There is a location you can hike to in southern Utah at Arches National Park called Fiery Furnace. We weren't able to go on it last time because you can only go with a ranger and they were booked up. My understanding is that it really is not called that because of any heat issues or anything, but I think I have found another alternative "Fiery Furnace" hike and it takes you directly to Wichita, Kansas!
To say it's been warm is a understatement!! It was 104 in Wichita at 3p.m.! Yesterday was the same and I think the next three days have pretty much the same forecast! Thank heaven for air conditioning!
The last few days have been more of the same. More unpacking and getting organized, a stock up run to the grocery store, picked up a couple of kegs for the kegerator (SOOO many more choices in the state of Kansas!!!). Broke out the pressure washer to clean off the back patio - man I love that tool and the instant gratification it provides! Got the gas grill hooked up, fixed a couple of things on the pond, another round of recycling cardboard and packing paper, etc., etc., etc. Slowly but surely it's taking shape but I know this will be a long, slow process and am trying to be patient. Not my strongest asset!
George and I loaded in the car and headed to Mom's house in Pittsburg around 3:00. I discovered it's like when my kids were little and we would come visit and they would swarm all over the kids and sort of later remember that we were there too. I think Mom was more excited to meet George than to see me! George got to meet Foster, Mom 's pug. After a few little "not sure" moments early on, they seem to be getting along fine, even though George is about three times his size! He's not quite sure why this little snorter doesn't want to wrestle with him though!
We will head back to Wichita in the morning and Mom will see the new digs and hang out with us until Tuesday when I will bring her back. Jeff comes in tomorrow afternoon as well, with his friend Peter, so it will be fun to have our first company!
And it just makes sense that since we have been in the house about three weeks or so that we host a big get together for the holiday, right?! Yes, we're nuts! On Sunday we are having a whole host of family over for swimming and some BBQ - Mom, Mother- and Father-in-law, two sisters-in-law, six nieces and nephews and a handful of other family members! I know it will be a lot of fun, but seriously, what were we thinking?!
So after next week, it's time to get to business and start to get settled in. Brad doesn't start until July 15th so we have a little more time. I just have to keep reminding myself ....baby steps..... baby steps ..... it will get there.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Home Sweet Home
Well, it's official now and Brad and I are back in Wichita! We got back about 2:30 this afternoon. It was a great weekend but now it's time to get back to work!
I left on Friday and flew back to Salt Lake City for the finale weekend. I decided I should hit a few of my favorite places so had one last lunch at Red Iguana, probably one of the best Mexican restaurants I have eaten in - and than includes a lot of them in San Diego as well! They have some really unique dishes and everything always tastes amazing. This time around I went for a special dish I had not had before - Pistachio Mole chicken. I was not disappointed! Had a coupon to use up at a fun plant store that carries some unique stuff, so bought a few to bring back with me. Then it was off to our friends house for the evening and to spend the night. It was such a nice relaxing time and they are such gracious hosts. Must admit that I was not my usual party self as I had gotten three hours of sleep Thursday night, but I was forgiven.
Saturday found me doing home repair .... wait! This is not my house!! It's okay - I volunteered. The perils of noticing something not quite right and offering to make it so! Turns out this light had burnt out several years ago and they needed a new fixture..... which they ordered about a year ago...... and forgot about until a few weeks ago, but still hadn't hired someone to put it up. So the query of "what all do you do" included an answer of minor electrical work as long as it doesn't involve a breaker box. After two trips to the lighting store, I finally had all the right parts and 20 minutes later they had a new light up! And that pesky loose refrigerator door handle? Well, it got tightened too.
There was a party for Brad and I that night at their house and it was bittersweet to see so many good friends and say our goodbyes. There are a lot of good people we are leaving behind in Salt Lake City, but I know they will be fine and carry on, as will we. It was just really special to get to spend one last night with them. Matt and his girlfriend, Ginger, came as well and I must admit that the only time I cried all night was when I had to say goodbye to Matt. I didn't expect it to be as hard as it was, but he has been my companion for the last few years and I am so proud of the positive things he has in his life right now and all of the work he put into getting there. What more can a mother ask for? It will just be weird to not see him for weeks at a time now!
Sunday morning found Brad and I ....... a little regretful of our imbibing the night before (it was a party for us! What was I supposed to do, not drink?!) but we were anxious to hit the road. So we were packed and caffeinated up and on the road by 8. Long day of driving (and napping when I wasn't driving!) and we spent the night in Burlington, Colorado. The good news of driving further than we thought we would the first day is that the second day we only had to drive for about 6 hours and were home a little after 2!
Adam, the young man who stayed at the house, is a keeper! It's amazing what a few days of hard work can look like and he did a great job! The back yard looks so much better without all of the nasty interior chain link fencing and the planter box is gone - though a lot of the rock and the dirt still need to be moved. He put up a ceiling fan and tried to troubleshoot another (no luck). With reasonable rates to boot, it was money well spent!
So now, it's our turn. Time for Brad and I to spend a few days figuring out a little of "what goes where". I think in the kitchen I am going to end up moving everything around - every time I reach in for a dish it's not where I think it is, so I guess it's time to re-evaluate. Brad needs to settle in and next weekend it's our first round of company, so I think I may be spending most of my time trying to at least make things presentable! We'll see.
I'm sure in the days to come there will be more dog antics and adventures to tell, but for now, it's just time to map out the plan of attack for the next two and a half days until I go to Mom's house to get her! Oh yeah, we did go to a sporting goods store today and bought a couple of tennis rackets! THAT should be a hoot!!
I thought the most "serendipity" moment of the day happened a few miles across the Kansas border. We were listening to an NPR station that was actually doing a program called High Plains Morning, where they were playing a lot of folk music and the featured artist of the day was Emmy Lou Harris. We've always been fans and the first song that they played from her new album was one called "Home Sweet Home". It just doesn't get much more appropriate than that! Thanks for the welcome Emmy Lou!
I left on Friday and flew back to Salt Lake City for the finale weekend. I decided I should hit a few of my favorite places so had one last lunch at Red Iguana, probably one of the best Mexican restaurants I have eaten in - and than includes a lot of them in San Diego as well! They have some really unique dishes and everything always tastes amazing. This time around I went for a special dish I had not had before - Pistachio Mole chicken. I was not disappointed! Had a coupon to use up at a fun plant store that carries some unique stuff, so bought a few to bring back with me. Then it was off to our friends house for the evening and to spend the night. It was such a nice relaxing time and they are such gracious hosts. Must admit that I was not my usual party self as I had gotten three hours of sleep Thursday night, but I was forgiven.
Saturday found me doing home repair .... wait! This is not my house!! It's okay - I volunteered. The perils of noticing something not quite right and offering to make it so! Turns out this light had burnt out several years ago and they needed a new fixture..... which they ordered about a year ago...... and forgot about until a few weeks ago, but still hadn't hired someone to put it up. So the query of "what all do you do" included an answer of minor electrical work as long as it doesn't involve a breaker box. After two trips to the lighting store, I finally had all the right parts and 20 minutes later they had a new light up! And that pesky loose refrigerator door handle? Well, it got tightened too.
There was a party for Brad and I that night at their house and it was bittersweet to see so many good friends and say our goodbyes. There are a lot of good people we are leaving behind in Salt Lake City, but I know they will be fine and carry on, as will we. It was just really special to get to spend one last night with them. Matt and his girlfriend, Ginger, came as well and I must admit that the only time I cried all night was when I had to say goodbye to Matt. I didn't expect it to be as hard as it was, but he has been my companion for the last few years and I am so proud of the positive things he has in his life right now and all of the work he put into getting there. What more can a mother ask for? It will just be weird to not see him for weeks at a time now!
Sunday morning found Brad and I ....... a little regretful of our imbibing the night before (it was a party for us! What was I supposed to do, not drink?!) but we were anxious to hit the road. So we were packed and caffeinated up and on the road by 8. Long day of driving (and napping when I wasn't driving!) and we spent the night in Burlington, Colorado. The good news of driving further than we thought we would the first day is that the second day we only had to drive for about 6 hours and were home a little after 2!
Adam, the young man who stayed at the house, is a keeper! It's amazing what a few days of hard work can look like and he did a great job! The back yard looks so much better without all of the nasty interior chain link fencing and the planter box is gone - though a lot of the rock and the dirt still need to be moved. He put up a ceiling fan and tried to troubleshoot another (no luck). With reasonable rates to boot, it was money well spent!
So now, it's our turn. Time for Brad and I to spend a few days figuring out a little of "what goes where". I think in the kitchen I am going to end up moving everything around - every time I reach in for a dish it's not where I think it is, so I guess it's time to re-evaluate. Brad needs to settle in and next weekend it's our first round of company, so I think I may be spending most of my time trying to at least make things presentable! We'll see.
