Our two hour hands-on training session at the stadium was more a refresher from our experience at the Super Bowl last year. The system is identical to the one we worked with at the Super Bowl and both of us caught on to the system after only a couple transactions. The game we worked yesterday was between the Oregon State Beavers and the Kansas Jayhawks. OSU won that game 3-1. We left at 1 PM just before the second game started. There were two couples that worked both games and the only one of the four stores in the stadium that was open yesterday was the one we worked in center field. We look forward to a fun season. The regular Spring Training season opens at our stadium on Wednesday, March 2, but we don't start until Saturday as a result of our delays in the RV repairs.
We expect to have a firm commitment today for completion of our fifth wheel. Once we get that date, everything else will fall into place. We have the carpet cleaners coming tomorrow, so that will kick-off the final preparations for the property managers to do their inspection and evaluation. It looks like we are moving forward now and will have some good news to report very soon...
Monday, February 29, 2016
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Successful Move
The move of our items from the house into storage of the goods we aren't taking with us was successful. The movers showed up on time - 7 AM - and took 3 hours to load everything into their truck:
Here is the shot at the storage unit when the unloading started:
It took another 2.75 hours to unload and put everything in our storage space. It is a good thing we had a large space (10x30) as it is just about full. We have several more boxes to go to storage and will also have our patio furniture to go when we are totally out of the house. For now, we need these items to be able to live in the house until we get our RV. The movers did an excellent job and I don't think anything got broken from what I could see.
Josie began painting some walls in our bedroom while we were at the storage facility. There is a section in our bedroom that was painted an ugly gray color and part of it was made a mess from the drywall repairs. Rather than try and match that ugly color, she started painting it with the paint that was left by the previous owner and matches the rest of the room.
We are sort of "camping" now in the house and it reminds us of the days we stayed in the house before we could close and completely move-in. We should be good to go though until we pick up our RV which should be about Wednesday of this coming week. It will not be too soon.
Today we do a two hour training day at Spring Training on the cash registers. I think there is a college game today that will give us some experience on the registers. At any rate, we will not work a "real" game until next Saturday when, hopefully, this move out will be totally done....
Here is the shot at the storage unit when the unloading started:
It took another 2.75 hours to unload and put everything in our storage space. It is a good thing we had a large space (10x30) as it is just about full. We have several more boxes to go to storage and will also have our patio furniture to go when we are totally out of the house. For now, we need these items to be able to live in the house until we get our RV. The movers did an excellent job and I don't think anything got broken from what I could see.
Josie began painting some walls in our bedroom while we were at the storage facility. There is a section in our bedroom that was painted an ugly gray color and part of it was made a mess from the drywall repairs. Rather than try and match that ugly color, she started painting it with the paint that was left by the previous owner and matches the rest of the room.
We are sort of "camping" now in the house and it reminds us of the days we stayed in the house before we could close and completely move-in. We should be good to go though until we pick up our RV which should be about Wednesday of this coming week. It will not be too soon.
Today we do a two hour training day at Spring Training on the cash registers. I think there is a college game today that will give us some experience on the registers. At any rate, we will not work a "real" game until next Saturday when, hopefully, this move out will be totally done....
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Moving Day
Time sure flies. Today is move out day at the house. The movers are expected between 7 and 7:30 AM and we expect it to take most of the day. We are about as ready as we can be at this point. The fact that our fifth wheel is still in the shop and we have no place to go yet makes it more difficult as we will have to "keep out" all the items we will need in the house in the meantime while waiting for the RV. The latest on the RV is Wednesday next week.
It gets frustrating for us when we see all the "junk" we have accumulated over the years. We have vowed - again - to eliminate the junk that we keep carrying from place to place. We have also vowed to make the next move the last one in our lifetime. We hope that is achievable.
We need to prepare our bed now - taking it down and bagging the mattress and box spring - so I'll say goodbye for now...
It gets frustrating for us when we see all the "junk" we have accumulated over the years. We have vowed - again - to eliminate the junk that we keep carrying from place to place. We have also vowed to make the next move the last one in our lifetime. We hope that is achievable.
We need to prepare our bed now - taking it down and bagging the mattress and box spring - so I'll say goodbye for now...
Friday, February 26, 2016
Spoke Too Soon
I spoke too soon about having everything on a firm schedule. I was informed yesterday that the RV is still having the metal work done and won't be released to the body shop for painting until today or tomorrow. With painting and drying/seal time, it will not be available for pickup until Wednesday or Thursday next week. What a disappointment. We will still keep everything else on the set schedule with the exception of the Camping World appointment which I will reschedule today, and, of course, our move in date at Pioneer RV Resort which is still in float. They know about our situation and will just hold our space until we can get moved-in.
We will be having everything moved from the house into storage except for the items we will keep in the RV. Also, we will need to use the inflatable mattress that we used when we moved into the house before our furniture arrived. It will be like camping in the house for a few days. I really am anxious to get out of the house so we can turn everything over to the property managers. Time is money, as they have lots of people lined up for rentals and we don't want to get too close to the hot weather in summer as the market will shrink.
