Road Trip Zoo Move Day 1

Grovetown, GA to Smyrna/Nashville, TN - 362 Miles

We got up around 7a, got right to work cleaning and packing and loading the truck. Cassandra came over to help mid-morning and stayed until we pulled out of the driveway. Phil also came by and helped load the truck for about an hour. 

The walk through with the landlord was originally scheduled for 11a, but Sunday afternoon it was pretty clear that we wouldn’t even be close by then, so I called and rescheduled for 3p. As the new deadline loomed, we were pretty certain that we weren’t going to have everything out and clean by 3, but the landlord showed up right on time anyway (of course)! He was very understanding and is only keeping enough out of our deposit to replace the bathroom door, two window screens, and some blinds in the front room (a few were destroyed thanks to Bento and Rousey). These were all costs I expected and am happy to incur to not have to deal with the repair/replacement myself.

We finally pulled out of the driveway around 6p but still then weren’t actually on the road. We had to make stops at the vet for Chou’s prescription cat food and some Alprazolam prescribed for Bento, at Atlanta Bread Co for food (for me and mom since our car went to the vet), at Arby’s for food (for Scott & Andy with the truck), at Walmart for an air mattress (for Andy) and the Budget rental location to pick up the towing dolly.

The towing dolly was an adventure all in itself, the instructions are printed on big labels that are pasted to each of the wheels, but the bottom half of them has worn or torn off. It took some maneuvering but the Civic was finally loaded on the dolly and secured for travel.

It was 8:30p when we pulled on to Highway 20, heading west.

The three cats were in their carrier and didn’t make a sound. The two dogs are in the back with a baby gate rigged up between them and the front seats (this was a necessity, all the quick stops we made trying to get out of town were a little hampered by a dog jumping up in to whichever front seat had been vacated). Stinkerbell was riding in a soft sided carrier that she had spent all day in while we were finishing the move-out.

Our progress was decent and reasonably uneventful, we were originally planning to stop at a friend’s house in Smyrna, TN (just outside of Nashville). We made a stop at a rest area to let the dogs do their business, at which time I gave Bento an Alprazolam (Xanax in a doggie dosage). The prescription said 1-2 pills every six hours for anxiety, and he was wound pretty tight after seeing us empty the house and then be cooped up in the car for several hours. At this stop I also let the cats and Stinkerbell out of their respective carriers, Stink took up residence in my lap, and Maui decided he wanted to be there, too. Stink wasn’t thrilled with having Maui sitting on top of her, so she scrambled out from underneath and climbed up onto his back. She laid down, straddling him like a cat straddles the back of a couch, her tail dangling in his face. He didn’t seem to mind too much. Then Minx decided she wanted to be in the front window on the dash, so she climbed up next to the steering wheel, stepping on the windshield wiper/wash/turn signal stick, filling the windshield with cleaner and wipers working furiously.

The next stop was at a gas station, to fill the truck and top off the car. While stopped there, we had a quick pow-wow and decided that arriving at a friend’s house at 2a and THEN setting up a tent and finding all of our things did NOT sound like fun.

Mom did some research on her phone and called the La Quinta in Smyrna, reserving us a room with two queen beds. We pulled in around 2:30a and soon decided it would be beneficial to have a second room, as Andy was feeling overwhelmed and exhausted and there was not enough room to put out his air mattress.

I had decided the cats would stay in the car, they have a litter box, carrier and blankets, and the big water-cooler style water bowl stays in the car. I fed them and bid them goodnight.

In the motel, Bento was getting more and more hyper, trying to escape out the door, jumping up on both beds, looking out the window. I thought that maybe eating dinner would calm him down some, but first I gave him another Alprazolam since it had been 4 or 5 hours.  I served the dogs dinner, with their usual twice daily dosage of Benadryl. 

About 10 minutes later Bento started falling in to things and stumbling. As his body stopped cooperating, his mind was wound tighter and tighter, shortly the poor dog was high as a kite. Pupils the size of dinner plates, but legs that moved like they had 15lb weights attached to each foot.  He was confused and desperate. 

He tried jumping up on one bed, then jumping down (collapsing in a heap on the floor every time), jumping on the other bed, etc. Stumbled back and forth to the door, pushing it with his nose so it moved in the door frame, making a noise not generally acceptable in a hotel at 3a. 

By this time, I was so exhausted I could not handle the stress that came with accidentally over-medicating my dog.  I started to have my own panic attack. 