I'm sure in the days to come there will be more dog antics and adventures to tell, but for now, it's just time to map out the plan of attack for the next two and a half days until I go to Mom's house to get her! Oh yeah, we did go to a sporting goods store today and bought a couple of tennis rackets! THAT should be a hoot!!
I thought the most "serendipity" moment of the day happened a few miles across the Kansas border. We were listening to an NPR station that was actually doing a program called High Plains Morning, where they were playing a lot of folk music and the featured artist of the day was Emmy Lou Harris. We've always been fans and the first song that they played from her new album was one called "Home Sweet Home". It just doesn't get much more appropriate than that! Thanks for the welcome Emmy Lou!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
photos
Several people have asked for photos of the house. These are the photos from the real estate flyer, so the furniture is all theirs and no, I am not that good that it looks all settled yet!
.... I'm leaving, on a jet plane .....
Just thought I would do another blog entry before I pack my bags for one last fling back in Salt Lake City. They wanted to have a going away party for Brad for his work group and I had just intended to "phone in" my presence but they found that unacceptable and demanded that I come back. So I am catching a 6:30 a.m. flight and headed west.
The trickiest part of leaving so soon after moving here is finding someone to stay at the house with the dogs. Enter Adam. He is a friend of Brad's cousin's daughter (did you follow that?) and is a student at Wichita State and putting himself through school by doing odd jobs. So for the next four days, he is going to stay at the house and take care of the dogs and do work for me! I got a dumpster delivered and have BIG plans for this young man! Goodbye nasty chain link fencing on a old dog run, goodbye nasty old planter box out front that should never have been there, hello new ceiling fan! He is studying electrical engineering and it turns out at the ripe old age of 19 that he is already a licensed electrician! Jackpot!!! My house is an electrical mystery in certain spots! I think I will be seeing more of Adam this fall - he can dog sit on football weekends and do work! Hooray. The funniest part is that he was going to stay with a friend tonight (he had gone home for the summer but came here to do the work for me) but the friend had to go out of town, so he's hanging here with us tonight! Very nice young man and easy to be around. Dogs seem to like him too so this is totally win-win so far!
The house is coming along and I keep trying to frantically get everything in at least somewhat the right spot before I leave. Seriously, am I nuts?! This is impossible in a house this size, alone, in a short period of time. You would think I would stop trying, but nope. I keep going. Well, I have done the best that I could for now and I think it's enough.
And I am discovering another joy of being back in Kansas - - I can host a holiday! Brad and I should get back on Monday night and then on Thursday I am going to drive to Pittsburg to pick up my mom and bring her back for the 4th of July weekend!! Jeff is going to be come Friday to Monday and a friend of his is coming too, so I will have three house guests amidst all of the chaos! Hooray! Going to even try to put together a little shindig with the in-laws and Brad's sister and her kids too.
I know I haven't written much lately about the actual moving process of the adventures that have been going on, but as opposed to those first few days when we discovered all of the "not so nice" surprises, I have now discovered a few fun ones. Like how Brad, apparently not knowing he already bought some, kept buying more running shoes that he liked. It was only in the unpacking that we have discovered that he should be set for several years now! Or how I apparently have a bazillion candles! I like them but rarely burn them so now as I unpack, I am shocked at how many I have! Time to find the lighter and get to it. But please, if you are contemplating giving me a house warming gift, please don't give me candle!!!!
And then there was the ice maker (yeah - there is an actual ice machine in the bar area - one of Brad's favorite features in the house I think as he is an ice freak!). I went to get some ice last night and thought I saw something in the back. Afraid of what it might be, I washed my hands and tentatively dug in. Low and behold, I found two bottles of beer and Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper!!! Definitely ice cold! Okay, so the beers were non-alcoholic, but I have always wanted to try one. Verdict: drink water if you don't want real beer!
But the best surprise was in the workshop yesterday. I went in to use the utility sink after doing some painting and turns out they left me some liquid soap. But not just ANY liquid soap! I am now the proud owner of Sesame Street soap! It's called "Foamy Elmo Hand Soap! That's right - not foaming, but foamy!!! Love it. AND it just gets better and better - it's watermelon scented!!! How cool is that. Anyone else out there have any foamy watermelon scented soap? I didn't think so!
So it's time to sign off. Tucker is at my feet, which isn't nearly as romantic as it sounds. He's under the desk shaking because it's thunder and lightning outside! He is really not to sure about these Kansas digs!!! I keep telling him his boy Jeff is coming to visit soon so just be patient and it will all be better. Not sure if I will be back on here until I get back Monday night but who knows! Must admit that I am actually looking forward to four days of no manual labor!
Later!
The trickiest part of leaving so soon after moving here is finding someone to stay at the house with the dogs. Enter Adam. He is a friend of Brad's cousin's daughter (did you follow that?) and is a student at Wichita State and putting himself through school by doing odd jobs. So for the next four days, he is going to stay at the house and take care of the dogs and do work for me! I got a dumpster delivered and have BIG plans for this young man! Goodbye nasty chain link fencing on a old dog run, goodbye nasty old planter box out front that should never have been there, hello new ceiling fan! He is studying electrical engineering and it turns out at the ripe old age of 19 that he is already a licensed electrician! Jackpot!!! My house is an electrical mystery in certain spots! I think I will be seeing more of Adam this fall - he can dog sit on football weekends and do work! Hooray. The funniest part is that he was going to stay with a friend tonight (he had gone home for the summer but came here to do the work for me) but the friend had to go out of town, so he's hanging here with us tonight! Very nice young man and easy to be around. Dogs seem to like him too so this is totally win-win so far!
The house is coming along and I keep trying to frantically get everything in at least somewhat the right spot before I leave. Seriously, am I nuts?! This is impossible in a house this size, alone, in a short period of time. You would think I would stop trying, but nope. I keep going. Well, I have done the best that I could for now and I think it's enough.
And I am discovering another joy of being back in Kansas - - I can host a holiday! Brad and I should get back on Monday night and then on Thursday I am going to drive to Pittsburg to pick up my mom and bring her back for the 4th of July weekend!! Jeff is going to be come Friday to Monday and a friend of his is coming too, so I will have three house guests amidst all of the chaos! Hooray! Going to even try to put together a little shindig with the in-laws and Brad's sister and her kids too.
I know I haven't written much lately about the actual moving process of the adventures that have been going on, but as opposed to those first few days when we discovered all of the "not so nice" surprises, I have now discovered a few fun ones. Like how Brad, apparently not knowing he already bought some, kept buying more running shoes that he liked. It was only in the unpacking that we have discovered that he should be set for several years now! Or how I apparently have a bazillion candles! I like them but rarely burn them so now as I unpack, I am shocked at how many I have! Time to find the lighter and get to it. But please, if you are contemplating giving me a house warming gift, please don't give me candle!!!!
And then there was the ice maker (yeah - there is an actual ice machine in the bar area - one of Brad's favorite features in the house I think as he is an ice freak!). I went to get some ice last night and thought I saw something in the back. Afraid of what it might be, I washed my hands and tentatively dug in. Low and behold, I found two bottles of beer and Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper!!! Definitely ice cold! Okay, so the beers were non-alcoholic, but I have always wanted to try one. Verdict: drink water if you don't want real beer!
But the best surprise was in the workshop yesterday. I went in to use the utility sink after doing some painting and turns out they left me some liquid soap. But not just ANY liquid soap! I am now the proud owner of Sesame Street soap! It's called "Foamy Elmo Hand Soap! That's right - not foaming, but foamy!!! Love it. AND it just gets better and better - it's watermelon scented!!! How cool is that. Anyone else out there have any foamy watermelon scented soap? I didn't think so!
So it's time to sign off. Tucker is at my feet, which isn't nearly as romantic as it sounds. He's under the desk shaking because it's thunder and lightning outside! He is really not to sure about these Kansas digs!!! I keep telling him his boy Jeff is coming to visit soon so just be patient and it will all be better. Not sure if I will be back on here until I get back Monday night but who knows! Must admit that I am actually looking forward to four days of no manual labor!
Later!
Monday, June 20, 2011
More soon, I promise!!
You know, I really do need to blog earlier in the day! By this time of night I am beat and can't even think straight so not sure I want to write much! My apologies for being delinquent lately but had no internet service from Saturday to this morning. I promise I will try to catch you all up in the next few days. Working pretty much from eyes open to eyes shut so that there will be visible results when Brad gets back - determined to get settled in as quickly as I can this time around!! Fortunately most of the shocking discoveries seem to have been already "found" (or at least I sure hope so!), so now it's just time to figure out a game plan and the budget on what I can do for the "first round". Getting the feeling there will be a several "rounds" to get his place into the shape I know it can be. The really nice part for me is that I can see what I want the end result to be and what I know it CAN be, and I haven't lost my enthusiasm for that.
I know a few of you have asked for pictures of the place so I promise I will try to get some posted on here in the next couple of days! I have been so task oriented that I guess that part didn't occur to me to post - sorry! I will grab the camera in the morning and snap away!
