I'm back! That was quite a couple of weeks... Since I last blogged, the men who loaded the moving truck left behind scratches and dents in walls and door frames, along with the glass top to our patio table, which I did not find until walking through the house with our new buyer right before he closed. After dealing with the claims coordinator (who is sending a check to cover damages to our buyer), I spent a lovely couple of days with my best friend. We shopped, ate out, and she even hosted a going away party for me with many of my other friends. ♥
I then spent a day with my sister's family and my parents (though I didn't get a chance to officially hug my oldest nephew goodbye since he was working), and a couple nights at my in-laws' farm. My husband called to let me know that the truck was scheduled to arrive early Saturday morning, which would give him plenty of time to get things settled a bit before we arrived Tuesday afternoon. On Friday the 18th, we loaded up and hit the road. My in-laws had two of my nephews from CO with them and were meeting my sister-in-law in Ogallala, NE, that evening. Our first day was pretty uneventful, and it was a drive we knew well from all the trips we've made to CO. I had taken a friend's idea (which she found on Pinterest) and filled a Rainbow Loom organizer for each of my children with snacks. They could use the organizer as a lap desk and then have a snack whenever they wanted. That was probably the best thing I planned for this entire trip! The only downfall of the day was a call from my dear husband, letting me know that the moving truck had broken down somewhere in MT. They were ordering the necessary part; it was to arrive Tuesday, delaying the truck until at least Wednesday. Ugh. Not what I wanted to hear. I wanted them to find another truck and get our things to the house by Tuesday, at the latest. My husband is a much kinder person than I am, and he did not get irate with the coordinator. This annoyed me. At the hotel, all the kiddos played in the pool, we ate pizza, and we hit the sack fairly late.
Saturday morning, my father-in-law headed back to IA, my sister-in-law and her four boys headed back to CO, and my mother-in-law (bless her heart) headed west with my hooligans and me. We stopped at Scotts Bluff (we'd planned to stop at Chimney Rock too, but somehow we both missed the signs!) and took in the national monument there. It was breathtaking and the kids really enjoyed that stop. We then drove and drove and drove some more... all the way to Cody, WY. That was a long day of driving and we got to the hotel very late. It was by far the nicest hotel we stayed in on this trip (Best Western Premier Ivy Inn & Suites, in case you ever get to Cody), and sadly, we spent the least amount of time there and didn't even get a chance to swim.
The reason we didn't take time to swim at this beautiful hotel was that we were going to Yellowstone Sunday morning. We wanted to spend as much time there as possible before heading on down the road. What an amazing place! The children were thrilled to see many bison, an elk, a couple deer, and a yellow-bellied marmot. We made the small hike to one of the waterfalls, stopped at a couple of bubbling mud puddles (geyser basins) that reeked of sulfur, and of course, watched Old Faithful erupt. After a tasty late lunch/early dinner at the park and a detour to the gift shop, we took off for Missoula, MT. I must thank a couple of my dear friends for sending along little gifts for the children to open at various points along the way! They were invaluable. This was another long drive and a very late bedtime for my kiddos.
By Monday, there were still no updates on the truck situation, which had me quite steamed. I had not been impressed by the driver's attitude and lack of professionalism at our house the previous Monday, and it peeved me to think that he was enjoying a long weekend of relaxation while waiting for his truck to be repaired. We made our way through the narrow part of ID that morning and into WA by lunchtime. Because my sister had always teased me when we were younger that she was going to send me to Walla Walla, WA, I was thrilled to find it on our route to our new home. And for that reason, I booked what was supposed to be our final hotel stay of our journey in Walla Walla. It was a quaint little town that seemed to thrive on wineries and senior living estates. The hotel pool was outside, which we found odd considering that WA isn't known for balmy temps year round, but it was warm enough by the time we got there for the kids to take a dip before dinner.
Tuesday we took our time and stopped at a winery located in a renovated school building to buy my loving husband a bottle of Syrah from the Walla Walla Valley. I also wanted to take everyone to Multnomah Falls, but once we were about 15 miles away from the area, we could see that it was raining heavily up ahead. So, I decided to forgo the falls and just head to the house. My hubby was on his way home from work to meet us, and my mother-in-law drove the last leg in the pouring rain and curves, twists, and turns. We were all so excited when we pulled into the driveway! We took the tour after all the kids got hugs from their dad, and the house was impressive. Unfortunately, at that point, the truck was not going to arrive until "at least Thursday." After some pressure from me, my husband complained enough to the coordinator that they agreed to pay for two hotel rooms per night until the truck's arrival. They also covered 50% of our meals. So, we moved into the local Best Western (pretty much the only option in town other than a little boutique inn downtown that wouldn't be very child-friendly).
What was supposed to be two nights there turned into four (after the truck started off Wednesday morning, it promptly broke down again)... The kids spent a lot of those days swimming at the (indoor, thankfully) pool and watching the Disney channel, which I normally do not promote. We did spend a little time at the house doing some cleaning. There was also a visit to the Portland Children's Museum and two small road trips with my husband. One morning we drove to Mount St. Helen's to walk through a lava tube cave. Sounds cool, right? Very cool... Actually it was only 42° in the cave. It was also pitch black, so flashlights or lanterns are required. Oh, and it was raining once we got to the mountain, so we were wet (though we had, thankfully, purchased raincoats the day before), cold, and trying to maneuver over wet rocks and puddles in a dark cave. Not so much fun, as it turns out. Especially with a four year old. Our second trip was more successful. We headed back to Multnomah Falls on a beautifully sunny day and took in the sights. As the kids and their nana had ice cream at the base, we took a mini date and hiked up to the top. Holy Hannah, that is a steep incline (and I was severely out of shape after several weeks of no workouts and several days of sitting in a car). Ouch.
We all sadly sad goodbye to Nana Friday night before bed, as her flight was quite early Saturday morning. My husband got back from the airport with just enough time for a brief hotel breakfast before (FINALLY) meeting the truck at the house. It's all been a whirlwind since then. Checking off inventory sheets most of Saturday... unpacking the children's things first and letting them arrange their rooms... sleeping in our gloriously comfortable beds that night... searching for the toaster midst all the kitchen boxes Sunday morning... lots and lots of laundry and unpacking... getting the central vac system piped in and running Monday... discovering a pen in the clothes dryer after a load of pillowcases and beloved stuff animals that had spent many nights in hotels (who puts a pen in their pillowcase? one of my hoarder children)... spending a solid hour scrubbing out the dryer barrel... going grocery shopping to restock the kitchen... getting to know the local shopping area a little... finding that the silly motorized shades in this house only work sporadically (and are only covered under warranty for the original owners)... trying to hang a ceiling fan only to find that there are no outlets mounted in any of the bedroom ceilings... somehow messing up something in the master bedroom ceiling above the light fixture so that now the breaker trips whenever that light switch or the switch in the master closet is flipped... finally getting internet service (yay!)... and my husband blowing his catalytic converter in his car on the way to the bus this morning. When it rains in Portland, it really pours (okay, not really... I'm just sayin').
Thanks for reading my novel. I have not fed my children much of anything alphabet related in the last couple weeks. However, they are begging to get back to our ABC summer foods, so that will be happening... Tomorrow. I will also blog (also hopefully tomorrow) about what I should have fed them for the last several letters. Whew. I'm going to bed now.
*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*
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