Our training day at the stadium went well yesterday. The system that is used on the cash registers is the same as the one we used last year at the Super Bowl activities. We just need to have a refresher on those which we signed up to take this Sunday between 11-1. We have pushed back our start date for Spring Training as a result of the move related delays. Our official start will now be 3/5 instead of 3/3. The training yesterday lasted about 1.5 hours - paid time.
Today will be super busy getting all the furniture and boxes ready for the movers tomorrow. We hope it all goes according to plan...
We will be having everything moved from the house into storage except for the items we will keep in the RV. Also, we will need to use the inflatable mattress that we used when we moved into the house before our furniture arrived. It will be like camping in the house for a few days. I really am anxious to get out of the house so we can turn everything over to the property managers. Time is money, as they have lots of people lined up for rentals and we don't want to get too close to the hot weather in summer as the market will shrink.
Our training day at the stadium went well yesterday. The system that is used on the cash registers is the same as the one we used last year at the Super Bowl activities. We just need to have a refresher on those which we signed up to take this Sunday between 11-1. We have pushed back our start date for Spring Training as a result of the move related delays. Our official start will now be 3/5 instead of 3/3. The training yesterday lasted about 1.5 hours - paid time.
Today will be super busy getting all the furniture and boxes ready for the movers tomorrow. We hope it all goes according to plan...
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Getting Close to Move
Most of our events are now on a firm schedule. We have the move set for Saturday at 7 AM when the movers come to take our furniture and some more boxes to our storage unit. The RV is going into the body shop today for painting which means that it should be ready for pickup by Saturday - we will have confirmation later today. We will take the RV into Camping World on Tuesday AM for the satellite installation. The carpet cleaning (and deodorizing) will take place on Tuesday the 2nd. We expect to have everything out of the house and ready to turn over to the property manager by Wednesday, the 3rd.
We have already requested and received clearance to take the first three days off next week from Spring Training. Our move into the space at Pioneer RV will take place in stages. The first move will be when we pick up the RV - probably on Saturday. We will then take it out for the Camping World appointment and move it back in, either later that day or the next. Phew! It will be very, VERY busy the next 5 days or so.
We have our Spring Training "training" day today, beginning at 10 AM. This is a paid day and we are looking forward to working the month at the Surprise Stadium. Josie goes back to the flower shop in April and the beginning of May for Mother's Day and then it's off to Jackson - yeah!
We have already requested and received clearance to take the first three days off next week from Spring Training. Our move into the space at Pioneer RV will take place in stages. The first move will be when we pick up the RV - probably on Saturday. We will then take it out for the Camping World appointment and move it back in, either later that day or the next. Phew! It will be very, VERY busy the next 5 days or so.
We have our Spring Training "training" day today, beginning at 10 AM. This is a paid day and we are looking forward to working the month at the Surprise Stadium. Josie goes back to the flower shop in April and the beginning of May for Mother's Day and then it's off to Jackson - yeah!
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Scheduling efforts
It is so difficult planning our schedule without having a firm commitment for the RV work being completed. We still don't have a guaranteed delivery date for the unit and it is having a ripple effect all the way down the list to have events scheduled. We can't get firm dates for: having the TV antenna work performed at Camping World, moving into our RV space, starting work at Spring Training, moving out of the house, having the property manager evaluate the house, begin looking for a tenant and getting a commitment from a tenant. All of this is pending the completion of our RV work. It is a very frustrating situation but I know the RV service manger is doing his best.
Josie has her first - and maybe last - appointment at 7 AM this morning for therapy for her Bells Palsy. She is making terrific progress and we feel that maybe this will be the only time she will need to go for this activity. If she can get the exercises required for her recovery, she may not need to be there physically in the future. That saves a lot of time and money.
We are wrapping up the packing by attempting to get all of our pictures and wall hangings safely packed. There are many pictures of different sizes and a few mirrors that need to be packed. Most of the containers for that stuff will be made from boxes we already have but need to be cut and taped to fit the item. Not a fun part to the packing process. Josie has also insisted that this is the last move. I agree with her and hope that everything works out with our tenants so that we can move one more time down the road - for the final move...
Josie has her first - and maybe last - appointment at 7 AM this morning for therapy for her Bells Palsy. She is making terrific progress and we feel that maybe this will be the only time she will need to go for this activity. If she can get the exercises required for her recovery, she may not need to be there physically in the future. That saves a lot of time and money.
We are wrapping up the packing by attempting to get all of our pictures and wall hangings safely packed. There are many pictures of different sizes and a few mirrors that need to be packed. Most of the containers for that stuff will be made from boxes we already have but need to be cut and taped to fit the item. Not a fun part to the packing process. Josie has also insisted that this is the last move. I agree with her and hope that everything works out with our tenants so that we can move one more time down the road - for the final move...
Monday, February 22, 2016
Moving Boxes
We picked up our U-Haul trailer at around 9:30 and moved lots of boxes into our new storage unit. We made two trips and it took us until 3 PM to finish. It would have been a lot faster if the storage facility had carts for us to use. The first load we took there was the largest and we had the truck bed filled with boxes in addition to the trailer. We had to unload all of them using a dolly from U-Haul and we could only move a few boxes at a time. The second load, we took our own cart and unloaded everything in about 1/3 of the time. Here are a couple shots of our storage unit after moving the boxes:
The space is huge (10x30) and should easily hold all of our furniture which is most of what is left for the movers for this Saturday.
