Tag Archives: moving?

Moving Out, Moving In, Moving Out

Posted on May 31, 2012 | 1 comment

As you might have guessed by these several years of blogs, we don’t do anything simply. We moved out of one tower next door but also had stuff we haven’t seen in over three years shipped up from Houston.

The kitchen is jam-packed and I can’t open any more boxes until we build some kind of pantry this weekend. We’re under a time crunch because my m-i-l and 9 year-old nephew arrive to visit for several days late next week.

We have to make enough room to take things to storage, shred papers, and donate books and clothing.

In essence, we’ve moved everything in, now we have to get rid of as much as possible before guests descend in 8 days. Forget getting pictures up on the wall. All the books we’re keeping are in bookcases but we really need to do a lot so I can work this weekend and fill my car with donates and shreds. I’ve papers from 15 years ago. Even the IRS doesn’t follow folks that far back!

Now I hear we’re being charged an extra $80 from the furniture rental company, let’s say it, Cort Furniture, because they found a few dog hairs on the sofa and chair, that could have come from our pants or socks. The management office here says they took photos so I’ll go see them in the morning and decide whether to fight it or not. We’re repeat customers and this is NO WAY to get us back or have us to refer them to other consultants who need to furnish a high-end place quickly for a short period of time. They’re not on my Santa “nice” list right now.

All I can say is if there is “excessive dog hair” on ours it is a few hairs, because I went over there and dusted all the furniture and checked it out that morning. Plus the sofa stank of smoke for two of the three months we lived there, and neither we nor our our guests smoke. If the sofa is a different color, if the dog hair is a different color, there’s trouble brewing in Dee-Land.

Everything in this move has been a problem, from taking a header in the garage after twisting my ankle being chased downhill by a hotel cart, to everything else like changing cable service (five hours, three on the phone and two here) and we’re next door! That’s DirecTV, folks. The technicians have to call the customer line and listen to awful Muzak for 20-30 minutes to have their questions answered and they didn’t even know this was an installation so didn’t bring the right boxes.

It’s time to build a pantry and donate, shred and store things. Even the movers said “you’ve got more coolers than anyone we’ve ever seen!” Yeah, that’s because we move and have stuff in storage and just buy another. I think we’ll donate four and keep the six-pack cooler with our dog’s name on it for taking her food wherever it needs to go, and the big one for picnics and keep it in storage.

It’s always an adventure! Cheers, Dee

 

 

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Twine

Posted on May 30, 2012 | 1 comment

According to me, I have just added over three years to my life. Over ten years ago I bought a cone of linen kitchen twine (the type to tie roasts and chickens). I said to my husband that when it’s gone, I can die. It was a $10 cone and I’ve already had it for ten years, so it’s paid for itself. I keep a plastic bag over it to keep it from collecting dust.

So, it’s been in storage for over three years and I haven’t been using it so there’s three more years for me! I would probably be in my 90’s anyway.

Today they’re supposed to put in shades, but it’s cloudy so I can write, normally I can’t do so until after noon. They’re gonna kick themselves when they realize they could have done this a month ago when this place was empty, now there are boxes everywhere and everything will have to be moved.

We still don’t have enough space to designate store, keep, donate or shred. I’m thinking of hiring movers on Saturday to deal with storage. As long as we can load my car, I can deal with donate and shred as I made all those calls yesterday.

The ankle is doing better after the fall I took when a cart hit my heel and tumbled me in the garage. Still awaiting visible bruises on legs, hips and arms.

The irony is that we got ALL our stuff, from everywhere, in here, and now all I want to do is move as much of it OUT as I can! I’m limited by physical constraints and Jim (husband) is limited by work, and I can’t call movers until everything is organized and I can’t organize until we at least get rid of the obvious (bringing flattened boxes to storage next door so that their other tenants can take them). I brought the packing peanuts there yesterday, 70 cubic feet, I looked like Santa Claus! And I set up the new shower curtain in the guest bath.

