipe for pesto. It's delicious. And while you can't can pesto it will freeze indefinitely. I saw a fantastic tip on another blog though where she freezes the pesto in muffin tins and then pops them out and stores them a container, where they are perfectly portioned. Genius. I also had a container of fresh mint in the fridge. Chris and I are addicted to drinking minted green tea but my $0.50 mint purchase was more then I could drink in a week. So I decided to make Mint Jelly.

I used the recipe included in the pectin box. I've never made Mint jelly before. I've never even ate Mint Jelly before. I guess I need to roast a lamb because I have 8 jars of Mint Jelly now. And my apartment smelled fantastic!

It was super simple to make. If you aren't canning or jamming you should try it. I started doing it as a little girl with my grandparents and my mother. Chris and I bought our own canning equipment this weekend and now I'm going to be on a canning spree! The initial cost is steep but not awful. It's mostly the cost of the jars and they are reusable. The cost of the fruit is a factor too but down here in California you can grow just about anything and there are lots of u-pick farms. We picked up another half flat of strawberries for $10 at the market and I made a batch of Strawberry Vanilla Bean Jam.

I washed and trimmed my berries. They are so sweet and delicioius and strait from the farm to my jar.

I used my food processor to pulse the berries. So much easier than hand mashing but you don't want to go too crazy. You want the berries to be chunky and give your jam texture. Also according to pickyourown.org if you totally puree them, it breaks down the acid required for the jam to set properly.

Strawberry Vanilla Bean Jam. My batch yielded 11 jars and they set perfectly. I saved a little to taste test and the vanilla bean mellows out the sugar sweetness. Also, my flavor profile was a little different since I used an unrefined cane sugar instead of refined white sugar. I'm really happy with how they turned out.

I had enough stawberries for a half batch so I added the white peaches (and a little almond extract) we picked up at the market to them. But peaches and strawberries require different amounts of sugar in order to jell properly. So I decided to split the difference and that didn't work. So I now have 13 jars of delicious dessert topping :)

And then I started on all those big beautiful Lady Elberta Peaches....





I poached and peeled them. They felt all cool and slimy in my hands so I just mashed and separated them with my hands. This left them very chunky...

... I had enough for four batches. I found a great recipe I wanted to try for Vanilla Bean Bourbon Peach Jam. I adapted from her recipe and wow! It's fantastic. I made two batches at first and poured some in a bowl for my fridge so I could sample it later. I had 20 jars already so I decide to make a different flavor, a Spiced Peach Jam with cinnnamon and cloves. Yummm... Well while they were processing I poured that warm Bourbon Peach Jam over some vanilla ice cream and blew my own mind. The jam uses lime juice so it's very tart at the front but then you get peachy bourbony goodness. I decided then and there that 20 jars wasn't enough and I made the fourth batch Vanilla Bean Bourbon Peach too.

72 jars of jam total! Chris came home and was stunned. And unfortunately, he doesn't like the peach jam as much as I do. More for me I guess. Or more for you as our Christmas shopping is basically done now. I think I will do some more canning next week though. I have ideas about Ginger Peach Jam, Strawberry Basil Jam, and Pear Butter or bruschetta topping, or salsa or chutney....

Well I found this great quote earlier that I want to share with you....

"When you cut that eggplant up and you roast it in the oven and you make the tomato sauce
and you put it on top, your soul is in that food, and there's something about that that can never
be made by a company that has three million employees." - Mario Batali

I find this to be very true and I am glad to be in a geographical location where I can try to grow some food. Today we picked up a basil plant as well as some rosemary, oregano, and thyme. I'm starting my herb garden while I research other gardening advice for this climate. I've never grown food before but I have a fairly large patio and I can grow a little urban garden. I'll keep you posted on how that goes as well as all the housewife-ing I plan on doing during my temporary (and hopfully short) period of unemployment.

Road Warriors

Well we made it!

1370+ miles on our tires, not including air travel.

(And by tires I mean the spare tire we both gained with all the crappy eating over the last few weeks.)

But seriously I feel like I am still catching up on sleep. I wish Chris would have had a few more days off before his first day but it is what it is.

So here is the short version of the last few weeks:

• I had my three month check-up with my Neurologist. It went well. He was amazed at how detailed I am with taking notes about reactions and my symptoms. I had to refrain from any jokes about what percentile I am in etc. (You know, so I can brag to people about my amazing percentiles later.) because I cracked a joke at the receptionist that made her uncomfortable when she laughed and I didn't want to do it again.

Scene: I left the apartment at 8:30 am for a 9 am appointment. I drive the 8 miles (roughly 20 min in traffic) to the Neuro's office. I check in.

