The Move

I'm avoiding cleaning, so I'll update this instead.

Oct. 31--After a successful checkout with Glenda, we passed the last of our food off to Spencer, shoved the last of our belongings in the car, and took off. I tried to get some last pictures of the Mississippi as we drove across it, but it's hard when you're going 55 mph. Thanks to the benefits of working for the government, we got a free hotel stay that night in Danville, Illinois (only a 4 hour drive from Davenport). We thoroughly enjoyed the pool and hot tub; the Mexican food, not so much. Jon also left with the grand idea that one day we will be purchasing a king-sized bed.

Nov. 1--From Danville it was a 6.5 hour drive to Hurricane, West Virginia (Jon's family). At least the scenery was better during this stretch. We hit the fall colors right on time. It was great fun to see Jon's family, if only for one night. It may have been the first time we weren't woken up by a little Bloodling shrieking at 7 am.

Nov. 2--So Dad Blood gave us a car. It may be a teal, 10 year old Escort with 100,000+ miles on it, but it's a FREE CAR. And we will love him forever for it. We said goodbye to Stephen, Jon's brother who's leaving on his mission to Spain, and took off. Jon let me drive the Taurus, which has better shocks and cruise control. After another 6.5 hour drive, we showed up outside our condo here in Belcamp. Our landlords gave us the grand tour, repeatedly emphasizing how they'd "done the cleaning themselves" because they "like to do those kinds of things for you." Yeah, real sweet of you to clean the apartment before a new tenant moves in. At least they replaced the rainbow light-switch covers.

We really like our ward. It's a surprisingly large family ward--it reminds me of my ward in Arizona. People were really friendly and seemed excited to have someone new. Of course, we're still in that awkward minority of married couples with no kids, but that hasn't been a problem in the past. Most of my friends are toddlers by this point. My favorite thing about this ward so far: the first thing they asked me wasn't, "Do you play the piano/organ?" In fact, they already have a pianist for the priesthood, which is a rare thing. Is it possible I may NOT be called as ward organist?

The movers brought our stuff on Monday, and they did an excellent job. The only thing that was broken was a tiny piece off our air mattress pump. I'm telling you--Mayflower is the way to go. The movers were NOT pleased with hauling my piano up two flights of stairs and used a few choice words to let me know. They seemed a little more content with the idea once I explained that yes, I actually do play it, and no, it's not just a status symbol.

I spent the next few days trying to figure out where to put all our stuff. Never, ever move from a two-bedroom home with a basement into a one-bedroom condo with a storage closet smaller than the average pantry. I just have to keep repeating to myself, "6 months, it's only for 6 months...".

Now that we're all settled in, I'm in the midst of cleaning this nasty place. I don't know what our landlords cleaned, but it certainly wasn't the walls, floors, doors, blinds, or cupboards. Basically, our condo reeks of cigarette smoke and is covered in some kind of animal hair. It seems better today after I sprayed down the entire kitchen with vinegar. Not that vinegar smells much better, but at least it will fade.

Jon seems to be liking his job so far, although he is still phoneless. He's even got a business trip scheduled for December (which I am not thrilled about. Sure, leave me here all alone with no friends for 3 days). Basically, I think we're going to be really happy here. We both feel like we're supposed to be here, though we're not sure why. Now I just need to get used to the idea of milk costing $4.11/gallon. Gah!

House pictures (yes, there are lots of them--this is for my mother):

Living room: view #1 (the blank wall is for the projector)
Living room: view #2
Our slightly larger kitchen
The be-mirrored dining room
Bathroom
Laundry room
Bed & Jon's nightstand (I don't get one this time)
My dresserOur be-mirrored closets and window seat
Jon's office/half of the bedroom