Three cars and a truck
Last month I moved the family and the giant pile of possessions to New York. The plan was to fly out to MI on Thursday night, pack all day Friday, let movers load the truck Saturday, and drive to NY Sunday. That was the plan. Was.
I did fly out ok on Thursday night. And Friday we spend the whole day packing. And Friday night. In fact I never went to sleep, just kept packing all night long. Then Saturday morning I headed out to get some things at the store while the movers came and loaded the truck.
I was leaving Kroger and was trying to start the ignition when the key wouldn’t turn. It was like something got stuck in it, but the damn thing wouldn’t turn. We had trouble with the ignition before, and some key copies don’t work well. It was about 150F outside so I called the wife and asked her to bring me a different key. Oh yeah, no car. So she called a friend who brought one out to me. But that one didn’t work either, so I called the tow truck.
The tow truck guy tried his hand at it. Then he used a hammer to knock the key into the ignition harder. Then the key got stuck. Then he broke it off with pliers. “You’re going to need a new ignition switch.” Ya think?
I got the car towed to the local shop because every other place was closed, including the local one, but I might as well have it close by to pick it up later. Oh yeah, later, as in fly back to MI to drive the car back next week.
The mover didn’t want to bring the van up the driveway because he said it would sink into the gravel. I found out later they charge extra if they are more than 75 feet from the house. We were 130, but I had to fix that on his form where he said it was 170 feet.
With the high heat and having to haul stuff so far, one of the movers got heat exhaustion and it took them until 10:00 pm to finish, even with 4 guys working. But we got it all in. 20,000 pounds. Heh.
So we drove to NY in our rental car, returned that to the airport, picked up my truck, and met Mr. Mover the next day at the storage units to unload. We ended up having to rent an additional unit. We have too much stuff. Even the movers were shocked. They couldn’t believe anyone could have so many boxes. I can’t either.
The good thing about having to leave my wife’s car behind was that we could fill it with all the stuff the movers forgot, like the giant glass octagonal insert from our kitchen table. Nice. I’m pretty sure if I had gotten in an accident that I would have been sliced up beyond recognition. The next weekend I had to fly back to MI, get a ride from the airport and then turn around and drive back to New York. I did stay over night since I couldn’t keep my eyes open and the can of Red Bull wasn’t even enough to help.
All in all it was a damn expensive move between the $250 ignition switch, the $300 rental car, the $150 and $500 airfares, and the whopping $8000 moving charges. Let’s not even talk about what its costing me to store all this crap. Let this be a lesson to the followers of Fly Lady, clutter costs you money. When you buy it, when you store it, and when you move it.
So here we are finally all together. Stuffed into my parents’ house. I should be moving into the new place in the next couple weeks just as soon as the title works clears and we can close. Here’s the freaky part, its in my old neighborhood. Remember all those high school memories you pushed out of your mind when you grew up and moved on? Well, they didn’t get pushed out, they just went into long term storage. Waiting to come out and haunt you.
July 4th, 2006 12:02
NOoo!! 1) You’re in your old neighborhood?? You are totally going to see kids from HS. 2) You’re from the East Coast???? Who knew?
Sorry about the move. In preparation for my own I am throwing out almost everything-and I’m still keeping too much stuff. But i Might need it someday!! Right…
July 4th, 2006 12:54
Moving is horrendous under the best of circumstances and I think it’s safe to say you didn’t get the best or anything close to it. Congrats on maintaining your sense of humor.
I would sooner go to jail than live in my old neighborhood. My memories of high school are not fond. I hope yours are better.
July 4th, 2006 14:39
If there’s one sure thing in life it’s that moving is usually a horror. Good of you to uphold the tradition.
Wouldn’t it be fun if all your old classmates came over and toilet papered your front yard!
July 4th, 2006 18:00
Just think…in a few weeks the transition period will be over you will be happily settled in your new home! (ps-have you seen how many rbf bloggers have ‘When Harry met Sally’ as one of their top movies on the survey going around?) :)
July 4th, 2006 19:50
I stopped by a few days ago and was really happy to find all of your links to other runners’ blogs. I can’t imagine my family moving. It would take several semi loads I’m sure. Hope you get settled and everything.
July 5th, 2006 01:17
Don’t listen to April Anne. “In a few weeks” Riiiight. I THOUGHT I was pretty good at the Flylady stuff. I thought I prepared pretty well for last year’s move. Yet this year? LAST WEEKEND? One YEAR after moving? I was Fling-Boogying through 6 or 7 boxes of useless crap.
Clutter is not healthy. Heck, I’m never shopping again. Except, maybe, for consumable things. Like chocolate :)
July 5th, 2006 03:13
I hope I never have to move, we went to medium sized apartment to a big house and have become packrats. Lo unto us if we ever had to move, for we have sinned and saved everything!
Don’t let the memories spook you too much!
July 5th, 2006 10:46
after 3 moves in four years i’ve pretty much learned my lesson. just don’t buy anything unless you throw away two other items of same weight or size.
July 5th, 2006 22:27
That’s a pretty bad/good moving story! (Good story to hear, bad to have happen). Maybe I will just stay in this house for forever …
July 6th, 2006 08:46
“clutter costs you money.”
Amen, brother. Often I’ve wondered if, in the long run, it wouldn’t just be easier and cheaper to burn the old place down when I left and deal with the legal fees and buying new furniture…
July 7th, 2006 08:45
Ouch indeed. Kind of like banging your head against a rock. It only feels good when you stop. Then you need stitches and pyschiatry appointments.
There’s a lot to be said about moving back to the ‘hood. I won’t elaborate because everybody else kinda already did.
July 7th, 2006 09:54
ME TOO!
I walk around this place going….oh yeah! over there I had a fort. And over there I drank a large bottle of rye and over there I had my first….ahem.