After a long and exhausting week, we have arrived in Pittsburgh! We have our keys, and are waiting for Pizza to arrive for us at the hotel. This optimism, however, is premature; it has been one heck of a week.
Thursday was my birthday and, as such, I was not planning to do any work that day. This was fine, as our move was set for Saturday (lie number 1). Mum, Jordan, Rachel, Tyler and I were going to go to the botanical gardens, and later I would have dinner with everyone (except for Pam) on my side of the family. At 12:30, however, I received a call to inform me that my movers would arrive on Friday between 10 and 12. I hung up happy because we could sleep in a little... then I freaked out ("did he say TOMORROW? I was told they would be here on Saturday!!!") I called Nationwide (our relocation company) who did nothing to help rectify the situation. *NOTE* NEVER MOVE WITH NATIONWIDE* Instead of spending the afternoon at the Henry Moore exhibit, mum came and helped up frantically pack the rest of our stuff. Once packed, we went to Gwinnett Place Honda to pick up our new car. However, dad decided to add some extra features, so we left the car overnight to get additional work. That evening, Jordan and I had dinner at Grace with mum, dad, Craig (sans Pam, who was studying for exams), Rachel and Tyler. It was so good (as always)! Before dinner, we opened gifts at my parent's house; I feel so blessed to have such a loving family, they really made this birthday special, even if I did have to pack!!!
Friday, our movers arrived at 10 am and did not finish packing our possessions until about 10 pm. It was crazy how long they took; I must say, however, that they were meticulous in packing our furniture into the truck -- this I am thankful for. They are two Bosnian men who do not work for Nationwide; Nationwide contracted their company to move our things -- I am sure that Nationwide is screwing them as much as they are screwing us. One of the men said to me (in broken English) "your job order said this was supposed to be about 6500 lbs, this seems heavier than that." Great. I provided Nationwide with a list of my furniture and they estimated a weight. I was told this weight was based upon your furniture being Ashley or Havertys, and that there was no way my Target and Ikea furniture weighed that much... lie number 2. I get charged about four times the price for anything over the quoted weigh; something that was misconstrued to me when I was send the "not to exceed, binding quote" (lie number 3). Rachel and Tyler were awesome -- they spent the day sitting by the truck to make sure that nothing got stolen out of the back!!! All that aside, we were planning to have dinner with Vicky, Henry, Jonathan, Lisa, Meghan, and Tom, but we got to the Melting Pot so late that we only had about 30 minutes with the siblings and an hour with Vicky and Henry! We hate that we did not have longer with them. All this on top of no sleep for Jordan and two hours of sleep for me!
Saturday, Jordan and I slept in until around noon, after which we went downtown with mum to clean out our apartment and check out for good. We could not have finished on tie without mum's help!!! We checked out about 5pm, just in time to go back to Norcross to have dinner at J. Alexanders with mum, dad, Craig, Pam, Rachel and Tyler. After dinner, Jordan packed everything into our new Honda CRV (LOVE IT!!!). I must post some pictures of it soon!!!
Today, we got up early and left my parents house at 8:40 am. I took the first driving shift while Jordan slept. To follow our journey, look at my Twitter account (@sarahjcpatton):
9:55 AM: South Carolina
11:20 AM: North Carolina
2:00 PM: Virginia
3:40 PM: West Virginia
7:55 PM: Pennsylvania
Once in Pittsburgh, we picked up our keys and emptied our car. We then proceeded to our Hotel (Friendship Suites -- I HIGHLY recommend this place!!!) and ordered a Pizza -- which has just arrived!
Tomorrow, we receive our furniture, lets pray that unloading does not take as long as loading!!!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
6 Days: Let the Panicing Commence
In six days, our movers will be here (and in Norcross, but mostly here). This move is an interesting display of Jordan and I's divergent personality traits. I am a self-described uber-planner (others have used the terms "anal-retentive" and "Hitler"); having every detail planned out is the best way for me to deal with such a life changing event. I have packed our crystal and stemware, all of my school books, all of our pleasure books, all of our DVDs, and all of Jordan's games. I have almost finished packing my clothes, our linens (bedroom and bathroom) and our dishes. I have still to tackle the kitchen, the office, the bathroom and our framed pictures. After a bubble wrap run and a couple of afternoons of non-stop packing, I think this task will be easily completed.
In contrast to me, Jordan feels most relaxed when he is improvising. Jordan has yet to pack his clothes and all of our electronics (a task that I do not envy, but I am sure he did not envy me when I was packing dishes and crystal either!) Jordan's approach stressing me out; it has been a good "marriage lesson" to let him pack in his time, but I have had to learn to leave him to this and trust that he will do what he is supposed to do (even if he is still packing when the movers arrive)! Maybe one day, our personalities will converge to a more central position on the planning-improvising spectrum, but for now, we continue to be polar opposites!
At this stage, we are facing all of the usual doubts: why are we doing this? Is it really worth it? Why don't we just get jobs in Atlanta and stay here! Whenever we have this conversation (which is multiple times a day), we come to the conclusion that we are only going to be in Pittsburgh five or six years, we can always leave if we HATE it, but that we think we are really going to like it. I think this is normal for life changing events.
