Cars and Babies and Ebay oh my!

So this week has been fun! After driving to Stockton three times (about 45min away), Jesse and I purchased a car! It wasn't easy! Our budget ($3,000-$5,000) didn't lend itself well to finding non-shady cars. :) We looked primarily at Honda Civics, Toyota Corrollas, and a couple Chevy Malibu's. We searched Consumer Reports for the best rated cars with the best gas mileage, and these were it! So after trying a few out, we found one that fit the bill and paid cash for it (what an awesome feeling!) It is a 2001 white Honda Civic with 107K, 4 doors, no A/C (unfortunately) but a brand new CD player. It was listed for $5,999 at a used car dealership, but we got it for $3,000 including tax (9.25%!!), registration fees, etc. I'll post a pic of the car soon; right now Jesse is at school with it.

Our second biggest revelation for the week (only in order of when we found out) is that I am 1 month pregnant! This was very exciting when I first found out (and it still is), because I was feeling fine. But that all changed Sunday morning. Since Sunday, I have been so sick...was I this sick with Ella? I guess, but this feels 100x worse! I've been subsisting on Saltines and Sprite. Nothing sounds appetizing, expect I had a huge craving for cheese pizza. But then after I ate it, I couldn't even look at it! I also get nauseated when I think about doing things...like going on the computer (this is my first time since Sunday) or thinking about Christmas (which I'm trying to plan for)...did anyone experience this? It was like looking at the computer made me sick. So this afternoon, I'm feeling a bit better, but still pretty bad. I hope I can start being sick only in the mornings, so that I can have some relief during part of the day, because I don't know if I can do this for 2-3 more months!

So my last note is about Ebay....I wanted to share about a purse I bought on Ebay (I promptly threw my old purse away as we were driving away from Lynchburg) so I found this Marc Jacobs purse for only $38! I love the interior!
I'm also selling a pair of Kate Spade shoes and a pair of Cole Haan shoes on Ebay that I found at a thrift store...hoping to make a little $$! Here is the purse I bought:

and the shoes I'm selling:

Crossing my fingers! They were both in great condition, so we'll see how much I can make...fun to have something to do!
Lara

Re-orientation

Moving back to the Bay Area has not been like riding a bike...I didn't just snap my fingers and I'm picking up life where it left off.
 I haven't lived in this area in eight years, and wow, did I forget a lot! Even street names have been difficult to recall. I drive by stores and say, "Oh yea! I remember that!" Well, actually I didn't remember that; in fact, I don't remember a lot, and it seems Jesse may have a better time navigating this area than I will.
So while Jesse is orienting himself to the area, the new stores, banks, gas stations, short cuts, I am re-orienting myself to the friends and faces I knew, the memories I have, and my favorite hang-out spots.
I'm seeing this area in a whole new way. In high school I was interested in, let's see....my school, the mall, and cheap food. Other than that, I'm surprised at how little I know the area. A nice place to eat? I have no idea.... Nice aparment complexes? Couldn't name one... I know the places my family frequented, but I don't have memories on my own.
So as Jesse orients himself with classes, I am having my own orientation lesson, and it is taking longer than I thought!
The great thing about my forgetfulness is that the Bay Area has a newness that I wasn't expecting. I'm re-discovering it, yet I feel like I am discovering it for the first time. How very exciting!

The Beginning of Our Blog

 Though I'm a bit late on the blogger train, I guess there is nowhere else to start except at the beginning. So here is my first post; don't judge it too harshly. The design may be a bit girly, but I'm in love with vintage right now (who isn't?) and I love old maps...aren't they great?
So to recap how we came to this position of blogging, I will do a concise overview:
A year ago, Jesse began applying for doctorate programs. We looked at schools in LA, Boston, Chicago, New York, and SF Bay Area. We liked a lot of schools, but it became clear that with a two year old, we should look at schools near family. So that ruled out LA and Chicago, and Boston quickly followed (Jesse does have family in the Northeast, but still a few hours away). New York was an option for a while, but a school in Pleasant Hill, CA was  piquing Jesse's interest.
Around Christmas 2009, Jesse applied for one school: John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill. He was selected to interview, and flew from VA for a quick weekend trip in February. About a month later, he was informed that he had been accepted.
The decision to accept was difficult. From the beginning, I thought we should wait one more year. My business with Elisha, Petal Flower Company, was taking off, and we were just beginning to get on our feet financially. But we accepted, and six months later, here we are: in California.