I know a few of you have asked for pictures of the place so I promise I will try to get some posted on here in the next couple of days! I have been so task oriented that I guess that part didn't occur to me to post - sorry! I will grab the camera in the morning and snap away!
Friday, June 17, 2011
First Week Follies
Thought I'd better check in again so you all didn't think I had somehow vanished! I guess the last few days have been more about the "doing" than the "writing".
We're getting there. It's amazing how much stuff we have - or at least that's how it seems when I have to unpack it all! I have made two runs to the recycling center with my truck packed full of boxes and paper and I know there will be several more trips to follow. At least I can feel good about recycling all of the materials.
Brad flew back to Salt Lake City yesterday to finish out the things he needed to do at work there. I will join him next Friday and then the two of us will drive his car back here and be here for keeps. In his absence I am determined to make a huge dent in the unpacking/organizing front. The guys should be done with removing all of the popcorn ceilings and repainting the new surface today so I am going to try to at least get boxes in the rooms where they will go. That will help! The garage floor looks great and yesterday I bought paint to paint the dingy walls out there, so by the end of the weekend at least my garage will look good! Go figure - the first room I actually get done and organized will be the garage! Getting estimates for some new fencing and have to find someone to clean up some trees but at least it feels like progress!
The dogs continue to entertain me on a daily basis. Madison has become a crazed huntress in the back yard and her new hobby seems to be treeing squirrels. She will zoom after them and then sit there looking up the tree at them for what seems like hours! Brad and I think she has actually lost weight since we got here because she is doing so much chasing and doesn't even want to finish her meals! Tucker is not too sure about this move, but hopefully he will get there. I remember that the move to Utah was hard on him the first month too, so I am giving him time. He's definitely not a fan of thunder and lightning, and we've had at least three storms in the first week. We had a big upholstered chair that we were going to get rid of several years ago but Tucker sort of adopted it, so needless to say, he was very happy when they loaded that thing off the truck! He's finding all of his hiding spaces that he goes to when the weather gets bad, so I just have to go hunting for him.
George ...... is George. I am not sure there is anything that really bothers George, except not being with people. He loves the new place! He is rearranging the firewood (all over the back yard), is very intrigued with the the pond, finds at least three tennis balls a day somehow in that back yard, hung out with the guys cleaning the pool yesterday, and yesterday decided to try his hand at basketball with an old one he found in the yard. Needless to say, the basketball did not fare well and has huge pieces missing out of it. It's hard to feed the fish when he's out because he keeps trying to eat the fish food out of the pond - he actually misjudged one time and his back half slipped in! I think every day is a good day for George! We should all try to be like him!
So today is more unpacking, more trying to figure out where things go and if I am lucky maybe a little painting, just to break up the monotony of unpacking. My friend Deb from high school who lives here in Wichita is going to come over and see the new digs after she gets off work, so that part of moving back is really fun: reconnecting with old friends!
Oh yeah - and later I will go on a key safari! The previous owners basically left a handful of keys and other than the front door, I have no idea what any of them are for! Figure today is the day I try to see if any of them fit anything! All I know is that NONE of them seem to work on the workshop door since I tried to find that one to use for the workers! And from what I can tell, if I can find them..... I seem to have a house and barn in Augusta and some sort of car that they left me the keys to! Sweet!!! Wish me luck!
We're getting there. It's amazing how much stuff we have - or at least that's how it seems when I have to unpack it all! I have made two runs to the recycling center with my truck packed full of boxes and paper and I know there will be several more trips to follow. At least I can feel good about recycling all of the materials.
Brad flew back to Salt Lake City yesterday to finish out the things he needed to do at work there. I will join him next Friday and then the two of us will drive his car back here and be here for keeps. In his absence I am determined to make a huge dent in the unpacking/organizing front. The guys should be done with removing all of the popcorn ceilings and repainting the new surface today so I am going to try to at least get boxes in the rooms where they will go. That will help! The garage floor looks great and yesterday I bought paint to paint the dingy walls out there, so by the end of the weekend at least my garage will look good! Go figure - the first room I actually get done and organized will be the garage! Getting estimates for some new fencing and have to find someone to clean up some trees but at least it feels like progress!
The dogs continue to entertain me on a daily basis. Madison has become a crazed huntress in the back yard and her new hobby seems to be treeing squirrels. She will zoom after them and then sit there looking up the tree at them for what seems like hours! Brad and I think she has actually lost weight since we got here because she is doing so much chasing and doesn't even want to finish her meals! Tucker is not too sure about this move, but hopefully he will get there. I remember that the move to Utah was hard on him the first month too, so I am giving him time. He's definitely not a fan of thunder and lightning, and we've had at least three storms in the first week. We had a big upholstered chair that we were going to get rid of several years ago but Tucker sort of adopted it, so needless to say, he was very happy when they loaded that thing off the truck! He's finding all of his hiding spaces that he goes to when the weather gets bad, so I just have to go hunting for him.
George ...... is George. I am not sure there is anything that really bothers George, except not being with people. He loves the new place! He is rearranging the firewood (all over the back yard), is very intrigued with the the pond, finds at least three tennis balls a day somehow in that back yard, hung out with the guys cleaning the pool yesterday, and yesterday decided to try his hand at basketball with an old one he found in the yard. Needless to say, the basketball did not fare well and has huge pieces missing out of it. It's hard to feed the fish when he's out because he keeps trying to eat the fish food out of the pond - he actually misjudged one time and his back half slipped in! I think every day is a good day for George! We should all try to be like him!
So today is more unpacking, more trying to figure out where things go and if I am lucky maybe a little painting, just to break up the monotony of unpacking. My friend Deb from high school who lives here in Wichita is going to come over and see the new digs after she gets off work, so that part of moving back is really fun: reconnecting with old friends!
Oh yeah - and later I will go on a key safari! The previous owners basically left a handful of keys and other than the front door, I have no idea what any of them are for! Figure today is the day I try to see if any of them fit anything! All I know is that NONE of them seem to work on the workshop door since I tried to find that one to use for the workers! And from what I can tell, if I can find them..... I seem to have a house and barn in Augusta and some sort of car that they left me the keys to! Sweet!!! Wish me luck!
Monday, June 13, 2011
D'Oh!!!!!
Another day, a few more adventures! Woke early (as seems to be the norm these days) and got to work lugging all of the empty boxes and papers outside. Just couldn't stand seeing them in the house any more and figured this would at least make me feel like I was getting somewhere! I knew it was going to be a busy day so was just hoping that it was going to be a productive one as well. The guys finished the nice epoxy coating on the garage floor this morning, so that's a plus. We can walk on it tomorrow and drive on a day or so after that. FINALLY I will be able to use that nice big garage!
Next came the yard guys. Sure seemed like they were out there for a while, mowing, edging, etc. Made me really think about whether it will be worth it to do it myself or just continue to pay them! For this season at least, they win.
By 8:30 or so the next moving van was here. Hooray! Finally all of my things in are in one place! They got everything else unloaded - mostly garage, workshop and outdoor things but a few indoor things as well. They were gone by noon or so.
And in that same time frame the guys who are going to be removing that popcorn ceiling texture from some of the last remaining rooms arrived. Prepped, laid dropcloths, lugged in all kinds of equipment and stuff - and then apparently took about a 3 hour lunch or so!!! By day's end, one room had been scraped. Sure hoping that the plan is for more intensive work tomorrow or this could be a very long process!
But the grand attraction for the day was the appearance of the air conditioning repair man! He came earlier than expected and wasn't here all that long before it was all up and running. The really frustrating part is that it was something pretty darn simple that I wish someone had thought to have me check before four days had passed with no A/C. Turns out there is a power switch on the heater that has to be left on for the A/C to work and on both units someone had flipped them off!!! He tells me the design is so that they can be serviced, but people often switch them off by accident when they are looking for light switches. Would have been nice if he had told me to check that last Thursday! He went ahead and checked the units and the freon and everything, so for now we are good to go! It was truly a "D'Oh!!!!" moment though!
The rest of the day is a blur of unpacking boxes and moving things from point A to point B. Got most of the stuff delivered today in the general vicinity of where it needs to be but will worry about particulars later. I think the plan for tomorrow is another day of unpacking - hitting the master bedroom hard so we can get that squared away. All in all no complaints. Everything is here...... only a few minor damage claims to make .... the air in the house is cool ...... the dogs are happily napping on the floor.
Time for a cold beer and then off to bed. Feels a bit like groundhog day around here these days, but soon enough the fun part begins. I am thinking that tomorrow I am going to head to the pool store to buy a floating lounge chair. All in favor, say "aye"!!!
Next came the yard guys. Sure seemed like they were out there for a while, mowing, edging, etc. Made me really think about whether it will be worth it to do it myself or just continue to pay them! For this season at least, they win.