We were super tired when it was all done. It would have been easier if the temperatures weren't near 90 while working. I don't know how anybody can move during the summer months around here.
Our RV work begins today on the major repairs. We are pushing for a Friday completion so that we can take the RV into Camping World to have our TV antenna work done. We are swapping out the old MotoSat satellite dish for a new DirecTV dish and having our receivers wired into the new setup. I almost doubt that we will get the RV by Friday as they have to paint the new body parts after the installation and that takes extra time. We will be glad when this week is over assuming that we can get everything done according to schedule...
The space is huge (10x30) and should easily hold all of our furniture which is most of what is left for the movers for this Saturday.
We were super tired when it was all done. It would have been easier if the temperatures weren't near 90 while working. I don't know how anybody can move during the summer months around here.
Our RV work begins today on the major repairs. We are pushing for a Friday completion so that we can take the RV into Camping World to have our TV antenna work done. We are swapping out the old MotoSat satellite dish for a new DirecTV dish and having our receivers wired into the new setup. I almost doubt that we will get the RV by Friday as they have to paint the new body parts after the installation and that takes extra time. We will be glad when this week is over assuming that we can get everything done according to schedule...
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Wnderful Visit
Our happy hour get together last night was a wonderful visit with an old friend and some new ones. Jamie and her mother and fiancé - and her dog Mystique who is 16 years old - came over for about three hours last night after a busy day working at an event. She is a real trooper when it comes to working, and doesn't shy away from any chance to help someone or provide good cheer. Below are a couple shots from our visit:
and one of Kieth:
It was a bit awkward with our packing and moving evidence all over the house, but they understood. Hopefully, it won't be too long before our next visit.
Our main task for today is to move some of our boxes into storage. We have a trailer reserved for pickup at 9:30 this morning, so we are gearing up for a very physical morning. Boxes have been moved into our garage as we pack them, so the loading shouldn't take much time.
We have official word that our RV parts have arrived at the dealership and that work begins on Monday. If we are lucky, we will have our rig back by Friday. Our fingers are crossed...
and one of Kieth:
It was a bit awkward with our packing and moving evidence all over the house, but they understood. Hopefully, it won't be too long before our next visit.
Our main task for today is to move some of our boxes into storage. We have a trailer reserved for pickup at 9:30 this morning, so we are gearing up for a very physical morning. Boxes have been moved into our garage as we pack them, so the loading shouldn't take much time.
We have official word that our RV parts have arrived at the dealership and that work begins on Monday. If we are lucky, we will have our rig back by Friday. Our fingers are crossed...
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Parts Arrival
I received an email from our service manager at the RV dealership yesterday indicating that our parts were arriving. He said the truck would be delivering our parts by the end of the day, but I didn't get any confirmation of that by dinner time last night. They could have arrived after the manager left, or the manager could have been busy on other projects. I hope that is the case. If we are to have any chance of getting our RV back this month, they have to begin work immediately. It will be tough enough getting the body work done, but then they need to paint the areas that are new. Oh, well.
We made a trip to the store to get goodies for our happy hour visit tonight. Jamie sent a note saying they would be a little late as she will be working an event in Scottsdale this afternoon from noon to 4 PM. She still has a bundle of energy after going through some serious breast cancer battles the last couple of years. It will be good to see her again and meet her mother and her Fiancé whom we have never met before.
I reserved a U-Haul trailer for tomorrow so we could move some of our packed boxes to the storage unit. We are hoping to save some time and money with the movers by getting as much done as we can before they go to work on the 27th this month. It will be a close call moving out of the house and getting our RV back at the same time...
We made a trip to the store to get goodies for our happy hour visit tonight. Jamie sent a note saying they would be a little late as she will be working an event in Scottsdale this afternoon from noon to 4 PM. She still has a bundle of energy after going through some serious breast cancer battles the last couple of years. It will be good to see her again and meet her mother and her Fiancé whom we have never met before.
I reserved a U-Haul trailer for tomorrow so we could move some of our packed boxes to the storage unit. We are hoping to save some time and money with the movers by getting as much done as we can before they go to work on the 27th this month. It will be a close call moving out of the house and getting our RV back at the same time...
Friday, February 19, 2016
Drywall Fixed
Our drywall is patched and now ready for paint. All the ugly holes that were left from the gas line installation and the wall mounting of the TV's are now fixed. The painting of those areas will take place in the next week or so before we leave for the RV park. We have the paint to finish the job as there were several cans left for us by the previous owners. They did a superb job and it only took them about a half hour to do the total job. If I did the work myself, it would have taken the better part of a whole day and it wouldn't look nearly as professional.
While out picking up a few items that we needed from Costco, we saw that there was an RV show at the Stadium while driving by. We had to see what that was about following our Costco trip, so we went to the stadium to check it out. It turns out that La Mesa RV has another huge show that is lasting for a week in the stadium parking lot. It amazes us how many vehicles La Mesa RV moves to the show location. It must take a large number of workers to get these shows together. Check out these shots of the scope of the show:
and that is only a small portion of the total number of rigs that were on display. Wow!
