Category: Family

We did have a deadline for our arrival in California. The townhouse we were planning on purchasing was scheduled to close the day after we arrived. There had been some bumps along the road with the financing of this unit. Resolutions were always found but it wasn’t a smooth process. The route we chose to get us to the central coast brought us down from the north in order to drive pass the condo we were planning on moving into. As we drove into the area I began to feel very ill. I had been fighting panic attaches the entire trip and assumed the feeling in my stomach was because of those. But as we drove through the complex, I became more and more uncomfortable.

We had purchased the final unit, construction had ended. This unit was located at the end of all the construction. All around the area were empty lots with plumbing pipes sticking up out of the ground. Large electrical boxes dotted the empty lots. All of this looked very normal for an area with new construction. The problem was there was no more new construction. What would happen to these empty lots? Who was going to be responsible for their up keep? In a year would this undeveloped area be overgrown? What would happen to market values of the units?

We had not sold our condo in Chicago and market values there had already dropped. We did not want to be the proud owners of two condos worth less than what we had invested in them. It did not take much discussion. Jeff picked up his phone, made a call and informed them that we would be unable to go through with the closing. We were both relieved. The next few days would have one priority, find a place to rent ’cause our stuff was leaving the dock in Chicago and would be here in a week.

 

Jeff and I had planned a 4 day drive from Chicago to San Luis Obispo, CA. Traveling with a dog, we figured we would do well to drive 8 – 10 hours a day. Neither of us had ever traveled such a distance with an animal, so finding and staying in pet friendly hotels was a new experience. Our stops were not only dictated by length of time we wanted to be driving but also by the availability of a ‘doggy hotel’.

Our first stop was Lincoln Nebraska. This hotel was not only pet friendly but seemed to be very children friendly. With the amount of laughters, screams and fighting going on in the lobby by what seemed to be an army of young children all my fears of Ellie barking or making any sounds in the room were eliminated.

Our second night allowed us the chance to be in the Denver area and spend the evening with Austyn and Brian. They were loading up the Jeep in preparation for their own excursion to Alaska. A few visits to local breweries that had outdoor seating to accommodate Ellie and we all very happy.

Our third night took us to St George, Utah. We arrived in the middle of the afternoon with temperatures over 100 degrees. We actually had to figure out how to get the dog from the car to the building without burning her paws.

Ellie was intended to be Austyn’s dog. After our family dog of 14 years passed we quickly replaced Fergie with Ellie. When Ellie was less than a year old she became very ill. After tests it was decided that the corn starch based bones we had been giving her had basically glued themselves together and created a large ball in her stomach. Surgery would be the only option. On the day of decision, Jeff was on his own to make the call. I had prepared Austyn for the possible outcome and had anticipated that Jeff would have her put down. To our surprise he did not. Surgery and weeks to recover, she has been with us for 5 years. When we are all sick of her, she becomes Jeff’s dog because he saved her life. Why she isn’t Austyn’s dog? Well, Brian happens to be allergic to her. I personally think it’s psychosomatic.

The trip was beautiful and if I had done my homework we would have actually built in time to take in some sights. As it was we saw beauty every day. We will make the trip from Denver to California again some day…without a dog.

 

Over the past few months we have had glimpses into the minds of Pam’s three children. Brief phone conversation, story’s relayed to us by Raun and the few face to face interactions we have been lucky enough to participate in.

Chase, who was two at the time loves chicken. As they were praying before the meal, Chase’s prayer was simple and to the point: “Thank Jesus for Chicken!”. Oh if we could all be that grateful for the everyday things in life.

 

Our close friends Ray and Margie had offered they home to us on our last weekend in town. We arrived Saturday afternoon, tired and emotional. That evening we met up with a small circle of old friends. Sunday was a quiet morning which lead into a quiet day. Monday morning we made our way to Jeff’s office. Jeff was the last person to leave the office in Wheaton and there were some final arrangements that needed to be made.