Now I’ll go downstairs and find out when the blinds people will be here, because I have to move boxes and keep the dog occupied. Then I’ll go to the store and find out what to cook with no knives and no pantry ingredients. They’re all in boxes and can’t be unpacked until we find a storage solution.

Ain’t moving grand? Dee

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Ultimate Recycling

Posted on May 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

I can’t get to work here in our new place until I get rid of some things. So instead of physical labor (I took a header in the garage yesterday when a cart attacked my right heel, and twisted my ankle) I’m motoring through donation sites et al for stuff we haven’t seen for three years.

So, our storage place will take packing “peanuts” and sell them, so I walked a 70 cubic foot (Santa sleigh size) bag of them, tied with string, in heavy winds to our storage place, almost took off! I couldn’t get into our storage space to get our down comforter out because in the move I lost my keys, but that’s done. Then, they’ll take all our broken down moving boxes for customers to pick from. I can’t do that job alone because much more has to go to storage and some must come out as well.

Like my favorite jean jacket.  In any case, the more we get out of here, the better I can work getting rid of the remaining boxes. I’d like to actually have a place to LIVE!

Life shouldn’t be about moving and boxes, it should be about watching the seagulls fly by the window, and seeing the water change by the minute. Taking your dog out for a walk. Writing to you on this blog.

Today, I’m power-moving, arranging things that will make our lives easier and get rid of boxes. When I find the camera I’ll take some shots for you of the Lake and the old water tower. Cheers, Dee

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We’re In!

Posted on May 28, 2012 | 5 comments

Happy Memorial Day! We’ve spent four entire days moving from the North Tower to the South Tower. It’s more complicated than that. We’ve stuff in storage here, rented furniture package, two moving companies and an ABF truck to move 15 linear feet of our “stuff” from Texas where it’s been for the past 3.5 years!

Let me tell you a little secret. Don’t ever let all your belongings be in storage for that long. And don’t let my husband and his cohorts pack them. I think we have 40 new moving blankets, all folded up except for a few that need to be unpacked. Then he wrapped cling wrap all over everything. For all that, I must say that only one dish and three glasses broke.

7.500 pounds of stuff to place in 1,250 sf in a different configuration than it was purchased for. Books are unloaded and many being donated. Tons of boxes unloaded and ready for a needy mover to take on, plus a tub with a huge plastic bag of packing “peanuts” ready to give away.

I’ve files from 15 years ago and must go through many boxes and have a professional document shredder get rid of most of it.

Then we’ve got donation items and I’ve many clothes to go through to get that done but have researched and contacted the right people to find the right place to get that done.

Then we have to move things like Christmas stuff to storage and building a pantry and maybe kitchen shelving as well because it’s a small kitchen and I’ve used up every inch of space and don’t have a place for a pantry.

So my husband just hooked up my computer and I’m at the window with a great view, right now of a storm over Lake Michigan. Lightning et al, I love watching storms! The seagulls fly by our windows and we’ll finally get shades on Wednesday.

We put together our bed today, all but the comforter and cover which are in storage here. We have been sleeping in someone else’s bed for 3.5 years and had to go out and get an expensive mattress pad today because we couldn’t find ours. It would be nice to sleep through the night and only worry about boxes, dusting the Cort furniture in our old place and bringing back their laundry basket I had to use for moving today.

Oh, and it would be nice to find my keys to the new place. They were on my purse on the counter and probably fell into a pantry box. Or I left them in the door and someone will turn them in. Oh, well, no move, even one as complicated as ours, is problem-free! Cheers! Dee

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You say Hello, I say Goodwill

Posted on May 23, 2012 | 3 comments

Great Beatles song, backwards, I know. Someone wrote me today that I would welcome all the stuff we haven’t seen in over three years.

Furnishings and art, yes, we’re minimalist. Clothing, no. Anything that doesn’t fit will go immediately to charity. I’m talking about interview clothing for tall men. And I’ve asked the source of this piece about the better charities in town, where our gift will do the most good for those in need. And I called the volunteer coordinator at the local volunteer center to find out who needs things.