There is no update on the parts delivery for our RV repairs. This is getting downright ridiculous as they have had our RV for over a month already. There are no options for us though, and we have to wait it out until the parts arrive.
We are having one last hurrah at our house before we leave. A friend of ours that we worked with in Happy Jack - Jamie - is going to visit with us for happy hour on Saturday. She will bring her mother with her that she just moved into her condo in Westgate from her home in Green Valley, AZ. Jamie is a very good friend who divorced from her husband - Chi Chi - a few years after we worked together at the Happy Jack Lodge in 2008. Actually, they were our managers there. That was our first Workamping job and one of the best times we have had on the road. That will be the last entertaining we will do in our home for who knows how long...
While out picking up a few items that we needed from Costco, we saw that there was an RV show at the Stadium while driving by. We had to see what that was about following our Costco trip, so we went to the stadium to check it out. It turns out that La Mesa RV has another huge show that is lasting for a week in the stadium parking lot. It amazes us how many vehicles La Mesa RV moves to the show location. It must take a large number of workers to get these shows together. Check out these shots of the scope of the show:
and that is only a small portion of the total number of rigs that were on display. Wow!
There is no update on the parts delivery for our RV repairs. This is getting downright ridiculous as they have had our RV for over a month already. There are no options for us though, and we have to wait it out until the parts arrive.
We are having one last hurrah at our house before we leave. A friend of ours that we worked with in Happy Jack - Jamie - is going to visit with us for happy hour on Saturday. She will bring her mother with her that she just moved into her condo in Westgate from her home in Green Valley, AZ. Jamie is a very good friend who divorced from her husband - Chi Chi - a few years after we worked together at the Happy Jack Lodge in 2008. Actually, they were our managers there. That was our first Workamping job and one of the best times we have had on the road. That will be the last entertaining we will do in our home for who knows how long...
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Trip Planning
It was more packing and more organizing of boxes to make sure we keep the RV stuff separate from storage. When the movers come to take the furniture and leftover boxes, we need to make sure they don't take boxes and items that are designated for the RV.
Along with all of the preparation, we started to think about our trip to Jackson for the summer. We will schedule some time to spend in Washington on the way to Wyoming - definitely, not a shortcut - so that we can visit our family there. Justin was notified that he will be going to Texas for Air Traffic Controller training for the Air Force and then off to other points unknown. He leaves Washington on the 24th of May so we want to see him before he leaves. We also want to visit with Harmony and Kristine and the boys before going to Jackson. It will be tough to squeeze in the right amount of time as we need to be in Jackson by around the 21st of May and Josie has to work the Mother's Day holiday through at least May 10th. We will figure out something.
Today we get our dry wall repaired. We have someone coming to patch the areas where the gas line was installed after we moved into the house and areas where we punched holes for the TVs. That is a major task to be completed before renting the house. We are getting close to having everything set to be moved out so that the property manager can begin looking for the "perfect" tenant...
Along with all of the preparation, we started to think about our trip to Jackson for the summer. We will schedule some time to spend in Washington on the way to Wyoming - definitely, not a shortcut - so that we can visit our family there. Justin was notified that he will be going to Texas for Air Traffic Controller training for the Air Force and then off to other points unknown. He leaves Washington on the 24th of May so we want to see him before he leaves. We also want to visit with Harmony and Kristine and the boys before going to Jackson. It will be tough to squeeze in the right amount of time as we need to be in Jackson by around the 21st of May and Josie has to work the Mother's Day holiday through at least May 10th. We will figure out something.
Today we get our dry wall repaired. We have someone coming to patch the areas where the gas line was installed after we moved into the house and areas where we punched holes for the TVs. That is a major task to be completed before renting the house. We are getting close to having everything set to be moved out so that the property manager can begin looking for the "perfect" tenant...
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Taxes Done
The good news from yesterday is that our taxes are done for another year. Even better news is that we will get a refund! The combination of buying a new home, buying a couple vehicles and having some unusual medical expenses resulted in a banner year for our taxes. I hope the IRS is quick with payment.
I also got my hearing aid back. I thought I would get an entirely new one but the Audiologist only sent the earpiece back for the repair and kept the main part - receiver and processor - in the office. Shucks. The new earpiece I received to replace the lost one is a different color. They are now making the earpiece in clear plastic versus the old flesh color. It doesn't matter as it is always in my ear anyway so nobody knows the color. I'm just happy to hear (mostly) everything again.
We have decided to take some boxes to the storage unit ourselves. That will save some time - and money - with the movers when they come and it will give us a chance to place some things where we know where to find them in the storage unit. That mainly applies to the Christmas items. This way, we will not have to search through all the contents in storage to find all our Christmas stuff. There are many, many total boxes to move, so it will still be a long day moving on the 27th. At least, that is the day we have scheduled right now.
We went to Pioneer RV yesterday to inform them that we will be arriving late. We changed the reservation from the 17th (today) to the 24th. That still will not be possible as the RV dealer probably won't be finished until at least the 26th. The dates are all up in the air right now...
