Wenatchee to Great Falls

Today we unpacked the van and packed the truck. Thanks Brad and Susan, Pam and Natalie for your help.

 Then we drove the truck to Les Schwab for a brake tune up. We drove over 4 different passes today, super thankful for the idea to work on the brakes, thanks Kevin! While we were waiting for the truck to be ready we transferred over ownership of the van to the salvage yard. And then after all of that we started our road trip to Great Falls, MT.

We drove and drove and drove today. We ate both lunch and dinner in the car- so glad for the cooler and road trip snacks we packed- we did, however, make time to stop for some huckleberry ice cream.

Saw a lot of deer, cows, trees, and trucks but no people. Strange. We kept asking ourselves, "What makes people live here". We'd see miles and miles of hills and fields and nothingness and then up would pop a small gathering homes.

Really thankful for the opportunity to share driving with Dan. We traded off every two hours making the trek much more bearable.

 “I am in love with Montana. For some other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love.” John Steinbeck

Tomorrow's adventures include a drive to Dickinson, North Dakota. Looking forward to a hot tub and pool after another day of driving. Tomorrow we also meet up with the Clarks, maybe a yummy dinner is in store for the four of us.  

Dead and Gone

"When an engine seizes it's because certain rotating parts expanded beyond their allocated range for expansion and now can no longer rotate. Consequently, it stopped rotating, often very suddenly."

Translation: our car is no longer useful. We are disappointed, frustrated and confused but what can we do? The frustrating part is that we just had the oil changed, which I hear is most often the reason for a failed engine. And now our car is being taken to a salvage yard-ughhh.

Thank goodness for family. The McCurry family is loaning us their vehicle so we can continue the trek to Alabama. Brad and Susan are bringing it over this evening and then we will unpack the dead car and pack the truck for Bama.

Goodbye Wenatchee. "I remember lush and lovely eastern WA very well and the noble Columbia River, which left its mark on Lewis and Clark." John Steinbeck

Tomorrow we head to Great Falls, MT while Brad and Susan go to Butte, MT. I know, it seems odd that we have different destinations for the night, but it's a long story, on Thursday we will meet again in Dickinson.

Manic Monday

Okay folks, here is the scoop.

Our car is still in the shop, we've been stalking it today, driving by to check on the progress, and as far as we can tell it hasn't been looked at yet. They are VERY busy I guess.

We have decided to cancel our reservations for our "first" night near Glacier National Park. We are pretty sad to be missing such a beautiful park but realize having transportation in order is a bit more important. This is where you come in. In order for our money to be returned for our reservation someone needs to book our very room for tomorrow night. They say that walk-ins are common but we would love your support in prayer, your specific prayers for someone to book our 'old' room.

Meanwhile we have stocked up on road trip snacks and veggies, found some audio books and eaten lots of yummy food- Thanks Pam Harris.


Also, 10 points if you can name this place:

Unexpected adventure

Today we said goodbye to dreary, cold,

 overcast Western Washington...

And said hello to smoky, wildfire season Eastern Washington. 

Remember how we said we were setting out on an adventure? Well, we had quite an adventure today, just not the kind I was imagining. About 3 hours into our 4 hour journey our car broke down, just quit. No odd noises, no lights or smoke it just stopped accelerating and by the time we pulled off to the side of the road it had stopped working.

At the end of the phone call with AAA they said "have a better day" HA! We hope so too.

Thankfully Dan is a AAA member, thank you AAA and Vista Towing. I've never been so glad to see someone as I was to see the tow truck driver. He brought us to Wenatchee and here we wait until tomorrow. 

Please pray with us that the mechanic will be able to fix our car for a reasonable fee and that he can accomplish the fix before Tuesday morning. We are very thankful we weren't in an accident and that we were somewhat close to our destination but we are eager to continue our destination breakdown free. 

Points

Does your family have a points system? My family jokingly give one another points around the house. 2 points for a clever comment or 10 points for a witty joke. I'm not sure anyone is in the lead. Acutally, Dan is probably in the lead- my mom seems to have a soft spot and is extra generous in point giving for the new member of the family.Today is your turn. 10 points for you if you can name this place along our journey today.

Can you name this place?

