An Adventure in Moving Trucks

So we are finally packed and ready to hit the road early tomorrow morning. The past 2 days have been a true Adventure in moving with all that has gone on with the rental moving truck.

After months of cleaning out stuff, giving over 45 boxes to Ebay Bob to sell, countless trips to Goodwill and giving items to friends and family we thought we had given away all of our 'stuff'. After the last 2 days we are trying to figure out how we still have so much 'stuff'.

We started Wed morning with a 16 ft truck from Penske. Tom got it home and started loading....

About half way through we decided that it wasn't big enough. Of course Tom is WAY ticked off since he has had nightmares that the truck was to small. We checked and the next biggest Penske had was 24 ft and that was to big so we found a 17 ft truck at Uhaul. Off Tom and Taryn went to pick up another truck so they unloaded the Penske and started loading the Uhaul.

At 11 am today we still thought things were good since we were loading and still packing the last minute items. Somehow the 'stuff' seemed to expand and multiply. 2 hours later we realized that the 17 ft was not going to be enough. With Uhaul the next biggest is 26 ft and that is to big so what to do........

Get a trailer to tow behind the Uhaul. Yes I said a trailer. We needed more space than the 17 ft truck allowed so the day ended up with a full Uhaul and a full trailer........

Now to just get on the road before the 'stuff' multiplies again!

Boxes, Boxes, Boxes

Yes there are lots of Boxes, Boxes, Boxes! The Adventure in moving and trying to down size!

We have almost completed all of the packing. The only spot left untouched, as of this morning, is my office space and only because I have not allowed Tom to box or wrap a thing. I still have work to do before we leave!
You will notice in the picture there are a number of items wrapped in green. That is the plastic wrap you can get to cover items in to move them. It is Tom's new favorite thing to do and if Dyna and I sit still too long I swear he will be wrapping us too!

As you can see there are many boxes (and more than Tom wanted, refer to Stuff blog). Our goal was to stay below 75 but we didn't make that. Right now we are at 75 numbered boxes with a few left to finish of the last minute items and a few in clear plastic crates that aren't number. Estimation is that there will be 85 when we are done.
Yes numbered boxes, not only numbered but you know me there is also a corresponding list that has the contents of each box. No wondering of what is in the box or just a simple category listed on the outside, details and lists all the way!

A few of the boxes are also the furniture that we bought. Once we got Elizabeth (with almost 1100 square feet) we found that there are a number of items we aren't able to take or had to be replaced due to their size. So off to Crate and Barrel we went for a new dining room table, chairs and shelves along with a few other things that were needed for the new house so none of those boxes are included on the 'moving box list' since we know what is in them.

Once Tom gets up this morning (remember he is unemployed now so getting up early isn't required) he will be off to get the moving truck and start getting it loaded. We will be getting everything we own into a 16 foot rental truck (remember the down size part)! Tom has had nightmares that it won't all fit so 'if it doesn't fit in the truck it isn't going' is his motto and we will be out of the rental house by tomorrow night.

My goal today is to stand my ground, avoid green plastic wrap, and keep my little space untouched until my work day ends!

Someday this will be Tom!

The Magruder (one of the Mel Fisher salvage boats) found a gold bar on Saturday. Someday this will be Tom in the picture as the diver! Check out the link......

http://www.melfisher.com/GoldBar.asp

FINAL Count Down

We are at the FINAL Count Down........

Picking up the moving truck on Wednesday - 2 days

Out of the house on Thursday - 3 days
(we are staying our last night with Patti)

Leave Phoenix on Friday, 2/29/2008, at 4:00 am - 4 days

End of an Era 6/1978-2/2008

Friday, February 22, 2008 was the end of an Era for both Tom and HACI. After almost 30 years Tom has left the company and continues on the Adventure.

Imagine June 1, 1978 when a young high school guy (remember the Hansen's singing group from the 7o's - he looked like that with long blonde hair) needed a summer job and got one at HACI.
After high school he moved from being clean up boy in the shop to the field and worked as an installer and foreman. After a motorcycle accident (yes he was racing his dirt bike and blew out his knee) he moved into the shop and then moved up to shop foreman. As time went on and things changed he moved from there to operations manager and gathered a number of departments under him to manage.

There were a number of times that Tom thought about a career change. He looked at a number of options but none of them afford him the things that HACI did. This includes "unlimited" vacation time, long lunches with vendors and MANY golf outings.

As this past week closed Tom was reminded of the times he hired, fired, chewed out, and supported many over the years. He takes with him great friendships that will continue to last a lifetime and many memories of the past 30 years.

YUK food!

So we all have it.... YUK food! It is the food that has been around in the cupboard or pantry that you haven't gotten around to throwing out or giving to the food bank since someone in your family (usually me in our family) is sure that it is needed for a recipe or that it will be eaten.

YUK food is part of this Adventure since we have gotten down to that part of the pantry/cupboards. We aren't doing any more grocery shopping other than the bare essentials of beer, limes, diet coke, toilet paper and coffee mate. We need to get rid of as many items that we can since we have limited moving space (a future blog) and don't want to take what we don't have too. There are also other things that we aren't sure will survive 10 days in a moving truck.

That leaves us with YUK food! It leaves ME with YUK food! Each day I try to find something that can be assembled for lunch. Yes ME since I am the one who is 'work at home' and Tom is out lunching with everyone to say his work good-byes.

So in these many Adventures that I would not have guessed that YUK food would have been one of them.

Count Down Continues

The Count Down continues........

Tom's Last Day of Work = 5 Days

Moving Day = 10 Days

Stuff!!!

Along this adventure has been the never ending task of packing and getting rid of 'stuff'.