I also got my hearing aid back. I thought I would get an entirely new one but the Audiologist only sent the earpiece back for the repair and kept the main part - receiver and processor - in the office. Shucks. The new earpiece I received to replace the lost one is a different color. They are now making the earpiece in clear plastic versus the old flesh color. It doesn't matter as it is always in my ear anyway so nobody knows the color. I'm just happy to hear (mostly) everything again.
We have decided to take some boxes to the storage unit ourselves. That will save some time - and money - with the movers when they come and it will give us a chance to place some things where we know where to find them in the storage unit. That mainly applies to the Christmas items. This way, we will not have to search through all the contents in storage to find all our Christmas stuff. There are many, many total boxes to move, so it will still be a long day moving on the 27th. At least, that is the day we have scheduled right now.
We went to Pioneer RV yesterday to inform them that we will be arriving late. We changed the reservation from the 17th (today) to the 24th. That still will not be possible as the RV dealer probably won't be finished until at least the 26th. The dates are all up in the air right now...
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Ready for Taxes
Along with all the packing and preparation to move all our things into storage and into the RV, we have taxes to complete. I have had a hard time getting a couple of the required forms for our taxes this year. The W-2 for Sam's Club didn't arrive in the mail so I chased that down yesterday. I had to call the location where I worked to get the codes necessary to get my W-2 online. No problem. I was also struggling with getting my 1099 from UBER. I have been going back and forth with them trying to get something to work. Finally, I received an email that suggested I use the Google Chrome browser instead of Internet Explorer. By gosh, it worked. So now, I am ready to attack the task of completing our return for 2015. I'm hoping for a refund, but we'll see. Buying a new home and having a couple hospital stays will help.
We need to go to Pioneer RV Resort today and revise our reservation. Our current reservation calls for our checking in today. That won't happen without our RV, so we will push it back about 10 days. That is the latest projection from the dealership on when the repairs should be completed. Things would be moving along smoothly if we had a "normal" repair experience. I never counted on six weeks for that task. The reason for physically going there to make the reservation change is that there was some work that needed to be done on our space and I want to make sure it has been completed.
The packing is showing an end in sight. Boy, do we have a lot of stuff!...
We need to go to Pioneer RV Resort today and revise our reservation. Our current reservation calls for our checking in today. That won't happen without our RV, so we will push it back about 10 days. That is the latest projection from the dealership on when the repairs should be completed. Things would be moving along smoothly if we had a "normal" repair experience. I never counted on six weeks for that task. The reason for physically going there to make the reservation change is that there was some work that needed to be done on our space and I want to make sure it has been completed.
The packing is showing an end in sight. Boy, do we have a lot of stuff!...
Monday, February 15, 2016
Quiet Valentine's Day
I hope everybody had a nice Valentine's Day. Ours was a quiet and laid-back day where we mostly did some packing and other chores that needed done. I spent the entire morning in the back yard trimming and clearing the overhanging branches from our neighbor's tree. They were drooping into the pool at the one end and required major surgery to clear:
That tree is a fast growing variety, so I hope it stays clear for the next year or so.
Josie is showing very slow progress with her Bells Palsy. Her mouth is getting more flexible, but her eye remains the real problem She also gets head pains where the virus is still present and has to take pain pills all day in order to relieve the discomfort. It will be a slow healing process, but at least there is some visible progress.
The tension is mounting over the schedule that is getting tighter each day. There is so much depending on the completion of the RV repairs. Everything else we have control over, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that the delay with the repairs doesn't result in serious problems with the rest of our schedule...
That tree is a fast growing variety, so I hope it stays clear for the next year or so.
Josie is showing very slow progress with her Bells Palsy. Her mouth is getting more flexible, but her eye remains the real problem She also gets head pains where the virus is still present and has to take pain pills all day in order to relieve the discomfort. It will be a slow healing process, but at least there is some visible progress.
The tension is mounting over the schedule that is getting tighter each day. There is so much depending on the completion of the RV repairs. Everything else we have control over, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that the delay with the repairs doesn't result in serious problems with the rest of our schedule...
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Refrigerator Cleared
As mentioned yesterday, our refrigerator had been making some noises that didn't seem natural, so we called in a service technician while the unit was still under warranty. He arrived at around 2 PM and went through all kinds of tests and checks of mechanical parts. Of course, things don't make noises when you want them to, or do the unusual things that caused you to bring him out in the first place. It's a good thing the call was free as it turned out to be a waste of time. So now, the refrigerator can fire up its noise program again.
We replaced the TV that we sold by buying a new, smaller screen set at Sam's Club. This one has the same 4K-UHD technology but has a flat screen so that it can fit better in our RV. It is a 50" versus the 65" that we sold. Even though it isn't as nice as the other one, it is a much better fit for our needs.
Our packing efforts continue between the other activities and our garage is beginning to fill with boxes ready to go to storage. We will take some of them before the movers come so that we know, for sure, where they are located in the storage unit so we can get easy access to some things we may need.
