So the house is loaded and on its way to Utah in a 53 foot, 18 wheel semi truck...the Altima and Tahoe are on flat beds and also heading across country. I have to admit the majority of the process has been easy...having a company pack and load your things is the only way to do it.
The most stressful part of the move has been our pets. We have/had 2.5 pets; a fish tank, dog, and bat (that recently began living in my master bedroom window).
Now your probably thinking, "Why was a bat living in their window?" Well...I'm not exactly sure...but he found his way in there on night. We was really cute, had no way of entering my house, and could come and go as he pleased so we decided to let him stay. We knew we would need to "exterminate" him when we moved, but we let him stay to the very last minute. I have to admit that Batman (Sebastian named him) was my favorite pet. I didn't have to feed him, clean up after him or anything. Whenever I got stressed during the move, I would go into my room, tap the glass and watch him stretch or clean himself or move from one side of the window to the other. HE WAS AWESOME!
But now it was time to get him out of the window. We didn't think the renter would be too keen on a bat living in their window. So J. and I went to bedroom and began tapping the window, shaking the window, opening it (very slightly). Nothing...he just sat there...or hung there. So then I told J. to hit him with the hose. So he got the hose and aimed the water. Well this upset him and scared him. Now he was running all around the window SHAKING!!! Poor thing...he was so scared. I felt so bad. Finally, he found he exit and flew away. I was sad to him go!!
On to the Fish Tank. Clearly, we were not moving a 55 gallon fish tank across the country. We are fortunate to be renting our house to a great family who is willing to look after it for us. The only catch is that we need to move it from our dining room (don't ask why it was there...long story) to our living room. No biggie...J. removed 80% of the water, took off the top to clean it and waited for the renter to come help him move it to the desired location. J. put the top of the tank outside on our lawn. Now, I felt this this made us look "white trashy," so I moved it and propped against our open garage door. While showing the renter around the house and moving the tank, J. accidentally closed the garage door with the opener that was in his pocket. Not sure why it was in pocket...but it was. The entire lid to the tank got crushed!!! So now...we had to spend over $1o0 replacing the damn lid!!! Grrr! The last thing I wanted to do was go to Petco. Oh wait...we were headed there anyway.
On to the dog. We were on our way to Petco to get a hard plastic airline approved crate for the dog (which the company was supposed to provide.) We have a 45lb mangy mutt, named Austin Powers. Austin is getting to Utah via "Jet-a-Pet." No...I am not making that up. Jet-a-Pet is a pet courier service that provides door-to-door transport for your pet. So it is costing "The Giant" over $1500 to move our dog, who is probably going to die due the stress of flying anyway. (God I hope not...my kids would be devastated!!) We needed to have the crate at least 2 weeks prior to flying so Austin can acclimate to his home. So far he seems to like it...
So that's my story about pets and moving. We will be at our home (Camp Powers) in the Adirondacks for a few weeks so I probably won't have much to blog about....or will I? Only time will tell as we haven't gotten out to Utah just yet!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The History
Today is the day our journey officially begins. But before I start venting about the packing process, let me take you back to how we even got here.
A few years ago, J needed to find a new position. His dream job of working as a Specialist on the New York Stock Exchange(NYSE) was sadly coming to end. Not to poor performance on his end, but because of the technological advancements. Basically, he was being replaced by a computer. Thankfully, he works for a financial GIANT (the Giant), so he just needed to find a new job within his company.
Having always worked and only EVER wanting to work on the NYSE, moving to another part of the country was never a consideration. However, now that he was moving off "the floor", we began hypothetically discussing what it would be like to move way from the tri-State area. Our goal was for him to find employment and were willing to go anywhere we could find it. The idea of moving seemed exciting enough...but realistically...if you work in the financial industry, New York is the place to be. Thankfully, he soon found a position in the operations department of The Giant and all was good in the world again. Our talks of moving ended.
So the new job was great...but the hours were not. 12 hours days were the norm and he had an 1+ commute each way. I was not happy. When he worked on the NYSE he was home by 6pm every night. Now...he was lucky to be home by 8pm. But hey...in the Tri-state area this is normal. If you want to get ahead...you have to work hard. We dealt with it as best we could...and eventually I stopped screaming at him every night and just accepted it.
