And away we go....

The last week has been a whirlwird of packing, cleaning, and doing nothing. In between fits of cleanliness I have managed to watch more documentries on Netflix and download more torrents then I care to think about. So, while I may claim to be super busy I've still found time to watch all of the last season of How I Met Your Mother. Today starts the "offical" move. Betsey will be here to pick me up this morning to drive me to Lynchburg to pick up the truck. From there I will pick up the carpet cleaner and last of the moving necessities this afternoon. The movers will be here at 9 am tomorrow morning and I should be ready to leave around 1:00pm. However, we pull out Wednesday morning around 11:00, with plans to meet my dad and sister in Roanoke at 12:30. It will be me, two dogs, two cats, and three fish in the front of the Penske truck all the way to Roaonke. Thank goodness after that we pick up Susan's truck and the transfer all the animals. It is going to be a whirlwind trip.....

Thanks Virginia...thanks a lot

Yesterday was the kind of day that makes you never want to leave Virginia. The temperature was cool, the wind was just enough to toss your hair lightly, and the golfers were spaced far enough a part that the terrier didn't become hoarse from barking. This was Virginia's way of saying...don't leave me!!! It felt comforting and relaxing to be able to throw open the patio door and let the cool summer air in the house (this involved ignoring the tufts of dog/cat hair that the wind would toss about). I was able to steal a few minutes away from packing to sit on the back porch (on the step mind you, because I have packed the patio furniture) and enjoy the last cool summer Virginia day I will probably experience before the move.

The good doctor landed uneventfully in New Mexico to only have to wait an hour and a half in the airport to be picked up. Lesson learned: set a time to be picked up, never agree to call someone when you arrive. Unless of course you like the sight of weary travel ladened people dragging screaming kids through the airport. She was safely deposited on the campus of the University of New Mexico where she will spend the next two weeks completing her Kodaly certification (some music jizz that I don't understand...I agree not to talk counseling lingo to her and she doesn't talk music jizz to me!). As I told my mother last night, I actually prefer her being away for Part Deux of the epic move. This allows me to go into planning overload and finish the task at hand without being distracted.

My little sister and I spent father's day with my dad, on his porch, with a bucket of KFC. Nothing like a ghetto father's day to say, "Thanks for taking a week to drive across the country with me dad...". So for my dad...I leave a bucket of chicken as I get back to packing!

Day one of many

I guess today could really be considered the beginning of the moving process. Not that I haven't been packing since March, collecting boxes since February, or helping the good doctor send out CV's and cover letters since November. But, this is the actual move to a different part of the country beginning. We spent the early part of today finishing the last of the packing (Susan's den) and then trying to ensure everything she needed would fit into one carry on and two suitcases. Because she is headed to New Mexico for a two week intensive course on some music concept, one bag consisted completely of books. There was a lot of rearranging, standing on the scale with the suitcase (to make sure that the bag did not weigh more than 5o pounds), and rearranging again. In the end, all of the essentials made it into either the suitcases or the carry on. And frankly, I don't understand why it matters if the damn suitcase weighs more than 50 pounds because regardless we have to pay for it to fly. Since when do you have to buy your suitcase an extra ticket?

After I took the good doctor to Waynesboro to meet another teacher from Harrisonburg, I treated myself to a drive back down Route 11 to Lexington. Beyond anything else I am going to miss the mountains of Virginia. There is something comforting and slightly protective about the mountains that surround Lexington and Rockbridge County. They feel like home. I don't know whether this is an indication of my fondness for the area or just feeling comfortable with where I am. However, I am beginning to look forward to a new area, new culture, and new opportunities.

The next ten days are going to be jam packed with things to accomplish to get this move off the ground. With the good doctor safely in the air tomorrow morning at 6 am I will begin Phase 2 of the epic move. I need to finish packing the little things that are always left out before a move (hangers, tools, the fish).