Panic attacks for me aren't hyperventilating, they are vomiting and diarrhea. I spent the next six hours trying to control myself, after having established that Bento wasn't likely to die from his experience (I called the vet) but it would have to wear off.

I finally got to sleep around 9a Tuesday morning, and slept for two hours.

Countdown: 2 days and ARGGGGHHHH.

"I don't think the oven is supposed to have flames in it."

A couple of hours ago I felt really good about the progress we made today, but things have gone downhill a little bit since then.

We got up around 9:30 this morning and went to pick up the moving truck at 10a. We're renting a Budget 24' truck and a towing dolly to pull my car. It took a little while to get all the paperwork and details taken care of, but soon HusBean drove the truck back to the house and I purchased two wardrobe boxes to hold my hanging clothes and a few of his.

Once we both arrived back at the house (just a couple of miles from the truck pick-up location) we maneuvered the truck at the proper angle into the driveway, pulled out the ramp, and started to get organized.

Shortly after, Carrie T. arrived and she really got us moving. We made a battle plan for loading the truck and got started.

The first two items in the truck were our two large wooden armoires.  Once they were pushed all the way to the front of the truck, we realized that if we turned them around we could fill them full of stuff, which is probably one of the smartest things we did all day! I'm a little worried that it's not all going to fit, as it is I think we're going to have to get rid of some things, both giving them away and taking them to the dump!

Cassandra came to help a little bit later, bringing cold drinks and some snacks, too. With the four of us working, we managed to load up all of the furniture except for the king and full mattresses, the washer and dryer, and the chest freezer.

We also got all the boxes that were previously packed loaded out. Cass and Carrie both had to leave mid/late afternoon, and they left us with the task of packing the rest of our stuff. Carrie's instructions were to finish packing the ENTIRE kitchen.

We sent Carrie home with a bunch of food from our freezer and pantry, I'm hoping to get the freezer emptied and defrosted tomorrow morning.

Once we came back in the house I realized that I probably should have wrapped up my ankle this morning. It was sore and more than a little swollen. We decided to take a nap, so I iced and wrapped the ankle and laid down with HusBean and the dogs to get a little rest. This was pretty short lived, as HusBean was feeling anxious about getting things done.

He got up and started on the kitchen, I rested for about a 1/2 hour and then joined him. He had started the oven on "Clean," the house was starting to get a little smokey so we opened some windows and turned on some fans. I looked over at the oven and said "I don't think the oven is supposed to have flames in it... right?"  We turned the oven to "Off" and fortunately the flames were suffocated out quickly.

We got a few more boxes packed up and then I made a quick trip for froyo and diet coke. On my return I was a little cold, sore, and stinky, so I thought taking a shower would be a fabulous idea.

Apparently we are having a water pressure issue. My shower was like standing under a leaky hose. When I washed my face I had to hold the handheld faucet about 3" from my face to actually get the soap rinsed off. Ridiculous!

The dogs are handling things pretty well, they are sticking close to us when they can, but not doing to much whining or having anxious behavior.

My ankle is still puffy, and my feet hurt. I'm tired. Most days I can ignore my Fibromyalgia symptoms to a manageable degree, but today I may have pushed it a bit too far. I think I'll go to bed soon and just try to get up early and get going.

Yes, We're Moving! (Countdown: 3 Days & a Wake Up)

Some of my new readers hadn't heard about the move yet, so this is the official informational post.

HusBean and I and our six animals are moving to Portland, Oregon. We've lived in Augusta, Georgia for almost 5 years, and were in Key West, Florida for 2 years before that.

I moved to Key West from Vancouver, Washington (it's considered part of the Portland metro area) to be with HusBean (then just boyfriend) after only having seen each other in person a total of 16 days. We had dated long distance for 5 months and got engaged shortly after moving to Florida.

HusBean is a former United States Marine, and has a GI Bill that he needs to start using in the next three years or it will expire. 

The plan is that he will go to school and get a Business degree, I will be working as an Escrow Assistant at a title company (I was an Escrow Officer previous to my move to the East coast).

We're planning to take Homeward Bound Hot Sauce big time, and Portland is a great place to do it. In addition  to that, we both grew up there and have long-time friends and many family members there or nearby.

We've really enjoyed our time in Florida and Georgia, and made some wonderful friends and connections that we will greatly miss. We fully intend to fly in on our fancy black hot sauce jet (pepper on the tail) to visit.

It's time to go home!

Countdown: 9 Days

Or, according to my former-Marine HusBean: "9 days and a wake-up!"

