Just Keep Swimming

Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming... WOW! Did that line from Finding Nemo go through my head about 1,079 times since Thursday morning. Why? Well, let me tell you. I just survived the move from HELL. I'm sure there are worse moves than this, but you see, this IS my SEVENTEENTH move since HIGH SCHOOL. Maybe 18th? Either way, I should have it down by now. And I do. Problem is, I've gotten wiser and started to hire help, and apparently, no one wants to make money these days...

SO, Wednesday afternoon, after a very difficult and tricky closing, we closed on my house. (Many kudos to the ladies at Choice Title in Shawnee, Steve Cotner and crew at Security State and MY REALTOR KARRIE DAVIS!!!) Now, this STARTED bad. WE had the closing date all set up, then it changed, so we changed EVERYTHING. Movers, babysitters, plans for my class. And as soon as it was all set up, things went back to original plan. SO, We closed Wednesday at noon. And as a thank you "gift" my realtor found a painter to paint my sea foam green bedroom. SEE? She IS the best! Anyway, little did we know the fun was just beginning!

We got to Katy about 11 Wednesday night. We CRASHED. And I had the best sleep, (till last night) I had had in MONTHS! Like 13 of them. And I had to wake up early because the movers were coming at 8 and we had some things to do first. So, we get up, do our things. Nine o'clock comes, no movers, 9:15, no movers, Josh calls, no answer. Now, we aren't too mad, because we were told the owner had to take his mom to get a procedure done and may be closer to nine. So, we are assuming something bad happened, and don't want to be mad if she died or something terrible...10 comes, no movers, 11 comes, no movers, Josh goes to their office. OH! THEY MOVED... So at 11:30, I hire new packers to be there between 12:30 & 1. They show up at TWO! We get them settled and leave to figure out the rest.

Over lunch we keep calling the moving company, OMEGA MOVERS FROM KATY TEXAS, they don't answer. We call ALL FOUR NUMBERS, till finally the mom, who is the office manager I guess, answers from her hospital bed. So she didn't die so now we are mad. She says she'll have someone call us. SO JUST IN CASE, we went ahead and reserved two 26 foot UHauls. Two hours later, we still hadn't heard from the moving company, so we hire new loaders and a driver and unloaders. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.

We get back home expecting to find our house ready to go but instead find it just over half way done. At that point we were over the four hours we had paid for so we had to get to work. Just keep swimming...Josh and I packed the ENTIRE UPSTAIRS before one mover had finished the office. In her defense, there were A LOT of picture frames and other decorations stored under the bed in their. (My office doubled as my guest room). Either way, she finished the office and came up to me, WHILE IM STILL LOOKING FOR BOXES FOR THE OTHER HALF MY HOUSE and asked to leave. "WELL, I'd like you to FINISH" I not to politely said. So they stayed, till I finished the upstairs...Anyway, $750 later, I got help packing my house. Just keep swimming...

The next morning the loaders and driver were to come at 9. But at 8 I got a phone call that they were stuck in traffic, not surprising in Houston and I appreciated the call. So, we got a quick break to do one of the many things I had planned to do on this trip, go see my friend TJay and her new baby girl. Well, that was a short visit b/c the driver got there quick. So we went home and found our loaders/driver ready to work. However, when I was going over the timeline we needed to work on with him, he was surprised to find out he was driving to OKLAHOMA. Apparently that detail was left off. He had to work at 8 that night. Just keep swimming, swimming...He assured me he would work it out, so we ALL began working. He even called in a third to make sure we got out by 2.

As we began loading, I found all the packers DID NOT pack. Including all those pictures in the office? Yea. NOT ONE was packed. And my big pictures were wrapped with just one little piece of packing paper. Glass was left all around not even wrapped. SO, I called KATY MOVERS to tell them my complaints. They offered to let me call the owner...which I politely denied b/c I didn't have time. I had to PACK after all. Oh and they also offered to send the same people back. No Thanks.

At 4:15 we were ready to go. However, the driver needed to get his cell phone charger. He had not planned on going to OKLAHOMA and all... We decided easiest was to just follow him (he said he lived "on the way" to 45). So we did. We waited for him at a gas station to fill both UHauls (which BARELY held our stuff). Well, turned out he didn't go the way we did (he lost us before we got around the corner b/c I had to go back to close garage door) and by the time he got there, we had been there 20 minutes and he hadn't even gone home yet. So we decided to meet up 45 after while. So Josh and I continued toward 45 the way the driver suggested we go.

THREE HOURS LATER we made it out of Houston. We met up with the driver in Madisonville at Buccees, where driver bought a car charger. Yes, he went all that way for a PLUG in one. I also had to book the driver a Greyhound ticket home. Because his secretary had not. SO I pulled out my Iphone and called Shawnee's Greyhound service, only to find out, THEY CLOSED THE DAY BEFORE!!!!! I fell out of my seat laughing at this point, and of course reminding my self to just keep swimming.

We booked a ticket out of Norman. I could order for him as long as he had ID. We were good. He went on. We decided we had to stop around Dallas. Because at that point it was going to be 330am before we were home and I didn't sleep ANY the night before, well 4 hours, which is the same as none for me.

So, Josh and I booked us a room outside Dallas and made that journey all hyped up on No Doze and Monsters (another rec from the driver). WELL, let me tell you. NO Doze isn't kidding around. Your BODY may be too tired to MOVE, but your MIND, it just won't doze. And then at 1:30am, we got a call from driver, he couldn't find his ID.... SO I tried to figure out a way to get a hold of Greyhound to work this out, but couldn't, so no more sleep even if I COULD doze, I was so worried. At 5:45 I texted him. He had his ticket and at 6:15 our friend Matt O met him to pick up our Uhaul and give him gas money for the rest of the trip. Because of course we forgot about that. SO THANKS MATT O AND MAGGIE!!!

Anyway, next day, J and I get up, more tired than when we got there and headed back. He was to meet Matt O, I was to load kids. We were one driver short b/c we had two cars AND two UHauls to get back, but that was a little worry. For later. Josh, Matt and I arrive at my house by 1 b/c that is the time the UNloaders said they would be there. Also, my sweet grandma De sent her Handy Man, Steve to help us unpack. HE showed up at 1 also.

Two o'clock comes, no movers. Three o'clock comes, no movers. WE send Steve on home. 3:30, Josh cancels them and hires someone new. (We booked through 3rd party and had already PAID) New guys say they'd be there within the hour. Hour passed, Josh gets phone call, unloader had emergency as he was getting into Shawnee, had to go home. JUST KEEP FREAKING SWIMMING.

SO, we quit. Got in our new hot tub with beer. Right when we "relaxed" phone rings. It's the owner of 2nd unloading company asking how things were. We say, well, no one is here. He was SHOCKED, and assured us HE and at LEAST 1 other if not 3 would be there by 9am. Fine.

8:50am THEY CAME!!! AND THEY WERE AMAZING!!! Of course, we got to find all the things the loaders broke. Including the two pieces we said to be the MOST CAREFUL with, and my sons dresser and our desk......just keep swimming...

Then at 12:30pm yesterday everything was unloaded and in my house!!!

My arms sure are tired!