They have been very helpful and I’ll just have to have boxes ready to take things to our local charity for resale or gifts. It helps to know the right folks in town to do our best for our new community. Thanks y’all for helping us prior to the move. Cheers! Dee

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Facing West

Posted on May 23, 2012 | 2 comments

I’ve loved the West. I met my husband there, lived in So Cal 15 years, in the Rockies for three. Pacific Northwest, we’ve visited and love it and have gear for snow, rain, anything so would go there in a heartbeat.

Right now we’re up high facing west. I see the weather coming in. I know that if the roof on Miller Stadium is closed it’s probably going to rain. Just saw a gaggle of geese fly by our windows. Often we see and hear individual seagulls just outside.

Later this week we move to a NE view, with the Lake. And hopefully shades will be in by then because 5:08 a.m. is when the dog is trying to get me to take her out these days. “Hey, I’m bored, lets go out and see some squirrels!”

It’s going to be even brighter, earlier facing East so please get our shades in asap!

As to living, this is my husband’s first Northeast experience, he’s a Texan born & bred. I’m a great lakes gal but don’t want to slip back into the accent I lost at age 12 surrounded by military brats near D.C.

He’s still got a bit of drawl going on but nothing like his parents and brother. For the first few months we were together if his dad or brother called, I had never met them and couldn’t understand a word! So I knew that when we lived in Scotland, folks from Edinborough and Glasgow became easy to understand right off the bat, but the further out of town you go, if you’re in a taxi and can’t see the driver’s face, if you get every third word you’re lucky!

That said, I do love the American West. There’s something about mountains and bad weather that attracts me. All I can say for now is that my husband has a good job, we’re meeting neighbors, moving and my fingers aren’t cracking due to living 6,500 feet above sea level with zero humidity.

Utah Formal (our term) clothing will be reserved for weekends and I only hope that the bankerly clothing we have had in storage for over three years still fits my husband. Luckily as it’s around 60 degrees today he’s changed from his cossack hat (wind and snow) to Indiana Jones (keeps sun off his face).

I will miss seeing the weather come in and looking at all the trees that are finally green, but we’ll gain a guest room/office and have a view of a really big lake that is not man-made (sorry, Texas joke). And we’ve guests for two weeks right after the move, in shifts. I have to menu plan and find places and events. After the move! Cheers to looking East! Dee

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Dreaming

Posted on May 4, 2012 | 6 comments

I’ve an uncanny knack for knowing when something’s “right.” Like my husband, dog…. I’ve found us a place to live and just look at a room (ok, it’s only 1,248 sf for the entire place) and see our furniture in it.

I see furniture we haven’t seen for the past 3-9 years! The black printer stand/night stand will be great in the guest bath to hold TP and towels, and the pink shower curtain with the retro hangers (nine years ago) will look great.

The quilts are another story. The 70’s one created by m-i-l Margie will probably hang in the living room or Jim’s office. The civil war-era hexagonal quilt will probably go over our bed.

Three things need framing: a card thanking Jim for providing balloon animals at a young neighbor’s sleepover birthday party; a photo of the Navy Captain, RIP, who married us; and a postcard from my dad with regards from famed chef Andre Soltner.

Since Jim’s taking the second bedroom as his personal office and guest room, it is incumbent upon me to figure out what to do with a 60″ wide and 43.5″ deep “niche” in the kitchen, called a “tech center.” I need a pantry and office and have one industrial utility cart on wheels to use, plus my 100 year-old English oak gate leg table that can be folded to 36″ square or have the sides pulled out. Plus my comfy office chair, better than the folding chair with two pads I’m sitting at now.

Also, we have a plastic table ($24 at Wal-Mart) that folds up, it is now my desk. I think it will be folded up and taken outside as needed, covered and used for grilling and serving food.

