First days in Texas

Just this time last week we were crossing the Mississippi River into Louisiana. I know it has only been a week, but it seems like longer than that. Last Friday was the longest day ever known to man. Not only because we were awake at midnight, crossed two state lines, and dealt with crazed animals wondering what in the hell was going on, but because we unloaded half a truck full of our junk.

When we got here I was so pumped to put all of our things into our new place that I didn't remember we hadn't ate since oh about 10:30 that morning or that we hadn't really had anything to drink other than sipping on power aide so we wouldn't have to stop fifteen million times for my infant like bladder. So we pretty much pulled up, got our keys, gave the apartment a quick once over and then struggled getting as much as we could as fast as we could up the steep stairs into our apartment.

The folks at Budget were so kind to tell us that the hand truck we PREORDERED was not available once we went to pick up the truck. "We don't have that much stuff. We can do it." That's what I said Thursday. Friday afternoon however it was "I'm going to DIE! How do we have so much stuff?! We are never going to finish!" Since we also did not have a phone book yet I had no idea who to call or what their number would be in order to find a hand truck. Thank the heavens for smart phones and yellowpages.com. Within 20 minutes I had found a place with hand trucks for rent and sympathy for a poor Alabama girl moving all of her and her husband's worldly possessions into an upstairs apartment. While Buddy went to get the hand truck I proceeded to roll boxes of clothing and non-breakable items UP the stairs.

Once Buddy got back and we took a few more trips up the stairs I started to get hangry/emotional/irritable. So, we decided just to get to the bed and move it upstairs and call it a day. We tried to slide the mattress up the stair rails, but it started to bunch in the middle. I climbed the stairs on hands and knees underneath the mattress to get to the other side and pull that behemoth up. Once the box springs and mattress were inside the door we both gave up. Then I had to go to Walmart.

Anyone who knows me knows my hatred for Walmart, but I went sweaty, nasty, hungry, emotional and all. Luckily I knew Walmart was just right up the road from the apartments. I wouldn't have gone if we didn't need a shower curtain in order to take a shower. Then I also remembered, I have no clue where our towels or wash cloths are packed either. We also needed locks for the truck and car dolly (of course Budget didn't provide those either).  Then I made the mistake of calling my dad while there. Let me sum up my emotional state at this point - I'm trying to keep it real and honest here - I started my period two weeks early the morning of the move while all of my feminine products were packed away in some random ass box and once we got to the apartment it really hit me how far away we were from our loved ones and I felt so lonely and guilty for this move being solely about myself and my career. So while on the phone with my Dad in Walmart I'm choking back tears. After about 45 minutes of scouring Walmart for anything we might need the next day (drinks, ibuprofen, etc.) I finally think I'm done. Nope, hunger...

Buddy wanted Subway and I thought I had seen one on University when we missed our turn into the apartment complex. So, I ride down University still nasty, sweaty, hungry, and extremely emotional. I get to a point where I think I have passed Subway so pick a street with a red light to turn around. What do I see once I get back to University to head back in my previous direction? Subway on the other side of the red light where I JUST turned around!

First Texas sunset

The rest of the night was uneventful unless you count the amazing 11 hours of sleep we got. We hit the moving truck the next day with a new found purpose. We were going to get all the heavy stuff in first and take breaks in between all the trips back up the stairs. This actually worked well until we got to the couch. That heavy beast almost broke us. We decided to get the couch up stairs and break for lunch. This couch is older, and both ends recline so seriously it is heavy. I could push it from the back pretty decently so I told Buddy if he would lift it up the stairs one stair at a time I would push that bitch up. Half way up Buddy said that if the couch goes into the apartment then there was no quitting, I HAD to get my master's degree and maybe even my PhD while we were here. I have no intention of backing out or down, so master's degree here I come cause that couch is in our living room!

