The Move

I have wanted to sit down and write in my blog for a while. We have had so much happen over the past month or so and I want to document it.



Tuesday, August 28, 2007

I woke up early and met our moving truck at a truck stop. I observed the empty weight of the truck and headed home with the enormous truck behind me. When we got to our road, the driver could not make the turn (I knew right then that the day was going to be long).



The moving company, at our expense, sent a smaller truck to pick up our belongings. After the small truck loaded up, I followed them back to the big truck. The two trucks pulled up next to each other, setup a ramp and began moving the goods from one to another. During the process, they realized that they had forgotten to take an inventory (A point from which we intend to leverage an apology). So, they had to unload the little truck onto the pavement at a truck stop! Let me repeat that: All of our belongings were unloaded at a truck stop onto the GROUND!



After many hours, the big truck was packed and ready to go. I followed the driver to the scales again to check the "full" weight. Ooops! We were quoted that the weight would be 3,000 pounds. It wound up being 4,900 pounds... OUCH! More weight=More $$



I signed a few papers and watched everything drive off into the distance.



Saturday, September 1

After having a great final week in Richmond and saying way too many goodbye's, Tiffany and I departed for Arizona. We left that morning from her Grandparents in our green, 1995 Chrysler Concorde, with almost 200,000 miles on it and a fresh oil change. We drove to Winston-Salem, NC on the first day.



In Winston-Salem, we saw a few old friends and stayed with my former Pastor from New York. We had a great time catching up.



Sunday, September 2

We drove to Pigeon Forge, TN. We made great time all day, until we hit Pigeon Forge. Traffic is TERRIBLE in Pigeon Forge.



Monday, September 3

Dollywood... Good times!



Tuesday, September 4

Left Pigeon Forge early in the morning to visit some friends at Bryan College (Bryan College is about 2.61 miles from the middle of nowhere). The rest of the day was spent driving across the massive state of Tennessee. In the evening, we stopped in Memphis for some good ole BBQ. It was finger licking good!



The rest of the day was spent driving in the rain to Little Rock, AR. We were very tired by the end of this day.



Wednesday, September 5

Drove to Oklahoma City, OK. It stopped raining just as we entered Oklahoma... Sorry Arkansa, but you left a bad impression on us. Does it always rain there? =)



We visited the Oklahoma City memorial for the Federal Building that was attacked in 1995. It was an honor to be able to visit the site and remember those who lost there lives that day.



From OKC we drove to Amarillo, TX for a nice rest.



Somewhere in all of this, our airconditioning stopped working... Let's see... Moving to Phoenix, Arizona... Doesn't it get hot there?



Thursday, September 6

We only had one goal today- Get to Truth or Consequences, NM. We had a great evening soaking in the natural hot springs that this town has to offer. We were right at the Rio Grande and had a perfect view of the stars and mountians!



Friday, September 7

Ate breakfast at "BBQ on Broadway," in T or C. Ironic, but true. At about Noon, we crossed the Continental Divide (Not much to see in the middle of New Mexico). At about 6:40PM, Tiffany and I pulled up to our new home in Avondale, Arizona. All Praise to God for a safe journey, a smooth ride and the same car we left home in!



During our travels, the truck had already arrived in Arizona and unloaded. A few items were broken, but nothing major. The best part is that all of our stuff made it, plus some... Yup, we received other people's stuff, in addition to our stuff.



Friday, October 8

(One month has gone by and we still have the other people's stuff... I hate moving companies!)



As I sit here today, watching dust storms blow by, I cannot help but praise God for what he is doing in our lives. We have settled into the house well and are getting along with the family. My home office is setup and I have finished the first month at my new job. Church is also busy already. I am doing sound and lighting while Tiffany is singing in the choir and preparing for a major dinner theater in December. God is so good to us and is blessing us in ways that always keep us amazed!



We hope to put up pictures of the trip on Flickr soon. It has been a long road getting through all of the "To Do List's" related to this cross country move.



Well, I better finish this post now... I need to eat dinner now and start writting my complaints to the moving company.. Looks like they messed up our billing too.