There’s a small area by the front door and I want to get a simple plant stand and bowl to place keys, leash et al. It may also be a home for the carnival lamp m-i-l so hates. Hey, it cost ten bucks and looks great with her quilt, picks up all the colors!

Missing our “stuff” for so many years is one thing, envisioning it with an awesome view of Lake Michigan is another. I looked at each room and could just picture it, a month from now, done and we will have a home with no one else’s family photo on the wall. That’s the goal. Usually my role is to support and “put out fires” but this time, I get to dream and decorate! Cheers, Dee

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Involvement

Posted on April 27, 2012 | Leave a comment

I was asked to meet with my husband’s employer to talk about our moving efforts.We’re unusual movers, living in a furnished home for three years with our furnishings in storage 1,500 miles another way. No kids, no home to sell or schools to change.

And I’m asked about our experience, but know that research needs to be done on moving trends because I remember having a lady come to our home, make an estimate and then a truck came and packed up everything and moved it to the next destination several days later. I was a kid then.

Even though my husband is a high-level software engineer, we have always packed everything ourselves and keeping costs to a minimum is a priority.

Now, we only have half the move completed. We moved two cars across the country with the dog. I was plagued by laryngitis and bronchitis and was miserable and having problems staying awake at the wheel so we considered putting Jim’s car on a transport and him driving us the rest of the way.

I made it, only to get here and he lost me on the freeway so I made my way as far as I could East toward the Lake, then called and whispered where we were. Then our parking spaces we spend a fortune to have were stolen.

Anyway we talked about a lot of things, beside our personal experience. I did some research into relo companies and what they could offer and gave information to have policies, levels, and when these new out-of-state recruiters need to find top talent they’re going to have to deal with the housing market, then considering whether they want to get into the H1B market.

We were their first subjects, and after two months my husband is happy here and after finding a teeny three-month place to live on our own, we think we know where we want to live and bring the rest of our stuff up here.

Several things are remarkable about this organization – but most important is that we got here and my husband is happy.

I’m now involved with Recruitment but also with other organizations to see what the heavens might see my role here to be. Age, wisdom, experience and a history of volunteerism may play a part. Plus, I can cook! Cheers! Dee

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On the Road Again

Posted on April 2, 2012 | 1 comment

About to be, anyway. I just want you to know that skiers everywhere enjoying The Greatest Snow on Earth need to thank me. We’ve had a dry winter but as soon as I sent six pairs of boots (hiking to rain to mud to snow and heavy snow) on a truck East, it started to snow and it hasn’t stopped. Last year whenever I wore my snowflake sweater, it snowed. But it snowed a lot last year.

Don’t tell anyone, they’ll just bring me back and make me threaten to move out of the State again! Wait, the State and ski resorts may pay me well for this service, I may look into it.  State seer. Oh no, that’s Brigham Young. State snow predictor? Who knows?

A neighbor called yesterday and said she has boots to borrow so I can take out our dog Zoe. Another neighbor is planning a going-away party for us Saturday night, at our place. They’re having painting done that day and I think this will be more suitable than a restaurant, cozier by the fire.

We have met some very good folks out here in the mountains, and they (and the mountains) will be missed. Our birds have let me know it’s OK to go, however, a lone Greater Sandhill Crane flew above my car last weekend en route to having the last best burger in the State. I think he showed up early to search for a date (they mate for life) as our couple will probably be here by the end of the month.

The male redwing blackbirds are calling out for a hot date. In my mind, that’s where uniform epaulets came from, as the brighter the red and yellow on the bird’s wings, the more likely he is to get lucky. I already know about buttons on the uniform sleeves, to keep them from wiping their noses!

Nothing’s changed. I just got a text to help with a sweet Lab pup. Luckily I’m a pro because there was no collar and I had to loop the leash to take him out. Then he tried to get my gloves and a pair of socks. True gentleman that he is, he dropped them when asked.

And it’s still snowing! They’re shoveling right now (we’re in a ski condo where HOA fees pay for plowing and shoveling).