I had the best of intentions for today, I set an alarm and got up at a reasonable time, planning to meet Cassandra and run/walk the dogs through the Frisbee golf course at Patriots Park. We were making great time and enjoying dodging what little drizzle dripped through the tree cover.  Then I twisted my ankle on the far side of the park. I managed to hobble back across the park (the shortest and flattest route) and headed home. Also, driving a stick shift with a twisted left ankle is no good.

Once I got home I found an ace bandage and a package of frozen tortellini and put my feet up for a little while. It's already swelling and bruising. Ugh.

I've managed to hobble around and get some boxes of books packed, making headway on laundry.  Was hoping to do a fitting on the vintage floral sheet sundress but thinking I may wait on that until tomorrow just for the driving.

Bento is pretty anxious about the move, he is staying pretty close to me, making sure at the very least he is in the same room as I am whenever possible.  He's taking some calming tablets made from all natural ingredients, I think they're helping but the Dr. has also given us permission to give him Alprazolam. I may get that prescription filled for the trip if he seems exceptionally frantic, but likely he will calm down once we're on the road and he sees he's not being left behind.

I'm taking a little break from packing and laundry to eat something, yesterday I went all day and had only had a mug of coffee, a string cheese, and a homemade pickle. 

HusBean is making me scrambled eggs and vegetarian sausage.

Countdown: 12 Days

This last Saturday, I went kayaking with my friends, Cassandra, Darren, and Dani. We participated in the Benderdinker, a local annual event that starts at Riverside Park, travels upstream on "Betty's Branch" (the little blue line) until it reaches the Savannah River (where the blue dot is), travels downstream on the Savannah to where Betty's Branch comes in (down by Fury's Ferry Rd), then back up the Branch to the park.

There were probably 400 boats registered and I have no idea how many that just showed up and put in the water.

It was raining when we headed out in the morning but had cleared up and was beautiful and sunny by the time we finished the paddle.

I used sunscreen everywhere but on my ankles, and off course burned them. *facepalm*

On Monday of LAST week, Stinkerbell got out through the back door (the dogs had pushed it open) and disappeared for an entire week. I created the above info graphic and it was shared on Facebook over 220 times!

This last Monday evening I was just sitting down to a lovely farewell dinner at Edgar's Grill with the ladies from my Local Helping Local group. I happened to check my email on my phone and saw that I had a message from someone that had FOUND my skunk! She gave me her number and I jumped right up from the table and ran outside to call her.

She confirmed that she had Stinkerbell, and told me she lives just a few houses down. I told her I would call my HusBean and send him to fetch her right away.

The story, according to the gal that found her (posted as a comment on Stinkerbell's Facebook page):

"I am SO glad you're home with your mom, Stink! When I saw you yesterday trying to curl up in my shrubbery, I thought you just needed a moment to rest... but when the thunderstorm hit last night and you were wandering around my front yard looking upset and unsure, I just had to give you some shelter, wild or not!

I hope the blanket under my car was warm enough in the garage for you, and I'm glad you ate some of the food I brought... I've never fed a skunk before, and I had to do a bit of googling and rummaging through my fridge.

Thank you for proving that my friend Rusty Banks can and does scream like a little girl when charged by a cute little skunk while initially helping me to usher you out of my garage (before I knew you were lost!) -- and again for being kind enough to not bite him or scratch him when he caught you back up to get out of the mud until your Dad came by to pick you up.

I'm just thankful my neighbor saw your posting! Otherwise I would've tried to get you back out into the wild! Again -- I am so glad you're home and safe, and I hope to hear about you eating well and gaining some of that weight back. I hope you had a good adventure, but for your mom's sake AND her heart.... stay home!!"

 We got her home and started feeding her (she was quite skinny) and snuggled her up in a blanket. The next day she had a bath, which she was not particularly impressed with!

Stink has been eating all her meals, and feeling frisky enough to chase The Chou (cat) and Bento (dog).

I'm giving her a high-calorie supplement with her meals, hoping it will fatten her back up a bit.

We are in full-blown pack mode now, I've started sorting through all of my clothes and packing them in long-term storage vs. keep at Mom's.  HusBean has sorted through most of his clean clothes, we still have to tackle the rest as they come out of the dryer.

I'm scheduled to pick up the moving truck on Friday morning, the 10th. Two of my girlfriends have volunteered to help that morning, they are both very hard workers and I am grateful for their assistance!

HusBean is off today and tomorrow, working Saturday, off Sunday, then scheduled to work 3-11p Mon-Fri next week. I'm hoping he'll take Friday the 10th as a vacation day.