By 8:30 or so the next moving van was here. Hooray! Finally all of my things in are in one place! They got everything else unloaded - mostly garage, workshop and outdoor things but a few indoor things as well. They were gone by noon or so.
And in that same time frame the guys who are going to be removing that popcorn ceiling texture from some of the last remaining rooms arrived. Prepped, laid dropcloths, lugged in all kinds of equipment and stuff - and then apparently took about a 3 hour lunch or so!!! By day's end, one room had been scraped. Sure hoping that the plan is for more intensive work tomorrow or this could be a very long process!
But the grand attraction for the day was the appearance of the air conditioning repair man! He came earlier than expected and wasn't here all that long before it was all up and running. The really frustrating part is that it was something pretty darn simple that I wish someone had thought to have me check before four days had passed with no A/C. Turns out there is a power switch on the heater that has to be left on for the A/C to work and on both units someone had flipped them off!!! He tells me the design is so that they can be serviced, but people often switch them off by accident when they are looking for light switches. Would have been nice if he had told me to check that last Thursday! He went ahead and checked the units and the freon and everything, so for now we are good to go! It was truly a "D'Oh!!!!" moment though!
The rest of the day is a blur of unpacking boxes and moving things from point A to point B. Got most of the stuff delivered today in the general vicinity of where it needs to be but will worry about particulars later. I think the plan for tomorrow is another day of unpacking - hitting the master bedroom hard so we can get that squared away. All in all no complaints. Everything is here...... only a few minor damage claims to make .... the air in the house is cool ...... the dogs are happily napping on the floor.
Time for a cold beer and then off to bed. Feels a bit like groundhog day around here these days, but soon enough the fun part begins. I am thinking that tomorrow I am going to head to the pool store to buy a floating lounge chair. All in favor, say "aye"!!!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Squirrels and mosquitos and bats ....oh my!
Like I said last time, never a dull moment! I am however wishing there could be a few! Sorry for the length between postings but it appears that we are STILL working on getting internet at the house, even though the guy was here twice. I am actually sitting using Brad's laptop but it was Brad who found a way to make it work. Comcast is coming back on Wednesday! At least we do have TV now. No phone, but hey, who am I to complain!
Still no A/C. We feel very fortunate that the weather has actually been rather cool the last few days and we have manged to get by. It's not been FUN but it has been tolerable. We start off early and by mid-afternoon usually go do errands to get in some cool air, then stick fans in every window we can in the night time and it's been okay.
Like I said, great house and we love it but it's been a bit surprising the shape some things are in. For a nice home, they really weren't much on maintenance and there are a lot of things that are in worse shape than we thought. Nothing too major but we are quickly seeing that our priorities for our initial remodeling budget may be spent more on getting things up to snuff than actually making too many changes.
I think I left off last time just after the moving van left. Well, truck load number two arrives in the morning so Brad and I have been working as fast as we can to get stuff cleared to make room for this round of goodies. The guy who is scraping the popcorn texture off of the ceilings starts tomorrow morning as well, and we are having an appraiser from the insurance company come at the same time as all of that. Throw in a visit from the pool guy and HOPEFULLY the A/C guys and it should be a crazy day!
It's been mostly work and falling into bed exhausted at night. My in-laws have been real life savers and have brought us dinner the first few nights and enough leftovers for lunch the next day. The dogs are adjusting, though I think interestingly enough it's been the hardest in some ways for Madison. She seems really confused and out of synch. Tucker is just Tucker and as we expected - while we love the night showers that cool it off for us, he has been having a tough time. George is just George and as long as he can be with us, it's all good. Both he and Madison have gotten out of the yard once already, so new fencing is moving quickly up the priority list!!
Took our inaugural dip in the pool and must say it was pretty refreshing,. We couldn't get Tucker to come out, so he didn't swim but Madison LOVES the water so getting her in was no trick at all. Poor George kept running around the edges trying to play with everyone and looking like he really WANTED to get in, but couldn't bring himself to do it. Sure enough, at one point, he sort of fell in! Not exactly pretty and it appears that instead of a doggie paddle technique that he uses more of a "bloodhound floundering" method!! Not sure he will be too eager to try it again and not sure we will encourage it all that much! As Brad said, that's about the ugliest dog swimming talent he has ever seen!
I know there are a million things I have thought about blogging about, but honestly, when it gets to this time of day., I am beat. I was going to make some comment about how it must be required that if there were a single pair of shoes in any box that the packers must be required to write "shoes" on the box. I was afraid that if someone were to break into my house that they would think Imelda Marcos was moving in! It was rather comical!
Oh yeah - the title for today. Squirrels ... there are many in my yard and they seem to be Madison's new favorite thing. She will tree them and then sit at the base and look at them for what seems like forever. I just hope she doesn't catch them! Mosquitoes...... I am guessing that there is something I emit that says "fresh meat" since I seem to be the landing pad for every one in a one mile radius! I go to take trash out - I am bit. Every bite swells. I look like a lumpy, sweaty old lady! Bats ..... wasn't going to fess up to this one but it was pretty funny. Last night we were sitting out by the pool at the end of the day and something kept darting and flying low and George was just going nuts. After a minute, Brad said he thought it was a bat by the way it was flying. Ugh! Ick! Yuck! He tried to explain to me that they were beneficial and ate the insects, but all I could think of was ugh .... ick..... yuck!
So that's my life in Kansas to this point. I had kind of forgotten about all of the critters and insects and all of those lovely things. It's okay though. Tomorrow is a new day! Just cross your fingers that I get A/C soon or my keyboard might melt and I won't be able to blog anymore!!
Still no A/C. We feel very fortunate that the weather has actually been rather cool the last few days and we have manged to get by. It's not been FUN but it has been tolerable. We start off early and by mid-afternoon usually go do errands to get in some cool air, then stick fans in every window we can in the night time and it's been okay.
Like I said, great house and we love it but it's been a bit surprising the shape some things are in. For a nice home, they really weren't much on maintenance and there are a lot of things that are in worse shape than we thought. Nothing too major but we are quickly seeing that our priorities for our initial remodeling budget may be spent more on getting things up to snuff than actually making too many changes.
I think I left off last time just after the moving van left. Well, truck load number two arrives in the morning so Brad and I have been working as fast as we can to get stuff cleared to make room for this round of goodies. The guy who is scraping the popcorn texture off of the ceilings starts tomorrow morning as well, and we are having an appraiser from the insurance company come at the same time as all of that. Throw in a visit from the pool guy and HOPEFULLY the A/C guys and it should be a crazy day!
It's been mostly work and falling into bed exhausted at night. My in-laws have been real life savers and have brought us dinner the first few nights and enough leftovers for lunch the next day. The dogs are adjusting, though I think interestingly enough it's been the hardest in some ways for Madison. She seems really confused and out of synch. Tucker is just Tucker and as we expected - while we love the night showers that cool it off for us, he has been having a tough time. George is just George and as long as he can be with us, it's all good. Both he and Madison have gotten out of the yard once already, so new fencing is moving quickly up the priority list!!
Took our inaugural dip in the pool and must say it was pretty refreshing,. We couldn't get Tucker to come out, so he didn't swim but Madison LOVES the water so getting her in was no trick at all. Poor George kept running around the edges trying to play with everyone and looking like he really WANTED to get in, but couldn't bring himself to do it. Sure enough, at one point, he sort of fell in! Not exactly pretty and it appears that instead of a doggie paddle technique that he uses more of a "bloodhound floundering" method!! Not sure he will be too eager to try it again and not sure we will encourage it all that much! As Brad said, that's about the ugliest dog swimming talent he has ever seen!
I know there are a million things I have thought about blogging about, but honestly, when it gets to this time of day., I am beat. I was going to make some comment about how it must be required that if there were a single pair of shoes in any box that the packers must be required to write "shoes" on the box. I was afraid that if someone were to break into my house that they would think Imelda Marcos was moving in! It was rather comical!
Oh yeah - the title for today. Squirrels ... there are many in my yard and they seem to be Madison's new favorite thing. She will tree them and then sit at the base and look at them for what seems like forever. I just hope she doesn't catch them! Mosquitoes...... I am guessing that there is something I emit that says "fresh meat" since I seem to be the landing pad for every one in a one mile radius! I go to take trash out - I am bit. Every bite swells. I look like a lumpy, sweaty old lady! Bats ..... wasn't going to fess up to this one but it was pretty funny. Last night we were sitting out by the pool at the end of the day and something kept darting and flying low and George was just going nuts. After a minute, Brad said he thought it was a bat by the way it was flying. Ugh! Ick! Yuck! He tried to explain to me that they were beneficial and ate the insects, but all I could think of was ugh .... ick..... yuck!
So that's my life in Kansas to this point. I had kind of forgotten about all of the critters and insects and all of those lovely things. It's okay though. Tomorrow is a new day! Just cross your fingers that I get A/C soon or my keyboard might melt and I won't be able to blog anymore!!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Where do I start?!?!?