Outside of packing, we will have a very busy week (why did I choose to move during my birthday week?!). This started on Friday, when we had to pick up my contacts and Jordan's glasses from Costco, I had my final haircut at Van Michael with Julie (she has been cutting my hair since before Jordan and I started dating -- highly recommend her to anyone looking for a new stylist!), we saw Harry Potter (FAIL: worst of the movies thus far) with my mum and sister, and had dinner at Thai Spice with my mum, dad and sister.
Yesterday, I was having trouble sleeping (I woke up at 5:15). I decided to go to the gym in Norcross, because I had some errands to do up there. I ran on the Elliptical for 30 mins, and then went to my parents house for a shower. Then my mum and I took a Pilate's class (love it!) and got pedicures. Immediately following this, I went car shopping with my dad and Derek (Jordan and I need to decide exactly what we want, and then Derek will find the best deal for us -- he is an awesome person and friend who love to help out his friends in any way he can). We spent a lot of time at a Honda dealership, and have narrowed down our choices to a Civic, an Accord and CRV. After car shopping, I drove back to Midtown where Jordan and I almost immediately got back in the car and drove to Covington to visit with Vicky and Henry, Uncle Gary and Aunt Eleanor, and Mema. In addition, Jordan wanted to give me my birthday present early so that I could use it and so that we could return it if it was not what I wanted. I LOVE it! It is a pink work out set: Pilate's Ring, Body Ball, Resistance Bands, Weights, and a DVD!
Today, we will likely just pack.
Tomorrow, Jordan has a meeting with his Master's Project Adviser (they are working on getting his project ready for publication). While he is there I will (you will never guess) pack.
Tuesday, my mum is coming over for the afternoon to help me pack the kitchen; this will be a great help! In the evening, we have our last meeting with our Community Group from Buckhead Church. We will miss this group; it has been a great experience for us, and we hope to join another small group when we are in Pittsburgh.
Wednesday, I am hoping that we will be able to test drive cars; now that I have narrowed down what I like, it is Jordan's turn to look. In addition, our i-Phones (birthday presents from each of our parents) should arrive either Wednesday or Thursday, we will have to go to AT&T in order to get them set up properly.
Thursday is my birthday! I am not sure what we will do, but I refuse to pack on this day! I would love to go to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens and see the Henry Moore exhibit; his work was always a great influence on my own. That evening, we will go to dinner with my family. I have not decided where yet (perhaps Grace?), but I think everyone is going to be there (excluding, maybe, Pam -- who is nuts and taking a TON of hours this summer!)
Friday, we have nothing specific planned for the day, but Vicky and Henry are taking us to dinner for my birthday. Once again, I am not sure where, but they LOVE McCormick and Schmick's, so that could be a fun option.
Six days -- so short, but so much already planned! Hopefully, we will be packed on time, but only time will tell!!!
In contrast to me, Jordan feels most relaxed when he is improvising. Jordan has yet to pack his clothes and all of our electronics (a task that I do not envy, but I am sure he did not envy me when I was packing dishes and crystal either!) Jordan's approach stressing me out; it has been a good "marriage lesson" to let him pack in his time, but I have had to learn to leave him to this and trust that he will do what he is supposed to do (even if he is still packing when the movers arrive)! Maybe one day, our personalities will converge to a more central position on the planning-improvising spectrum, but for now, we continue to be polar opposites!
At this stage, we are facing all of the usual doubts: why are we doing this? Is it really worth it? Why don't we just get jobs in Atlanta and stay here! Whenever we have this conversation (which is multiple times a day), we come to the conclusion that we are only going to be in Pittsburgh five or six years, we can always leave if we HATE it, but that we think we are really going to like it. I think this is normal for life changing events.
Outside of packing, we will have a very busy week (why did I choose to move during my birthday week?!). This started on Friday, when we had to pick up my contacts and Jordan's glasses from Costco, I had my final haircut at Van Michael with Julie (she has been cutting my hair since before Jordan and I started dating -- highly recommend her to anyone looking for a new stylist!), we saw Harry Potter (FAIL: worst of the movies thus far) with my mum and sister, and had dinner at Thai Spice with my mum, dad and sister.
Yesterday, I was having trouble sleeping (I woke up at 5:15). I decided to go to the gym in Norcross, because I had some errands to do up there. I ran on the Elliptical for 30 mins, and then went to my parents house for a shower. Then my mum and I took a Pilate's class (love it!) and got pedicures. Immediately following this, I went car shopping with my dad and Derek (Jordan and I need to decide exactly what we want, and then Derek will find the best deal for us -- he is an awesome person and friend who love to help out his friends in any way he can). We spent a lot of time at a Honda dealership, and have narrowed down our choices to a Civic, an Accord and CRV. After car shopping, I drove back to Midtown where Jordan and I almost immediately got back in the car and drove to Covington to visit with Vicky and Henry, Uncle Gary and Aunt Eleanor, and Mema. In addition, Jordan wanted to give me my birthday present early so that I could use it and so that we could return it if it was not what I wanted. I LOVE it! It is a pink work out set: Pilate's Ring, Body Ball, Resistance Bands, Weights, and a DVD!
