Pack N' Ship

Day 2.

It's an exclusive club.  I'm not sure that I really wanted to join it.  You gotta have money, willingness to shop on end and the desire to not starve for 4 months.  I guess that last part would help the second part out but I gotta tell you, the first part, it's a shocker!  If you wanna join it, get a job in the Alaskan bush and you to could join the ranks of those who buy in mass quantities and learn how to pack and ship the Alaskan way!

All the totes we need.  Or so we thought.

A view from the back seat.

No where left to sit

Look at all this!

Unloaded, some packed...so much work left!

It's famous now.  The face that created giggles!

My new Costco personal record!

Dry food, non-perishable items and anything you need for the apartments all gets bought and shipped either via bush orders at the stores (wonderful!) or you take it with you, pack it yourself and then take it to the post office.  The Bush Mail at Wal mart....wonderful!!!  Here's the stuff I want, you pack it and bill me for shipping.  Yeah, I don't have to deal with it anymore.  Thank goodness.   Shopping at Costco, they don't have that option but they have the stuff I want.  It comes home with me and I make it ready to ship.

Duck Taped boxes of fruits and veggies ready to go

 I didn't ever think i'd be duct taping boxes together as close to 70 lbs. as possible.  (as long as they were the same exact size and squared off)  All boxes shipped needed both a return and to address though the "to" was so big and taped to it so well that if Godzilla tried to take it off it would only make a scratch in it so there was no way it could get "lost".  Totes were zip-tied on one end so if it was over the limit we could remedy the situation quickly before closing them for good.

We got everything bundled up, ready to go and headed to the post office at 7 pm.  It's the busiest one I guess and they are open until midnight.  We took in several totes, boxes, etc and waited in line.  It started out with our "guide" asking if they had carts or a special procedure for so much stuff and "Richard" said to just get a hand truck and start bringing it in.  Not so nice of a tone.....we knew it wasn't a good night for him.   Guess who was my teller?...Richard.  Oh, kill him with kindness.  Beg for mercy as it was my first time ever shipping and I had just left my family 2 days ago.  Play the victim card.  It worked.  I got a few smiles, some passes and of course a "Nooooope!   3 lbs. overweight!" or the like when something was just a bit heavy.  Good thing I had room in another tote!

Shipping at the Airport Post office

The others were glad I got him and worked my magic while they enjoyed the fruits of friendlier cashiers.  Our evening ended with a Subway fix and a late night in the front room.  Headed to bed for another day of more shopping for the cold and frozen items to again pack and then fly with us to King Salmon.  It will end, then we won't have to shop for 4 months!  I'm ready for that for sure!

Receipts from Post office

The rest of you....please comment and add your memories of me and my craziness.....I'm sure your accounts of me making you laugh or doing something weird are much better than mine!


Day 2, in the books.  Yes, It's the end of day three but I think that blog will have to wait until tomorrow morning.  Good grief I'm tired!

Whirlwind, perhaps a tornado even.

So, I know it's way overdue.  You are all waiting with anticipation as to what Anchorage is like, how I'm dealing and what's been going on.  It's the end of day 2 now and it's 11:27 pm.  I'm making the time to write a blog so that I don't keep everyone in the dark any longer.  It's been a long two days and I know that if I wait any longer I will start forgetting some of the cool things.

Here we go.  Day one was crazy.  A flight away from the ones I love to a new place I'm sure to love.  As I got off the plane I felt like a celebrity (kinda) as Kathy and I walked from the plane and were met by Bill holding a piece of paper with our names on it.  Oh ya!   It got even better when the bags were waiting for us all bundled up by person.  I didn't have to search through bags or anything.

Our "Brunch" Stop

I came back to the house to meet everyone else here already.  I figured that I would have been one of the first people here because I had come in so early in the day.  Not so.  Some people had come in during the middle of the night.  I got about half an hour to compose myself and get ready to head out for some brunch and the start of shopping.  It was good though because it got me right into the idea of getting ready!

