Countdown!

Many things have happened since my last post. We now have a closing date for the house ... July 11. It seems we'll drive to Boise to close from long distance.  We are moving next Thursday and will pick up our rental truck on Tuesday.  We've hired Aladdin Moving Co. here to help us load. They did a great job moving us into this house 10 years ago.  They'll send three guys over for an hourly rate that's well worth every penny for their labor and expertise in packing a truck.

Well, I have loved my Mini Cooper Clubman for the past year, but it seems it's not practical to keep it. I think it would do pretty well, but I'm not one to be inconvenienced or patient when I need to get somewhere and can't, so I figure I should get an all wheel drive vehicle in preparation for the winter ... and since there are only 2 Coopers in Pocatello (according to my new State Farm agent) and the owners discontinue their insurance coverage in the winter because they park them ... I shouldn't plan to rely on the Mini.  Doesn't seem the resale value would be so great there either ... so decided to see what I could get here before we leave. I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for an all wheel drive (I love the Jeep Wrangler XL) or the gas bill that comes with it, so we settled on a Toyota Rav 4. Returned to Fred Haas Toyota to work with Jimmy Jones, a fleet manager who sold us Jeff's truck, and he has worked to get us an all wheel drive Rav 4 ... he's having to fly to Oklahoma City Saturday and drive it back ... then send it for leather on Monday. The color is "black forest" which is a dark green…really nice. When we were in Pocatello in March, we rented a Mazda CX 9 and after a few sightseeing ventures on the dirt roads and snow in the mountains, we got it filthy ... so cloth seats are out with 2 big dogs! Huge thanks to Jimmy. I'm sure all the trouble is included in the price :)

Packing is progressing but one would never know it to look at our house. I'm so tired of packing! We're probably 75% packed and it's the last 25% that I'm ready to throw away!  We have a moving sale Saturday, so hopefully after Saturday we'll be even more prepared for the move. We plan to "stage" everything in the living and dining room by Monday evening. Wish us luck! Jeff will be driving the U haul and pulling a trailer with the new Rav 4 while I drive the Tundra and pull the camper.

We've enjoyed dinners with friends many nights this week and have plans into the weekend. We look forward to stopping and cleaning up each evening to spend time with folks before we leave. Thomas has especially loved it. 

Thomas has been spending a lot of time with our neighbors who have 2 children he has played with since he could crawl! They are moving as well, so it makes our move a little less painful for him (and them).  They are all Lego fans and have a lot in common. Many sword fights with plastic light sabers have taken place in the Lancelot Cul de Sac over the past 6 years ... all great memories. Lots of bike riding ... and falling ... as well as "defending."  Thomas let us know at dinner with the Yorks last night that some of the other neighborhood kids who weren't so nice don't come to our cul de sac anymore because he and Nick and Mary "successfully defended it and won the rights to the land."  How funny. Good for them ... those other kiddos played pretty rough. Funny how kids work things out on their own. 

Well, enough escaping. Back to packing.  Just 6 days till move out!