Today is all about packing and laundry, hoping to sneak in a dog walk.

A Continuation...

I think I've mentioned before that I have moved many times. (previous post listing the first 23 times I've packed up)

24. Key West, FL - a house we rented for about a year and a half before moving to
25. Augusta, GA in October 2008. We've lived here the longest (me and the HusBean together that is) and will likely move late spring or summer.

Where to? I'll let you know when we figure it out!

Traveling Zoo

Thirteen hours according to Google maps is really more like 16 or 17 in a Honda pulling a 4x6 U-Haul trailer.

We departed Key West at about 7pm on Saturday (a week ago) and made a few stops... one for gas, another stop on Big Pine at Rob's Island Grill for the best gardenburger in the Keys.

We made it to our approximate halfway point - a Clarion motel in Titusville, Florida at about 4am Sunday morning. It took us about a half hour to get all the critters and their stuff in the room and then we went to bed. We put the big baby gate up across the bathroom/sink/closet area and put Stinkerbell's house under the sink, with the cat litter box in the bathroom itself.

We managed to get all the animals fed and once we went to bed everyone pretty much quieted down and went to sleep.

Scott got up around 1pm and I got up around 1:30pm and we loaded up and headed north. We stopped for gas and food somewhere near Jacksonville I think...

I had everyone but Scott in the Honda with me, the cats' litter box in the trunk with the back seats down and Buster in the passenger seat. The cats and Stinkerbell got to run free.

Chou likes to ride in the floorspace up front and since there was a bunch of stuff and bedding in the passenger side floorspace, he chose mine. Fortunately he stayed out from under the pedals and didn't mind if I shoved him back with my feet when he encroached on my space.

Minx was a little bit everywhere, mostly starting to yell about five or six hours into both days. At that point I put on my ipod and was able to tune her out.

Maui split his time snuggling with Buster and sitting in the cat bed in the back seat.

Stinkerbell was either asleep in the front seat with Buster and Maui or in her bed (sometimes underneath it). She managed not to bite anyone, which is usually her modus operandi when in close proximity to the other animals. The picture on the left shows Buster, Stinker, Maui (right above Stinker's tail) and Chou (on the right - in my armpit) all in the front seat which lasted about ten minutes. Then I kicked the cats and skunk out so Buster wasn't so cramped.


Won-Ton initially was on the dash, with two of the feet of his travel tank on a "non-slip" pad that is meant for cell phones and such. After two incidences of the tank flying off the dash and dumping water everywhere (the second time requiring me to pull over, call Scott and have him bring a bottle of Evian to refill the container) I took the handle off the container and rigged it with a bungee cord to hang from my rear-view mirror. Sounds silly, but he was safe for the rest of the trip (when Buster wasn't trying to drink him).

The drive on Sunday was a lot easier. We had both had at least eight hours of sleep and were a lot less anxious about what time we were going to arrive.

Fortunately the realtor that helped us find and lease the house only lives about fifteen minutes from the new place and was willing to meet us when we arrived at about 10:15pm to let us in. He knew we weren't going to have water or power until Monday, but he was able to turn our water on at the curb and his wife sent a bunch of her candles over so we could see enough to get our mattress and the animals in the house.

Monday morning the power came on around 10am and the water heater made quick work of heating up enough water for about a five minute shower. Once presentable we drove to the bottom of our subdivision and had lunch at a Mexican restaurant in the strip mall there. We found a Food Lion and bought a few necessities before heading back to the house for a walk-through with the realtor.

Tuesday Scott managed to get a Georgia driver's license and we took a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond, followed by dinner at Macaroni Grill.

Wednesday Scott went to work for the first time at his new job and Comcast came to hook up our DVR and internet. After he came home we went to Lowes and then Red Robin for dinner. (We don't have wireless yet and the ethernet cable isn't working for my computer, so I have to pirate Scott's when he's not using it.)

Thursday my friend Carrie (from high school) came over from Aiken, SC and we spent the day together, having breakfast (around 1pm) at IHOP and then a quick trip to Home Depot. I looked for herbs and vegetables to grow at the house but I'm guessing it's past season for them this far north because there was NOTHING edible in the nursery there. I bought three Hostas instead.

Friday I slept in and then did some unpacking and organizing and moving furniture around. Once Scott got home we went to Publix and did the REAL grocery shopping.

