29. September 2008 by Kathy.

Just a quick post to let all know we are here safely.  The trip was uneventful, just long. Sweet J & J were waiting for us…with a vodka tonic for me! They had stocked the fridge with beer and Prosecco (they know where our priorities lie)  and placed a pot of mums on the counter to welcome us.  We’re fortunate to have them for friends, and even more so to have them as neighbors once again.

The house is in pretty good shape.  The hurricane shades are still up outside, which makes the house dark inside.  We’ll get them down later this week.  We’ve started unloading the truck.  So much work to do…

How ’bout those Panthers

Alan says hello to everyone…Maggie too!

Give me a call sometime…don’t be surprised if I don’t answer right away…I’ll be carrying boxes.  But I’ll get back to you.

Love to all, and thanks for reading my musings.

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27. September 2008 by Kathy.

We are NOT on our way to Florida as we had planned! The plan was to drive halfway to Florida today, spend the night in Jacksonville, and drive to North Port tomorrow.

Alan was taking apart computer cables this morning; the cables were tied together with a nylon tie.  Alan was cutting them apart. He ended up cutting his hand instead. Not a pretty sight; he hit an artery.  Blood spurting everywhere.  His shirt.  The wall.  The new carpet. We ran for the car; I turned on the emergency blinkers, ran red lights and sped to the CMC Pineville emergency room.  Several stitches later, we’re back home.  His hand is bandaged in such a way it will be difficult for him to drive, but tomorrow morning we can remove the wrapping, and we will be on our way.

If MT is reading this, I know she is saying…”another reason you shouldn’t be moving.” Maybe she’s right.

I’m going to go clean carpet.

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25. September 2008 by Kathy.

We pick up the truck in a bit, bring it home and begin filling it. And I just heard it will rain later today and tomorrow…our luck!

Maggie knows that something is happening; she has always been intuitive.

So…what do you think about our gas situation? I just heard that the govenor says it will ease in a day or two.  It appears that people are running out of gas while waiting in the long lines at the stations. Some stations are voluntarily imposing a ten gallon limit…I think this should be a state mandate at this time.  Folks with large fuel tanks (SUVs, etc.) should not be able to buy more gas than someone with a 12 - 15 gallon tank.

Just another reason to give up those gas hogs!

Did anyone watch Criminal Minds last night? We finally sat down at 9:00 to watch some TV, only to have to listen to our President (I don’t say his name any longer) spill his rhetoric about the financial crisis.  But after that, I have to say that the season premier of Criminal Minds was one of the best shows I’ve seen in years.

On another subject…I promise I will learn how to put photos on the blog.  Alan just hasn’t had time to show me.  I’m also trying to post the comments button…we’ll see if it works.

Have a good day everyone!

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25. September 2008 by Kathy.

Do you all know what Woot is? If not, check it out: www.woot.com.

They are currently offering this: (Sorry, don’t know how to link it yet.)

http://news.softpedia.com/newsImage/Toilet-Paper-Holder-Docks-your-iPod-2.jpg

We ALL need one of these.

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24. September 2008 by Kathy.

So, not only did we put the house on the market during the same week that saw the worst Wall Street crisis since 1929 - now we are driving an 18 foot truck and my car to Florida on Saturday - and no gas available in NC, SC and Georgia! Aaaargh! My car is full, due to a gas foray on Monday, and of course the rental truck will be full (I assume), but what do we do as we need gas on the road? DH has mapped the route with gas stations at convenient exits…but as yet we’ve found no way to ascertain whether the stations actually have gas.

CR and I tried to fill her car last night; we went to the same station where I found gas on Monday, only to find a long line snaking to what appeared to be one open pump.  We waited a few minutes, but then saw that other drivers in front of us were leaving. Guess the pumps ran dry there also.

But even with this new crises, yesterday was great fun.  CR and I met MT for lunch, a movie and some girl talk. We saw The Women and it was just what I needed: two hours of cool darkness with my brain disengaged,  watching, well, drivel. But fun drivel! As MT pointed out, who could believe that Annette Benning and Meg Ryan’s characters were best friends in college? Not sure about the difference in the ages, but surely the difference would preclude going to college at the same time. Oh well, it is a Movie, a fantasy, and a chance to escape.

It was tough saying goodbye to MT…we’ve not been friends since college, but soon after. She was my first friend at “the corner table”. You see, while our children were at swim practice during the Huntingtowne Farms days, we mothers would huddle together at a corner table at the pool to watch, gossip, trade recipes, see to the younger one’s needs and sometimes drool at the lifeguards.

Gotta stop now or I’ll cry.  I still have to empty the refrigerator since its trash day.

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23. September 2008 by Kathy.

My very first post on my very first blog! I thought it would be a good time to join the rest of the world. I plan to write about our move to Florida, knitting and other creative pursuits, weight loss, and anything else that enters my head! Please bear with me as I work my way through the world of blogging.

We’ve been packing, throwing out, making trips to Goodwill, (to donate stuff that we don’t need, that we haven’t used for years!) and making multiple trips to the ABC store to pick up boxes. I believe I said after our last big move (the one to our current address, not the ones to/from and within DC) that I was not moving again. I’ve learned never to say never.

I’m facing this move to Florida with very mixed emotions. I’ve been in Charlotte over thirty years; I feel at home here, I know lots of people, my son and DIL live five miles away, I’m proud of the progress this city has made over the years.  We’re moving to an area of Florida that is almost a frontier. The town “center” was built only a couple of years ago. There aren’t the plethora of restaurants that I’m used to, and none of the good ones are very near us. I’ll miss the best grocery chain in the world, Harris Teeter.  Publix is nice, but will take some getting used to. The nearest Starbucks is five miles away…and it is either inside Target or inside the Mall. No Brueggers, Manhattan or Einstein Bagel stores. And of course, my precious friends - we’ve been together so long now that we know without speaking what the other is feeling.

But what there is - the beach is twenty minutes away,  our neighborhood is lovely, we have a caged pool and a large lanai, J and J live four houses away, we’ve already met many people, there are so many activities to be involved in. Cara loves to visit me there! And of course the weather - it is no hotter there in the summer than here in Charlotte, but the big plus is the winter weather. We can throw open the triple doors, and our living space merges with the lanai.

I don’t know whether I’m trying to justify our move, or make myself feel better!

The story will continue…

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