They Call Me "Monica Geller"…

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OK, so they call me Monica Geller but I don’t think you have to be her for this to give you the Heebie Jeebies.
This is a picture of the soaker tub in our Mater bathroom. The top is a picture of how we found it upon move in. The bottom of the tub is textured and it looked like a coal miner had bathed in it several times over and never washed out the tub. Between that and the soap scum and build up, I was completely grossed out. 
So… after two days, multiple soaks in bleach, 6 magic erasers and a lot of my elbow grease the tub is now clean. You can see the difference in the bottom picture. Lets just say that aside from the horrible look of the bottom, the soap scum and build up was so bad that I actually thought the fixtures were a matte or scratched surface. Nope, they shine and glisten like new now. I now give myself a little pat on the back. Finishing this was the reason we decided to take a break on go on the ferry ride today!

Ellie’s Very First Ferry Ride

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The last day and a half we have been working our tails off on cleaning and unpacking. Its getting pretty repetitive. Its been warm here too, high 80’s to low 90’s with 70% humidity and no AC. In the middle of the afternoon today, we decided that enough was enough and we needed to get out and away from the heat. As a break and a bit of a treat, we decided to take a ferry ride. But 
This wasn’t just any ferry ride, it was Ellie’s very first ferry ride! She has heard stories from us and especially from Abby about riding the ferries in Seattle and now she was going to get the chance to ride one! The idea of driving your car onto a boat is pretty thrilling for a three year old. Heck, its pretty thrilling for an adult too.

Today we decided to go from Edmonds over to Kingston and then take the Bainbridge ferry into Seattle. It seemed proper to give Ellie the full tour and she would get to see the Seattle skyline on the way back. Being that its a work day, the wait at the ferry was short and with very few cars. As we waited the train passed by too!

All smiles and ready for her first ferry ride!
Pudget sound looking North at Mt. Baker from the ferry.
Two adorable sisters. Abby was being a great helper showing Ellie around and telling her what the ferry was all about.
Mt. Rainer on a gorgeous and clear day. Love the place we live!
Daddy and Ellie enjoying a beautiful first ride on the ferry
Mommy and Ellie enjoying her first ride on the ferry!
Love having the wind in their hair and the air in their face.

Ellie giggled nervously as we drove on but then was excited to stop. Better yet, she was thrilled that we actually got out of the car and stand out on the “boat”. Abby was a great big sister and tried to explain everything about the ferry to Ellie. We spent some time out on the deck watching everything pass by. The day was perfectly clear, which allowed us to see Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier and the Olympics. All I kept hearing from Ellie was “WOW, so pretty!”

After the ride over we stopped for a quick bite, did a bit of driving and then headed over to Bainbridge to take the ferry back. Tonight was a full moon and the sky, as the sun set and the moon rose, was spectacular. As we sat and waited for the ferry, we had the chance to watch the moon rise and the beautiful colors of the sky. So pretty.

Full moon over Puget Sound at the Bainbridge Ferry Terminal.
Moon-rise over the Sound
A very happy and the Seattle skyline.
Sisters and the best of friends.

Once on the ferry we headed up on deck. The sun had pretty much set but the moon kept the sky well lit. Once we rounded the corner out of Bainbridge, Ellie could see the skyline and she was so excited. Never before had she seen the Seattle skyline lit up at night and when she realized that she could see the Space Needle she couldn’t stop jumping around and giggling. It was probably the best way to end a perfect day and a perfect first ferry ride. That’s one thing that Ellie can check off of her list of things to do!

A Huge Help!

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It was a quick weekend, too quick, but we had a nice time. My parents were an amazing help to us, pitching in whenever and wherever we needed them. I was sad to see them go, especially since it was all work and no play. It would have been nice to have some time to take them out and see the city, but we will save that for another time. Until then, we need to unpack and get settled in to our new life here in Seattle.

