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Relo-CATing

Cats! What did we do with them and how did it go? Having two dainty tri-pod kitties and one full blown ramblin’ man outdoors kitty, these are questions we’ve heard you want to know! As if traveling with a pet simply isn’t challenging enough, we had to navigate this scenario with three cats, a flight from Hawaii, 3 separate overnight stops over 4 days, and 50 hours cross country in our truck! Wowza! Pre-travel prep involved Rabies shots (not required in Hawaii), flight research (lots of varying travel regulations to and from Hawaii), and meeting pet travel bag regulations. We settled on a PetsKd Pop Out travel bag from Amazon https://a.co/d/6Km4qNV and it was perfect! The two small girls were in one and Bones had one all to themselves!

We have found over the years that Alaska Airlines is by far the most pet friendly airline from lenient pet rules and fees to accommodations such as early boarding. For this particular flight we opted for the legroom extension and it was 100% worth it! Plenty of room for each of us to have a kitty bag (extended out under the seat in front of us for extra room) and still enough leg space! A blessed tail wind on this particular day shortened our flight down from nearly 6 hours to 4 hours and 20 minutes. I think we ALL got lucky! After half of a little kitty xanax from their vet, all three were as mellow and relaxed as we could possibly have asked for during the entire flight!

Our short miracle flight took us into San Diego where we once again were blessed with a place to stay at my cousin’s home. All three cats were beyond ready to stretch their legs and after a good meal, settled in pretty quickly for the evening. Thanks Cate for such cozy accommodations!

After all of this, the hard part is just now begun. The 5 of us have 4 days to get to Asheville by our goal date and with 50 hours of road time ahead of us, we really didn’t know what to expect from three cats that have never experienced anything of this magnitude. Their world has been rocked! So, here we go….

A late start had us drive only about 6 hours the first night to Tucson, AZ where we settled into a Pet Friendly Country Inn & Suites for the evening. The cats were a little like kids! They explored and climbed all over everything, but we were happy to see they weren’t hiding in sign of being totally pissed off.

The next day on the road was the first of two demanding drives. 16 hours to Houston and though they were all pretty perfect for the first half, they were visibly restless for the second half. A small kitty litter box on the floor of the back seat allowed them all the ability to do as nature calls, when/if necessary (though we only had to pull over to immediately clean it out once), and they had fluffy beds and blankets galore! The back seat was definitely the most comfortable for this trip. Spoiled cats! I’ll admit it…..

We spent 2 nights in Houston and the cats had another pretty accommodating setup there as well! They went without nothing. Off for the third and final, yet most grueling leg of all of the drives and getting them all back into the car for this one was slightly more troublesome. Eventually we won and again, off we went for the final 24 hours of our travels. By this leg of the trip, all but Bones have completely submitted and accepted their fate. Bones, was determined to escape and become a truck stop kitty for life. Luckily for him, he was not successful and we pulled into our new home in Asheville on the 6th day of our trip.

Now the real fun began of making this new home comfortable for all of us. With Bears, Coyotes, and snakes, Bones has some indoor kitty acclimating to do! Luck be have it, we ended up with the perfect door already outfitted with a pet door, that goes out to the perfect Catio-sized concrete landing. This was the best resolution! Also an Amazon purchase, this was a housewarming gift from my Dad & Patsy (kitties say thanks Nana & Pop-Pop Lol! ) Though the entire build was full of screws that Steve had to tighten behind me and never mind needing to flip my upside down shelves and door hinges, I built it mostly by myself and the whole thing is pretty darn cool! Thanks to Steve for supervising day 2 (when we both realized I needed it) and the heavy lifting! The results are a literal breath of fresh air for all three cats and truly a victory worth celebrating!

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“Why Hello, Dumplin’!”

I’m calling out recommended Google spots when searching for “Breakfast near me” on my cell phone. Truth be told, they all sound compelling, but something about the name Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen and Bar, instantly pulled us in! We quickly realized approaching the downtown location that on a perfect spring Sunday morning in the mountains, you brunch, and so does everyone else. We consider that a good sign of a great choice to fill our stomachs and start our day with some feel good southern fare. Afterall, it IS our first Sunday in town. The host takes our name and phone number and recognizes the 808 area code. He spent several years on Oahu and in a beautiful combination of Aloha and Southern Hospitality, he expedited our seating and was as friendly as could be. I may never get rid of 808. The inside is just as delicious as the name and the aromas in the air. The architecture was dripping in old mountain charm with bare bones piping and rustic wooden beams on display everywhere you could see. While I’m in the restroom, our server Molly approaches Steve with a tray of mason jar water glasses and the warmest “Well hello Dumplin’.” By the time I returned, his cheeks were a rosy red and with an awkward smirk, he exclaimed to me that he had never been called Dumplin’ before. Welcome to the south. Something about this small gesture summed up this giant leap for us from Maui to the mountains of Western North Carolina. Dumplin’. We’re adding new words to our vocabulary and this is what each one of these adventures in our life together, has ultimately been about. Together, our hearts are a stewing pot of Eastern Ambition, Midwest Independance, Aloha Spirit, and eventually, Southern Charm.

That feeling of Southern Charm is slowly translating into our daily routine. Routine? What does that feel like!? We look forward to slowing down and adopting daily habits that enrich our lives in all of the ways. I’m drinking coffee, watering plants, and building Catio’s (more on that later)! Steve is NOT on his phone with customers all day and is actually sitting down to relax at the end of it. Who are we? I’m not sure, but I’m enjoying meeting this new side of Steve & Tracy!

Amongst the changes and added pleasures are accessibility to all of the things we have needed to furnish and fill our new home as well as grocery stores and restaurants. There are half a dozen ways to get anywhere and the parking spaces are HUGE! I didn’t know I missed wildlife just in general, but I have become that weirdo with bird seed in my pantry who enjoys watching the pairs of cardinals and blue jays feast with the squirrels in the mornings. Our cats like that part too! 6 months of car insurance cost us what one month cost in Hawaii and I won’t even mention how much cheaper groceries are. Everyone has been kind and hospitable and I believe we can say that so far we truly feel like this move is going to be a victory worth celebrating.