Tag: Saying Goodbye

We Finally Made It!

Leave a comment

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.

Leave a comment
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!

Goodbye Jack…

Leave a comment

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

Remembering Uncle Bob

Leave a comment
During our trip to Montana in September we received news that Shaun’s Uncle Bob had passed away. His passing was quite unexpected and caught the family off guard. This weekend we were able to gather the family together to remember Uncle Bob and his remarkable life. Matt and Erica were able to fly out from Colorado to be there. The memorial was simple with mostly family and some of Bob’s oldest friends. It was great to spend the time with the Wharton crew and even though it was a sad occasion everyone was able to smile, laugh and remember all the wonderful moments of Bob’s life. There is often happiness even during the saddest occasions.

Saying Goodbye

2 Comments

This past weekend we traveled to St. George, Utah. We said our goodbyes to Grandma Tutu (Grandma Taylor to me). It was a tough weekend but even though I had to say goodbye to Grandma it was so nice to see all of my family in once place. We cried together but we also had the chance to talk, share memories and laugh at all of the wonderful times we had been blessed with.

While the details of the weekend aren’t fuzzy, its not something that I want to describe in great detail. Some things need to remain sacred to me and this is one of those moments  Grandma’s services were beautiful and my Dad gave a wonderful eulogy. Very befitting of my Grandma’s personality and the things that she loved the most. His words allowed me to think about the person, woman, wife, mother and grandmother that she was. So instead of writing about the weekend, I would like to write about Grandma.
Grandma Taylor (Grace Leila) like all of my grandparents, holds a very special place in my heart. My childhood memories are full of special moments with her. Driving up to Provo to spend a few weeks of the summer at her house. She would let me help her take care of her little canary Peetie and keep her little dog Penny busy and very entertained. Countless hours were spent out in her backyard playing. It was almost a given that we would end up playing in the water or with the clown water toy that she had. I would always help her in her garden too. We would have dinners and BBQ’s out back and at night we would hunt for night crawlers to use for fishing trips up at Deer Creek or along Provo River. In later years she moved to St. George but the memories continued on as we grew older.

If there is one thing that is consistent with those memories its family. Grandma loves her family very much and having them all in one house made her very happy. If someone was coming to visit she did her best to make sure others would come too. There were several Thanksgiving celebrations in which the entire Taylor family was together. Now for those that don’t know, my dad is one of six children. With each of those children having their own children (my cousins) there were a lot of bodies in one house. On several occasions Thanksgiving dinner (which we generally celebrated on Friday not Thursday to make sure everyone made it) involved close to thirty people, maybe more. It may have been chaos but it made Grandma’s heart soar. The table in the basement was huge and the childrens’ table was crowded with a lot of little hands. If the kids weren’t eating they were putting on plays and shows for the adults. Not too long after, great-grandchildren were added to the mix and the family expanded further. Family was a core part of Grandma’s life and she certainly had a lot of family to share her love with.

Another core piece of Grandma’s life was her faith. She is Mormon and very proud of it. While I am not, as a child she would teach me small things that a little one could understand. One thing I treasured was a tape and book of children’s hymns. I remember some of them to this day. As I grew up she would talk to me more about the church. I know at certain points, Grandma was misunderstood when it came to her faith and her passion to share it with others and I know when I was a young teen I misinterpreted her intentions. While I never joined the church as she would have hoped and I often found it hard to tell her that I was happy with the faith that I belonged to, I grew to appreciate all that she told me and did for me.

The last time I stayed and visited with her we talked late into the night. She shared with me the moment when my Grandpa, who had suffered a stroke and passed several years after his stroke, told her that he wanted to be baptized into the church and that he wanted to be sealed with my Grandma for all eternity. I think this was something she had been waiting to hear for so long. When she told me this story, she told it with tears in her eyes but they were not tears of sadness but of joy. It was one of the only times I had ever seen her cry. It was a moment that brought her so much joy and I think it gave her peace to know that when her time came, she would see him again. After talking I finished getting ready for bed and as I settled in I could hear Grandma saying her prayers. She prayed for her family and prayed for me and the girls as we traveled home. She prayed for Shaun and I and for the happiness that she could see between us to continue on for eternity. I could hear the love and comfort in her voice. Not just for me but for her faith, for God and for her family. I have the utmost respect and appreciation for my Grandma, but that night it grew even more and on top of that I finally understood exactly who she was, where her love and patience came from, and in that moment I don’t think I could have loved her more.

I feel blessed to have had a moment like that with her and to have had her as such an important part of my life. Saying goodbye hasn’t been easy and I miss her so much that my heart aches. Today would have been Grandma and Grandpa’s Anniversary and I had to stop myself from picking up the phone and calling her. Even though it brings me to tears I know that she finally gets to celebrate and enjoy another anniversary with the man she loved so much. She is at peace now and I am sure will be watching over all of us. I know she would want me to grieve but then pick myself up and be happy. She would want me to move forward and always remember that she is there with me either in spirit or through happy memories. Now is the time for saying goodbye but I know we will see one another again, someday.