Well, there never seems to be a dull moment involved with this move! The dogs and I arrived safely in Wichita about 10 a.m. on Thursday, in time to do the walk through our agent. Things pretty much in order though there is always a few surprises. The dogs seemed happy to be out of the car and promptly began zooming through the house. They christened the yard and once I let them in the back yard, it took about thirty seconds for two of them to be in the pool! (no sure of George's swimming abilities yet!) Turns out there are some ducks and an egret that will have to change their flight habits and avoid our yard or suffer the three dog wrath. The white egret was beautiful but when I saw him peck into the koi pond and snack on one of my fish, he had to go!
So I dried off the dogs and hC eaded to the airport to pick up Brad who amazingly arrived on time from D.C. Hooray! Now the Big Dog Transporter was now the Wet Dog Transporter! It just gets nastier and nastier! We grabbed some BBQ for lunch and then headed to sign the papers for the house. I had noted earlier that the house seemed a bit warm and that when we checked the A/C unit outside it was not running, so they called the home warranty people and made a claim for the previous owners to cover the service call. There are two units that cool the house so my thoughts were that it was not a HUGE deal to be without A/C since part of the house was cool. Guess what - the other unit stopped working too!!! Hooray - a new house and NO A/C! To add to the fun, my realtor is leaving a Greek cruise today. We are in good hands though as the lady that runs the company has our back.
So once we get to the house, the guy that is going to epoxy the garage floor shows up and starts right away. He rocks. We were trying to beat the moving van, but as we are closing I got a call from the driver, saying he will be there at 7 a.m.!! Hard to complain about that.
So my mother-in-law, father-in-law and sister-in-law were going to come over and we were going to order pizza and hang out in the house and show them around. (plus this way they could bring us some fans!) About 30 minutes or so after they arrived we were given a grand Kansas welcome - we are now under a tornado warning and lo and behold a few minutes later the blare of the sirens tells us to head for the basement. Turns out no stinking tornado warning will stop Papa Murphy's from delivering, so we ate dinner the first night home in the basement, sitting on lawn chairs! Every time we thought it was okay to come upstairs the sirens went off again! After what happened in Joplin, we listen now!
But poor Tucker was not happy. We put his dog bed in the safe room (basically a concrete room in the basement) and he just laid in there and panted and drooled all evening long. Welcome to Kansas Big Boy! It'll be okay, I promise,
So last night we slept on the floor in sleeping bags with fans blowing on us. Woke at about 6:30 and waited for the moving van. The crew arrived and went right to work. They were done by about 2 and Brad and I are sitting at Granite City Brewery drinking a beer and using their free WiFi. Next we are headed to a hardware store for a few supplies that it appears we need - sure hoping those bulbs are burned out or I have no idea where the switches are!! I have never seen a house with so many wall switches that I have NO IDEA what they go to!!!! This house is turning into an adventure already. Oh yeah - forgot to mention that some of the kitchen lights appear to need an electrician and there are so many missing screens I lost count. And the microwave - really - where di that go?! And don't even get me started on the pond pump that is not working after the big rain last night! Can you say thank god for the home warranty?!?!?!?
So beyond that, it's good!!! Dogs love the yard and have been great. Love the house and can't wait to get settled and start having fun with it. Just need a little A/C as I unpack and life is good! Time to hook up the kegerator!! Now George......... about that dead rabbit in the back yard ....... we need ti have a talk young man ......
So I dried off the dogs and hC eaded to the airport to pick up Brad who amazingly arrived on time from D.C. Hooray! Now the Big Dog Transporter was now the Wet Dog Transporter! It just gets nastier and nastier! We grabbed some BBQ for lunch and then headed to sign the papers for the house. I had noted earlier that the house seemed a bit warm and that when we checked the A/C unit outside it was not running, so they called the home warranty people and made a claim for the previous owners to cover the service call. There are two units that cool the house so my thoughts were that it was not a HUGE deal to be without A/C since part of the house was cool. Guess what - the other unit stopped working too!!! Hooray - a new house and NO A/C! To add to the fun, my realtor is leaving a Greek cruise today. We are in good hands though as the lady that runs the company has our back.
So once we get to the house, the guy that is going to epoxy the garage floor shows up and starts right away. He rocks. We were trying to beat the moving van, but as we are closing I got a call from the driver, saying he will be there at 7 a.m.!! Hard to complain about that.
So my mother-in-law, father-in-law and sister-in-law were going to come over and we were going to order pizza and hang out in the house and show them around. (plus this way they could bring us some fans!) About 30 minutes or so after they arrived we were given a grand Kansas welcome - we are now under a tornado warning and lo and behold a few minutes later the blare of the sirens tells us to head for the basement. Turns out no stinking tornado warning will stop Papa Murphy's from delivering, so we ate dinner the first night home in the basement, sitting on lawn chairs! Every time we thought it was okay to come upstairs the sirens went off again! After what happened in Joplin, we listen now!
But poor Tucker was not happy. We put his dog bed in the safe room (basically a concrete room in the basement) and he just laid in there and panted and drooled all evening long. Welcome to Kansas Big Boy! It'll be okay, I promise,
So last night we slept on the floor in sleeping bags with fans blowing on us. Woke at about 6:30 and waited for the moving van. The crew arrived and went right to work. They were done by about 2 and Brad and I are sitting at Granite City Brewery drinking a beer and using their free WiFi. Next we are headed to a hardware store for a few supplies that it appears we need - sure hoping those bulbs are burned out or I have no idea where the switches are!! I have never seen a house with so many wall switches that I have NO IDEA what they go to!!!! This house is turning into an adventure already. Oh yeah - forgot to mention that some of the kitchen lights appear to need an electrician and there are so many missing screens I lost count. And the microwave - really - where di that go?! And don't even get me started on the pond pump that is not working after the big rain last night! Can you say thank god for the home warranty?!?!?!?
So beyond that, it's good!!! Dogs love the yard and have been great. Love the house and can't wait to get settled and start having fun with it. Just need a little A/C as I unpack and life is good! Time to hook up the kegerator!! Now George......... about that dead rabbit in the back yard ....... we need ti have a talk young man ......
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Rice, rice baby
Another day, another adventure! The dogs and I are now ensconced safely in a Motel 6 in Salina, Kansas. It's only about 90 minutes or so from Wichita but I knew I needed to stay in a motel tonight anyway, so why not here.I was sick of the car and this way we had some time to settle in and only have a short drive tomorrow. Have to be at the house for a walk through at 10, pick up Brad at the airport at 11 and sign the papers at 1. Ain't no big deal .......just another day!
Pretty much spent the day on the road. Dogs actually did great. We pretty much stopped at rest areas and large truck stops where we could be on the far end of a large parking lot next to a grassy area. No frantic squirrel chasing today and actually rarely used a leash. Yeah dogs!
It was kind of comical in the car today. I realized that Madison, my little chocolate Lab had not had a turn in the front seat so gave her the seat of honor to start the day. Might have been a mistake as she didn't seem to want to relinquish it the rest of the day. Suddenly there was a turf war for the front seat all day!! At one point I came back from the rest room to find Madison and George BOTH in the front passenger seat!! Trying to reason with dogs is sort of life trying to reason with toddlers! I told them that there was no way it was going to work as they couldn't lay down. They just looked at me. Finally I tried to move Madison to the back, which is pretty much the equivalent of trying to move a 60 pound sack of potatoes! It was not pretty, but I got MOST of her into the back seat and she just laid there pouting for the next 100 miles or so!
I never would have guessed that Tucker, my Golden, would be the easiest one on this trip, but he pretty much just sleeps. George unfortunately has had a return of the GI issues he had earlier in the week. Not sure what is going on here - just hoping it's a bug or something. I almost wish he DID complain more, but will just occasionally see him with his nose plastered against the hotel room door so I know to take him out. PLEASE wake me up during the night George!!! And kudos to the desk clerk here at Motel 6 who let me microwave some instant rice for him (thanks for getting me that box the other night Matt!). Here's to a more "regular" tomorrow! Never a dull moment when traveling with dogs!!
So - other than the dogs, let's talk Kansas! It was nice to cross the state line! One of my friends made a comment on a photo of the state sign that I posted on facebook, saying in a nutshell that it seemed understated. Interesting. Maybe that's what I like about Kansans - salt of the earth, understated good people!! It's not about show, it's about substance! I can honestly say that during this whole trip, I have not once wonder what on earth I was doing and did I make a mistake. That is a very comforting feeling. Getting out of the car in Salina to check into the hotel when it was 94 degrees and humid, I was shocked that my first thought was of summer softball leagues when I was a girl, thinking that it's a good thing I was young then and could tolerate it, but it's not like it was a bad memory. There are actually a lot of fond memories there! I loved passing all of the old barns, the windmills, the fields being planted with the crops. It really does feel like I am coming home. Maybe it's just the fatigue and the novelty of it all talking - guess you will have to stay tuned to find out!