First stop was the DMV.  We needed drivers licenses.  Walk up to the window, show your passport and they say, "ok, do you have your Social Security card?"  What?!  No, is the passport showing that I'm a US citizen not good enough?  I didn't bring my social security card.  What the heck for!?  Darn it.  I need that driver's license!  They gave us (there were two with this same issue) an address to go to and we were able to obtain a letter that showed our name and number that was stamped by the office.  All we had to show them was our passport.  Go figure!  Back to the VERY CROWDED DMV to wait in a line, fill out a piece of paper, wait in a line, take the computer test and answer 16 questions right, wait in a line, let the lady write our score down so we can take a number to wait in the big line of which 80 numbers were in front of us at ticket taking time.  80!  So, what did we do?  We people watched.  We watched the motorcycle guy get upset when another motorcycle guy parked his bike touching his.   We watched the mentally unstable guy use the back of that same unhappy motorcyclist's bike as his podium and fill out his form on it.  That same unstable guy was lots of entertainment for the duration of our wait.  He told the motorcyclist he used his bike and almost got the snot beat out of him.  He begged people for cigarettes, talked to everyone he could and we think he was trying to sell his number.  Oh and if you are wondering, the DMV, it's near a really spectacularly designed McDonald's.  We've seen it from every angle.

We started off shopping with a bang.  Wal-Mart has this great thing going for them where you pick all the things that don't contain alcohol, won't explode and won't spoil; you take it to their back registers, they ring it up and add some for handling and they pack and ship it for you!  The shipping is added to your card once they get the weight all put together but dang!  It beats having to pack it and drag it down to the post office yourself.   (more about that later!)

The breadsticks were to die for!

Tons of shopping it felt like later and a graduation from summer excel camp for some students of LPSD we were headed to dinner.  I'd heard stories about this famed place, stories that it's the best pizza ever and that I had to have it when I went.  Well, we made it there.  It was late at night, we were starving and I knew I had to make a phone call.  Poor Jen.  She said her mouth watered via phone.  Just an FYI, 2 people at the table had cream soda for you!

The end of day 1 came to a close with a heavy sigh and knowing that a new day full of shopping was to commence.  I fell into bed without even thinking about the blog because I had been up for almost 23 hours by the time I finally was able to get some rest.  Now I'm a day behind and I hope to catch up tomorrow morning with tales of Richard and the wonders of packing.  For now though, please know that I'm doing well.  I've met new friends, enjoyed a day of sun and now a day of rain.  It's green and lush here like Oregon with the Mountains of Bend in the backyard (maybe a bit bigger then Bend!)  The city sprawls out like Salem and Keizer all rolled into one with a little bit bigger city feel.

Day one is in the books.  Day two.....it's there too, but you'll know about it later!  :)

We have lift-off!

By far one of the hardest things I've ever done is leave my family.  My husband, my "babies" and my mom.  Mojo knew something was up, he quivered the entire ride to Portland.  Eric and Mom both cried when they hugged me goodbye.  It's hard knowing I won't see them again until Christmas.

From here, I want to thank you all for the well wishes.  I do appreciate them all.  I look forward to seeing my friends and family again but I am excited for what not only the immediate future but the next few months will hold for me.

Stay tuned for all the updates you could ever want!

25 minutes and counting....

What would you miss?

I got up this morning, printed boarding passes that are not valid for security and say: "ATTN AGT: DANGEROUS GOODS" Great.  They also say "Airport Service Document/DNGR" and "Not valid for Security"   FANTASTIC!  Prepare for a full body cavity TSA search now is what they should say.  All because I must take a locked, clean, handgun with me and some ammo to kill a bear that could possibly charge me.  So sorry.  

What am I going to miss?  (Hopefully the TSA pat down)

-Old Spice Fresh on my one and only.

-Lunches with Mom on a whim.

-Seconds off the plant strawberries; they melt in your mouth with the sweetness of the earth and the warmth of the sun.

-The excitement and joy in a dog’s pounce when he sees Fancy Frog waiting for him on the bed.

-Dinner runs to Red Robin just because we can.

-Mojo sandwhich.

-PooPoo hugs.  (It’s the dog’s nickname)

-Back talking from a certain mouthy Siberian Husky.

-The gentle “Woo” from an old man.

-Du-da-du-da-da-dutit. (Up pops Harley, “Got anything for me?)

-The dog in the oven. 

-The feeling of our bed as you sink in after a long day and fall asleep in minutes.

-Star Cinema Popcorn.

-Daily Buzz Hot Chocolate

-Warm air across my arms and legs as I drive the Jeep on a hot summer day.

-Black Friday: yep, I'm a crazy!

-Harvest Fest, though it's long days it's still fun.

-Picking out a Christmas Tree.

What would you miss?  Comment below!

The list could go on but why dwell on it?  I'll be back at Christmas time to see family and friends.  In the meantime, I'll be experiencing a whole new world full of new things to miss I'm sure.