We also set up our maintenance fund with the property management company in case there are emergency funds required to satisfy unexpected problems. They are ready to inspect the house and begin the search for the "perfect tenant". We sure hope they find them....
We replaced the TV that we sold by buying a new, smaller screen set at Sam's Club. This one has the same 4K-UHD technology but has a flat screen so that it can fit better in our RV. It is a 50" versus the 65" that we sold. Even though it isn't as nice as the other one, it is a much better fit for our needs.
Our packing efforts continue between the other activities and our garage is beginning to fill with boxes ready to go to storage. We will take some of them before the movers come so that we know, for sure, where they are located in the storage unit so we can get easy access to some things we may need.
We also set up our maintenance fund with the property management company in case there are emergency funds required to satisfy unexpected problems. They are ready to inspect the house and begin the search for the "perfect tenant". We sure hope they find them....
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Going Gangbusters
It was the best day packing so far. Josie worked on getting the kitchen done - separating the items we are taking to the RV from those going to storage and packing those that go to storage. I worked in the den and separated the same way - storage vs RV - and made a dent in those items. Josie is almost done but I have a ways to go yet. I'm confident that we can get everything packed and organized in our timeframe - whatever that is. I haven't heard any more from the RV dealer about our completion date, so I continue to worry about that part of the plan which is the most important. Everything else works off of the RV being done and moved into our space at Pioneer RV.
I heard from my Audiologist yesterday and Fed Ex lost my hearing aid that was sent off for repair. I guess I have now lost faith in tracking systems. Anyway, my Audiologist said that they were going to order a new replacement and it should be here by Tuesday. Of course, Fed Ex has to pay for it. Actually, except for the inconvenience, that is a good ending to this situation. I'll take a brand new one to replace my hearing aid that is 4 years old. Too bad I didn't send the other one with it.
We have someone coming today to inspect our new refrigerator that has been making some weird noises. It is under warranty and we want to make sure that it is in perfect shape for the tenants so that there are no surprises. We are getting closer to the time when our property manager has to begin his search for the "perfect" tenant...
I heard from my Audiologist yesterday and Fed Ex lost my hearing aid that was sent off for repair. I guess I have now lost faith in tracking systems. Anyway, my Audiologist said that they were going to order a new replacement and it should be here by Tuesday. Of course, Fed Ex has to pay for it. Actually, except for the inconvenience, that is a good ending to this situation. I'll take a brand new one to replace my hearing aid that is 4 years old. Too bad I didn't send the other one with it.
We have someone coming today to inspect our new refrigerator that has been making some weird noises. It is under warranty and we want to make sure that it is in perfect shape for the tenants so that there are no surprises. We are getting closer to the time when our property manager has to begin his search for the "perfect" tenant...
Friday, February 12, 2016
TV Shuffle
When we moved into our house we bought one of those large (65") Samsung curved screen smart TV's for our family room. What a fabulous set. We had a problem though, in that it does not fit anywhere in our fifth wheel and we didn't want to put it into storage to waste away. So, we sold it on Craigslist. I had lots of calls and sold it yesterday. It didn't depreciate as much as I thought it would, mainly because it is still the current technology in TV's. At any rate, I spent much of the day shuffling our other TV's around. The one we had in our bedroom - and the one we use in the RV - was moved to the family room. The one I used in my den - and the one we use in our bedroom of the RV - was moved into our bedroom at home. I think we are set now as far as the TV situation goes until we move once again into the RV and take the sets with us.
We also discovered that the book boxes we got online are the small variety and probably won't work for us. I will have to replace those with larger boxes. The ones we got are 12"x12"x12" and will hold only a small number of books. We have many, many books and there wouldn't be anywhere near the number of boxes we would need. We do get a refund on unused boxes, so that is where they will go - back to the seller. I will probably just go down the street to our local U-Haul, or to Home Depot and pick up some regular size book boxes.
It's back to the packing routine again today. We need a few days of steady packing to get caught up on our schedule. It's not crunch time yet, but we will be approaching it soon...
We also discovered that the book boxes we got online are the small variety and probably won't work for us. I will have to replace those with larger boxes. The ones we got are 12"x12"x12" and will hold only a small number of books. We have many, many books and there wouldn't be anywhere near the number of boxes we would need. We do get a refund on unused boxes, so that is where they will go - back to the seller. I will probably just go down the street to our local U-Haul, or to Home Depot and pick up some regular size book boxes.
It's back to the packing routine again today. We need a few days of steady packing to get caught up on our schedule. It's not crunch time yet, but we will be approaching it soon...
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Real Progress
It was a very productive day yesterday. It started with a visit from the Drywall Guy who is scheduled to do some repairs to our walls. Remember, we had a gas line installed in the house and that left several areas that needed patching on our walls, and I wasn't going to create the mess to fix them. We are getting all areas repaired on the 18th. We then rescheduled the movers from the 20th to the 27th and will move our reservation at the RV park from the 17th until sometime during the week of the 27th. The problem is that the RV will not be completed by the originally scheduled dates.
Josie went to her doctor and was disappointed with his lack of concern about her viruses and Bells Palsy issues. Both of us have been disappointed in his efforts the last few times we have seen him so we are considering a change in doctors. He obviously has too many patients and doesn't seem to have the same "caring" attitude he has shown in the past.