Lets start with the definition of stuff. This is also a never ending discussion since Tom and I do not and have not EVER agreed on what is 'stuff'! My version of stuff are things that are never used AND holds no sentimental value. Tom's version of stuff is that everything we own is stuff! So as we have gone through the process of packing and cleaning out 'stuff' it has been an on going battle.

This all started when we sold our house in Fountain Hills and moved to the rental in Scottsdale. At that time we had decided to make the move to KW but hadn't decided what we were going to take or would need so the first pass on getting rid of 'stuff' was based on 'when was the last time we used this?' and 'will you ever use this again'. We thought we had done a good job in cleaning out things but were still amazed when we got into the Scottsdale rental and SO MANY boxes. How could that be???? We had gotten rid of so much!

So from Aug until Jan we continued to get rid of stuff. Some days were very productive since we could agree and so things were sorted into categories. One was family, one was Taryn and Brandon, one was Good Will, one was sell on Ebay, one was moving (made the cut to KW) and the other was storage. The storage category is for items that we aren't ready to part with but also don't have room to take with us. That category is ALWAYS an interesting discussion between Tom and I.

As you know we found our home in KW which started another round of getting rid of 'stuff' that can actually fit in Elizabeth. With having a small house is REALLY changing our perceptive on what 'stuff' is. We found that not even all of our furniture will fit. It was an interesting round of, that goes, that doesn't go, that doesn't go, that doesn't go.

So now with less than 2 weeks left till we leave we are still getting rid of 'stuff' and the battle rages on as to what the means. Once the final count is done on what goes and what doesn't I will let you know.

Tom's New Cell Phone Number

The Adventure continues with Tom getting a new cell phone. His current phone is through work and will no longer be available as of 2/22. Below is his new Florida number that is active and working. My cell number will continue to be the AZ one until we get settled in Key West. When it changes I will let you know.

Tom's Number - 305-407-7089

Tom's Finally Leaving Party

On Saturday, February 9, we had the honor of attending the HACI Holiday Party and Tom's Finally Leaving Party. The gang at Tom's work decide to delay their holiday party and combine it with a party for Tom since he is leaving after almost 30 years.
In honor of our adventure the theme of the night was Pirates (aaaarrrggh) and the picture is of a banner that was hung up for the event. It is something that will hanging in Elizabeth as soon as we get moved in.
Thanks to all at HACI for many great years!

Count Down

A couple of months ago Tom and I started a count down on the number of days until when we would be moving and when he would be done with work. Since the time is close I thought we would share it with all of you.
Myrla's logic on the count down is that we don't count today since it has already started and we don't count the day of the event.

Tom's Last Day of Work = 9 Days

Moving Day = 17 Days

Tom's Entry Into Slavery

As you know one of the reasons for the Great Adventure is Tom's search for a new career.
In KW we have found it under the name of 'Slavery'. At least that is what the MF group calls it when they talk about him leaving his 'regular' job.

We had hoped that Tom would be able to get on as a salvage diver for MF to search for treasure (aaaarrrggh) but alas that isn't possible at this time.
Now for those of you who don't know the salvage diver job doesn't pay much ($400 a week before taxes). It is like a job where you would work for commission but in this case the commission would be in treasure (NOT money) so that is why the MF group calls it 'Slavery'.

Right now there are 2 obstacles in his way:
1) Both of the salvage boats already have divers and are not in need of anymore (subject to change at a moments notice).
2) One of the boats is in dry dock. The Dare (see above picture) is in need of major repairs and was put in the boatyard in December 2007. The hope is that all of the work will be done by April 1, 2008 but they are already 2 weeks behind schedule so that is in question.
Also note that the same crew that are the salvage divers are also the boat repair crew. Another reason it is called 'Slavery'.

So right now the most Tom can hope for is to help out with the boat repairs (yes 'Slavery' once again). Discussions are taking places with MF to see if that is possible since the crew needs all the help they can get to get the repairs done.
No position has been offered, no final options given, no certainty of employment is at hand at this time.
So in the Spirit of the Great Adventure Tom will show up at the boatyard on March 11 with tools in hand and see what 'Slavery' has to offer.

And yes Tom does have a master plan to 'do away with' one of the divers and make it look like a 'accident'. Then there will be an open salvage diver spot (aaaarrrggh)!

Welcome to Elizabeth!

So we have returned from KW from a rather short but busy weekend to look for a place to rent.
As you can see we found a place on Elizabeth! An amazing house that is more than we had hoped for and is located in Old Town which is the area we wanted.

It is only 1100 sq ft with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms which is very unusual for the Old Town area. Of course you can imagine that the rooms are small but it is all we need. I don't have room to add all of the pictures we have to the blog so if you want to see more let us know.

No yard to speak of. There is a VERY small back yard that is all deck, a walk way on one side of the house and the front yard you see is the largest area there is. We are still trying to figure out where Dyna will be able to 'do her business'.

There is no garage or driveway. As with a lot of places in Old Town there is only street parking where ever you can find it. All parking in Old Town is a challenge to find a place close to where you want to be. It is a good thing that we can walk to everything we need so the plan is to park the car and leave it! There will be a future blog on scooters you will want to check back for.

The funny thing is that Elizabeth is located on a 'hill'. You would never guess that there is actually a 'hill' and it is the only one in KW. The 'hill' is 17 feet higher than the rest of the island! It is such a hoot when the locals all commented on us being on the 'hill'.

Next it is on to all of the tasks it takes to get a new place set up!
There is more to share from the weekend that I will post later so stay tuned for more adventures!!!!

Our new address will be:
716 Elizabeth St
Front
Key West Fl 33040