Yesterday was a busy and productive day. Shaun and my dad had a furniture building marathon. They completed three night stands (one for the girls room and the other two for our bedroom), two chest of drawers and a bookcase for the girls room. Now that those are completeed we have places to put everything, which makes unpacking a lot easier. Abby and Ellie also got a huge kick out of pretending to use Grandpa’s tools too. I am hoping they were of some help and not a hindrance.

My mom helped me unpack boxes in the kitchen and the girls room as well as cleaning the kitchen. Yeah, the kitchen. What a mess! It took us nearly an hour to clean out the fridge. Its obvious that the previous renters owned a cat and I question as to whether or not the cat lived in the firdge. All I know is that these people had a major aversion to cleaning and that doesnt settle well with this Monica Geller type of girl. It took me nearly two days to clean the master bathroom tub! But more to come on that later.

 My mom and I also took time to run to Target to get some much needed supplies. I have been so overwhelmed with moving in and getting things done that it was great to have a clear mind helping me out. I would have forgotten about a lot of things if she hadn’t been there. You forget all of the little things and some of the big things too!

We did take some time to go out for dinner and relax but then it was time for them to go. Luckily we will be seeing them soon as I hope to take a trip out to see them and my cousin David, who will be visiting in a few weeks. Pretty excited for that but we have a lot of unpacking to do before then!

An Afternoon at Ikea

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My parents arrived early this afternoon! So happy to see them and to have their help with unpacking. When they arrived we said our hellos and quickly put them to work. Having spent most of the morning unpacking more boxes and not wanting to go over the weekend, we headed to Ikea.

Man oh man… Ikea. Before this trip we had only been there for a few things, mostly small items. We would wander around and look at things but nothing too complicated. Today, however, was a completely different story. Our trip ended four hours later with new dressers, night stands, bedding and much more. The most amazing part of the day was watching my dad fit a good portion of the furniture boxes into their rental car, which was one of the new Ford Fiestas. That little car fit a lot of stuff in it! Although I have a feeling the pick up on it with all of the boxes in it was a tad rough.

Despite the amount of time spent there (and the money too) we had a great time. We learned that Ikea has a place for kids to play for an hour while you shop. My dad took them there and it made the long trip a bit easier on the girls and on us.

I don’t have pictures from the day but oh well. I wish I had one of the car packed full, but we had our mind on other things. After unpacking the car it was dinner at Teddy’s for a reward and then home for some needed rest. Busy and productive day but that is a very good thing.

Ice Cream Break!

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Unpacking has commenced! Its like Christmas in July here and definitely without the cold. Boy is it hot and sticky! With the girls around the unpacking takes some time to do, but when I can get them to help me and be excited about it we get a lot done. So far the kitchen is unpacked and a portion of the girls room is unpacked. Slowly but surely we will get it done. In the afternoon we decided to take a break from the unpacking and head out to Dairy Queen for some lunch and an ice cream treat. Because its been so hot and humid, the ice cream was very much in order.

After our treat it was back home and back to work! Thank goodness my mom and dad arrive tomorrow to help with some of the unpacking and shopping at Ikea. Counting down the hours!

Move In Day! Hallelujah!

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Today was move in day! There isn’t much to say as moving is actually pretty boring, that and we are all exhausted. But, we are in!
We were up bright and early this morning but it was easy to get up. The excitement and anxiety got us moving pretty fast. We stopped for a quick breakfast and by the time we made it to our house, the movers were there and ready for the day. They jumped right in a quickly we watched the boxes start coming up into the house and into the garage. Before I knew it our living room was stacked high with boxes, our bed in the master bedroom was built and everything that was packed tightly in the truck was now out. What a sense of relief!
And so it begins… Thank Goodness!
Surrounded by a sea of boxes in the living room. Cant wait to unpack all of this!
After the movers brought in the last box and cleaned up their items, they took off and we were left with the last task of dropping off the truck and the tow hitch. Lucky for us, that was all done “without a hitch” and within an hour the truck and all that was rented with it was out of our hands. I think we did a little dance in the truck rental lot too. We pulled away from the lot relaxed and then decided to treat ourselves at Teddy’s Bigger Burger, a new favorite for our family. I think its the fish tank that the girls love, not the food.

