We were off to a great start on Monday. About 14 hours of loading the trailer. We had to pack everything so tight and use every last bit of empty space we had. We did get everything in the trailer... we do have our truck bed full but not too full. It was a long hard day but we finished and pulled out of the apartment at about 9:30pm and drove to Troutdale, Oregon. We needed to find a hotel with truck parking. We have a massive setup with this trailer and can only go to big parking lots. (Troutdale has lots of truck stops and we fit in well.)
Yesterday started off great. We hit the road running. About 7:30pm we stopped in Missoula, Montana to fill up with gas and drive another 1.5 - 2 hours to Butte Montana to stop for the night. We pulled back out onto the interstate, following Jesse's Dad, to soon smell a horrible gas/oil smell. I looked at Jesse and asked him if he forgot to put the gas cap on because we are now pumping our own gas. (Side note about gas pumping... we find ourselves just waiting for someone to come fill us up. It takes about a minute before we realize we have to do this ourselves. Oh and running the credit card machines on the pumps... not our friend!!)
Jesse's Dad (Dave) pulls over onto the side of the interstate. Jesse gets out to see what is going on and comes back to tell me that it is not good. We have a bad bearing in one of our trailer wheels... can't go any further until it gets fixed. Jesse and I take off to the next exit and start looking for someone to help us out. Plus, it is 8:30pm local time - not many places still open.
We find a guy who builds trailers! (SWEET!) He is not sure that he has parts but he will let us park the trailer there so Dave can work on it. Plus this Trailer-Guy is going to have a mechanic come in in the morning to help out.
Jesse's Dad limps off the interstate with his truck & trailer and drives to this place to park the trailer for the night. Meanwhile Jesse's Mom (Mary) is calling around looking for a hotel for us to stay at. We are at a Best Western and we got the last room. There was a cancellation just before she called. Sturges is going on right now and we were having a hard time finding a room!! Praise God!! The hotel is probably 2 miles for the Trailer-Guy.
Dave got up this morning to meet the mechanic at 8 and they are still working on it (12:30pm right now). I just went and dropped Jesse off by Dave so he could help out and it sounds like they need to replace all 4 bearings (1 per wheel) before we can hit the road again. We have talked the hotel into letting Mary and I stay here until 2pm. After that I think we will be snuggling up to the local Starbucks.
Did I mention that Dave & Mary bought this trailer brand new... they are kind of frustrated that it broke down. It shouldn't have.
Our original goal was to be at Dave & Mary's Thursday evening but we are about a day behind now. When I dropped Jesse off Dave mentioned something about pulling an all-nighter. We'll see what happens.
We also have a HUGE wild fire here in Montana. When we drove in last night you could see the big "clouds" of smoke and airplanes dumping water. Mary said that she seen about 10 firetrucks go by while they were sitting on the side of the interstate. Trailer-Guy said that they had that interstate closed a few days ago due to smoke. This morning we woke up and it is really smokey and you can smell the smoke.
Alright, I better run and keep Mary company. I'll let you know when we finally get there. (I am still hoping for Friday afternoon.)
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
A Quick Update
There have been messages left on my phone, messages left on the blog, comments made to me in person.... UPDATE YOUR BLOG!!! Here it is and don't be disappointed that it is a short one with no pictures...
My last day of working in an office was on Friday the 13th!!! WHOOHOO!!
Jesse's brother and his girlfriend got here on the 12th and leave this Monday. We have been very busy with them... went to Southern Oregon camping. The boys rode their dirt bikes in the dunes and the girls went off in the Jeep to find a few waterfalls. Totally amazed that we found the waterfalls... Steph is a great map reader. We showed the boys where the waterfall was on the map and they were impressed with our navigation skills. No, we did not have the GPS! We wanted it but forgot it at the apartment. Side note: They were painting fresh yellow center lines on the way to the waterfall and the road was EXTREMELY narrow with no shoulder or guard rail and a steep drop off. We were scared so we just stopped as they drove by and well... I have some yellow on the jeep to prove it. Oops!