So...... here's to Kansas and one last night before I spend the night in my new home. It feels good. I hope I can say that 6 months from now. Tomorrow I get to see Brad, sign papers to buy my new house and begin the next chapter of the book that is my life. It never seems to be boring and I seem to never know where the plot goes, but just keep reading! Hope you will do the same!
Pretty much spent the day on the road. Dogs actually did great. We pretty much stopped at rest areas and large truck stops where we could be on the far end of a large parking lot next to a grassy area. No frantic squirrel chasing today and actually rarely used a leash. Yeah dogs!
It was kind of comical in the car today. I realized that Madison, my little chocolate Lab had not had a turn in the front seat so gave her the seat of honor to start the day. Might have been a mistake as she didn't seem to want to relinquish it the rest of the day. Suddenly there was a turf war for the front seat all day!! At one point I came back from the rest room to find Madison and George BOTH in the front passenger seat!! Trying to reason with dogs is sort of life trying to reason with toddlers! I told them that there was no way it was going to work as they couldn't lay down. They just looked at me. Finally I tried to move Madison to the back, which is pretty much the equivalent of trying to move a 60 pound sack of potatoes! It was not pretty, but I got MOST of her into the back seat and she just laid there pouting for the next 100 miles or so!
I never would have guessed that Tucker, my Golden, would be the easiest one on this trip, but he pretty much just sleeps. George unfortunately has had a return of the GI issues he had earlier in the week. Not sure what is going on here - just hoping it's a bug or something. I almost wish he DID complain more, but will just occasionally see him with his nose plastered against the hotel room door so I know to take him out. PLEASE wake me up during the night George!!! And kudos to the desk clerk here at Motel 6 who let me microwave some instant rice for him (thanks for getting me that box the other night Matt!). Here's to a more "regular" tomorrow! Never a dull moment when traveling with dogs!!
So - other than the dogs, let's talk Kansas! It was nice to cross the state line! One of my friends made a comment on a photo of the state sign that I posted on facebook, saying in a nutshell that it seemed understated. Interesting. Maybe that's what I like about Kansans - salt of the earth, understated good people!! It's not about show, it's about substance! I can honestly say that during this whole trip, I have not once wonder what on earth I was doing and did I make a mistake. That is a very comforting feeling. Getting out of the car in Salina to check into the hotel when it was 94 degrees and humid, I was shocked that my first thought was of summer softball leagues when I was a girl, thinking that it's a good thing I was young then and could tolerate it, but it's not like it was a bad memory. There are actually a lot of fond memories there! I loved passing all of the old barns, the windmills, the fields being planted with the crops. It really does feel like I am coming home. Maybe it's just the fatigue and the novelty of it all talking - guess you will have to stay tuned to find out!
So...... here's to Kansas and one last night before I spend the night in my new home. It feels good. I hope I can say that 6 months from now. Tomorrow I get to see Brad, sign papers to buy my new house and begin the next chapter of the book that is my life. It never seems to be boring and I seem to never know where the plot goes, but just keep reading! Hope you will do the same!
halfway home
Geez, sure wish I could hit the snooze on the dog alarm. Seriously? 5:38 am.? Oh well – I comfort myself by knowing that it’s 6:38 in my future time zone! All in all the first day went well. After all of the drama of the last day in Salt Lake City I decided to have a nice leisurely morning so we didn’t hit the road until about 11 a.m. I kind of felt like I was leaving town in a clown car with all of the stuff I had packed. The dogs do great in the car, sleeping pretty much the whole time we drive. Not surprising since they each have a dog bed to ride on, so they are traveling in comfort. The fun typically happens when we stop!
We made our first doggie stop at a rest stop in Wyoming. As is typical of Wyoming, the wind was whipping and I swear it almost ripped my car door off! Everyone exited the car through the driver’s door and before I knew it, George was darting at full speed after a squirrel! Thank gosh the squirrel didn’t run into traffic or George would be a goner. Lesson learned: have the e-collar on him and the controller in my hand at all times! All I could think of was that scene from the movie “Up” where the dog is thinking “Squirrel! Squirrel! Squirrel!”
The rest of the day went well and we arrived in Ft. Collins, CO for the night. Thank gosh for Motel 6 and their lenient pet policy! Not lush but not bad either. It was interesting last night when I thought about some of the hotels I have stayed in. They pretty much run the gamut, but I realize that I am pretty comfortable in everything from a Hilton to a hovel. That was kind of a nice feeling.
So it’s time to get day number two started. More of the same and hopefully it will go as well. I try to rotate who sits where in the car so everyone gets a chance up front. It’s kind of like traveling with three toddlers! I have resigned myself to the fact that I will pretty much be a traveling fur ball for the next couple of days – it was pretty shocking when I got to Ft. Collins and rolled the windows down. Hair was flying everywhere!! It was NOT pretty! I have also decided that traveling with dogs is a good weight loss method (or I can at least hope) since it’s really hard to have any snacks in the car. Thanks for looking out for me guys!
Now it’s time get those wheels in motion!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Time to hit the road
Well........ what a few days it has been. Yesterday was a very trying day. Spent another five hours over at the house watching and helping the moving company get everything picked up. A little unconventional as they didn't send packers, just boxes and told the movers that they had to pack! That can lead to a few anxious moments, but fortunately the things left were a bit more sturdy things. Gotta have faith that it will all get there okay! So by the time I left it was about 2 p.m. and quite honestly, I was completely sick of my house by then! Who knew I would ever say that?
In the midst of all of that, I had to figure out how to be two places at once so that I could be there and get Brad to the airport for his flight to DC. Answer: you can't. So I left the packers to their business, picked up Brad and the dogs, dropped him at the airport and arrived back at the house as they were loading the last few things! Swept out the garage, shut the doors and locked up and that was that. I am now officially homeless ..... at least for a few days.
The drama started after that. Turns out the buyers thought we were leaving the kitchen fridge and we thought we were taking it! A frantic call from their real estate agent to mine, and then her to me, set off several hours of hand wringing, second guessing who did what wrong and hours on the internet trying to figure out what a replacement would cost. It was not really how I had envisioned spending my last day/evening in Salt Lake City, but life is not very good at playing by the rule book. By bedtime a solution had been found. The driver who picked up our things on Saturday had given me his cell phone number and told me to feel free to call at any time I needed to. I needed to. Long story short, our fridge will be making a brief stopover at our new home in Wichita and then will return back to it's original position in our old kitchen. I am so very fortunate to have gotten this driver and the fact that he is willing to let me pay him to bring it back restores some of the faith in mankind that had dwindled yesterday in this process. Lesson learned - clarify EVERYTHING when you are selling a home!
So I was a mess last night and decided not to blog. All those tears I told you I hadn't shed? They made their appearance yesterday. It was just tough to have things like this all happen on my last day here and not have Brad to lean on . I think he may be glad he was in DC as it probably would not have been fun for him to be here!!!
And just to make life really interesting, George - my black lab/bloodhound toddler - either had a bug or got into something that he shouldn't have or had some anxiety problems. Let's just say that he couldn't be left alone and we couldn't stray too far from the nearest patch of grass. You get the picture. I had planned on going over to Matt's new apartment and seeing what they had done to it, but instead Matt brought Chinese here to the house, complete with an order of white rice for George for dinner! So poor Matt got to eat dinner here with his grumpy, tired Mom and sick dog! Good times.
The good news is that George seems fine today. He is out rearranging firewood in our friends back yard as I write this and has been chasing Madison around the house this morning. I think we will be fine but I have packed a ziploc full of white rice for the road!
Now it's time to shower, pack the last few things in the car and try to clean all the paw prints off my friends floor before we hit the road. Today is okay. Yesterday was not. But the lesson learned here is that you just have to keep the faith and hope that in the end it will all work out.
So long Utah. It's been a good four years. See you around!
In the midst of all of that, I had to figure out how to be two places at once so that I could be there and get Brad to the airport for his flight to DC. Answer: you can't. So I left the packers to their business, picked up Brad and the dogs, dropped him at the airport and arrived back at the house as they were loading the last few things! Swept out the garage, shut the doors and locked up and that was that. I am now officially homeless ..... at least for a few days.
The drama started after that. Turns out the buyers thought we were leaving the kitchen fridge and we thought we were taking it! A frantic call from their real estate agent to mine, and then her to me, set off several hours of hand wringing, second guessing who did what wrong and hours on the internet trying to figure out what a replacement would cost. It was not really how I had envisioned spending my last day/evening in Salt Lake City, but life is not very good at playing by the rule book. By bedtime a solution had been found. The driver who picked up our things on Saturday had given me his cell phone number and told me to feel free to call at any time I needed to. I needed to. Long story short, our fridge will be making a brief stopover at our new home in Wichita and then will return back to it's original position in our old kitchen. I am so very fortunate to have gotten this driver and the fact that he is willing to let me pay him to bring it back restores some of the faith in mankind that had dwindled yesterday in this process. Lesson learned - clarify EVERYTHING when you are selling a home!