After a few months, we learned that his department had a team in Salt Lake City, Utah. "Hmmm. wouldn't it be interesting to move out there" we occasionally discussed hypothetically. We chatted about this prospect with friends, family and neighbors, most of which thought we were crazy. Except for one individual, who said "If you are interested in that, you should tell your boss. How else will it ever happen, if you never let it be known that you are interested in it?" Interesting thought...damn that neighbor. Well, not thinking anything would EVER come of it, he told his bosses "If an opportunity ever comes up within the 48 states, I would be willing to relocate." Now reader please listen and listen well...DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TELL THIS TO YOUR BOSS UNLESS YOU WANT IT TO HAPPEN.
A few months passed, and J worked and there was no talk of Salt Lake. Then one day, I get a call. His boss had approached him, very informally, and said "Go home and talk to your wife and let me know if you were serious about relocating." Um...welll...um...I guess so but we need more details. I didn't realize that in The Giant's mind this was a yes. So we waited for more details, and waited, and waited, and waited. While we were doing all this waiting, I (little miss Obsessive Compulsive) started researching neighborhoods, housing pricing and schools. Well in mid-may, I discovered that schools in Salt Lake City start in mid-August. WHAT!!! I immediately called J screaming and yelled " If The Giant wants us to do this, then we need to know NOW! Because I will not move my son in the middle of school year!!" J relayed the message and a week later we got the details.
There never seemed to an opportunity to say no once we got the details, but after all that waiting, we seemed to accept that we were probably going...just not sure when. My mother, on the other hand, seemed to think the lack of details meant it was not going to happen. But I think that was just wishful thinking on her end.
So here we are. It's the end of July. Someone just came to pack my Plasma 42inch TV. Our house is rented, we have a house to rent in Utah and Sebastian is enrolled in school there. I guess it's official...Mari and J are moving to Utah. Let the journey begin.
A few years ago, J needed to find a new position. His dream job of working as a Specialist on the New York Stock Exchange(NYSE) was sadly coming to end. Not to poor performance on his end, but because of the technological advancements. Basically, he was being replaced by a computer. Thankfully, he works for a financial GIANT (the Giant), so he just needed to find a new job within his company.
Having always worked and only EVER wanting to work on the NYSE, moving to another part of the country was never a consideration. However, now that he was moving off "the floor", we began hypothetically discussing what it would be like to move way from the tri-State area. Our goal was for him to find employment and were willing to go anywhere we could find it. The idea of moving seemed exciting enough...but realistically...if you work in the financial industry, New York is the place to be. Thankfully, he soon found a position in the operations department of The Giant and all was good in the world again. Our talks of moving ended.
So the new job was great...but the hours were not. 12 hours days were the norm and he had an 1+ commute each way. I was not happy. When he worked on the NYSE he was home by 6pm every night. Now...he was lucky to be home by 8pm. But hey...in the Tri-state area this is normal. If you want to get ahead...you have to work hard. We dealt with it as best we could...and eventually I stopped screaming at him every night and just accepted it.
After a few months, we learned that his department had a team in Salt Lake City, Utah. "Hmmm. wouldn't it be interesting to move out there" we occasionally discussed hypothetically. We chatted about this prospect with friends, family and neighbors, most of which thought we were crazy. Except for one individual, who said "If you are interested in that, you should tell your boss. How else will it ever happen, if you never let it be known that you are interested in it?" Interesting thought...damn that neighbor. Well, not thinking anything would EVER come of it, he told his bosses "If an opportunity ever comes up within the 48 states, I would be willing to relocate." Now reader please listen and listen well...DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TELL THIS TO YOUR BOSS UNLESS YOU WANT IT TO HAPPEN.
A few months passed, and J worked and there was no talk of Salt Lake. Then one day, I get a call. His boss had approached him, very informally, and said "Go home and talk to your wife and let me know if you were serious about relocating." Um...welll...um...I guess so but we need more details. I didn't realize that in The Giant's mind this was a yes. So we waited for more details, and waited, and waited, and waited. While we were doing all this waiting, I (little miss Obsessive Compulsive) started researching neighborhoods, housing pricing and schools. Well in mid-may, I discovered that schools in Salt Lake City start in mid-August. WHAT!!! I immediately called J screaming and yelled " If The Giant wants us to do this, then we need to know NOW! Because I will not move my son in the middle of school year!!" J relayed the message and a week later we got the details.
There never seemed to an opportunity to say no once we got the details, but after all that waiting, we seemed to accept that we were probably going...just not sure when. My mother, on the other hand, seemed to think the lack of details meant it was not going to happen. But I think that was just wishful thinking on her end.
So here we are. It's the end of July. Someone just came to pack my Plasma 42inch TV. Our house is rented, we have a house to rent in Utah and Sebastian is enrolled in school there. I guess it's official...Mari and J are moving to Utah. Let the journey begin.
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