We made real progress packing some things and will only continue to make good progress now that we have all of the boxes and materials we need.
The day was rounded out with a visit to my barber where I got a long overdue haircut. That provided a break in our packing activities and ended the day with a feeling that we might get everything done in our adjusted time frame...
Josie went to her doctor and was disappointed with his lack of concern about her viruses and Bells Palsy issues. Both of us have been disappointed in his efforts the last few times we have seen him so we are considering a change in doctors. He obviously has too many patients and doesn't seem to have the same "caring" attitude he has shown in the past.
We made real progress packing some things and will only continue to make good progress now that we have all of the boxes and materials we need.
The day was rounded out with a visit to my barber where I got a long overdue haircut. That provided a break in our packing activities and ended the day with a feeling that we might get everything done in our adjusted time frame...
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Slow Going
We had the windows done yesterday - all 18 of them - and now we can see out again. Actually, they weren't that bad. The other activity that took up our day was packing which is going very slow. It will pick up some today though, as we had a delivery of most of what we will need in the way of boxes and supplies yesterday. We complemented that with a package of extra tape that we got from Costco late yesterday afternoon.
Part of today's activities is a visit from the Drywall Guy who is going to come in a plug all the holes on the wall that were made from the gas line project and the TV's that we have hung around the house on the wall. I would do all those myself except I don't want to be bothered with the mess I would make and materials I would need to do the job.
We hope to pick up the pace of packing today - big time...
Part of today's activities is a visit from the Drywall Guy who is going to come in a plug all the holes on the wall that were made from the gas line project and the TV's that we have hung around the house on the wall. I would do all those myself except I don't want to be bothered with the mess I would make and materials I would need to do the job.
We hope to pick up the pace of packing today - big time...
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Schedule Concerns
First of all, a final word on what I thought was a disappointing Super Bowl - the way-overpriced TV ads all stunk! Especially Budweiser ads that lost their dominance in having the best ads each year. Enough on the Super Bowl.
It appears that we may have a slip in our schedule. The parts are not going to arrive at the dealership in time to meet our schedule for this month. That could cause some serious conflicts, namely with out Spring Training schedule. The latest word we have on the parts is that they will arrive next week. We currently have the 17th as our move-in date for the fifth wheel at Pioneer RV in Phoenix. We will not make that date. That, then, pushes back our move out date from the house to at least the 27th which is on top of our start for Spring Training. We will have to play it by ear from here on out. I also have to get the property manager started on evaluating the house and beginning the search for tenants. I was hoping to have the house turned over to the property manager no later than the 1st of March. That looks to be a long shot at this point. For the life of me, I cannot understand why it takes so long to have parts delivered from the RV manufacturer in Indiana to the dealer in Mesa. They must be coming by mule.
Some of the packing material that we ordered arrived yesterday and the rest will arrive today. Beginning today, we will be packing fools as we begin the real job of getting everything separated and packed for storage...
It appears that we may have a slip in our schedule. The parts are not going to arrive at the dealership in time to meet our schedule for this month. That could cause some serious conflicts, namely with out Spring Training schedule. The latest word we have on the parts is that they will arrive next week. We currently have the 17th as our move-in date for the fifth wheel at Pioneer RV in Phoenix. We will not make that date. That, then, pushes back our move out date from the house to at least the 27th which is on top of our start for Spring Training. We will have to play it by ear from here on out. I also have to get the property manager started on evaluating the house and beginning the search for tenants. I was hoping to have the house turned over to the property manager no later than the 1st of March. That looks to be a long shot at this point. For the life of me, I cannot understand why it takes so long to have parts delivered from the RV manufacturer in Indiana to the dealer in Mesa. They must be coming by mule.
Some of the packing material that we ordered arrived yesterday and the rest will arrive today. Beginning today, we will be packing fools as we begin the real job of getting everything separated and packed for storage...
Monday, February 8, 2016
Ho-Hum Super Bowl
It was a typical game on Super Bowl Sunday as far as results - the best defense beat the best offense. I hear good things about the game, but I personally was disappointed. Oh, I'm glad the Broncos won, but, for me, there were too many punts and too many penalties. It was kind of boring watching all the running plays by both teams that only gained a yard or two. It is much more exciting when there are long gainers from rushing and passing plays. It was a good ending to Peyton Manning's career.
The other big event of the day - The Phoenix Open Golf Tournament - had a disappointing outcome. Rickie Fowler had the tournament won before he got sloppy, lost his concentration and let a Japanese golfer - Hideki Matsuyama - win the tournament in sudden death overtime after 4 playoff holes. The tournament was terrific though, and attendance records were set on a beautiful weekend weather wise.
We have to buckle down now and get lots of things done this week as our time is running out to get packed and moved before the end of the month...
The other big event of the day - The Phoenix Open Golf Tournament - had a disappointing outcome. Rickie Fowler had the tournament won before he got sloppy, lost his concentration and let a Japanese golfer - Hideki Matsuyama - win the tournament in sudden death overtime after 4 playoff holes. The tournament was terrific though, and attendance records were set on a beautiful weekend weather wise.