We tried out a restaurant called Raising Cane's for lunch and it was pretty good. It is no Zaxby's, but it tastes kinda like a cross between Jim Bob's and Guthries from back home with barbeque bread instead of texas toast. It only took us about 2 hours after lunch to finish unloading the truck, although there are a few smaller pieces still in the car that we are supposed to be unloading little by little and haven't started yet. But we were able to take the moving truck and car dolly back early. To celebrate we went to a nice sit down restaurant called Clear Springs which the guy at the truck place recommended. You know the saying, "everything is bigger in Texas"? Well, it's correct. We got a small order of onion rings as an appetizer and I was almost full by the time our food came out. Buddy's meal came with a small side salad. Usually that means just a small bowl of lettuce, cheese, and maybe some tomatoes right? Wrong. This thing was the size of a large side salad back home. I had fried oysters and coconut shrimp which came with fries, coleslaw, and beans. I ate all my slaw and meat, 1 french fry, and a couple of bites of my beans and had no more room in my belly for anything more! It was a little pricey ($50 for the two of us) but well worth it in celebration of unloading the truck.

This closet is so large! It's full now, but this was what it looked like when we got all the big stuff in.

 This is our view from the porch/balcony/patio thing. Pretty much looks just like Alabama. There is a creek that runs out beyond that retaining wall and it is relaxing to listen to while sitting out there.

Luna enjoys going outside on the patio with me. She didn't poop for almost 2 whole days!! We were starting to get worried, but her nerves work opposite of mine I guess.

We used the dresser that mirror goes to in the living room as a tv stand/entertainment center. But, it fits in nicely over there now. Don't worry there are sheets and pillowcases on the bed now!

The best picture of all: an empty moving truck!!

Continuing the journey (from Mississippi to Texas)

Once inside the Mississippi state line we had to stop at our first weigh station. I guess since 9/11 the rules have changed that even moving trucks must go through all weigh stations. This was totally new to me. I know that sounds so cheesy, but it was a new experience for me.

The sun started coming up not long after we got into Mississippi and the subtle colors were just gorgeous.

Not long after the oohs and ahhhs over finally being able to see daylight I got to have another first experience, motion sickness. I don't know if it is because I was bent sideways trying to find a decent station on the radio combined with the horrible Mississippi roads which included bumps and hills that make your stomach hit the back of your throat, but I was white knuckling the truck door handle while making all kinds of moaning and groaning sounds. All that I could manage to say coherently was "Get me out of Mississippi."  I will say though, when I wasn't feeling like retching my guts up I was marveling over the nicely managed pines on the side of I-20. 

Next up was Louisiana. We had to stop for gas right inside the Louisiana line before we made it to the welcome center. If I were an alcoholic that gas station would have been a mirage! It was part gas station, part liquor store, and part casino. There were liquor bottles everywhere! In Alabama we put our liquor in an area that is strictly guarded to make sure no one under age can get to it. Not in this place! Although the inside of this gas station was hustling and bustling, it was still kinda sketchy, so we went on to the welcome center where Buddy was again my willing camera man. 

After complaining about the Mississippi part of I-20 I was informed that Louisiana is just as bad. However, I was pleasantly surprised and it wasn't too bad until around Shreveport. Where Mississippi looked like a more well managed Alabama, Louisiana was mostly swampy bottomland hardwood and I was expecting an alligator to walk out onto the interstate at any minute. We grabbed lunch at a Love's truck stop along the way and kept hauling down I-20 towards Texas. Although Shreveport was a little rough and made some of the lingering Mississippi sickness come trickling back, it had some specks of eye candy like this:

Not long after we got through Shreveport we got off of I-20 and onto a highway, so I was unable to get a picture with a welcome to Texas sign. However, I was able to have another first experience: 75 miles an hour on a 2 lane highway! What, you say? Yes! 75 miles an hour on a 2 lane! Apparently this is not unusual on Texas highways and although it kind of scared me at first, I'm beginning to like it. 

So, we started our journey to east Texas at 130 am and made it to our new apartment in Nacogdoches at around 130 pm. I will try to recap our unloading and first few days in Nac later. For now, blessed be. 