22 hours.....

The last days of summer

A summer evening drive into the hills.  It has a few purposes; time with a friend, shooting practice and driving my beloved Jeep.  I think about how wonderful these last few weeks have been.  The nice warm weather has been a great taste of summer and I think of leaving it for the Alaskan rain and it's a little depressing.  We had such a late spring here that the little bit of summer here just doesn't seem like enough.  It's what I've got though so it will just have to do.

Do brain farts come with the amount (or lack) of time left?  When we drove up to go shooting last night, I pulled my gun case out, reached into the bag for the key and it was not there.  Gut check.  Ah, are you kidding me, I just drove all the way up there and didn't have the key so I could shoot?  I'm glad Katie had her gun though.  We had fun with that and the old beer cans did explode with ease!  It was a great night and the drive home was under the stars and a beautiful moon.

Most of the packing is done.  I'm living on a few selected outfits here while the rest is packed.  The final packing and checking of the packed items will be today so that tomorrow I won't have to worry about it.  Pillows still have to fit too.  A dog would like to stow away but I just don't think the airline would like to find a puppy in the luggage.

So for now I have a breakfast planned this morning and family time for tomorrow.  It's hard to think that I'll be leaving for 1500 miles away in just two days.

2 days and counting.....

The Final Countdown

It's 3 am, well, now it's 4 but I was up at 3.  I guess with 3 days left, maybe this will be what starts to happen.  With only a few days left, my mind will start racing even more, I'll figure out things that I've forgotten to send, don't know if it will fit in what room I have left or if I'm really doing the right thing.  (I know it is)

Time is short, I had a great dinner and visit with a friend last night.  I'm very glad we went and the skeeters weren't too bad even.  Knock on wood whatever bites I did receive aren't bugging me.  Ha!  We chatted about her upcoming wedding.  I'm bummed I won't be around for much of festivities that go along with it but that I guess is a price we pay for living far away now.

Today's line up includes time with the sister before she heads back to work for the next few days.  It's the last day she has off before I leave.  I think her and Mom have plans for my hedges and then a lunch at a favorite pizza place.  She'll enjoy the back seat at least one more time while I'm here but I know she'll love having me gone as she'll graduate to the front seat while I'm away.  

Our girl doxie turns 7 today.  Yes, they are like our kids and she'll probably get some special food today.  As soon as Eric finds out it's his little girls birthday he might even give her a little nibble of the cake that's on the counter.  After all, who doesn't deserve a little cake on their birthday?

Well, here's hoping that maybe a little bit of sleep will come my way before the day really gets underway......and to making the next few days count.

3 days........

A day of rest? Hardly.

Sunday, a day of rest.  Ya right!  Not when you are moving to Alaska!  I had a ton to accomplish yesterday and when the day started I wasn't sure how much I would get done.  Laundry waited for me downstairs and with me away in Seaside, I brought home more.  I have to get everything I want to take with me clean so I can pack it.  I have to get our extra bedroom clean so that it can be used again and the house needs to be nice and tidy too for all the last minute visitors.  PLUS, I know I need to make contact with a dear friend and see how she is doing with her pregnancy.  

Time runs short very quickly.  As I looked back on the blog, just a few short posts ago I was seeing pictures of my soon to be apartment and it was 48 days!  That's over a month to go, now, 5 days nearing in on 4?  No way!  Where did all that time go?

What did I get done today, how did I really spend my last "day of rest?" Not resting that's for sure!  I did get many things done today and I feel a lot more prepared for a large move than I did at the beginning of yesterday.  I got in touch with my not anymore pregnant friend.  Her son is doing well.  While is is very early, he is breathing on his own and he looks good.  Plus he's just cute as a button!  *Sorry, no pictures because I don't even see one on Momma's Facebook page yet!

I found my picture transfer device!  It had fallen and then creeped under a table.  Now I have some pictures to sort on the computer and then add to blog posts.  (let's add more things to the list of to-do's!)  Thankful though that the dogs did not eat it!

Laundry was going great until the dryer lint trap was caught  in the spin by an errant string and then it melted and warped and clothes didn't dry and then the door popped open I guess.  GREAT.  Now let's try to get that fixed before I leave too.  (I'm just glad it's not a hot water heater exploding, things could be worse!)  I do have to have my clothes clean and dry to pack though!

I spent the evening resting and will be back at it today.  A dinner with a good friend is scheduled for tonight and we'll see what else comes of today.  You just never know!

4 days.......