Eating with the fishes!

The move up is finally over! We have a lot of unpacking to do but that’s easy and less stressful then the stress involved with driving a truck, packed to the brim with our belongings over 1200 miles. What a relief. I cannot wait to start setting up!

Ellie’s New Big Girl Bed

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The first and only bed to built to be built tonight was Ellie’s and its a very special moment! 
Just before we moved we said goodbye to Ellie’s crib. I think mommy was more attached to it then Ellie was but that a whole different story. So, the bed Shaun built today was Ellie’s new big girl bed! She is so proud of it and excited to sleep in it. Now we just need to unpack the truck and get the mattress so she can sleep in it! Very exciting but I have to admit, it makes me sad to see her growing up. Such is life but I am excited for our little Ellie Belly!

A Little Prep Time Before Move In!

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Its nice to be in Seattle and no longer on the road. I don’t think I can describe how good it feels. We are not completely out of the woods yet, but a lot of the stress is done. Our last hurdle will be move in day tomorrow but once that has been completed, the truck will be dropped off and out of our hair for good.

Most of the day today was prepping some of the house for move in tomorrow. Shaun’s back spasms during our trip up a week and a half ago kept us from building the furniture that we needed finished, so his plan was to do that. The most important of those being Abby and Ellie’s new beds. Having their room set up and decorated as soon as possible is very important to us. A move isn’t easy on little kids, so we wanted to make sure they feel settled as soon as possible.

We slept in a little this morning, needing the extra rest and then headed out to get our day going. After breakfast, we headed to the house for the first time with Abby and Ellie. Abby had been with us when we looked at it back in May but she had yet to see it empty and with the changes we had made. They loved the house and when they saw their pink room, they were ecstatic. Both of them really wanted a pink room and we delivered.

New House New Rules! No Shoes!
Checking out our cool new balcony!
Enjoying a good run through the very empty living room.
Loving their new pink room!

After showing the girls around the house, we went out for a while so that Shaun could work on their beds in silence. The girls and I did some needed shopping at Target and then showed Ellie the new “pine cone park” that I know will become a fast favorite. Shaun attempted to put together their new beds while we were away but that task ended up being a bigger project than we thought it would be. One was accomplished and the other had to be left for tomorrow. Its a good thing we are still staying in a hotel tonight, otherwise only one of us would have a bed to sleep in!

We Finally Made It!

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We are in Seattle! The truck is in one piece, the car is still on the tow hitch and we still have some sanity to cling on to. It was an adventure of a day but for the most part, uneventful.

This morning, after what was a much needed full night of rest, we woke up ready to hit the road and face what we hoped would be the final day of travel. Abby enjoyed our hotel stay quite a bit. It was a Red Lion Hotel and that is her favorite place to stay. I know, only four years old and she already has specific travel tastes. Thank goodness they aren’t expensive!

Cuddled in a cloud of pillows. Someone slept well at the Red Lion!

After a light breakfast we were on the road and ready to tackle the first of several mountain passes for the day. Shasta/Trinity was slow going but easy. Once we were on the other side, we stopped in Yreka for some lunch at the Black Bear Diner. This gave Shaun and I a break and allowed the girls to stretch out for a bit. Lunch was yummy, as usual and it gave us a much needed recharge before hitting several mountain passes that would probably be the most difficult ones of the trip.

Heading through Shasta Trinity! At least my view has improved quite a bit. Still have to stare at that Budget truck though.

The last time I will see this in my rear view for a while. Bye Bye California!

Stopping for a quick bite to eat at Black Bear Diner. The girls are happy to take a break and so are mommy and daddy!