Mossyrock to Wenatchee

My sister in-law Julianne says there is nothing like Mossyrock in the summer, wouldn't you agree with her.
It's so beautiful. Mt. Rainier is out today and not a cloud in sight. The last two days have been oh so relaxing, time spent with family, mid morning nap, canoeing and just a bit of downtime after our packing/ cleaning spree Friday. Dan was definitely motivated and ready to move out, not wanting to prolong the process, he helped me pack and clean so that we were moved out of our apartment, checked out and on the road in under three hours, needless to say we were tired. Thank you McCurrys for hosting us.

Tomorrow begins the second leg of our journey, a trek Dan and I have made a million times. Okay, maybe not a million but we did drive this route every weekend for five months. While we were dating Dan lived with his family in Mossyrock and I lived with mine in Wenatchee, which meant 4 hours on Friday and  4 hours on Sunday to see each other, time well spent. It will again be time well spent as we drive to my parents house for a few days.

Good Ol' Washington

P.S. Did you know that my sister in law also keeps a blog?  Brad and Susan will join us on our road trip as of Wednesday. You might get a bigger picture of our journey with their perspective as well.

Moving Day

Today was moving day. Tomorrow will also be moving day, though a milder version, and the 6th of August will again be moving day, but I digress, today we (the royal we plus several others) packed most of our apartment into three vehicles in under two hours. I was super impressed. A special thank you to John McCurry who helped my husband lift all of the heavy items out of the apartment, I certainly couldn't have done it without you, so thanks! My in- laws plus john packed all our boxes, mattress, clothes, guitar and banjo and 'amazingly it all fit'.

What happens when all of your furniture is gone? Here is a before and after shot, just so you too can appreciate all the help we received today.

During the packing madness,
 just think this was only one week ago

 We had a nice little party at work today, it was a small affair but appreciated nonetheless. We are excited to see what adventures await us, both during our road trip and in Alabama. Have you seen the mini series Long Way Down? or Long Way Round? You should, they are great entertainment. Tomorrow we begin our very own version of Long Way South. The first stop on our trip is Mossyrock, WA. Home to the McCurry clan for the last 20 yrs. Let the journey begin.

Today, our last night before hitting the road. 

A little of this and a little of that

It's happened, we have become more than just a face to the man at the liquor store but not for the reason you think. Liquors stores have great boxes, we (the royal we- it was really Dan) made our third trip this week with plans to return tomorrow.  Looking for small sturdy boxes? Look no further, some even come with handy slots for your drinking glasses. Also on the recycle route, think another man's trash is another man's treasure, is Ross offering new boxes every morning.

We downgraded to 'camping gear' last week. Two pans, one pot, a few good knives the rest is plastics and paper. Thank you Red Solo Cup.

Our pile of boxes is beginning to grow and grow- out from the dinning room into the living room but at least it's packed, right?

Biggest surprise of the week is that our work is having a going away social for us.( Dan and I work out of the same office.) I feel pretty special because I've seen people come and go and not get a 'party' AND because for the better part of the first three months this job created quite a bit of anxiety for me. Being new and all that entails offered a steep learning curve and there were many nights where I was sure I was on the 'wish we wouldn't have hired' list. But to my surprise we are having a shindig tomorrow with our coworkers- if only the Stephanie of January could have seen what's happening now. I can just hear my father's voice in the back of my head as he tells me to log this experience in my mind for future occasions when I fall back into worry.

We have big plans tomorrow to pack the car, clean the joint and hopefully be ready to split come Friday. We appreciate any and all prayers, if you're looking to be specific we need strength to load and clean and drive and say 'goodbye'.

Road trip buddies

Guess who's coming with us on our road trip? Susan and Brad! Remember when I put the word out that we had a second car and now we were looking for a third driver or even a fourth? Well, the Clarks came to the rescue. They are going to tag along with us for most of the drive to Tuscaloosa!! Hooray! Dan and I both breathed a sigh of relief, neither one of us is very fond of driving. I don't mind sitting in the car- actually that is probably a lie- but more than that I get very antsy after too many hours of driving. My back starts to feel odd and my body begins to moan and groan-okay maybe that is my mouth. Either way we are so very thankful for the help and company that these two will bring to the trip.  Looking forward to lots of good conversation, memories and experiences as all four of us head east. 

Until later

I forgot that as this is our 

last week in our apartment, it is also our last week or so in Washington and our last time of seeing friends and family. I forgot that lasts equal saying goodbye, and I hate saying goodbye. I often try to avoid it since most of the time it leads to tears making everyone feel a bit uncomfortable. Tonight we had a lovely dinner at my brother and sister in laws place. It's been so nice to have them 'close-ish' this year. But tonight we said goodbye for now, until....let's just say until later. 

