The Moving Van & Aftermath

Kirkland is going to be a fun and interesting place to live. We enjoyed getting used to our new home before the moving van arrived with all our stuff. As we sit here surrounded by boxes, we reflect on that week with just the bare essentials. There's something to be said for living simply and without much stuff! 


The moving van and crew arrived bright and early Saturday morning - or it would have been bright if the sun had been out instead of raindrops. Fortunately the rain stopped part way through the day.

The moving van is here!

Garage #1

 Garage #2

 We unpacked some boxes for the driver to take with him.

 Almost finished.

 Joe checks the van.

 Bushes near our townhouse are filled 
with these beautiful flowers. 

Several days later.

 See our car on the left? 

It's supposed to fit in one of these garages. 

That's a guest parking spot we're using. 

Our goal is to get the car in the garage by the weekend. 

The Christus statue ended up in the middle 

of all the clutter. 

Several thoughts came to mind - 

"Peace be still"

 and

Christ will help us keep focused on 

what's most important.

Kirkland - Week 1

Our first week in Kirkland was a busy one as we prepared for the moving van's arrival the end of the week.

The library is a few blocks away. We got our library cards and used the library several times already. We secured our driver's licenses and registered to vote at a gigantic agency that was processing much more than driver's licenses. We had to go to a separate place to get license plates for our car. Found out our car had to pass an emissions test before we could get plates. That was a bit iffy since it's a 12 year old car. It passed with flying colors. Back to the vehicle agency to get the license plates. We've found groceries and other vital stores.

Downtown Kirkland is full of interesting places to eat. We tried out a seafood restaurant which was excellent. Cafe Happy was a fun place. The restaurant has just one table and two counter areas. The husband and wife started the restaurant in 1997. The food is Asian vegetarian and was very good. Our dessert was a delicious mango smoothie. We look forward to exploring many more spots and wandering around this lakefront downtown area.


Sunday was the first time in our new ward, the Rose Hill Ward, not even a 10 minute drive from here.  Although we miss our Worthington Ward family, this felt just like family - somewhat like meeting newly found cousins for the first time. You don't know them but you feel the connection. People were very friendly. The Spirit was strong as we worshipped and learned together.

Checklist

 Before

After

Checked off our list

****

Library Card

Voter Registration

Grocery Savings Card

Driver's License

License Plates for the Car

Bring On The Boxes!

The moving van with our furniture and 266 boxes arrives Saturday morning. Here's hoping for a sunny day - or at least no rain - and a good crew. The crew makes all the difference.

The rooms and furniture have been drawn out on graph paper.

 The rooms are labeled.

The plastic is spread to protect the hardwood floors from the boxes that are likely to be stacked for a while.

   The felt pads are ready to put on the furniture for the living room and dining room. 

On The Road - The Whole Trip

2,581 miles across country

Wednesday, March 2 - Monday, March 7

A - 52 W. North Street, Worthington, Ohio

B - Centerville, Indiana - night 1 - 123 miles

C - Newton, Iowa - night 2 - 512 miles

D - Cheyenne, Wyoming - night 3 - 663 miles

E - Salt Lake City, Utah - night 4 - 439 miles

F - Boise, Idaho - night 5 - 340 miles

G - HOME - Kirkland, Washington - 504 miles

Sights along the way - 

- Wind turbines in Iowa - The giant turbines looked ghostly in the early morning mist. 

- Thousands and thousands of sandhill cranes, snow geese & other birds in Nebraska along Interstate 80 and the Platte River. The birds filled the sky and covered the corn fields and ponds - awesome sight. During Spring millions of birds fly through this area. 

We marveled at all the snow in Wyoming and Utah. Thankfully the snow was on the mountains and not on the roads. In Salt Lake City we had dinner with Michael Todd.

Sunday we went to the Spoken Word with Michael and then headed northwest. 

The snow on Washington's evergreen covered mountains was beautiful. We drove over the mountains and into our new home in Kirkland. 

Except for an hour in a terrible snowstorm north of Boise, we had good weather and good roads the entire trip. 

The adventure continues!

A Tour Of Our Place

Here's a tour of our new place. Saturday the moving van arrives. Our home will fill up with boxes and furniture. This tour is about 7 minutes long. Turn on the sound if you want to hear commentary. Enjoy!

3 April 2012 - video removed; email or call us if you'd like a tour of the place

On The Road - Days 2 & 3

The adventure continues

A - 52 W. North Street, Worthington, Ohio

B - Centerville, Indiana - night 1 - 123 miles

C - Newton, Iowa - night 2 - 512 miles

Newton, Iowa is the former home of Maytag. Rocky Marciano was killed in a plane crash in Newton. 

Sights between Iowa and Wyoming included - 

Wind turbines in Iowa - The giant turbines looked ghostly in the morning mist.

Thousands and thousands of sandhill cranes, snow geese & other birds in Nebraska along Interstate 80 and the Platte River. The birds filled the sky and covered the corn fields and ponds - awesome sight. During Spring millions of birds fly through this area. 

 D - Cheyenne, Wyoming - night 3 - 663 miles

We've had good weather and good roads. 

Last Days In Ohio

Tuesday, March 1 three packers arrived about 8:30 and spent all day packing up 34 years of possessions. By the end of the day we had floor to ceiling boxes in many parts of our house. 

Wednesday our packing crew returned to load the van. We were AMAZED when we saw the van pull up - 83 feet long! The van was longer than the width of our lot! 

The loading crew and driver worked 
from 8:30 to 5:30.  

Our job was to stay out of the way as we watched our home empty out and the van fill up. I found a corner, out of the cold drafts from the open doors, and enjoyed a good book. 

Todd, the driver, has a number of stops to make on his way to Washington. He's going to Missouri, Minnesota, North Dakota, and then to Washington. We are his last delivery. On the way he's stopping at his home in North Dakota. It's been three months since he's been home and he has a new grandchild to meet. He'll probably get to our new place Thursday or Friday, March 10 or 11. 

At 6pm we walked through our home for the last time. We said a prayer and gave thanks for the wonderful memories and our lives in Ohio. We locked the door and headed out of town. 

Centerville, Indiana was our resting place for the night. Tomorrow morning we'll look at the weather and decide which route to take across the country. 

The adventure continues!

*March 9, 2014 Ohio address & other identifying information removed