So we’re off to the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan, on Sunday. Luckily we have a great car dog, who’s not allowed in my husband’s car but is in my SUV. She even has a 4″ orthopedic bed back there. Great sleeper, too, she only pops her head up on an off-ramp.

The wind has picked up considerably and I’m hoping we won’t have to drive through serious snow this weekend. All I can do is hope. The only place I control the weather is here! (Just kidding, of course).

Our stuff is arriving tomorrow or Friday and we’re not ready for it but my husband will get a truck and pick it up and place it in local storage until I arrive next week.

We have a very small, but nice place for three months with a city view on the 17th floor. I think Zoe’s walk schedule might change. Two really long walks and two short ones, like here but factoring in an elevator. I don’t think in eight years she’s ever been on one! Her nails are trimmed, I gave her a bath and she just needs a good combing and we’re good to go.

I feel as if I’m leaving you, and I’m not. I just may have to take a day or three off. With good wishes for you and your family, I say Cheers! from Dee

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News

Posted on March 22, 2012 | 2 comments

So much has happened in the past few weeks, I don’t know where to start. Well, I was pretty darn sick for two of them, including driving halfway across the country where my husband lost me and the dog in the dark and luckily smart gal Dee drove as close to Lake Michigan as I could and hoped my phone had a few seconds left on it to tell him I was between the Discovery Center and Art Museum/Calatrava.

We’re in a tiny place but making the best of it. I’m off the kitchen counter as of this morning and have my laptop, 24″ monitor and cordless keyboard set up on a $24 foldable plastic desk with a padded folding chair my husband picked up for me last night. The plan is to buy another one, keep it in storage, and use it if we have a big dinner in our new place. Throw a tablecloth on it, set it nicely and voila, we can seat 10-12!

The windows are open, the high today was supposed to be 67 and it’s perfect! Even though we’re on the 17th floor with seagulls wafting by, with an open window and glass corner that’s dog Zoe’s favorite spot today, so I moved her bed and pillow over there.

There are a bunch of dogs in these towers and we meet people every day at “dog time.” I haven’t met any non dog-owners yet and hope to meet some of husband Jim’s cohorts at a hockey game tomorrow evening. They have a private box and have invited staff/spouses to attend. Hopefully I’ll find something to wear and luckily I’ve been informed that all 60 of us will have name tags (easier on the newbies!)

I still fight my battles day by day, trying to keep it down to one or two. Today I couldn’t put a bag of trash down the chute because someone on one of 19 other floors failed to properly close it. That was easy. The cable company was more difficult as the first person I spoke with told me that my agreement with the building was set in stone and I couldn’t order or pay for any more channels. I asked “Are you telling me that your company is in the business of making money and I’m offering money and you refuse it?” She said yes. Sad.

Yesterday I called and just asked to upgrade my service and it took over an hour and four different agents from two companies but at least we now have basic cable, including NatGeo and Military because Jim likes to check those out on the weekends.

That beats five hours with our bank of over 15 years to change account addresses. Moving across country is not for the faint of heart.

I’ve been helped by friends as far back as the fifth grade. I guess we Great Lakes folks stick together. I’ve spoken to high school, college and post-college friends who all lend moral support.

Our next big thing is our friend’s burial with full military honors at Annapolis, where he will be interred. That’s four weeks out and we need airline tickets soon. He was a Captain in the US Navy (ret.) and married us nearly ten years ago. He and his wife were like family and while I haven’t seen him for a few years, I miss him nonetheless.

Other next thing is finding a place to live, and bringing the furniture we’ve bought and brought during this marriage up here from Texas where it’s been in air-conditioned storage for three years! I think we’ll get a two-bedroom place and have one as an office. Guests will stay in a hotel, or if it’s my brother-in-law and nephew they’ll bring cub scout gear and stay on the floor somewhere. Sorry J&J! Cheers and hope your weather was as nice as ours today, Dee

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