In other news, we continue to pack, and pack and then sigh with relief  knowing that we have a second vehicle because how did we ever get the idea into our heads that we could put all we need/want in one car? Dan stepped in to help me pack today. I was over analyzing things a bit too much and needed his go to spirit to get the job done. Really thankful for the second half of Team McCurry today!

Where's Waldo? Or is it where's Dan?

Final Week

Maybe it's a good thing my fabric didn't sell at the yard sale. It makes great packing material. 

No table? No problem, a cooler will work too.

One week left in our apartment. The apartment beneath us was getting new carpet today. It seems fitting, what with the Krisis gone and Dan and I moving on, there should be new beginnings for someone else as well. Someone else to enjoy the morning sun and golf balls splashing in the pond, someone else to enjoy the pleasant scent of Longview. 

Today we spruced up our van, getting it ready for the long journey east. Dan made bananna bread- did you know he could bake? Me either, the man has hidden talents. I packed more boxes, but really it just looks like I just shifted stuff around our living room, not really making a dent in what needs to be done. 

This week we went to lunch with one of the pastors at our church. He has a much better attitude about living here than we do. He was born and raised here and clearly has ties here that we do not. But I began to feel his passion for this place when he talked about God redeeming Longview. It is possible and it is necessary. 

Necessity calls

After our epic failure of a yard sale it was time to makes some decisions. Donate our furniture to the goodwill? Try to sell on Craigslist? Rent a U-haul? or better yet buy a used vehicle to carry unsold items.

We decided on the last one, today Dan, with the help of my father in law (thanks for your help Kevin) drove to Portland to buy us a minivan. I've told Dan on multiple occasions prior to this move that I'm not a fan of the mini-van and didn't ever want to own one, even if we had little people to fill it, but necessity called and we answered. We are now the owners of a Plymouth Voyager.

Since we haven't sold our bed yet, and hear they are pretty pricey to replace, we wanted a vehicle that our mattress would fit into and "amazingly it fits" (so says Kevin). We are very thankful to have found something that fits our needs for this season, even if we don't have little people to fill it with, we do have an apartment full of belongings to bring along. We will even have a vehicle large enough to pick up the furniture we are hopefully going to find at the sales in the coming months.

Even though we didn't sell much on Saturday we did sell our dining table and chairs this week on CL and several folks are scheduled to come for more things this week (please pray that they actually come and don't bail out on us).

Now that we have two vehicles to take to AL we not only get to bring a few more items but we now "get" to drive two vehicles over the mountains and through the woods. Anyone want to drive a vehicle to Tuscaloosa, or Upland, IN or even to St. Paul? 

Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad yard sale

Alexander wasn't really here today but you know what I mean if you've read the book. I'm embarrassed to tell you how much me made or rather didn't make on our sale today so I'll just keep that part to myself. I had such high hopes but if you're reading this to gain advice on how to move cross country here is my advice: don't bother with a sale unless you are in a terrific location. Dan and I came to the conclusion that we probably wouldn't go to a sale in an apartment complex either so can we really be disappointed?

I wouldn't say my morning was completely wasted. Since we had the sale in our home I baked cookies, washed dishes and made lunch all while strangers wandered in and out of my living room. I don't have to imagine the gasp from my grandmother- I heard it already yesterday when I explained that we were having the sale in our home. A little unconventional? Yes. But did I think  it was going to work for us, YES. Again dear readers I foresee better uses of your time then staging your house for looky-loos.

I took the lull in waves of traffic to upload more items on CL because even though people are a bit touch and go, I prefer the their go over our sale today. I also took this afternoon as an opportunity to rearrange our furniture, since we still have all of it. I thought it might be a nice chance for a change of scenery-literally. I moved the couch so that we can see the pond each time we sit down.

After my hopes were dashed today Dan took me to Burgerville to drown my sorrows in a fresh Oregon raspberry smoothie-mmmm tasty.

The Last

Today marked the last of something, at least I think it will be the last. The last meal to host the McCurry clan in our current home. (I forgot to take a picture when the table was at its best so you'll have to use your imagination)

This year I've had the opportunity to host my in laws in my home many times over. Sister in law, brother in law, mother and father in law too. It's been fun to use my new dishes and try new recipes. This year Dan and I decided to start eating vegetarian meals at home- saving meat for times when we eat outside of our house. My in laws have been gracious enough to eat my new recipes and forsake meat while in our house. 