During the craziness of the last few months, we were also faced with the challenge to change our life insurance. Jeff had begun the process and we felt it needed to be completed before we left the state. The last step was the physical. The arrangements were made to have a nurse come to our house and complete any tests that were required. The first date was set for Friday, the day the movers were there and somehow it was changed to Monday morning. We found an office to use and she drew blood, checked our hearts, weight and asked a ton of questions. Blood pressure! Holy cow, if she takes our blood pressure there is no way we will pass this physical. After she took mine I asked what it was. 120 over 90. That is typically high for me but somewhat normal for most. After I explained what our last month had been like and the fact that our car was waiting outside, packed and ready to take us to California, 90 over 120 seemed fantastic.

The physical complete, the office disconnected and files ready for shipping, Jeff and I headed back to Ray and Margie’s to pick up Ellie and begin our journey west.

Jeff and I have moved more times than I want to count. We have always done it ourselves. the packing, the loading, the unloading. This move would be different. We only lived in 900 square feet, so when we were giving an estimate on the cost of the move we could afford for them to pack us as well. It seemed very strange not looking for boxes, newspaper and buying a case of packing tape. We had packed a few boxes in order to get the clutter out of our house but for the most part we did not look as if we were moving.

Thursday morning six men descended on the condo. Sue walked Ellie, our dog to the vet around the corner, we had decided it would be best if we boarded her for the night. Two men were in each room wrapping, stuffing and taping boxes. A few hours into it the manager’s phone rang. I could tell by his responses that things were not going as planned. When the original paperwork work came out I was a bit concerned. The topic of conversation seemed to be centered around us having more stuff than they anticipated.

More stuff? Actually we lost a daughter and all her stuff. Sure there were a few more thing because of the wedding, but certainly there was less stuff then when the estimate was made.

The packers finished up that afternoon. Jeff flew in from Florida and entered a box filled condo. We left Ellie over night figuring the stress of all the boxes may be too much for her and us. There was a part of me that wished I could be boarded for the next month.

The next morning Jeff headed to the storage unit to up a the remaining furniture items we had removed when trying to sell the condo…more stuff. The movers arrived and began loading the truck. There seemed to be more unpacked items then they had expected causing some frustration between the packers and the movers. The truck was loaded. I was given a stack of papers which listed all our belongings or at least the box number that they were located in. The truck took off, all our belongings with it and we stood in an empty condo.

Early that evening the buzzer rang. It was two beeps, Raun and Pam had driven down to spend the last night in the condo. They brought their own blow-up mattress and made the empty living room their room. Sue slept on a twin blow-up mattress Austyn’s room and Jeff and I were on a double blow-up in our room. Left with suitcases full of clothes that we had planned to take us through the next several weeks. There were a few paper plates and plastic cups in the kitchen. It’s a strange feeling sleeping in a an empty place that hours before was home.

The next morning we took Sue to Union Station, Pam and Raun drove back to WI, Jeff and I loaded the car with suitcases, blow-up mattresses, doggy things, the rosemary plant and my coffee plant. We left the city. Our condo had not sold, instead we decided to rent it out for the first year. We still had one foot in the door but we were heading West and our first stop would only be 45 minutes away to spend the weekend with our close friends.

There were three receptions planned after the wedding. We made our way to Wisconsin for a cookout the beginning of the July 4^th weekend. Mostly family attended this one. It was a great time. The second was held in Chicago. Our Jakes reception was perfect. Friends drove in from the suburbs for a tastes city life. Jakes was empty that afternoon and we took over the back room. It was the perfect choice for our Chicago reception.

The following Monday, Brain and Austyn filled the jeep with gifts and any items that had been left behind and headed back to Colorado. Jeff and I flew to Denver the following weekend.

Brian’s parents had made the arrangements for the reception there. They had reserved a brewery as the location. Excellent choice since finding great breweries is what Jeff and Brian love to do. Not only was there great food and drink but also personal tours of the brewery itself. It was a perfect end to what seemed to be a month of celebrations.

Jeff was flying to Florida immediately after the reception for a convention. This meant that when he had left for this weekend he was packed for the next month of transition. I was returning home for our final week in the condo. The packers would be there on Thursday and the moving van on Friday. Unsure of the emotional effect this week may have, I had asked my sister Sue to spend it with me. We both arrived at Midway Airport, she much earlier than I. We made our way to the El, boarded the Orange Line and headed into the city. We had two days to play, get the last tasked completed on the to do list, which included having the car tuned up for the trip west and go to all the fun restaurants in the neighborhood that I had been waiting to share with her, of course Jakes was top on that list.