Today we had Apple turnovers for breakfast (something my family did every Saturday morning for awhile when I was young) and then spent the day alternately unpacking and watching TV and feeding animals and ourselves. I made a batch of Potato Cheese Soup with a few fat-lowering modifications. It's not quite the same since I am mysteriously out of Paprika and I used 1% milk instead of half and half, but it was still good and filling.

Just Peachy

We're here in Georgia and getting settled in.

The house is beautiful.

I've taken lots of pictures - most of our two-day trip up from Key West, but they are on my computer which for some reason is not connecting to the internet.

So in the meantime I will just say that I'm planning some great posts and have some fun pictures to go with them.

Most importantly: We're safe! Everyone loves the house, the dog and cats (including the "fourth") are having fun exploring and hiding behind boxes.

The movers brought our stuff yesterday morning at 8am and we've been unpacking ever since. I've got most of the kitchen put away and we're working on the bedrooms and living areas.

Comcast came today to hook up our digital cable and wireless internet. The cable works. The internet only works via an ethernet cable to Scott's computer. We tried plugging it into mine and that doesn't even work.

I'm going to attempt to solve the problem tomorrow when my brain cells are fresh.

Getting Out of Dodge Key West

The packer/movers left with all our stuff yesterday around 4pm. We started cleaning the house and organizing the remainder of our things and then got tired and hungry.

We decided to spend a couple of hours downtown as a last hurrah for our friends that wanted to say goodbye, with the added bonus of getting out of the house for a little while.

We ate dinner at The Rum Barrel and about 15 of our friends came and/or stopped by to see us and say goodbye.

We got home around 10:30pm and went to bed. Or tried to anyway.

The movers packed the fan we usually have running at night for white noise and without it every sound in our empty concrete house was doubly magnified. Stinkerbell was up and wreaking havoc every way she knows how: climbing onto our mattress, sliding off, getting into stuff that's packed, turning over garbage cans, the full gamut of her chaos repertoire.

Finally around 4:45am I was ready to kill every living thing in the house (including Scott - he snores pretty loud when there's nothing to mask the noise) so I got up and went to Walgreens and bought two box fans, some breathe-right strips and some ear plugs.

It was a good recipe for peace and I managed to sleep from about 5:30am to about 11:00am. Then we figured we'd better get in gear and finish cleaning the house so we can leave.

We've worked pretty hard in the three hours since, and then it started pouring rain right when I was actually starting to load the U-Haul.

And I mean POURING. Deluge. Sheets of Water.

Ridiculous.

I guess with both of us cleaning it will get done faster, right? And then all we'll have to do is wait for the rain to stop. If it doesn't I suppose we can move the BMW out of the carport and back the U-Haul in, then load everything out through the kitchen.

Useless

I'm sitting on our couch. On my right is the dog. On my left is a kennel with the three cats inside.

I'm watching a three-man crew pack up everything I own.

It's very strange to watch all this happening and not really have anything to do! I asked if it would be helpful if I brought things from the kitchen to them and they said no. They're pretty much saying "Stay Out Of The Way!" without actually saying it.

Right now the most useful thing I can do is take the turtle back to the pet store to go into the pond. Even Stinkerbell is in her cage and for once she's not upset about it... she's hiding in her bed.

We were planning to stay at a friend's house tonight on their futon, but all our pillows and blankets have already been packed, in addition to the fan I use for white noise so I can sleep!

I guess it's really happening!

Finally, a Plan!

The moving company called us back this morning and is planning to come on Thursday and pack, and then move on Friday.

We were really hoping to have them here tomorrow or Wednesday, but that is clearly not going to happen, so I guess we'll suck it up.

Also they told Scott to tell me to stop packing - for liability purposes they have to pack everything. So now I'm just trying to organize and clean. That sucks.

I dismantled and hosed out the hamster cage today, Tempura is going to live with my friend Kelle who LOVES animals and has been wanting a hamster every time one comes into the pet store, so I know she will spoil her and take very good care of her.

I just don't like feeling like I'm not doing anything to get our life progressing.

Last Day

It's beginning to get light out on my last day of work in Key West. I'll likely go in on Sunday or Monday and do some computer stuff, but today is my last shift on the floor.

Stinkerbell is sleeping on my lap... when I got out of bed about an hour ago she got up and followed me to the living room.

All the animals are being extra-needy right now - Stinkerbell has never moved so she can't really understand the boxes, but Buster and the cats have experienced boxes before and are getting worried.

Buster tries to come with us anytime we leave the house now, he's afraid of being left behind!

We signed a lease today and faxed it back to the realtor, I'll post pics as soon as there's no way it can fall through. If I've learned nothing else in this recent chapter of life it's that I HAVE to take each day one at a time or I'll lose my freaking mind!

