Got2Gab.com

For those of you who are avid readers of our articles, you know that the last few months we have preparing to move out of state.  We finally finished the packing, the donating of objects to those who needed them, the purchasing and loading of a trailer, and all the headaches that go along with it.

On 7/23/2009 (Thursday), we woke up, attempted to pack the last of the stuff in our trailer, clean up our apartment, leave the keys for the manager of our complex and hit the road.  For whatever reason, I wasn’t feeling very well, and fought “food poisoning” from the night before. I was invited to a small wedding party, and ate some chicken that had been COLD when I got it, but I was too hungry to complain, so I ate it anyway.  Big mistake! That night, I started to feel nauseous, and in the morning, when we were due to leave, I couldn’t go fast because I was dealing with full blown illness. Not fun, not fun at all.

I called a friend of mine over, and thank goodness she wasn’t busy, and was able to come over and keep the baby company as I dealt with my illness and then eventually got over it, and did all the things I mentioned above. I gave her a big hug, told her to keep in touch, thanked her ever so much for her help, and we started the drive.  We took off out of our complex driveway around 1 pm on Thursday, although we were late in leaving, we were determined to get out of there that day.

That same day, while we were on the road, we heard loud scraping sounds coming for the trailer on the left side, so when my husband pulled over to check it out, he realized that the nuts on the trailer tires hadn’t been tightened adequately by the previous owner, and it had actually damaged the tire rim some, as well as stripping down 2 screws, from the weight of the trailer, as well as the long miles driven.  It took him a while to be able to jimmy the screws in a good enough way to keep going and drive to an auto parts store.

We had started our journey in Tacoma, Washington then dealt with the tire problem and had already driven to Moses Lake, Washington at that point. He purchased the screws, and called the manufacturer of the trailer to put a hold on another tire (that comes with a new undamaged rim).  By that point, it was too late to go to the other place which was located in Spokane and was already about to close.  So, we decided to drive to Spokane and sleep there for the night, then in the morning we planned to purchase the new tire (with rim) and start up back on the road.

Everything went as planned.  That night, we slept in a crappy Motel in Spokane, Washington. It was a horrid little place, something that maybe a lady of the night or a down and out drunk might think was tasteful.  The only good thing about it was that they had a KING size bed, and we all slept like the dead.

Next day, we did as planned and started back on our road trip.  As we were driving, we realized there was a sound coming from the right rear side of the vehicle. My husband stopped and looked it over, but was unable to find the culprit.  He drove into a Les Shwab location and had one of the mechanics help him out. Turns out, when we took our vehicle to be serviced before the road trip, the mechanic must have been in a hurry because he hadn’t tightened 2 of the 5 lug nuts on our SUVs tire.  So, this mechanic tightened it, and we were on our way. Thankfully two huge catastrophes were averted.

We drove through: Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois and finally reached our destination, Indiana (on the 5th day of our journey, 7/28/2009 - Tuesday).  It took us that long because the problems with the rim and the type of tires on the trailer were only equipped to drive 50-55 mph and no more.  So, we drove at a snails pace, and made quite a few drivers angry, but we finally reached our destination, early in the morning on the 28th.

We’ve been here for a few days already, busy with unloading the SUV, as well as the trailer, trying to get our sleeping arrangements in order (at my relatives house), and get over the “Car lag” (in relation to “Jet lag”). As well as starting up bills and other things in this new location.

So far Indiana has been great, other than the humidity, and heat of the Summer. But, thankfully we are in an air-conditioned home and as much as we work, once we sit to take a rest, we can cool down appropriately, get somewhat recharged and continue with the work.

It was a long and exhausting journey, added to by the blaring heat of the summer, the on/off screams of my toddler (who had an ear infection), the mechanical problems on the road trip, and of coarse the worst part of it all was the cramped quarters in the packed car.  We still haven’t recovered from the feet swelling, the muscle aches, or the lack of sleep we received on the road trip.

But, all in all, we’re finally here, with family and it’s exactly where we wanted to be!

As our departure approaches, I’ve decided that it’s time to say our farewells, for now…

I didn’t want to just have my posts stop without letting you know in advance that I’m signing off for now. My internet is supposed to get shut off over the next few days, so I figured now is the perfect time to say our goodbyes.
The next time I log on, I’ll be in a new state and living in a new place.  Things may be somewhat chaotic, but that is to be expected.

I hope over the next few weeks that our lives improve. I hope the packing, cleaning, returning of the apartment keys, stocking up on goodies for the road trip and the drive go well. I have a little bit of trepidation due to never having gone on a road trip with a young child before, but we’re determined to try and have some fun, take tons of pictures, stop at any awesome sites, and enjoy this rare opportunity, while we’re making our journey from Western Washington to Southern Indiana.

Please feel free to sift through over 75 articles that I’ve written over the last few months, since starting up this website. I’m sure you’ll find something to your fancy.  And be sure to check up on our site at least once a week to see if I’ve started writing new articles, once we’ve reached our destination.

