Today is a travel day for my favorite brother and sister-in-law as they make their trek from Vegas to Ft. Wayne. No longer Nevadans, they’re now Hoosiers although it will take them a couple days to get “home.”
It’s not Indiana Scott’s dreading so much… but more that it’s Ft. Wayne. He loves the west, and I’m sure he’ll miss the weather there. Tammy is thrilled with Ft. Wayne because it’s where she’s from and where her parents, kids, and grandchildren are.
They’ll both miss their bigger home, I’m sure.
It’s a big downsize for them… the house in Ft. Wayne is 3 bedroom and neither of them have been in a 3 bedroom home for a whole bunch of years now. Even worse, the house sports only 1.5 baths. It has a finished basement and I’m sure that will help — not only with space but also for privacy.
Their entire lot is the size of the home they’re leaving so this should be interesting. But it’s a REALLY cute house, you guys… and is decorated so much better than mine. When there’s only 2 people, there’s no need for a large amount of living space anyway.
They’ll have about 28 hours of actual driving time and the weather in some of the states they’ll be passing through isn’t perfect right now. I’m hoping for a safe and uneventful trip.
Once settled in, they’ll be 3 hours from me. Katie is 4.5 hours from me and there’s a whole lot more to do in Sevierville, TN than in Ft. Wayne, IN. Just sayin’. 😉
Now you know: Vending machines are more deadly than sharks due to falling on people.
My favorite brother is pulling out of Las Vegas in 4 short days. They’re now in panic mode trying to finish up in time. It’s not been that long ago that we were facing the same challenges — only we didn’t have a place to move to… especially one that was already furnished and waiting.
What’s harder for them is they’re transitioning about 1,900 miles while our move was less than 15. 🙂
Larger cities have options that rural areas simply don’t.
One of the things he mentioned that’s been a huge help for them is taskrabbit. You can book help from their website for home tasks like repairs, moving, painting, cleaning and more. He says the cost is very reasonable and I can think of a bajillion ways I could use them.
We have real rabbits here in the country, but we’d have to live in L’ville or Indy to take advantage of the taskrabbit service.
Living in a rural setting you have rabbits AND birds!
That little American goldfinch ate seeds about all day long. He took turns sharing space with a red-headed woodpecker that was equally as entertaining.
It would be great if the wind would stop blowing so darned hard — the little fellers have to hang on just to eat.
Now you know: In World War I, a homing pigeon named Cher Ami was shot by the Germans, but managed to keep flying and carry the message for help. Thanks to this, 194 American soldiers were saved.
I can’t stop thinking about poor Katie and would love to get in my Mini Cooper and head south. Loaded up and accompanied by a convoy of friends and family to help her move, her house wasn’t ready upon their arrival. Flooring was still going down and appliances won’t be there until this week sometime. Oh… and come to find out, there’s no heat yet either.
Below is the only photo she’d seen of the house prior to moving in. She’s brave, right?
Cheryl and Bobby couldn’t leave because their truck was loaded with Katie’s stuff, so they stayed in the rental cabin with most everyone else and Katie’s 2 dogs. Other friends got a hotel room. Her excitement to move turned into a nightmare.
Yesterday, they unloaded all her stuff into the middle of the room pictured above and she has to stay with friends of Jerilyn & Tader’s for a couple weeks until the reno is completed. All Katie’s friends and family are already back home.
2 ways to cope when things don’t go as planned.
When faced with situations where things don’t go as planned, it’s important to employ coping strategies to navigate the challenges effectively.
Acknowledge that setbacks are natural — remember it’s okay to experience disappointment and frustration.
Katie did better with this than I would’ve. I’d have flipped my shit and might’ve just driven back home.
Reframe and refocus — look for the silver lining and celebrate the small victories.
The silver lining for Katie is that although delayed, she is moving in a house with new flooring, new appliances and heating and central air coming soon.
Now you know: WW2 sunken ships are being “grave robbed” due to their incredibly valuable steel.
Rural life can be dangerous. I should know. I had a near death experience with space aliens but lived to document it in a rare — never before seen — photo. I’m sharing it with y’all:
Now look closer at the photo above.
You should see the outline of a bird that did a faceplant on my clean storm door.
Merida was terrified by the noise and ran for cover. Crippled grandma Dharma, on the other hand, came to defend me. She was bristled up and ready to take on those aliens. 🙂
The bird was stunned for a few moments, but flew away shortly thereafter leaving my crystal clean glass a total nasty mess.
Katie’s dogs are more like Merida.
After getting stuck in traffic for hours, Katie finally made it to her new home in Tennessee. Here’s the first photo she sent…
Her hounds had never seen anything like those critters before and they were terrified.
In other news… I have a Facebook stalker that looks like a murderer.
Listen, you guys… I watch a lot of crime shows. I know what murderous eyes look like because that’s what’s on TV every night as I fall asleep. This dude — he’s trying way too hard.
Now you know: The movie “Paranormal Activity” had a total budget of $215,000. It went on to earn $193 million at the global box office.
Valentine’s night, Katie and I talked about our next “fat chicks” diet start date while we ate spaghetti for dinner. Knowing restaurants would be packed for the special day, that was a dish I could throw together easily enough considering we were both hungry.
It was Katie’s last night before her big move to Tennessee. I didn’t take one photo of her although I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it. We hugged but neither of us cried. While I miss her already, I’m not sad! I’m thrilled she has what sounds like the perfect opportunity for a fresh, new, and exciting adventure. And Sevierville simply isn’t like she’s moving to the moon.
*Said in my best Bugs Bunny voice* — Bon Voyage-e Katie! 😎
While I didn’t cry, I couldn’t help myself from issuing warnings. The primary one was “don’t be stupid.” I even said it again once she was packed and on her way…
Now you know: Nicolas Cage has spent $150 million on 15 homes (including one haunted mansion), two islands, a dinosaur skull, a Lamborghini, exotic pets and a rare vintage comic book. (I’m guessing no one told him, “don’t be stupid.”)