We just got back this afternoon from a mini road trip to Central Oregon. We saw the crooked river gorge... really cool. Went in a lava cave. Very dark and cold!! Went on a few scary jeep trails... scratched the Jeep up. Sorry Dad - I told Jesse to turn around but he insisted that we keep going down this narrow path that seemed only wide enough for a bicycle. (Dad, can we come over and use your new buffer? We'll give you a Sunday ride!!) Ended with Crater Lake. Last night we stayed in Medford Oregon at this really cool hotel were they had a live band called "Hot Gossip" that played very fun rock music from the 70s and 80s. We wanted more 80s... we asked them to play Bon Jovi or some Meatloaf but they told us that they didn't have a keyboard player so they couldn't do those songs. If only I had my keyboard that I got for Christmas that one year...
Moving... we only have about 10 days left. Are we packed?!? Ha! No! I have gathered all the boxes and will start on Monday. Promise!
Moving worries... So, Jesse's brother Jerry gets here and starts looking at all the stuff we have: 2 garages, a couple of big trees and an apartment. He tells us so openly and freely... you are not going to have enough room on the trailer!! WHAT?!!!? So now I am in a little bit of a panic that we are not going to have enough room... then what? We call Jesse's Dad who has been telling us we have SO MUCH room and he reassures us that we will have plenty of room and we will not have to leave anything behind. I'll let you know what happens... (Stressing me out!!)
Alright I must get going... I'll try to update you before we leave.
My last day of working in an office was on Friday the 13th!!! WHOOHOO!!
Jesse's brother and his girlfriend got here on the 12th and leave this Monday. We have been very busy with them... went to Southern Oregon camping. The boys rode their dirt bikes in the dunes and the girls went off in the Jeep to find a few waterfalls. Totally amazed that we found the waterfalls... Steph is a great map reader. We showed the boys where the waterfall was on the map and they were impressed with our navigation skills. No, we did not have the GPS! We wanted it but forgot it at the apartment. Side note: They were painting fresh yellow center lines on the way to the waterfall and the road was EXTREMELY narrow with no shoulder or guard rail and a steep drop off. We were scared so we just stopped as they drove by and well... I have some yellow on the jeep to prove it. Oops!
We just got back this afternoon from a mini road trip to Central Oregon. We saw the crooked river gorge... really cool. Went in a lava cave. Very dark and cold!! Went on a few scary jeep trails... scratched the Jeep up. Sorry Dad - I told Jesse to turn around but he insisted that we keep going down this narrow path that seemed only wide enough for a bicycle. (Dad, can we come over and use your new buffer? We'll give you a Sunday ride!!) Ended with Crater Lake. Last night we stayed in Medford Oregon at this really cool hotel were they had a live band called "Hot Gossip" that played very fun rock music from the 70s and 80s. We wanted more 80s... we asked them to play Bon Jovi or some Meatloaf but they told us that they didn't have a keyboard player so they couldn't do those songs. If only I had my keyboard that I got for Christmas that one year...
Moving... we only have about 10 days left. Are we packed?!? Ha! No! I have gathered all the boxes and will start on Monday. Promise!
Moving worries... So, Jesse's brother Jerry gets here and starts looking at all the stuff we have: 2 garages, a couple of big trees and an apartment. He tells us so openly and freely... you are not going to have enough room on the trailer!! WHAT?!!!? So now I am in a little bit of a panic that we are not going to have enough room... then what? We call Jesse's Dad who has been telling us we have SO MUCH room and he reassures us that we will have plenty of room and we will not have to leave anything behind. I'll let you know what happens... (Stressing me out!!)
