Tuesday, December 30, 2003

Valerie Begins the Day's Stories

Packing

What comes with moving? Packing! I was an unrealistic packer. I had a 10x10 foot room that was crammed packed FULL of schtuff. I had this grand idea that I would clean out a lot of stuff and organize the boxes as I packed so I would know what was in each one. I did realize some of the boxes would have to be shipped because everything wouldn't fit in the car but I thought a lot more would fit than did.

However, I procrastinated just like I always do with overwhelming projects. In general I didn't want people to help me pack because it was my stuff and I wanted to know where it was. The morning of Tuesday the 30th I left behind about 20 boxes all sitting in my dad & step-mom's living room. Looking back, I find this funny because leaving my stuff out after I was finished working with it was a point of arguments in the house.

Quick tip: pack fragile things in small to medium boxes before packing into larger boxes and use lots of padding.

The Sock Story
(aka Proof that packing is stressful)

The week before my Mom and I where to leave we had gone to Wal-Mart. Inside this Wal-Mart we found these great warm socks. Not really socks you wear with shoes but more of house slipper type socks. They where great! Pam's socks and mine never parted.
It's Tuesday morning. I'm sleep deprived. I'm stressed. I'm moody. I can't find those darn socks!

The night before I dealt with packing my clothes. I had sectioned everything out into: Goes (on the trip), Next (get shipped first), Later (could be shipped second). Each section was packed into bags – at this point I don't think there where any more boxes. Yeah, somehow the socks got mixed in with everything.
In a flurry of cursing, crying and frustration I went through all the sacks of clothes to find the socks. My sister was also there and my step-sister – they too went through all the bags. No socks.

My sister kept reassuring me that I could leave with out the socks. She gave me money to buy new socks. I was already so out of it – I didn't want new socks, I wanted the socks I had bought a week ago. She finally convinced me to leave with out the socks and to just take the money for anything else I'd need.

I did survive the trip without my socks and no I never replaced them. I looked for them in every box of clothing that arrived. I don't think it was until July of 04 that they finally made it to Portland.

Pam got her socks a year later – almost to the date. We both enjoyed our socks when she visited in January 05.

Saying Goodbye

Even though I had an awesome going away party, the morning I was leaving all my siblings and parents said goodbye in their own way. And I'll try to get through this with out crying.

My dad was the first because he went to work the earliest. He comes into my room and wakes me (this is good because I needed to be up). He gives me this nice long hug and says he loves me.

A couple of hours later my brother hugs me on his way out to work. I can't remember an exchange of words but my sure there was.

My step-mom was next a little bit later, also on her way to work. I remember hugging and thanking her for her help.

My sister and step-sister cried and I cried and we prayed together. We hugged, we said our love yous, we hugged again and then I finally had to leave.

When I got into the driver seat I found a card. A card from dad saying how proud he was of my move. I set to crying again but finally did pull out.

When my mom and I finally got the car packed at her location. I said goodbye to my step-dad with a hug and a prayer and his Mercy Me CD.

And Pam Continues

After Valerie reached our friend's house where Billy and I were (and where Billy remained), we managed to get my important stuff into the car. That project had some drama. I, of course, was also woefully overestimating the amount of stuff Valerie's car could contain. More of my stuff remained with Billy than went with me. Much to my disappointment ... because you know ... it's hard to trust a man with "stuff" that women love and adore.

That man of mine thought it was so entertaining to watch the sorting and repacking that he brought a lawn chair out to sit on the front walk. I put him to work. (Valerie had gone inside my friend's house to deal again with her contact lens (and to hide))

And finally we were off ... much later than we had hoped but the plan had logically been to drive fewer miles the first day.

Before we left the DFW metroplex, we stopped off to pick up a special order of protein bars and drinks, energy drinks, special shampoo & conditioner, and deodorant. The challenge became obvious right away to the young man who came out to help. He believed the best solution was for him to keep Shelbie dog. We didn't agree. But we all had some good laughs as we broke down the boxes and stuffed cans and drink boxes and protein bars under the seats and in every little crevice we could find.

As we drove away from the edge of Ft.Worth one of the re-occurring themes of the trip emerged: I found it! It was at the bottom.

The front seat passenger floorboard was as packed as the rest of the car. Way down away from the seat was a paper Starbucks gift bag ... the one that's about oh about 10" high and about 6" deep and has little handles. It was FULL of little snacks from various people!

Valerie was driving and she wanted a particular kind of snack that she KNEW was in that sack. She Knew it. I poked through it, I sifted through it, I pawed through it. We were not looking for a small piece of candy. It was a plastic baggy of peanuts and candies.

I finally took each snacky item out one at a time, naming each item as it came out -- hoping against hope that we would find something that might substitute -- but Valerie was beginning to feel just a little insane as this was not the first item of the day to go MIA. (You remember the socks, right?) Valerie was not going to be happy unless we found it!

By the time I finally reached the bottom of the sack, we were both laughing so hard from the sheer puzzlement of "HOW can something that LARGE be lost in a bag this SMALL? And there it was ... at the very, very, very bottom.

So, from that point on, whenever we would start to feel a wave of frustration when we digging through a bag or a box, one of us would laugh and say, "Don't worry! It's just at the very bottom." And, usually it was!

I remember feeling so much relief as we left Civilization. We were really on our way. This was really going to be great. And we really were going to make it to our first destination without driving until dawn.

I also was suspicious that we were missing out on something as we drove along after dark ... but not knowing for sure ... I dismissed it.

The Van Horn KOA was great! The people were really nice when we called and told them our expected arrival time was around midnight, they made sure to go over and fire up the little heater (aka plug it in and turn it on) so it was already warm when we got there. They hadn't expected to be up to greet us but they were and they seemed really relieved that we had arrived safe and sound ... then again, it could have just been me relieved to be so near a bed.