We hosted Christmas, my first to host solo and my first Christmas with the McCurry family. It was a smashing hit. We had the most people our apartment has seen but somehow we made it work, 9 people and a tree.

I've cooked pesto pasta for Julianne and homemade vegetarian pizza for Jake, Julianne and John, enchiladas for Joanne and Kevin and chili and beer bread for....well, everyone. Today Kevin, Joanne and John came for lunch. Probably the last meal I will have a pleasure of having with them in our home in Longview. Today's menu: Garden Salad, Vegetarian Chili with Beer Bread -Thank you McGlinn's for your inspiration (today we used wheat flour though) and for dessert  Dark Chocolate Mousse. They say you aren't supposed to try new recipes out on guests but today I did. It was my first time to make the mousse. It was a little rich for me but my guests (and Dan) didn't seem to mind. I think it goes on the list of "do it again". Thank you McCurrys (and Clarks) for sharing in the memories or our first home, here's to many more meals together. 

Phase two, or is it three?

Enter phase....I've given up keeping track.I'm not sure there are phases to moving or packing just a steady stream of change. All I know is that I'm thankful I saved gift bags from wedding showers last summer, Christmas and Birthday, they've sure come in handy. We've sold our dresser and our desk, among other things, so we turned to the gift bags and shoe boxes to store our pencils and socks- how convenient?

30 days from now we will be setting up shop in Alabama. Meanwhile, we have started counting the final days of work here, we have all the directions printed for our trek east, and have started a pile of items to pack in the car and are preparing for our sale on Saturday.

If you lived in the area I would invite you to stop by our sale but I'm pretty sure none of you do. We're hoping it will be a smashing success and people will WANT to buy our furniture. We have been selling our items  on CL but with little success. I do have to give a big shout out to the nameless gentleman who bought our nightstand today. Our flaky customer #21 bailed yesterday so I gave this guy a jingle- well really a text- and surprise of all surprises he showed up today, cash in hand, to buy his treasure. I could have sold that nightstand 20 times if people were consistent with their first inquiry. But alas, its sold now and we are that much closer to funding our purchases in Tuscaloosa.

Holiday Weekend

This weekend we took a little trip to Wenatchee for  family BBQs, fireworks, church, friends and our annual float down the Icicle and Wenatchee River. A perfect way to spend a hot day. How did you spend your holiday weekend?

My sister Amy will be gone to Burundi the next time, the last time (for a while at least) that we travel through Wenatchee at the end of this month. I'm so excited for her to discover all that I love about Africa. Burundi was my first country in Africa too. Maybe this will begin a lifelong or a season long love for her too? Anyway, it was so nice to spend several days with the family, to say farewell to my love Amelia- say hello to Buja for me girl!

College Boy

The count is now at 3 1/2 weeks. How did that happen?

We are giving notice to our landlord today. That feels good, to move towards the goal. A lot of days I feel like we are just waiting for time to pass by so that we can load the car. Our house looks like, well, hmmm. When we toured homes in AL one of the condos we looked at was occupied by two college boys- boxes and bottles everywhere, garbage overflowing, odor permeated the place. There were cords strewn across the living room from the fan to the outlet and from the outlet to the gaming system. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned or unpacked since they moved in- it was gross. Our place isn't quite that bad but it has a nod of 'college boy' to it. Messy, unkempt, not the dazzling beauty I'd like to be. My husband has to keep reminding me that "we're moving" hence looking like I haven't organized....ever, is okay.

It's been extra difficult to go to work this week knowing what lies ahead. I'm hoping you can relate so you can empathize with how we feel and maybe remember to pray for us.

My wonderful husband took the car in for a checkup/oil change yesterday and we were given the green light for traveling cross country- sigh of relief from detail oriented wife.

I couldn't resist-sunset from our deck this week. 

We have sold and are trying to sell most of our furniture/belongings on Craigslist but sadly there are a lot of flaky people out there. I was so surprised and now surprise has turned into irritation. We have had numerous folks inquire, talk big, set up times for pickup and then....not show up. I just don't understand. So if you ever can't make your Craigslist pickup do us a favor and call, email, text, something so that we aren't waiting. Good news is our neighborhood is having a community garage sale day. We think we'll join in the spree and sell like crazy- hopefully.