Alright I must get going... I'll try to update you before we leave.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Neighborhood Cook Out
Saturday morning the first words out of Jesse's mouth, "The *bleep* lied again!!" He was cursing the weathermen! According to the weathermen we were suppose to have 60s and rain. We woke up to sunshine! Which is great, but apparently Jesse is a little tired of Oregon weather forecasters.
Saturday afternoon Jesse and I went to a farm and picked berries, strawberries and raspberries. While we are picking the raspberries a little boy sees me and says, "Your pretty." I say thank you and ask him why he doesn't have any berries his box. He has been eating them all!!
Pretty soon this little boy and his sister, whose teeth and face are berry-red, are now picking berries right beside me. Their Mom shows up and she is yelling at them to stop eating all the berries. The little boy asks his Mom, "Isn't she pretty?" Then it turns it to this crazy, even more awkward event. Little boy and sister start yelling... You're pretty. You're hot. You're sexy!!! Mom yells at little sister and tells her not to say that word. Mom then hollers for Dad to discipline the sister. Dad comes over and says, "I agree with her." Mom, "Did you hear what she said." Dad, "Yes." Talk about awkward moments in the berry patch.
The best part about the complex we live in is that we know most of our neighbors! I just was telling Jesse on Friday night that I feel so comfortable here. I am not scared when he is gone because I personally know all the surrounding neighbors. Jesse told me not to worry he would get to know our new neighbors!! He is the social butterfly and that is why we know all our neighbors!
Jesse would do the smallest chores... taking the garbage out. He would be gone sometimes for 30 minutes!! He would stop and talk to anyone he saw and before we knew it we are not only neighbors but we are now friends.
All of this being said, we had a cook out because all of us are leaving. Some of us are leaving the state others are just moving to different apartments because we have new owners here and well... they are not very nice. And this is putting it nicely.
We all had a great time and I am going to miss each and everyone of them!! Here are few pictures from the party...
Me, Lyn, Sara, Faith, Liz, and Kat
Saturday afternoon Jesse and I went to a farm and picked berries, strawberries and raspberries. While we are picking the raspberries a little boy sees me and says, "Your pretty." I say thank you and ask him why he doesn't have any berries his box. He has been eating them all!!
Pretty soon this little boy and his sister, whose teeth and face are berry-red, are now picking berries right beside me. Their Mom shows up and she is yelling at them to stop eating all the berries. The little boy asks his Mom, "Isn't she pretty?" Then it turns it to this crazy, even more awkward event. Little boy and sister start yelling... You're pretty. You're hot. You're sexy!!! Mom yells at little sister and tells her not to say that word. Mom then hollers for Dad to discipline the sister. Dad comes over and says, "I agree with her." Mom, "Did you hear what she said." Dad, "Yes." Talk about awkward moments in the berry patch.
They had goats at the berry patch.
The best part about the complex we live in is that we know most of our neighbors! I just was telling Jesse on Friday night that I feel so comfortable here. I am not scared when he is gone because I personally know all the surrounding neighbors. Jesse told me not to worry he would get to know our new neighbors!! He is the social butterfly and that is why we know all our neighbors!
Jesse would do the smallest chores... taking the garbage out. He would be gone sometimes for 30 minutes!! He would stop and talk to anyone he saw and before we knew it we are not only neighbors but we are now friends.
All of this being said, we had a cook out because all of us are leaving. Some of us are leaving the state others are just moving to different apartments because we have new owners here and well... they are not very nice. And this is putting it nicely.
We all had a great time and I am going to miss each and everyone of them!! Here are few pictures from the party...
This is a preview of what our kids will look like... this is Faith and she is so sweet!
Sara, Liz (Faith's Mom), and me
Me, Lyn, Sara, Faith, Liz, and Kat
Zack, Justin, Jesse, Lee, Reece (The little guy), Ryan, Lee's son (Don't know him), Jesse
As you can see from the pictures most of us are in sweat shirts and jeans. The morning may have started out with sunshine but right before our BBQ we had a down pour and then it was cold.
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