So I was a mess last night and decided not to blog. All those tears I told you I hadn't shed? They made their appearance yesterday. It was just tough to have things like this all happen on my last day here and not have Brad to lean on . I think he may be glad he was in DC as it probably would not have been fun for him to be here!!!
And just to make life really interesting, George - my black lab/bloodhound toddler - either had a bug or got into something that he shouldn't have or had some anxiety problems. Let's just say that he couldn't be left alone and we couldn't stray too far from the nearest patch of grass. You get the picture. I had planned on going over to Matt's new apartment and seeing what they had done to it, but instead Matt brought Chinese here to the house, complete with an order of white rice for George for dinner! So poor Matt got to eat dinner here with his grumpy, tired Mom and sick dog! Good times.
The good news is that George seems fine today. He is out rearranging firewood in our friends back yard as I write this and has been chasing Madison around the house this morning. I think we will be fine but I have packed a ziploc full of white rice for the road!
Now it's time to shower, pack the last few things in the car and try to clean all the paw prints off my friends floor before we hit the road. Today is okay. Yesterday was not. But the lesson learned here is that you just have to keep the faith and hope that in the end it will all work out.
So long Utah. It's been a good four years. See you around!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
The good, the bad and the ugly
Well, it's real now. There's nothing like a giant moving van pulling up in front of your house to make it a reality. I have wanted to post the last couple of days but quite honestly, I was so exhausted at the end of the days that I pretty much sat still for a while and then headed to bed. Moving is hard work, even when you have someone else pack and load you!
So I am sitting at one friend's kitchen island counter, typing on another friend's Net book that she let me borrow (again) (thank you Madolin and Kim!) and realizing that I know a lot of good people in Utah. It's comforting to have a place to come to at the end of the day where Brad and I and all three dogs can just relax and have some quiet time. Nothing like having a friend who goes out of town and let's you take over her house! And friends who text you throughout the day on moving day, just to see how you're doing.
Yesterday started out well, when the first young man to ring my doorbell was one of the movers who had upper arms as big as my thighs! Hooray - a muscle bound guy to move my stuff! The rest of the crew and the truck arrived and I felt so lucky to have such a great, friendly crew. The driver and his wife, one of his sons and a good friend, as well as the young body builder got to work and before you knew it, half of my life seemed to be sitting on my driveway. So that is the "good" part of the day. Felt like my things were going to be well taken care of by people who cared about getting it to my in good shape. It was fun listening to their banter as they spent the day there, so obviously used to each other and how they worked together that the playfully trash talked with each other and the driver even came out wearing the dog cone that he found in a pile of stuff! Shockingly, they even managed to get our hot tub onto the back of the truck! They were awesome and I look forward to seeing them in Wichita and told them they can jump in the pool when the work is done there!
The bad........ there is bound to be some of this. Unfortunately the load they had picked up the day before went over the weight/space estimate so that left less space on the truck. That translated to the fact that they weren't able to fit all of our things on the truck! Looks like I will be back at the house first thing tomorrow to have them send a second truck to pick up the rest and I will get my stuff in two shipments. Such is life. If it gets there safe, it doesn't matter, but it would have been nice to have it all taken by them. At least they got it all out of the main part of the house so the cleaning ladies can clean first thing in the morning.
The other bad part is all of the goodbyes...... those are never fun or easy. Amazingly, I haven't done much crying since I am a big cry baby, but I assume it will all hit me later. I think I have just been too busy to let it all sink in. It's hard to say goodbye to friends, knowing that possibly, there are some you will never see again. I have never been good at that - which probably explains why I still send out so many Christmas cards! So to those of you that I have already said my goodbyes to - please know that just because I didn't cry, it doesn't mean I won't miss you. I truly do believe that who are are is a composite of little bits and pieces of every interaction you have with others, so you will all always be part of me and my life.
The ugly ...... bound to be some of this too. There is nothing like moving all of your possessions to make you feel like you have been living in filth!! Oh my, the dust bunnies, cobwebs and hidden surprises!! One discovery yesterday: if you leave a gummy bear exposed to the elements in the exceptionally dry climate of Utah for an extended period of time, it actually turns into a rock!!
So today, I finally had time to sit and read the paper and eat breakfast sitting down, which was nice. It's been so hectic that I have been running constantly from eyes open to eyes shut. I could get used to this. I guess I am just recharging, getting ready for the chaos on the other end, but it's all good. There are moments of doubt - are we really doing this, is it the right move for us? - but only time will tell. After a run with the dogs this morning, Brad and I are headed to the house to load up the cars with what we felt like we wanted or needed to take ourselves (important papers, clothes, dog supplies, a tool bag, etc), clean up a little and say a few more goodbyes to neighbors and friends.
Stay tuned!
So I am sitting at one friend's kitchen island counter, typing on another friend's Net book that she let me borrow (again) (thank you Madolin and Kim!) and realizing that I know a lot of good people in Utah. It's comforting to have a place to come to at the end of the day where Brad and I and all three dogs can just relax and have some quiet time. Nothing like having a friend who goes out of town and let's you take over her house! And friends who text you throughout the day on moving day, just to see how you're doing.
Yesterday started out well, when the first young man to ring my doorbell was one of the movers who had upper arms as big as my thighs! Hooray - a muscle bound guy to move my stuff! The rest of the crew and the truck arrived and I felt so lucky to have such a great, friendly crew. The driver and his wife, one of his sons and a good friend, as well as the young body builder got to work and before you knew it, half of my life seemed to be sitting on my driveway. So that is the "good" part of the day. Felt like my things were going to be well taken care of by people who cared about getting it to my in good shape. It was fun listening to their banter as they spent the day there, so obviously used to each other and how they worked together that the playfully trash talked with each other and the driver even came out wearing the dog cone that he found in a pile of stuff! Shockingly, they even managed to get our hot tub onto the back of the truck! They were awesome and I look forward to seeing them in Wichita and told them they can jump in the pool when the work is done there!
The bad........ there is bound to be some of this. Unfortunately the load they had picked up the day before went over the weight/space estimate so that left less space on the truck. That translated to the fact that they weren't able to fit all of our things on the truck! Looks like I will be back at the house first thing tomorrow to have them send a second truck to pick up the rest and I will get my stuff in two shipments. Such is life. If it gets there safe, it doesn't matter, but it would have been nice to have it all taken by them. At least they got it all out of the main part of the house so the cleaning ladies can clean first thing in the morning.
The other bad part is all of the goodbyes...... those are never fun or easy. Amazingly, I haven't done much crying since I am a big cry baby, but I assume it will all hit me later. I think I have just been too busy to let it all sink in. It's hard to say goodbye to friends, knowing that possibly, there are some you will never see again. I have never been good at that - which probably explains why I still send out so many Christmas cards! So to those of you that I have already said my goodbyes to - please know that just because I didn't cry, it doesn't mean I won't miss you. I truly do believe that who are are is a composite of little bits and pieces of every interaction you have with others, so you will all always be part of me and my life.
The ugly ...... bound to be some of this too. There is nothing like moving all of your possessions to make you feel like you have been living in filth!! Oh my, the dust bunnies, cobwebs and hidden surprises!! One discovery yesterday: if you leave a gummy bear exposed to the elements in the exceptionally dry climate of Utah for an extended period of time, it actually turns into a rock!!
So today, I finally had time to sit and read the paper and eat breakfast sitting down, which was nice. It's been so hectic that I have been running constantly from eyes open to eyes shut. I could get used to this. I guess I am just recharging, getting ready for the chaos on the other end, but it's all good. There are moments of doubt - are we really doing this, is it the right move for us? - but only time will tell. After a run with the dogs this morning, Brad and I are headed to the house to load up the cars with what we felt like we wanted or needed to take ourselves (important papers, clothes, dog supplies, a tool bag, etc), clean up a little and say a few more goodbyes to neighbors and friends.
Stay tuned!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
.... and so it begins!
Okay, not sure I ever thought I would write a blog, let alone two, but it seems that I am back by popular demand! Well, maybe that is going a little overboard, but there have been a handful of friends who have told me that they wanted me to blog about the move and all of the adventures that ensue since they enjoyed the one I did about my road trip last fall. If you are not one of those people who enjoyed that one, stop reading now!