The pass at the California/Oregon border into Ashland, Oregon was slow going but pretty easy as well as Grants Pass area. Coming down from Grants Pass we saw several semi trucks with smoking breaks. Shaun and I held our breath and kept our fingers crossed the entire way down. We were fine and the breaks did just great for a crappy Budget truck!

Goodbye California and Hello Oregon!

The trip from there was pretty uneventful. We stopped for dinner in Oregon and then made a stop for gas in Vancouver, Washington. About 50 miles outside of Vancouver I noticed that something was flapping  around on the right side of the tow hitch. Wanting to be safe, I had Shaun pull off of the Interstate when we could. As it turns out it was one of the tire straps that was holding Shaun’s car onto the tow hitch! The only other thing that keeps the car from bouncing off of the hitch are the indented areas where the tires sit and a chain hooked to the bottom of the car frame. Its doubtful that anything would have happened but I am glad I was able to catch it before something did.

That was our final stop for the evening before arriving in Seattle. We got in pretty late, but we are finally here! The truck is parked and locked up for the moment. I cannot wait to get everything moved out of the truck and into the house. I will definitely do a happy dance once Shaun’s car is off the tow hitch and both the truck and the hitch have been returned to Budget. Until then, its time for some much needed sleep!

Moving Day… Oh What a Day.

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Moving day has now come and gone. Sorry I couldn’t be more up to date with this, but the last 48 hours have been very stressful. As an update we are doing great but as with all big things, our moving day didn’t go off without a hitch or two.
To start off, the night before we received a call that our truck broke down and a new one was being sent. That was a blessing in disguise as we could have been out on the road with our truck packed to the gills and have it break down. But this break down meant that we couldn’t pick up the new truck until the morning of the move. OK, nothing to freak out about.
The following morning we went to pick up the truck and were met with a few issues. Luckily it all worked out, but it meant that we were late getting home. When we did get home the movers were already there waiting for us. Yikes. On top of that, only two guys were sent to pack up our whole house when there should have been three. Ok…
Finally have the truck, now its back to the house to pack it!

Not having the right amount of people wasn’t horrible but after they did the initial walk through of the house we received the most stressful news of the day. Our movers, whom we have worked with several times before, did not feel that all of our things would fit in the truck. WHAT! There was panic and stress for most of the morning but we did finally reach a solution. Our movers were amazing and fit almost everything into the truck. Whatever didn’t fit would go on Grandma Zoe’s pod when she moved in a month. We would then pick it up from Spokane when everyone was settled. Hallelujah! Thank you Grandma Zoe for sharing your POD with us and saving the last of our things!

Once the truck was mostly packed and we had most of what needed set to go, we headed on over to say our goodbyes to Grandpa Pat, Nana Fiona, Aunt Brittany and Uncle James and Sam. It was late, frazzled and certainly not the amount of time we had hoped to have but we still had the chance to see everyone and say our goodbyes. More like, our see you laters. It was tough to leave and I know there were a few tears from most of us but we had to go. We will see everyone again soon.

So we made our way home and met up with Grandma Zoe while Shaun and I finished packing the truck and cars. It seemed to take forever but we finally did it. There were a few things left behind but luckily we would see those things again in a few months. The girls had the chance to play and keep burning energy, despite being exhausted and Grandma Zoe had the chance to spend a bit of extra time with them. After our goodbyes, we tossed two very sleepy girls into the CR-V, Shaun situated himself into the moving truck and we hit the road. It was 3am but we were determined to get out of Los Angeles and over Grapvine. We did just that and landed in Tejon Ranch for the night. We knew it was time for sleep when I ended up driving the wrong way down a street, which resulted in tears and a horrible need to close my eyes. I don’t think sleep ever felt better!

Goodbye house! You gave us two wonderful years. Thank you, family and friends, we love you and miss you already but we will be back to visit. This is The Wharton’s of Pienza Lane, signing out!
My view for the next few days of travel. Moving like a snail is going to be tough!

