I'm ready to finish this exhausting series of "Here, there, everywhere!! Part __." Someday I'll enjoy reading all the details again, but right now they are all too familiar and it stresses me out just reliving it all a few weeks later. :) HA!
So we arrived back in Virginia Beach in the afternoon on Wednesday, August 11th. We made the final reservations for our moving truck, which we would be picking up in less than 48 hours. I don't remember much about those couple of days, other than making a million phone calls to cancel all of our accounts/services in Virginia Beach and starting up new ones in Charleston. We were so glad to come home to an almost completely packed apartment because we really had no time for that anymore. We were eating whatever was necessary to finish off as much refrigerated food as we could so we wouldn't have to pack it. I remember lots of chips and salsa, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, frozen pizzas, ice cream and green apples. :)
Friday morning we woke up early and arrived at the truck rental place as soon as they opened. We were there for over an hour because one guy was working, they were short a dozen or more trucks, there were some VERY angry people whose reserved truck was not there, etc. It was a mess and we were actually pretty fortunate to get one that day, considering the circumstances. After we left there (without our car carrier which was still being worked on), we drove to a house to pick up a washer and dryer that we bought off of Craig's list. This house was down a narrow, dirt driveway and it was quite interesting getting a HUGE moving truck backed up just right. At one point, one side of the truck was bending a wooden (piece of junk) fence and pushing over a mailbox and there was nothing we could do about it. I was outside watching it all happen, while yelling "STOP!!" and pounding on the door. Hahaha...funny now but totally stressful then. Thankfully the fence and mailbox were fine. I'm sure the neighbors had a good laugh as this all unfolded though. :)
After we finally got the washer and dryer loaded up and arrived back to the apartment, it was almost noon. We were not anticipating everything to take as long as it did, so now we had to move quickly. One of my co-workers and her husband came to help us and they were there ALL DAY. They were honestly life savers and we could have never left when we did if not for their help. Jesse and Paul loaded all the heavy stuff, while Katie helped me clean toilets, bathtubs, cupboards, ceiling fans, blinds, etc. It was tremendously helpful to have 2 more sets of hands and I will forever be grateful for their selfless help that day. We finally "kicked them out" around 8pm and they probably would have stayed till midnight if we had let them.
We finally collapsed onto our air mattress late that night, knowing tomorrow would be even longer. We somehow slept fine that night, only because we were exhausted beyond belief. We woke up the next morning and got right to work. All the last minute cleaning and packing had to be done, especially if we wanted to leave by noon. Noon came and went, and we were still making endless trips to the car and truck. I was close to having a meltdown, but pulled myself together for Jesse's sake. He was the one driving the truck for 8+ hours that day and I had to be strong for him.
We FINALLY pulled out of town around 2:30 that afternoon and I can honestly say I don't think we both had ever been so physically, mentally and emotionally tired as we were that day. I wanted to fall on the ground and cry my eyes out but I didn't. We sat in the cab of that LOUD, bouncy truck, barely able to even see each other because of all the junk on the seat between us, and occasionally smiled at each other and mouthed, "I love you." Too tired and too loud for any kind of conversation. Just being with each other was enough motivation to keep going. We celebrated as we entered each new state. :)
We pulled into our new neighborhood around 11pm Saturday night. I sat in the truck and waited while Jesse unhitched the car carrier in the dark. Before I knew it, two neighbors had come outside with flashlights to help. Better yet, they carried our mattress up to our bedroom! Complete strangers! I wanted to kiss them (I didn't). :) The humidity that night was so thick, I can't even describe it. We somehow got a tiny bit of energy/adrenaline and unloaded some things we didn't want sitting in the hot/humid truck all night. I found a shower liner to put up so we could shower before bed. Finally, at 1:30am we crashed in our new bedroom. I woke Jesse up a few times in the middle of the night because I kept hearing things. It was the air conditioner and thunder but I was so delirious I didn't know what was going on. :)
Another complete stranger came over the next day and helped us unload the truck, while one of the guys from the night before came over and offered help as well. We were so thankful for such a friendly neighborhood!
We are finally settled in and really enjoying our new place. It is so spacious and pretty and we feel so blessed to live here. This is Jesse's third week at his new job and he's enjoying it so far.
On his first day of work. :)
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