So ...... where to start! I spent the first 25 years of my life in the state of Kansas (mostly --- there was a little time in Nebraska sprinkled in there too), then nearly 25 years far away. As I am creeping up on my 50th birthday this summer, I guess it seems only fitting that I return! (Does this mean big things are in store when I turn 75?!) If you would have asked me 6 months ago if I was going to move back to Kansas, I am sure the quick answer would have been "no way". My how things change. Last January Brad heard about a job in Wichita that suddenly intrigued him and I followed along like a puppy for while, playing along and never thinking it was going to happen. Lo and behold, we went for a first interview and while we knew the job would be a great job, we were both rather shocked at how much we felt a pull to home. I don't think either of us expected that after living such an independent life, very far from most family members. So we talked about it, slept on it for a few weeks, talked some more and finally realized that yes, this was something we were thinking we wanted to do!
Brad was offered the job of Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education for the University of Kansas School of Medicine at their Wichita campus and accepted it. In plain English, this means that he basically oversees all of the residency programs for the Wichita campus. His first love has always been education and we both have continued to have a soft spot for our alma mater - the University of Kansas. The Wichita campus of the Med School is expanding into it's own 4 year program and there is lots of growth and excitement going on right now and we think it's going to be fun to be a part of! It probably means that there will be more civic functions for us and I will have to "clean up" more often, but that's what happens when you marry an overachiever I guess! In the military I had to go find a ballgown, but I am sure hoping that this time there will be a lot more blue jean events!
So the choice was made to take the job and then the fun really started. We found a house in Wichita we loved and made an offer. After some back and forth, it was accepted before we ever put our house on the market here. Let me tell you, that is a very frightening thing in this economy! It made for one very nervous girl on my part!! The thought of two mortgages was enough to give me an ulcer. But we got lucky and put our house on the market and had an offer within 36 hours! Wow! And to tell you just how good the karma is around this move, we close on the house in Utah on Monday, June 6th and we close on the house in Wichita on Thursday, June 9th! It's a two day drive, so the timing couldn't be any better.
So, this blog will be about the grand adventure that lies ahead....... my return to the land of Oz. I hope I know what I'm in for as I sit here and type this and it's a brisk 60 degrees outside ..... and then I go on weather.com and see that's it's supposed to be in the 90's when I arrive in Kansas - with lots of humidity too, I'm sure! I have a feeling there will definitely be some adjustment going on this summer!!
But there just seems to be too many things going right with this move for it not to be meant to be. Hey, I even had to sell my washer and dryer here and I literally sold it the day I used my last dryer sheet! Serendipity!
Brad's parents live in Wichita, as does one of his sisters, and a few nieces and nephews. My mother will be three hours away and we figure that about 90% of both of our families are within a 3 hour drive. That alone should prove to provide fodder for some interesting posts!
So life is nuts! I am starting this blog a few hours before I have to turn off the computer and pack it up. The packers started today so about 2/3 of my possessions lie around me in their cardboard cocoons. It's a little eerie walking through what used to be familiar terrain, sort of like when you wake up from a long nap and know you are home but not really sure where you are. They finish the chore tomorrow and load the truck on Saturday. Watching a truck drive away with all of your earthly possession can be a little unnerving too.
Next week should get really interesting! I take Brad to the airport on Monday so he can fly to DC for a meeting. Then Tuesday morning all three dogs and I pile into my truck and head east to our new destination. Two days on the road with three dogs and two different hotel stays is enough to make you HAVE to keep reading! Then we pick Brad up at the Wichita airport on Thursday morning at 11 and sign the papers for the house at 1. And because you can never be too sure about on time arrivals, we had to the Power of Attorney thing in case he doesn't make it!
Oh yeah, and did I mention three dogs?! As if life wasn't crazy enough, I drove to Des Moines and picked up our newest pack member. George! He was a rescue who stole my heart on the internet (that sounds like a lead in to a really bad romance novel, doesn't it?! My nephew and his wife were fostering him and he was having a hard time finding a home so I finally caved in and had to have him. Turns out it just might have been one the more worthwhile trips I have taken in a long time. He is half black Lab, half Bloodhound. Which makes him adorable and just a little bit stubborn! Only 18 months old or so though, he is getting better in leaps and bounds. But at almost 90 pounds, stubborn can have a whole new meaning!
Welcome to my life. I guess once again I am opening myself up to the verbal x-ray that is a blog (or at least that seems to be how I do it!). This is a big move but it feels like the right one for us. Already I have gotten notes from old friends about get-togethers and birthday parties and catching up on the last 25 years!
I hope you enjoy reading. I am sure the next couple of weeks are bound to be entertaining!!!
Connie
So ...... where to start! I spent the first 25 years of my life in the state of Kansas (mostly --- there was a little time in Nebraska sprinkled in there too), then nearly 25 years far away. As I am creeping up on my 50th birthday this summer, I guess it seems only fitting that I return! (Does this mean big things are in store when I turn 75?!) If you would have asked me 6 months ago if I was going to move back to Kansas, I am sure the quick answer would have been "no way". My how things change. Last January Brad heard about a job in Wichita that suddenly intrigued him and I followed along like a puppy for while, playing along and never thinking it was going to happen. Lo and behold, we went for a first interview and while we knew the job would be a great job, we were both rather shocked at how much we felt a pull to home. I don't think either of us expected that after living such an independent life, very far from most family members. So we talked about it, slept on it for a few weeks, talked some more and finally realized that yes, this was something we were thinking we wanted to do!
Brad was offered the job of Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education for the University of Kansas School of Medicine at their Wichita campus and accepted it. In plain English, this means that he basically oversees all of the residency programs for the Wichita campus. His first love has always been education and we both have continued to have a soft spot for our alma mater - the University of Kansas. The Wichita campus of the Med School is expanding into it's own 4 year program and there is lots of growth and excitement going on right now and we think it's going to be fun to be a part of! It probably means that there will be more civic functions for us and I will have to "clean up" more often, but that's what happens when you marry an overachiever I guess! In the military I had to go find a ballgown, but I am sure hoping that this time there will be a lot more blue jean events!
So the choice was made to take the job and then the fun really started. We found a house in Wichita we loved and made an offer. After some back and forth, it was accepted before we ever put our house on the market here. Let me tell you, that is a very frightening thing in this economy! It made for one very nervous girl on my part!! The thought of two mortgages was enough to give me an ulcer. But we got lucky and put our house on the market and had an offer within 36 hours! Wow! And to tell you just how good the karma is around this move, we close on the house in Utah on Monday, June 6th and we close on the house in Wichita on Thursday, June 9th! It's a two day drive, so the timing couldn't be any better.
So, this blog will be about the grand adventure that lies ahead....... my return to the land of Oz. I hope I know what I'm in for as I sit here and type this and it's a brisk 60 degrees outside ..... and then I go on weather.com and see that's it's supposed to be in the 90's when I arrive in Kansas - with lots of humidity too, I'm sure! I have a feeling there will definitely be some adjustment going on this summer!!
But there just seems to be too many things going right with this move for it not to be meant to be. Hey, I even had to sell my washer and dryer here and I literally sold it the day I used my last dryer sheet! Serendipity!
Brad's parents live in Wichita, as does one of his sisters, and a few nieces and nephews. My mother will be three hours away and we figure that about 90% of both of our families are within a 3 hour drive. That alone should prove to provide fodder for some interesting posts!
So life is nuts! I am starting this blog a few hours before I have to turn off the computer and pack it up. The packers started today so about 2/3 of my possessions lie around me in their cardboard cocoons. It's a little eerie walking through what used to be familiar terrain, sort of like when you wake up from a long nap and know you are home but not really sure where you are. They finish the chore tomorrow and load the truck on Saturday. Watching a truck drive away with all of your earthly possession can be a little unnerving too.
Next week should get really interesting! I take Brad to the airport on Monday so he can fly to DC for a meeting. Then Tuesday morning all three dogs and I pile into my truck and head east to our new destination. Two days on the road with three dogs and two different hotel stays is enough to make you HAVE to keep reading! Then we pick Brad up at the Wichita airport on Thursday morning at 11 and sign the papers for the house at 1. And because you can never be too sure about on time arrivals, we had to the Power of Attorney thing in case he doesn't make it!
Oh yeah, and did I mention three dogs?! As if life wasn't crazy enough, I drove to Des Moines and picked up our newest pack member. George! He was a rescue who stole my heart on the internet (that sounds like a lead in to a really bad romance novel, doesn't it?! My nephew and his wife were fostering him and he was having a hard time finding a home so I finally caved in and had to have him. Turns out it just might have been one the more worthwhile trips I have taken in a long time. He is half black Lab, half Bloodhound. Which makes him adorable and just a little bit stubborn! Only 18 months old or so though, he is getting better in leaps and bounds. But at almost 90 pounds, stubborn can have a whole new meaning!
Welcome to my life. I guess once again I am opening myself up to the verbal x-ray that is a blog (or at least that seems to be how I do it!). This is a big move but it feels like the right one for us. Already I have gotten notes from old friends about get-togethers and birthday parties and catching up on the last 25 years!
I hope you enjoy reading. I am sure the next couple of weeks are bound to be entertaining!!!
Connie
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