My adorable little travel buddies. They did an amazing job in the car, well so far.

My view hasn’t changed and the scenery outside is pretty dull, but at least the sunset is gorgeous tonight.

The following morning, well day, we woke up somewhat refreshed and ready to hit the road. And by ready to hit the road I mean reluctant to continue driving but we knew we had to in order to get to where we needed to be and get this whole process over it. Our goal for the day was Oregon but as with all travel like this, we play things by ear. My job was to stay behind Shaun and make sure his car was ok and parts werent flying off of the truck. Hey, it could happen its Budget for crying out loud!

Through the Central Valley in California Shaun had to watch out for a tomato truck. Let’s just say those things make us a tad jumpy. If you don’t know what I mean refer to this post from last August during our trip to Spokane and Seattle and you just might understand. Once that bullet was dodged Shaun started to speed up again. Well, he did this too fast and the truck stalled. Because I was driving behind him and didn’t always have direct contact, I had no idea what was going on. All I knew was the we were pulling off of the road, flashers were on and I was freaking out. The one thing that weighed heavy on my mind about the trip was breaking down. It seems silly but hey, who wants to deal with a truck that has our entire life strategically packed into it? Luckily all Shaun had to do was slow down, restart and then we were on our way again. Crisis averted! Although my nerves were shot.

The remainder of the drive was pretty uneventful. Our late start in the morning meant that we didn’t get to cover as much ground as we had hoped to. Shaun and I decided to stop in Redding, California and get a fresh and earlier start in the morning. I didn’t want him to have to tackle the winding road through Shasta/ Trinity area in the dark. We figure that tomorrow we can hit the road early and continue on our way with the hope of arriving in Seattle tomorrow night. Here is to hoping that we have a good nights rest and a great start in the morning!

Almost Packed!! I think?

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Despite yesterdays events and loss, time is ticking away and it feels like things are coming along. Some furniture has been sold, others were taken away as they were too old and tattered to be sold and our belongings are methodically but quickly being packed into boxes. Its coming along and we are running out of places to sit but I guess as we get closer to our deadline we shouldn’t be sitting around anyway.
Our bedroom furniture is gone! Wow this is feeling real.
The boxes are piling up all over the house. Only a few days left!
Bye, bye old couch! You did well for us over the last 7 years but its time to put you out to pasture.
Thank goodness for these chairs! At least someone gets to sit comfortably in the house!

I am sure that when moving day is upon us in just a few days, I might be singing a different tune but so far so good. T-Minus 2 days and counting. Tick tock!

Goodbye Jack…

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Tonight, with heavy hearts, we had to say goodbye to our pup Jack. In all of the chaos of moving his health started to fail and we knew he probably wouldn’t tolerate another move, especially one out of state. Luckily, we were able to find a wonderful vet who could come to our home. Instead of putting him through the stress of going to the vets office, a place that already makes him shake and whine, a loving person came to us and allowed Jack to slip away in his own home and a place where he felt most comfortable.

I said my goodbyes to him, even risking a full on allergy attack to give him one last huge cuddle. Shaun stayed with Jack as I knew my inability to hold myself together would be a distraction, although I now feel guilty that I wasn’t with there with Jack. I am sure I will create plenty of torment for myself over this but I know it was for the best. Shaun said it was quick and he was very much at peace.

Watching and trying to catch a fly without breaking a lamp. This was the last photo I ever took of our boy Jack.
Its going to be hard not having this guy around. When we adopted him from the shelter he came with some issues. Some were correctable, some were not. He made us nutty and he was a total spaz but he was our spaz. Its going to be hard to adjust without him but we know he is in a better place. So to Jack…
We love you and miss you so much. You were a nutty dog, but you were our nutty dog. We love you buddy and we know that you are enjoying all of the free belly rubs you can get, wherever you may be. 
Rest In Peace Jackson Jefferson Montgomery Wharton – May 2004 to July 9th, 2013