Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado

Howdy!

Time for the story of the move. We started out on Sunday, Sept. 9. Not in the morning like we'd hoped. Nothing better than another run to the storage unit and more garbage trips to finish things up. We pulled away from my favorite drive thru Starbucks at 1:30p, chai and tea to keep us alert.

Ooooh! Where are we going?

Ranger did an awesome job on this trip. She did small meows on the first part of the trip. Once we hit the highway, she laid down in her crate and just snoozed the rest of the day. She missed out on the beautiful views through the Gorge. What an amazing first day of the trip!

The first night was in Pendleton, OR. We stayed at the Best Western Plus and it was very nice! They had just renovated the pool and hot tub.

A bit blurry but you get the idea. Relaxing!

A good night of sleep, and we were off. I'll admit that I was the clucky mom, worrying about Ranger. Thankfully that eased as the nights went on. She proved herself very adaptable; especially if there was a good hiding place.

I'm not sure about this!
Cruising down the road, we kept hearing the chirp of Ranger's mouse toy. All the way from the very back of the car. Ok, I'll be the smart one, take it out of the back and put it in with Ranger with nothing touching it. Right. Look who snuggled up to it. And the squeak carried on.

That little pink mouse is at the end of her nose.

Are we there yet?

Night two was in Jerome, ID. Ranger took right to the hotel room, again a Best Western Plus. The hot tub wasn't as fabu, but the carne asada burrito the man found at one of the town's restaurants was awesome! If only this place was closer, it would be a regular place to eat!

Hey! Nice place!

Day three was Tuesday, Sept. 11 and we were on our way to Rock Springs, WY. I think Ranger was watching the flies on the outside of the car window. Jerome, ID has WAY too many flies.

On the road again!

The final night on the road and this was the worst hotel. I don't know what decade it was built in but the slat ventilation windows above the door reminded me of Mid Century. Ranger was not a fan of this place either as the bed frame was boxed in. The good thing about that is she couldn't hide under the bed. Well good for me. Not so happy for her. (evil grin)

What? Can't I hide on the bathroom counter?

When we came back from day four breakfast, Ranger was no where to be found. Slight panic. Rattle the compressed catnip and she emerged!

Yep, I hid in the blankets at the foot of the bed!

Day four took us through Wyoming, into Utah and home to Aurora, CO. I love the layers of low clouds on the mountains, the fields and the snow drift fences in Hanna, WY.

The morning started soooo nice. This was a long hard day of driving however. Rain, low fog and more rain. We were both thankful and stressed when we got home. Little did we know that we were driving in the storm that would be the start of Colorado's flooding.

Home after 1,419 miles! We unloaded the car and made a safe area for Ranger in the bedroom. Then, out to inspect she went.

Fuzzy again, but then so am I!
Finally out of the car, too!

Inspecting, cautiously.

Ahhh! A window to watch out of!

Whew. Ranger is settling in very nicely. Rolling on the floor contentedly, adjusting to the move of the litter box and the constant movement of boxes and stuff. Ranger is a rock star! A snuggly rock star.

Filled Storage and Empty Condo

Howdy!

Oh my has it been a wild and crazy week! Ok, I'll be honest in that I'm not really sure what day it is. Let's continue with story time anyway.

The Pod left on Wednesday and Saturday, Dad and I pretty much finished filling my storage unit. Oh yes, I couldn't fit all my stuff in the Pod. That sucked but the man and I will return in the Spring to get the last dregs of my stuff.

I will miss some of this stuff but I know where it is!

The condo emptied out after many trips to the dumpster and a very generous donation to Union Gospel Mission. Ranger stayed nearby, watching the man as he cleaned the carpets with Christy's carpet cleaner. Thank you, you two!

Amazingly, Ranger sat on the steps and watched the carpet cleaning instead of her normal running.

Saturday was the send off gathering at Christy's shop, Runaway Art & Craft Studio. It was so awesome! Lots of awesome hugs and I was able to share some of my homeless art supplies with so many great people. I am so thankful I got to see so many before we left town. And the treats that people brought? Oh my! Yum and yum!

