Moving During a Pandemic + Two Dogs = Pand(og)emonium

Moving to a different state is ALWAYS stressful. It doesn't matter if you're doing it during the most perfect stretch of weather known to mankind, with the easiest car ride ever, and the world's best movers. The fact is moving SUCKS. Seriously, packing all of your life's belongings into boxes and leaving a place you've lived your entire life just doesn't fare well no matter the circumstances; but moving during a pandemic the likes of which the world hasn't seen in a hundred years- well that just BLOWS. Add two dogs, two cars, and 1,210 miles and it's bound to be a disaster.

Now, I'm being a little dramatic. Our car rides were actually fine. Our dogs did not get sick (more on this in a little) and we made it safely to Texas. Gracias a la virgencita de Guadalupe! The problem was all of the stops. We were driving through states that did not have a stay at home order and we were coming from a state with extremely strict policies and regulations. It was so strange getting out of Illinois and seeing very few people wearing a mask. (Shameless plug: WEAR A MASK, PEOPLE! Research shows its effective and inexpensive). I was terrified. I avoided touching anything and running to the bathroom became the bane of my existence. Eating out was hard too. Prior to moving, my husband and I had ordered takeout maybe 5 times during the entire stay at home order in Illinois. Even then, we always microwaved our food for 10 seconds and I wiped down anything that was considered acceptable. Clearly, this was no longer an option on the road and overcoming this new fear was difficult at first.

Update to current day Paulina: I no longer do this after our drive down here. Can't say I miss it though.

My biggest fear, though, was staying at a hotel. We ended up staying at two Candlewood Suites since they're mostly dog friendly. The first was the Candlewood suites in St. Robert, MO. The second was the Candlewood Suites in Plano North, Texas. (Side note: if you have dogs, I really recommend them). I must admit they were both very clean and enforced social distancing policies. This didn't matter to me, though. I came prepared for war! I brought in all my bleach wipes and disinfected everything and I really mean EVERYTHING. Can anyone else say they've cleaned a bathroom hotel where they were a guest? I can! 🙋🏽‍♀️I bet the cleaning crew never saw a room end up cleaner than when they left it.

For anyone staying in a hotel during a pandemic, do what makes you feel safe. This is what made me feel safe. I'm pretty sure my husband thought I lost it, though.

It wasn't just the pandemic that made our drive extra difficult. It was also driving down with two dogs. Anyone who has ever gone on a long car trip with dogs will tell you that it's super stressful. You have to stop often to let them out and to make sure they drink water. Plus, they get very stressed not knowing where they're going or what's happening so you have to give them extra love whenever possible.

As I mentioned earlier, luckily neither one of our dogs got sick, and they actually slept the majority of the way. However, my dogs are known to get carsick, especially Remy. My poor baby used to get carsick on the way to his vet 20 minutes away. So, we went to our vet prior to moving (sure enough, Remy got sick) and got them both Trazodone to help with any anxiety from being in the car and anti-nausea medication to prevent them from getting ill. Before starting the last stretch of our drive from Dallas to San Antonio (roughly 5 hours), we realized we had run out of anti-nausea medication for Remy and he was not going to make it. Even on anti-nausea medication, he spent the majority of his wakeful time in the car heavily panting and he was often the reason we stopped to let them out.

After having a full blown panic attack, I called our vet who told me they could not send a prescription because their licenses were not valid in Texas. However, la virgencita was watching out for us and we got extremely lucky this happened in Plano. My best friend from college just so happens to be a vet in Dallas. I called her and she was able to schedule us in, check Remy, and give us the necessary medication to make it to San Antonio vomit free. Now, I may be biased but 10/10 recommend Dr. Baldwin (calling her that is still so weird!!!). She even made Remy feel more comfortable and this little guy does not like going to the vet. Here is a picture of my favorite vet with my puppy.

While I could get into every little thing we did to stay safe (i.e., wearing gloves while getting gas, eating in our car, avoiding crowded places, going to bathrooms in odd places to avoid people), I won't because this blog would end up being crazy long. Just know - I do not recommend moving out of state in the middle of a pandemic.

If you liked this blog and want to hear more about my experience in Texas and the yummy food I eat and great books I read - don't forget to subscribe. Sending you all my love and don't forget to travel even if it's in your hometown, read a good book, and drink all the delicious rosé. Until next time!

-Pau