Tonight we went to my parents' for dinner. It was nice to get out of the house after staying in all day with a sick baby. I could tell she felt awful today, but she still smiled at me all day. Poor little thing. :-( She just beamed when she saw her Grammie. Love and kisses are the best medicine, right?
At dinner tonight, we got to talking about moving. We moved here almost 5 years ago from the DC area, knowing this would not be our permanent home. We are planning on moving with my parents in a year or 2 and we've started looking into different areas.
Jennie and I have sent a few e-mails back and forth and I asked her about where she lives in North Carolina. I was asking her if there was a Starbucks there, and she jokingly wrote back that there was, and since we had gotten that out of the way, she could proceed to tell me about the area. It got me thinking about places I couldn't live without. When I moved here, I had to do without a lot, since I was spoiled and came from an area with everything imaginable. Now, in Columbus, we have much more than we did a few years ago.
Ok, so here's my "couldn't live without" list:
Starbucks yes, they're like a cult and they charge way too much, but I can't live without them.
Pier 1 love, love, love their accessories!!! They are super chic!
Target my family calls this "my store", as in, "I went to your store today Hannah and bought . . . " yep, this is soooo my store, and I think they're pretty much everywhere these days.
big chain Italian place like an Olive Garden, Carraba's, etc.
an Indian restaurant and a Thai restaurant: if I was talented enough to make my own as good as they do, great! but I can't.
for the next move, here's what I'd like to have close by:
Williams-Sonoma
Whole Foods
PF Changs
Crate & Barrel
Teavana
What places could you not live without?
Posted by Hannah at October 24, 2006 12:01 AMlol, our lists are so similiar!!! In fact, we've lived in four different places around town since we've been married & each one has been close to a Starbucks.
But Target is a huge one too, Barnes & Noble, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, a good health food store, as silly as it may sound a nice mall, & really good Vietnamese. (I've been here almost five years & have yet to find a good Vietnamese restaurant - I survive by getting it when I'm home in Orlando!).
Posted by: Jessica at October 24, 2006 08:54 AMi'm with you. we have hardly anything here. no decent coffee...luckily we have a pier 1 and a target. i didn't have those in dalton. i would have to have an olive garden, outback and chilis (although i don't have those now!), an old navy (or preferrably, a mall), a bath and body works and from your list i'd have to add crate and barrel and whole foods (which i've heard is better than fresh market, one of my favorites). i wish we could at least move to kennesaw! hehe.
Posted by: cady at October 24, 2006 09:43 AMWe're getting a P.F. Chang's in Albany! I can't wait! :) I've heard such good things about them. We have most of those stores here in Albany, but they're a heck of a drive from where we live! :( That's good for our wallets, though. Hmm, places I couldn't live without ... a *good* craft store [A.C. Moore, Hobby Lobby]. An awesome coffee place [like Starbucks]. A good place to find clothes [Old Navy?]. A bath and body store [although I could just order online]. I'd love to have a Whole Foods nearby.
Posted by: Lisanne at October 24, 2006 12:01 PMSo whats behind this move? And why are you orchestrating it with your parents? Just curious. Totally love the idea by the way. I LOVE my in-laws and would love to live in the same city.
I vote for Charlotte, NC, but one of the suburbs like Rock Hill, SC. It has Starbucks, Target Best Buy lots of little stuff, and then just 20 minutes away is everything else on your list. Great Ethipian resturants too.
Posted by: alfredsmom at October 24, 2006 02:18 PMOk..let's see...um..sorry for those of you who have NO idea what/where I'm talking about..but here goes.. 1. Woolworths (upmarket grocery store chain), 2. Wimpy (fast food outlet that does GREAT 'sit-down and eat-in' breakfasts - just ask Supermom!) 3. The Spur (family restaurant PERFECT to take kids to) 4. Toys R US (for their babies r us section and the fabulous discount on nappies...) 5. Paperweight - they are a discount stationery and magazine type store - the bring in overseas mags that are a month or two old - but that they sell dirt cheap - they are awesome for any kind of prezzie or gift. Now..for things I wish I didn't have to do without (they're not in South Africa, but I WISH they were)...
1. Taco Bell (yo quiero taco bell?!)
2. Starbucks (yes they charge too much but YUM!)
3. Manhattan Bagel (especially the one in Ithaca, NY!
4. The Gap! (Oh their clothes are AWESOME!!! -and they fit me *SO* well)
5. Walmart! Everything under one roof - and all so cool.
I'm sure there're more but I'm on such a nostalgic trip right now (in my head) that I can't think of anymore.
6. Oh yes - any movie theatre where they serve butter on your popcorn - you can't get that here - and I miss it! (although my hips don't!)
Nice choices...not sure if I agree with the PF changs...there is one in New Orleans and I wan't impressed.
BTW Ben's guy said you will never want to eat Indian again after what he saw in their kitchen. Sorry.
I think he's serious, but I agree with the caution aspect. CAuse we both know he likes to jump in HEAD first, literally. So please council him!!!
Posted by: Rebecca at October 24, 2006 05:09 PMHi Hannah! I tried emailing you, but it wouldn't work. For some reason, my email is doing something weird. I told hubby about your chai recipe and he wanted me to make it, but now I can't find it. Would you mind emailing it to me? My email is mama@mamalovespapa.com Thanks!!!
Some places I could not live without:
Target- my favorite place EVER! Not only can you get normal household items, but make-up, jewerly, and cute, cheap clothes for me, hubby, and the boys, and shoes, too. Yay for Target!
Old Navy- love their great deals. Just got tons of cute clothes for the boys for 97 cents.
American Eagle- their jeans fit my lack of butt perfectly.
Cute, local, downtown boutique- The best clothes, ever. Can you tell I have a clothes theme going here. Moving on...
Costco- Our family's favorite place. We go here all the time for everything from fruit, to frozen food, bagels, toilet paper, water bottles. I love this place!
Trader Joe's- Organic and healthy food for cheap. Love it!
Pluto's- These are only in Northern California, which is why you should move here. The best salads and sandwiches. Really good, healthy food.
Seriously Hannah, we have everything on your list (Except maybe Teavana, I haven't heard of it...). Ever consider moving to Cali? The only downside is our crazy housing costs. But, we make up for it in quality of life! :)
Posted by: M at October 24, 2006 05:32 PMWe just got a P.F. Changs, but I haven't been yet. I would suggest moving here; it's so beautiful, but it's very similar to where you already live. That'd be so cool to just be able to pick up and move.
Posted by: Chas at October 24, 2006 07:43 PMgot all those places and more in my area... plus you would be close to Philly, Valley Forge, King-of-Prussia (2nd largest mall in the world), Reading (as in Reading Railroad and founded by William Penn), and lots of Amish to the south of me hehehe...
Posted by: Shannon O. at October 24, 2006 09:43 PMAww I'm sorry to heat little Olivia is sick. Hope she feels well soon!
Posted by: Ani at October 26, 2006 07:01 AM