Today, we will likely just pack.
Tomorrow, Jordan has a meeting with his Master's Project Adviser (they are working on getting his project ready for publication). While he is there I will (you will never guess) pack.
Tuesday, my mum is coming over for the afternoon to help me pack the kitchen; this will be a great help! In the evening, we have our last meeting with our Community Group from Buckhead Church. We will miss this group; it has been a great experience for us, and we hope to join another small group when we are in Pittsburgh.
Wednesday, I am hoping that we will be able to test drive cars; now that I have narrowed down what I like, it is Jordan's turn to look. In addition, our i-Phones (birthday presents from each of our parents) should arrive either Wednesday or Thursday, we will have to go to AT&T in order to get them set up properly.
Thursday is my birthday! I am not sure what we will do, but I refuse to pack on this day! I would love to go to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens and see the Henry Moore exhibit; his work was always a great influence on my own. That evening, we will go to dinner with my family. I have not decided where yet (perhaps Grace?), but I think everyone is going to be there (excluding, maybe, Pam -- who is nuts and taking a TON of hours this summer!)
Friday, we have nothing specific planned for the day, but Vicky and Henry are taking us to dinner for my birthday. Once again, I am not sure where, but they LOVE McCormick and Schmick's, so that could be a fun option.
Six days -- so short, but so much already planned! Hopefully, we will be packed on time, but only time will tell!!!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
13 Days: Bubble Wrap Crisis
Today, I woke up later than planned (noon) and simply could not go to the gym. Instead, I spent the afternoon packing. I have now paced: my school books, our china, some crystal, my winter clothes, our kitchen linens, our pleasure books, our dvd's Jordan's xBox games, our extra towels, and our extra bed linens. I have now run out of bubble wrap, which squashes my hopes of packing my decorative plates. I guess I need to pack our extra blankets and throws and then make decision on which clothing items I will actually need (and not just want) over the next two weeks. By next Sunday, I hope to have packed all of our dishes, and be living off of paper plates and solo cups. Once I get more bubble wrap, I will start on our dishes and then move to packing all of our pictures.
Other than packing, we need to sort out our insurance situation and work on selling our car; my dad is letting us use his Envoy when we are in Pittsburgh -- we are really thankful for this!
My big goal: have sufficient packing complete so that I do not have to pack on my birthday (July 23 -- 2 days before our move)!
Other than packing, we need to sort out our insurance situation and work on selling our car; my dad is letting us use his Envoy when we are in Pittsburgh -- we are really thankful for this!
My big goal: have sufficient packing complete so that I do not have to pack on my birthday (July 23 -- 2 days before our move)!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
21 Days: Happy 4th
Packing at the Patton household is still going slow. I have received my dishpacks and another set of boxes, only to find that they are MUCH cheaper at Costco! Knowing that I did not buy enough initially (I have lofty goals of packing quickly and only purchasing boxes as needed), I did invest in another pack at Costco -- I may actually have enough to complete this move! I was disappointed with my dishpacks... no dividers for my stemware. However, we did find another solution (yes, at Costco, again); we are picking up wine crates from Costco and using those as stemware containers (which will subsequently go into the dishpacks. We are still in need of AT LEAST 3 more wine crates -- keep buying that wine, mum! Thus far, I have packed our crystal flutes, and all of my china (that is not saying much -- I have yet to complete my china set) -- best to start early with things that we do not use often. Next, I am going to get working on books and winter clothing -- I just need some more packing tape first (yes, my packing set from Costco did contain these, that box was heavy, however, and it is still sitting in the back of our car!
In other news, we are enjoying not having classes/work (okay, I am still teaching at Kaplan, but 2.5 hours/week is not taxing)! We have been able to take a couple of trips (which I posted about earlier), enjoy visits from out of town guests (mum's friend Beverly, who was like a second mother to me growing up, was in town for about 10 days), hang out with old friends, attend our awesome small group more regularly, be more diligent about going to the gym and just generally get more quality time together. Tonight, we are going to hang out with Henry (one of Jordan's oldest friends) and his wife, Dana for the 4th. They are a really great couple, and only wish that we could spend more time with them! Why do we have to work? This is the perfect life... except for the looming move!!!
In other news, we are enjoying not having classes/work (okay, I am still teaching at Kaplan, but 2.5 hours/week is not taxing)! We have been able to take a couple of trips (which I posted about earlier), enjoy visits from out of town guests (mum's friend Beverly, who was like a second mother to me growing up, was in town for about 10 days), hang out with old friends, attend our awesome small group more regularly, be more diligent about going to the gym and just generally get more quality time together. Tonight, we are going to hang out with Henry (one of Jordan's oldest friends) and his wife, Dana for the 4th. They are a really great couple, and only wish that we could spend more time with them! Why do we have to work? This is the perfect life... except for the looming move!!!
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