I did find an insurance agent in the area and have transferred our car and renters insurance, once the lease is confirmed I'll go online and transfer Comcast and do our address change.

I've packed a bunch of stuff - mostly clothes and bedding as it's clean. We're probably going to get rid of some stuff before we leave: two tv's we never use, our bed frame (since it's TOTALLY busted now) and all the crappy pots and pans since we've been collecting new ones from Crate & Barrell thanks to wedding gift cards.

I'm REALLY excited about the kitchen in the new house... once you see it you'll understand why!

Stay Calm

more animals

I'm sure that I will jinx the whole thing by talking about it - but I believe we're moving to Georgia. We picked a house tonight (I'll post pics as soon as the lease is signed) and are going to call tomorrow to schedule the movers.

I'm excited - I would love to go home to the northwest, but going anywhere new is cool, too. I'm hoping that we will be more free to travel "home" from Augusta than from Key West, I'd really like to be at my Family Reunion and Family Camping Trip next summer.

Of course, I'm having a hard time sleeping because my brain keeps making lists of things that need to be done before we move or in order to move.

And, there's a bit of added stress because someone is apparently illegal in Georgia.

Taking Action

This morning before I left for work Scott and I decided that if the company in WA doesn't call by the end of the day today, we're going to go ahead and go to GA.

He's picking a house now and getting his paperwork ready.

In the Meantime...

Since there's few things in my life at the moment I CAN control, I got bored and decided to cut and color my hair.

Granted, the light and color effects on these pictures make it look like I'm pasty white in the "after" pic, but I'm not...


I've really missed having dark red hair, so I decided to go back to it for awhile. Now if only I could force a decision in where we're moving to!

Packing and Waiting

Right now we don't know where we're going.

The company in Washington had a phone interview with Scott yesterday and the next step is for them to call him back and ask him to fly out for an interview in person.

We will continue with plans to move to Augusta until the company in Washington makes it clear whether they want to bring him on or not.

I'm just sorting and packing and organizing.

I'm Going to Lose My Mind

Today is Scott's last day of work here in Key West. We are narrowing down places to live in Georgia and have only 13 days before we are planning to leave.

Today the company in Bingen, WA emailed Scott and asked him to call for an interview.

I feel like my emotions have been run through a cement mixer and splatted out onto the road.

If that wasn't enough to make me just sit down and cry, last night my bosses told me they are pregnant. She is 36 and has been off birth control for about six months.

I'm 32 and have been off birth control for TWO YEARS.

I can honestly say this is the first time since we've been "trying" that having a friend tell me they are pregnant has bothered me at all.

I'm sure it's because I have so many other things to deal with right now, but I'm really having a hard time not being actively jealous.

Too Much Head Noise

It's 3:07am.

I tried to go to bed twice so far - starting around 10:30pm... I only have two more work days until I have four days off, then another 6 days on and that's it - we're gone!

Thanks to my fabulous in-laws, I'll be joining Scott on a trip to Seattle in November to (hopefully) meet our new nephew (if he cooperates with our schedule of course).

My mind keeps making lists of things to do and organize and pack... overwhelming.

Our immediate goal is to secure somewhere to live in the new town, there's a few possibilities lined up. Our favorite so far isn't available until the 21st of October and we'd like to be moved in before that, so we may have to go with something else.

My next goal once we have a new address is to work on new employment! I know it will be much easier once I'm actually in town and can walk in somewhere and convince them to hire me based solely on my brilliance.

Ha.

Packing Up

Things are far enough underway that I feel it is safe to announce our decision...

We ARE moving to Augusta, Georgia (unless we don't for some reason).

Right now we're planning to move around October 15th, we began showing our house here today and a rep from a moving company came to check out the house to see how much to charge Scott's company to move us.

We're trying to find someone to move in here as soon as possible so we don't lose our last month's rent.

Scott has been working very hard the last two days on cleaning the house while I have been working at the pet store. His last official day at work here in Key West will be this Tuesday.

My last day at the pet store will probably be the 12th or 13th and then we are anticipating having the movers take everything on the 15th.

Scott will take Buster, Tempura, Won-Ton and Zim in the BMW and I will take the three cats and Stinkerbell in the Honda. Should be an interesting 13 hour drive... Scott suggested that he and I and Buster go ahead and have Maui drive the other cats and the skunk.

I Give Up

I'm not blogging until our decision is final. Georgia is back in the running.

Gah.