the big move

So, after months and months of waiting, weeks and weeks of packing, and days and days of driving, we've finally made it to North Carolina. And now we have boxes and boxes of stuff to unpack! Yay! Truthfully, unpacking hasn't been bad. We haven't seen most of our stuff in over 6 months and we've never even used half of it (some of our wedding presents didn't have the chance to get out of the box) so unpacking is a little like Christmas here at the Pilon house...every box has something to get excited about in it.

We had some uhaul issues getting down here - first u-haul wanted us to drive to Wisconsin to pick up our u-haul (Joe promptly told them where to shove it) but they finally magicked one up for us in Gladstone. Sill too far, but whatever. We got the truck and Joe, Mike, Troy, and Aaron had it packed up in an hour flat. Then we had to put the Jeep on the back. There's some big long explanation about a drive shaft and transfer case or something, but basically the Jeep wasn't attached to the tow dolly correctly and every time we stopped Joe found that the straps holding the Jeep onto the dolly had slipped off. We weren't very interested in driving through the mountains with such equipment, so on Wednesday (day two) we tried to find another u-haul place along the way to switch out the tow dolly for an auto-transporter. Long story short, we spent 2 hours driving around Columbus, OH to get one only to find out there wasn't one in all of Ohio. On the plus side though, the dudes at the last uhaul place we went to figured out why the straps were falling off and once that was fixed we were good to go. Still a colossal waste of time.

With the uhaul fiasco behind us we were pretty frustrated, so we called it an early day on the driving front. So on our first day (Tuesday) we made it from Gwinn to Toledo, but on our second day (Wednesday) we only made it from Toledo to Logan, OH, which is almost two hours from the WV border. Not a very productive day, but oh well. I wasn't feeling well, so I was glad we stopped early.

When I woke up on Thursday I knew I was officially sick, since I could breathe out of my nose and my sinuses felt like they were going to explode. Ugh. We stopped at a Walmart before we hit the road and I spent like 20 minutes in the cold medicine isle trying to find the right crap...do you know how hard it is to find a cold medicine that doesn't contain a nasal decongestant? Really hard. I had to read a million boxes! (Nasal decongestants can cause insomnia and they keep me up all night, regardless of whatever sleeping medication I take, so I avoid them.) And then we drive through West Virginia and Virginia...in all of their ear popping, sinus pressure building glory. Nice.

We got to Concord at about 7:45 that night. We decided to stay at a hotel rather than Joe and Sara's because I didn't want to get the kids sick. We checked in and the Joseph Kirkwood family came by to see us. Since we were at the same hotel they had stayed at when they arrived in Concord, Jake and Jonny were more than happy to show us where the pool was and where we could "get our own breakfast." By the time everyone was out of the pool (I didn't go) I had a fever and was feeling particularly pissy, so I got ready for bed.

HayZeus traveled well and thoroughly enjoyed the hotels we stayed in. We'd gotten him some tranquilizers from the vet for the drive and he actually seemed to enjoy parts of the ride. He mostly stayed in the Jeep but when it got too warm he rode up front with us. When Jake and Jonny were here yesterday I think he would have gladly traded hanging out with them for another day in the Jeep!

After signing our lease and getting our keys, we scoped out the apartment. It's not as clean as I require it to be and from the smell of things the previous tenants were smokers, but I can fix that stuff. I took pictures of the whole place and wrote down any blemishes we found so we would have a baseline when we moved out. Joe and Joe pretty much unloaded the u-haul and brought everything up to our second floor apartment by themselves in 95 degree heat. I think they may have produced enough sweat to fill our pool. I wasn't exactly productive, but we still got a lot done.

The cat likes the new place. There's lots for him to check out right now and I think he actually missed us. I don't remember him being this affectionate, nor do I remember him being this calm. I suppose 6 months with a dog and a 3 year old can make you appreciate the calmer side of life.

I like the new place too (sans the smell, which I'm working on). Our living room is hugenormous, Joe and I have our own separate walk in closets and bathrooms, we have a cute little patio, and a guest bedroom that actually has a bed in it (courtesy of Mom and Steve). I'm hoping to get the rest of the boxes unpacked today and get out first grocery shopping trip out of the way...you know, the one where you have to buy everything under the sun? Eventually I'll post some pictures of everything, but not today.

It's nice to finally have our own place again. And our own stuff again. Living with Dee and Mastin worked out so well for us, but I was tied of living in a perpetual state of moving. I'm also really glad that Joe and Sara are down here. It's like having a little piece of the U.P. down here, which I think will be key for me in the next couple months. And then when we get sick of them, all you other Michiganders can start visiting (HINT). :)

Ok, I'm off to find breakfast. I think we might have since instant oatmeal in a box somewhere. It's either that or Doritos and M&Ms....maybe I won't look for the oatmeal....hmm...