From Alabama to Mississppi

We don't have internet yet, so I am having to make this post from my phone. I wanted to get everything up to date though, so please bear with me. Because there is so much I want to write, I'm going to have to break our journey into a few installments.

Thursday morning we arrived at the budget truck rental place about 45 minutes before they opened. I was such a nervous wreck I thought I was going to throw up in their parking lot. After we got the truck and put the car on the dolly I felt much better and we headed to my dad's to load up stuff we had been storing their for two years. It actually didn't take as long as I thought it would and we were done in time for lunch with Grandma one more time. 

We then loaded everything that had been packed in Dadeville. Buddy's mom cried before it was even dinner time, but we made it through dinner with out any more tears. 

We went to bed at 7 so that we would get plenty of sleep before out alarms went off at 2 am. However we were both awake at midnight. We decided that if one or both of us was not asleep by 1 then we would get up and start getting ready to go. Needless to say, we got a very early start. 

At the beginning of the week I decided to out some if my skills I gained with my degree to use.  So I set out the at carrier and prebaited it with catnip. This was to help the cats acclimate to the carrier so they wouldn't be afraid of it when I had to shove them in. What do you know, it freaking worked!! I put some treats in when I wanted them to get in and they went right in with no fuss!! 

With the cats being the last to be loaded, we said our last tearful good-byes and hit the road for our big adventure. 

We decided to take 280 to Birmingham to get to I-20 to stay ahead of schedule and not hit curvy deer infested roads. There wasn't much to do but sing along with the radio since it was still dark and nothing really to see. 

Things didn't start getting really fun until we were almost to Mississippi. Before we made it we came upon an eighteen wheeler that had dropped his cargo that was on fire! That was crazy scary. We stopped for gas before the state line and I got in the car with the cats to let them walk around, use the make shift litter box, drink, and let me clean the carrier. No surprise, Serenity threw up everywhere. Poor things had puke on their feet and tails and Serentiy still had it on her face. It was pitiful at the time. and funny now because Georgie kept trying to help Serenity clean herself up, but Serenity would just pace and cry. 

We got to Mississippi before the sun came up, but the hubs was able to snap this picture.

Just got in the state and already breaking rules! This was as far as we went though at the rest area. It was cold, windy, and we were ready to be on our way. Not to mention there was a cattle truck parked in the same parking lot and the smell was god-awful, so we loaded back in and headed towards Louisiana. More to come on our journey to east Texas later. 

The final countdown

In less than 12 hours I will be dressed and making coffee so we can hit the road for Texas! That still doesn't sound real. What's even weirder is I feel like I should be sad about leaving. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to miss everyone in Alabama and miss getting to see them whenever I want. But, I'm not sad. I was nervous this morning on the way to pick up the truck. So much so I wanted to hang out of the car and vomit. But I didn't and after we started loading the truck I felt better. So much better in fact we ate a huge lunch at the Sizzler with Grandma.

While at lunch Grandma said she was sad to see me leave, but she was happy for me and thought it was the best thing that has happened to me. I don't know about being THE best thing, cause that's pretty much my husband. But, it is pretty damn close.

When I moved back to Opelika from living on my own for almost 6 years my Grandaddy offered to help me pay off what I owed above and beyond my student loans so that I could get back to school. I told him that I had gotten myself into that mess and I was going to be the one to get myself out. And I did. I paid off some of my credit cards, my car loan, and what I owed two schools other than student loans and then I went back to school.

There has been a lot of crap happening lately in my family that I'm not going to get into here...I refuse to put dirty laundry out there for just anyone to see. But, I am supposed to be receiving money that my grandfather wanted his kids and grandkids to have after his death. When I was told the amount I about fell on the floor. When I wrote earlier that I was waiting on the other shoe to drop, I was not kidding. Usually that kind of crap happens to me all the time. But with this, it's almost like he is telling me from around the corner "I told you I would help."

So, less than 12 hours and our journey truly begins.