Lillian, myself and Dad. Complete with rabbit ears from Christy.

Sunday morning. The day we load it up and head out. We left Salem on a beautiful day. Sunny and warm.

Ranger soaked up sun one more time. I don't blame her!

I had the man take one more picture of Ranger and I in my condo. Of course I had it taken in front of the fabu red dining room wall that Christy painted for me.

Last snuggles in my condo.

Seeing my condo empty was hard for me. Knowing all my stuff was packed in a Pod outside of my reach and stuffed in my PT, I got a little emotional. Here I go on a wild adventure, starting a new life and any other appropriate clever phrase that goes with this. I am so excited, nervous and in love that I can't stand it.

Tetris Style Packing and More

Howdy!

Oh boy has it been nuts around here just this week alone. Here's the short version. Well, I hope it ends up short. We'll see.

On Friday, Aug. 30, the POD arrived! I gotta tell ya... this is a slick system! I ordered the largest POD they have, 8'x8'x16' and I had my doubts that I could get all my stuff in that 16' of space. I even asked the delivery guy "are you sure that's a 16' POD?" Um, yes it is.

Are you sure that's 16' long?

Thankfully Alicia distracted me with a pedicure at Top Line Nails after the POD was delivered. This place was awesome! Nice, affordable and look at the pretty flowers on my purple toenails! Don't look at the tan lines on the tops of my feet however. At least you know I got some sun this summer. Top Line Nails has awesome massage chairs and I needed one as my back decided to knot up. Oh ya. All better and lookin' good now! I will be going back to these guys when I'm back in town.

Thank you Ali for the toe treat!

Dad showed up bright at early on Sat., Aug. 31 to start loading the POD. Thankfully I had a ton of stuff already packed and ready for him to load. We loaded the studio on first so it would be last off. I don't need it first. I will need it eventually tho!

Blurry, but you can see the start of it all.

The sofa is in! Now Ranger and I have no where to nap tomorrow!

Day one was hard work. Freaking hot outside. Dripping sweat 30 minutes into it. Dad wasn't but he said he choses not to. Right. I know better. My fat was just crying. He was sweating a bit later. I don't know why, but that made me feel better. Misery loves company?

Fierce protector on my denim coat, next to my jewelry and money. Good Ranger.

He kept me running both days! "I need a box this big to fill a space" and off I'd go trying not to keep him waiting.  Of course he would venture off unattended and find boxes. At the end of day two, we agreed that hot tub time was needed for recovery. He has a hot tub at home, looking over the river so I'm sure he soothed his muscles. I went looking for my hot tub key at about 9p. Um, the box it's kept in is not to be found. Oh dear. So my pool house key is safe in a box, somewhere in the POD. No hot tub time for me but thankfully I know where the key is. I'll find it eventually... and mail it back to the rental management company. Sigh.

He left me with an aisle to fill, just wide enough for my wide load. ;-)

One of the joys of owning your own business if you get to keep your records for ten years for the IRS. Just in case. There just was not enough room in the POD for them. Great. Now what? Fire? No. Not my style. Panic? My style. Instead a storage unit magically appeared. A small one but it will hold enough for one pick-up truck load in the Spring. And it's climate controlled! Woot!

Oh yes, there will be a bit more added!

I found a travel crate for Ranger! It's a bit smaller than I wanted but for $25 and practically brand new, we're gonna be just fine. She sniffed, rubbed on it and has enjoyed treats inside. Yes, I put one of her blankets inside so she won't slide around for 1,200 miles. Next, go buy the stuff to help her travel better. Some sort of homeopathic stuff that another pet traveler recommended to me.

Inspector Ranger.

Today was my last chance to fill the POD as it gets picked up tomorrow. So I was all over the place and Ranger followed me almost the whole way. Yes, I think she was trying to help and I appreciate it.

That candle fixture almost makes her look angelic. Almost.

Up next... recycling, donating, cleaning and painting. The man arrives Thursday morning and we'll hit the road Sunday. Here's to getting the list done and the POD contents arriving safely.