Until we meet again, bye 4 now.

I’m sitting here thinking to myself, I realize that at this juncture in our national and international economy, I don’t know of even one family who is not struggling with money problems.

In the past, many people were interested in getting the best of everything to keep up with the Jones’.  But, since the economy has taken a dive, most of those people have changed with the times and are no longer interested in getting the latest bag, shoes, or outfit. Most people just want to be able to pay their rent or house payments, as well as being able to afford to pay all their other bills.

Something I was never told, which I wish I was, is that we should choose our college majors very carefully.  Know what you’re interested in, of coarse, but also look up what jobs are the most sought after, and how much money they actually stand to make. It may make you think twice before choosing the career path you loved, if you realize that there aren’t any jobs of that type out there, or that they make very little money.

One great example of this is - I have a good friend whom I’ve known since childhood and she got her Master’s degree in something that she was interested in, but hadn’t studied what her career would be like or if she could even get a job once she’d graduated. It took her the longest time to find a job and she eventuially had to get a job in a car dealership or all places.  She is now considering going back to school to become a Nurse, as several of her family members are, and listen to the adice her mother gave her years ago.

It’s a shame that after all the money spent on schooling, all the time wasted on a career path she isn’t using, and the lack of money she is experiencing (which forced her to work in a car dealership), she is now trying to reconfigure her life and go into the medical field.

I too did somewhat of the same thing. I went to culinary school and graduated, worked in the field for several years, went back to school to get my ECE teaching credentials, worked in that field for several years, and then became a stay at home Mom.  Now, if I get the chance to go back to school, I will probably also go for something in the medical field, since it’s so highly sought after and it pays really well.   I can’t fathom what I could be able to save, if I make the kind of money I think I can make with this new chosen career.

I guess as we age, we evolve, we learn, we experience, but I wish someone had told me just what I’m telling you now.

So, before you think of returning back to school for something you love, without researching the kind of pay you are to expect, or finding out if there even is a job market for that career; look up the highest paying jobs, decide if you can do them, find a college that is nearby that can give you the degree or certification you desire and then go from there. You’ll have come up with a much more reasonable idea of what you should do that way.  So, think twice when deciding what career path you wish to follow.

I must say that one of my pet peeves is when someone makes an opinion about someone else, without getting to know them first. Sure at first site, the person may seem one way, but once you really get to know them they may be completely different than you originally assumed.

I know many instances where people around me didn’t even give the other person a chance to prove themselves, before thinking the worst about them.  It really ruffles my feathers, in fact, and I try my best to put a stop to it immediately. It is never appropriate nor is it ever forgiving.  I try my best to get to know the person before assuming anything, either good or bad.

So, the next time you jump to conclusions and decide something about someone, that you barely even know, remember that there is someone on this planet that is doing the very same thing to you and it wouldn’t feel good if you found out that you were being criticized before ever doing something.

Always give your fellow human beings the benefit of the doubt and learn things about them before thinking anything in particular.  No one wants to be judged in advance, and I don’t think it’s an honorable thing to do.  Think twice before assuming things, you will find you are much more open to learning instead of judging.

Today I wasn’t able to get online any earlier, so my post was posted a little later than I usually do.  Things have been hectic around here, to say the least.

My Mom came to visit me and help me out, while we’ve been packing like crazy.  Everybody asks me, “Do you have that much stuff that you need to pack for? For forever and a day?”

The answer is, “No, we don’t have that much stuff, but we’re SPRING cleaning at the same time that we’re packing. We’re sifting through tons of paperwork and items that we may or may not need. So, we’re trying to downscale all of our things. Keeping only the very essential necessities.”

Mom’s coming over was a great help, but then I cleaned up a little and came back up North with her. It was about a 2 hour drive, and it is my opportunity to see my Grandma, check up on her, and say goodbye to all of them for the last time, before I drive back home and then leave the state.

My visit is a little bittersweet at the moment.  I’m glad to see them, glad they’re all doing okay, but at the same time, I know our days together are numbered. Pretty soon we’ll be on the road, and leaving the state, and who knows when I’ll be able to return next time? Who knows who will be living or dead, when I return, if I return.  It’s a very morbid thought, I know, but I’m a realist.  I’m a dreamer when I need to be (usually when writing), but most of the time I’m grounded in reality.

For now, I’m counting my blessings, trying to enjoy this time with my extended family, trying to rest my aching back and body, but in a couple more days I’ll be back to the grind of packing, yet again.

I hope that the tale end of my stay is still enjoyable and too many tears aren’t shed.  I’ve got enough on my mind, and I don’t really think I can handle too much more drama, right about now. I’m trying to keep positive, so I can keep motivated to keep working on the move, or else I would have lost my steam a long time ago.
I’m keeping my mind and body prepared for the completion of packing, cleaning up the place, and then giving back the keys to our apartment. I hope as we are starting the drive on our road trip, and once I slam that door shut and drive away from our apartment complex, that the wheels of change begin to spin  and we’ll have started over with a brand new chapter of our lives.