Me: Hi, my name is Angelina. I have a 9 am appointment.
Receptionist: Good morning. I see your name here. Your appointment is at 9 am and it's 8:35 so why don't you have a seat in the lobby for a while.
Me: What? It's 8:35? How is that possible?
Receptionist: (points at clock) See? 8:35. You can have a seat in the lobby.
Me: But how? It left my house at 8:30 and it's 8 miles away. I could have swore I left my place at 8:30. Maybe I read the clock wrong? Weird.
Receptionist: (smiling patronizingly) Well you have 20 minutes till your appointment if you would like to have a seat.
Me: (muttering to myself) That's just so strange. I swore I left at 8:30. I guess that's why I have a Neurologist.
Receptionist: (starts laughing hysterically. I laugh too.Then she stops.) Oh gosh I shouldn't have laughed at that. I'm so sorry.
Me: No, you were supposed to laugh at that. It's funny.

I sat down and looked at my phone clock. It was 8:47. It took me 17 minutes to drive there. I am not crazy. Her clock is crazy.

• The Airborne Toxic Event rocked our socks off at the Hard Rock. Hands down best concert I have ever been to. It far exceeded Korn, Foo Fighters, Britney etc. The pool was quite an intimate setting. And we could get in the pool, which was deep unlike the Mandalay pool. So deep in fact that Chris and I waded out chest high to the little "islands" to get a great view of the stage. Did I mention that I was fully clothed? I wore a sundress on purpose but forgot to consider the fact that it would float up and show my white (soon to be see-through) granny panties. This didn't occur to me until after the show when I used the ladies room and saw my undies. Oh well. All those times I jumped off the island into the pool and floated around imagining I looked a pretty pretty mermaid were all in my head. I may have ruined a few others viewing experience but what can I do about it now? Chris did get some very unflattering pictures of this. They will never be on the internet.

• We drove to Sacramento in one day. Chris in the U-Haul and I in the shark car. I left an hour after Chris but could drive over 70, while he was limited to 55 because of the trailer, and he still arrived before me. I even passed him on the road several times.  But since I have "the bladder of a field mouse" according to Chris ( I choose to think of it as superior kidney function), I had to stop 6 times in 10 hours on the road. Also, I listened to an audio book on the drive and I blame the hilarity of Jeneration X by Jen Lancaster, as read by Jen Lancaster.

• Our apartment is small but modern, which is a change for us. However, there is absolutly no storage. Ugh. Good thing there is an Ikea near by. This place will be a model of efficiency in no time. My fears of living in a crack den are (so far) unfounded. We unloaded on Sunday and attempted to fall asleep early as my sadistic husband had booked our flights for 630am on Monday morning.

• We had a great time visiting as many people as we could while back in the Northwest. The most rewarding part of the trip was watching my little cousin Daniel graduate from drug court! It's been a really long road for him and I couldn't be prouder. He has 22 months of sobriety and is starting his tattoo apprenticeship. The graduation ceremony was surprisingly personal. I was crying hearing the stories of people I have never even met.

•  We drove our second U-haul of the trip from Port Orchard together. We made to Crater Lake Oregon the first night. We stayed in a little roadside casino called Seven Feathers which was surprisingly well accomodated. We also won $75 at the Roulette table which will pay for that trip to Ikea later :) We drove the final six hours on Saturday.

• Saturday sucked. Even though I listened to Tina Fey read Bossypants on Audible. ( Hilarious BTW). Let's just say I wasn't feeling well. We went to Target to get some supplies before we went back to the apartment and unloaded and well... I just felt exhausted. And I didn't even have to do the hard stuff!  But I have been very stressed out and it's taking it's toll in weird ways. Saturday night was the worst injection site reaction I have ever had. I won't go into details yet but it wasn't pretty. I was the small print on the warning label. I was the 1% of patients who suffer crappy x side effect. It was the scariest thing. Basically, on Sunday night when it was time to take my meds I told Chris, " Please don't make me do it. I'm scared." I have since done my injection and was fine.

•  Strangely, I felt totally normal on Sunday and was itching to explore Sacramento. We went to an amazing Farmer's Market. It was about 3 blocks and was all produce, handmade cheese and local meats. No crafts! The prices were fair and every booth we purchased from haggled over the prices so would buy. We spent $42.50 and walked out with a 1/2 flat of strawberries, 1 lb. of local organic cheese, spinach, basil, mint, freestone peaches, plums, nectarines, grapes, potatoes,  tomatoes, onions, green peppers, and 5 ears of corn.  Good eating is back on the menu :)

I am going back to my unpacking now. I have been unpacking and organizing all week long. I hope to be done this weekend so I can get back in a regular routine and start looking for a job. I'm looking forward to finally being settled and getting to know this city, which so far I am loving. It's nice to be driving down the highway looking at farm land. My apartment complex is covered in trees, grass and squirrels. When I was driving down I-5 to get here I was thinking to myself, " Why did we leave Vegas again? What are we supposed to do on the weekends? Vegas has the best concerts and shows". But then I saw the sunset leaving Bakersfield. And then I saw the stars and realized that the lights of the strip weren't blocking them out and I knew we had made the right decision. I haven't had a single second thought since.

That's the sunset leaving Bakersfield and Chris driving a U-Haul with the Speedwagon towed on the back :)