Glass Half Empty: I specifically remember getting gas on Sunday (7/13) afternoon and adjusting the lever to auto pump while I sat in the car. I heard the pump click way to early and when I looked back I saw the pump stopped at $6.66. While I am typically not a superstitious person, I cringed a little. We were about to embark on a very long drive with a toddler and I was already nervous about that.
On Monday morning (7/14) about 9:00am chaos and mayhem ensued. Greg, Josh and the 3 guys hired to help loaded the 26 foot truck, while Lynn and I frantically packed last minute things and cleaned the house. About 11:00am, I peered into the truck andI had a sinking feeling in my stomach that the truck was not going to be big enough.
At 12:30, Greg and Josh were on their way to pick up another 26 foot Penske truck. I was sooo disappointed because 'The Plan' was to drive all night while Nathan slept. Josh and Lynn, flew in from Arizona to be our back up drivers during the 22 hours of driving, but getting the second truck ruined 'The Plan'.
It took most of the day to load but at 4:30, we had a brief respite at David & Jacque's, where we showered, then at 7:30pm we hit the highway....it was a very long day...but the night was longer. We drove until 1:30am, stopped at a Motel 6 and slept until 5:30am Tuesday morning and then we were back on the road. Greg didn't let us stop to eat breakfast, Tyrant. Lucky for Nathan, we had a cooler filled with food. We stopped at 12:30 for lunch and drove straight to Arizona until 10:00pm, it was a 16 hour day of driving, following the 6 hours of driving the night before. I'll do the math for you.
22 HOURS of DRIVING!
Here's a picture of both our moving trucks on the road. Greg is driving the truck in front, pulling the corvette. Josh is driving the second truck and we pulled up the rear in the Honda Pilot.
Glass Half Full:If you know me or talked to me during the brief time to prepare for this move, I fretted over this drive with Nathan quite a bit. Grandpa David got us a new car seat that could recline and face backward while Nathan slept but the seat could also face forward during the day. I was banking on that 'new experience' for Nathan to occupy him for a while. I also bought a bag full of new toys, I borrowed a portable DVD player and I already mentioned the cooler full of food. I was mentally preparing for a fitful toddler in the car but it turned out I worried for nothing. Nathan's restless moments were brief and short lived. He handled the entire trip like a sailor...or trucker in this case. He was GREAT...even when we were marooned on the side of the road, twice.
I could put this bit of our story in the Glass Half Empty section but because of the outcome, it actually fits here. Through the 'mountainous' terrain of our trip, Greg's truck, which was packed to capacity and towing a car, overheated and the engine shut down. Our small caravan pulled to the side of the highway and waited. I admit, I panicked the first time it happened. My mind went into overdrive mode while I mentally mapped out our action plan and next 5 steps but again it was wasted energy. Greg kept his head, let the truck cool for about 15 mins, then restarted the engine and we were on our way again. I really love my husband in times of crisis... because he doesn't act like me - Kudos to Greg!
For grins, here's a blurry video (I don't why the camera wouldn't focus) of our 2nd time on the side of the highway.
After about 18 hours of our drive...we finally saw the 'Welcome to Arizona' sign, only 4 more hours of driving to go.
Tuesday, 7/15, at 10:00pm CST we pulled into 1852 E. Pinto Drive and we were greeted with another 'Welcome' sign. With the little energy I had, I was able to muster up a grin when I saw it. It was 8:00pm PST-Arizona time which is why the sun is still up in the picture below. This was the end of 2 very long days of packing, loading and driving. Exhausted doesn't even describe how we felt at this point. Lynn, at some point during all of this seriously said to me "If you move again, our friendship is over." It's that hard.
On Wednesday, 7/16, Greg and Josh went back to work unloading both trucks to our storage unit, while I took care of Nathan and got our belongings settled into our temporary home at the Norton's. Another long day but we were rounding the last corner and close to the end.Thursday, 7/17 Greg worked diligently at getting our computers set up and online in our temporary office which is the Norton's dining room for now which is how I'm able to write this post for the blog as Nathan naps!
Gas Note:
Our gas bill for both trucks and car came to
Credits:
Josh & Lynn - We love you. Thank you for being 'those kind of friends'. It's alot to ask and you deliver every time we do, we'll stop asking now. Except for one last question...
David, Jacque, Mom, Nana & Grandad - Thank you for praying and supporting us in this decision even though it moves us physically further from you. You are the best parents and we love you.
Gary & Elaine - Thank you for welcoming us into your home, it is alot to ask and yet you have done it with such love and graciousness. You are also the best parents and we love you.
Greg, my hard working husband - I admire you more than I can put into words. Your strength and resolve to trudge forward no matter how difficult the task is nothing short of amazing. Thank you for doing all the heavy lifting, then turning around and helping me with the small stuff. Thank you for always staying positive, no matter what the circumstances are, you are such a great role model for our son and I love you very much.