We moved!!

We have officially moved from Utah to AZ.  It took 4 days instead of 1 day to move, but we're here!  This post is mostly for me, and journal purposes, so it may be BORING to any who read.  However, our move was anything but boring.

Tyler picked up the truck Monday morning.  The truck was supposed to be a 16 footer with a car dolly.  Instead, they had a 24 foot truck with a car trailer...SCORE.  The truck was only a little more than half full, but better too big, then too small. 

Tuesday morning, we were on our way!  Tyler drove the big truck with my car behind it, and I drove the 4Runner.  Having never driven by myself (further than a couple hours), I was a little nervous, but it really wasn't as bad as I thought.  We were on our way, and only 80 miles down the road when the "check engine" light came on in the big truck.  We pulled over, and waited 2 HOURS for somebody to come help.  They "fixed" the problem, and we were on our way again (mind you, Tyler could only go 30 mph on the hills).  Well, 20 miles down the road the "engine" light came on AGAIN.  We, again waited over 2 hours for help to come.  Somebody finally came, checked out the truck, and when we went to start it up again, the truck wouldn't start.  Finally, after 5 to 10 attempts, we got the truck started and drove it to an auto shop (Dearden's, I believe). 

This auto shop was in Fillmore, and the people that worked there were wonderful.  Extremely helpful, and some of the nicest people on the planet (along with every other person in Fillmore).  The problem with us going with the Dearden's was that they had to go through another company before talking with Budget (our truck company) before making any decisions.  The whole day, all we wanted was to be towed to St. George b/c there was another Budget dealer there, and the next day was the 4th (so nobody would be open).  Well, finally at midnight (not joking people), we got the "OK" to be towed to St. George.  We set off in the 4Runner, while the Dearden's towed the truck.

Another reason the truck needed to be towed to St. George was b/c there was an international dealer there who could fix the truck (and they were the only ones who had the parts to fix it).  The truck got dropped off there (with all of our stuff in tow), and we headed to a hotel (on Budget's dime). 

The next morning (the 4th), we headed to check out the truck.  Out of pure luck, we ran into the GM of the place.  Seriously, PURE LUCK.  The place was closed for the holiday, but he just happened to be there.  We were told by Budget earlier that every Budget location was closed, and the earliest we'd be able to get a truck was the next day.  However, this GM knew the guy who ran the Budget location there in St. George.  He gave him our number, we met up with him, and he gave us a new truck...just like that!  It was fabulous.  Maybe our luck was turning around after all?!?

Now you're probably wondering if we had to move everything from our old truck to our new truck??  NOPE.  Budget finally got a hold of a company in Vegas who would transfer everything in our truck, but they didn't get to St. George until 4 or 5 hours after getting the truck.  They moved everything in less than an hour (probably would have taken us 3 or 4 hours).  We decided to stay in St. George one more night (again, on Budget's dime).  We went to dinner, and came back to the hotel to watch the firework shows on TV (we were exhausted). 

*Side note: We stayed at the Wingate in St. George, and it was a GREAT hotel... free wi fi, free breakfast, free laundry (well, free detergent), pool, and many more great amenities. 

Back to the story... Thursday morning, we were up early, and left for AZ again!  We made it with ZERO problems, but I probably drank 64 ounces of Dr. Pepper and a giant bag of Sweedish Fish to keep me awake. 

We made it to AZ in the early afternoon, and went straight to our apt.  They left the keys inside so we just walked straight in.  Remember how I thought our luck had changed???  Yeah, not so much.  The apt they gave us was a handicap apt, which is surpisingly different from a normal apt.  The bathrooms were huge, but lacked storage space (no cupboards), the countertops were SUPER low (and I'm tall!), and the kitchen had NO pantry.  This may seem like small things, but to us they were the reasons we wanted the place. We didn't have storage space, a pantry, or counter top space in our last apt so these were must-haves in our new place. 

We talked to management, and they said they had another apt available (the one we signed for), but we would have to pay a $90 difference every month.  No way!  We coudn't work things out before 5 pm, so we had to stay the night with friends.  The next morning, after talking with management and then to the regional manager (who had to talk to another manager), we were able to get the apt we wanted for the price we signed for.  What a mess!  We finally moved in Friday afternoon around 4, when we were supposed to move in Tuesday. 

We owe a lot to the elder's quorum here in AZ, b/c I called for help moving on Tuesday, and then on Wednes, and then on Thursday, and finally on Friday, and they were willing to help EVERY day.  They got 5 guys over to us quickly, and with their help, we had the truck unloaded in 45 minutes.  What a relief!  What would we do without the church, seriously?  No matter where we go, we instantly have friends, and people who care. 

Anyway, long story, but I want to remember it a few years down the road and be able to laugh about it. 

Good news from this whole thing: we didn''t have to pay for the rental truck or car trailer, and we had a LOT of bonding time as a couple :)