We have to buckle down now and get lots of things done this week as our time is running out to get packed and moved before the end of the month...
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Packing Progress
Our garage is beginning to fill up with boxes that we have already packed and are ready to take to storage. We have divided the garage into sections for different items - one for RV stuff that goes to the fifth wheel and not storage, one for Christmas stuff, and one for all other items for storage. There are more boxes coming tomorrow, so we should hit full stride this week with our packing. There remains a lot to be done.
We took a short drive to another local mall near us where we thought there was a Bed, Bath & Beyond store. We didn't find one there, but we stumbled on one of the many Farmer's Market's that are conducted in this area on the weekends. It was a pretty good size:
Josie isn't quite ready for extended periods in the sun with her eye being so sensitive to the light, so we didn't stay very long. She has a problem closing her right eyelid - and blinking is a problem, so it makes it tough to stay outside for extended periods of time. She is making progress though, and we see real improvement in her facial movements. It will still be awhile though before she can do more normal things.
It's Super Bowl Sunday today, so enjoy the game and all the festivities...
We took a short drive to another local mall near us where we thought there was a Bed, Bath & Beyond store. We didn't find one there, but we stumbled on one of the many Farmer's Market's that are conducted in this area on the weekends. It was a pretty good size:
Josie isn't quite ready for extended periods in the sun with her eye being so sensitive to the light, so we didn't stay very long. She has a problem closing her right eyelid - and blinking is a problem, so it makes it tough to stay outside for extended periods of time. She is making progress though, and we see real improvement in her facial movements. It will still be awhile though before she can do more normal things.
It's Super Bowl Sunday today, so enjoy the game and all the festivities...
Saturday, February 6, 2016
Myriad of Thoughts
Since it is very boring reading mostly the same kind of entries each day, I decided to just do a summary for days when there isn't much happening and publish the entry every several days. Maybe it won't be so boring that way. I will continue to do "more interesting" entries on a daily basis, but only when we can offer some interesting activities.
Wednesday 2/3
It was another day of recovery for Josie who is making slow progress so far from her bout with Bells Palsy. The left side of her mouth and her left eye are still without control and she is doing exercises to improve mobility.
We took a trip to the Surprise Stadium to complete our paperwork for Spring Training and to find a solution to the problem of obtaining our W-2's from last year. Mission accomplished. I only have to figure out how to get my 1099 from UBER and I'll be ready to do taxes.
Thursday 2/4
The word on our projected completion of work on the fifth wheel is still inconclusive. The parts should arrive in plenty of time to get the major work done, but we may have a problem getting the painting done within our timeframe.
We went to Extra Space Storage and completed our sign-up for our space. We have a 10x30 space that looks huge. It is much larger than our old space in Surprise where our space was 10x20. Our new space is also much cheaper than the one we had in Surprise - go figure.
Friday 2/5
I had to take one of my hearing aids to the Audiologist to have the same repair that my second one had just a few weeks ago. For some reason, the tiny plastic "chord" that connects the receiver to the earpiece keeps breaking. I try to be careful each time I take out the hearing aid or place it into my ear, so I don't know what else to do. It should be back before the end of next week.
Two of Josie's co-workers (Carmen and Mimi) stopped by after they finished work last night and visited for over an hour. They really miss Josie at work and want to make sure she is on the road to recovery. We don't think she will be back until April 1 at the shop. We will work the setup at the stadium store for the two weeks prior to the start of the Spring Training season and all of March at the games. She then will return to the shop and work through Mother's Day in May before we head out to Jackson. Time is racing by...
Wednesday 2/3
It was another day of recovery for Josie who is making slow progress so far from her bout with Bells Palsy. The left side of her mouth and her left eye are still without control and she is doing exercises to improve mobility.
We took a trip to the Surprise Stadium to complete our paperwork for Spring Training and to find a solution to the problem of obtaining our W-2's from last year. Mission accomplished. I only have to figure out how to get my 1099 from UBER and I'll be ready to do taxes.
Thursday 2/4
The word on our projected completion of work on the fifth wheel is still inconclusive. The parts should arrive in plenty of time to get the major work done, but we may have a problem getting the painting done within our timeframe.
We went to Extra Space Storage and completed our sign-up for our space. We have a 10x30 space that looks huge. It is much larger than our old space in Surprise where our space was 10x20. Our new space is also much cheaper than the one we had in Surprise - go figure.
Friday 2/5
I had to take one of my hearing aids to the Audiologist to have the same repair that my second one had just a few weeks ago. For some reason, the tiny plastic "chord" that connects the receiver to the earpiece keeps breaking. I try to be careful each time I take out the hearing aid or place it into my ear, so I don't know what else to do. It should be back before the end of next week.
Two of Josie's co-workers (Carmen and Mimi) stopped by after they finished work last night and visited for over an hour. They really miss Josie at work and want to make sure she is on the road to recovery. We don't think she will be back until April 1 at the shop. We will work the setup at the stadium store for the two weeks prior to the start of the Spring Training season and all of March at the games. She then will return to the shop and work through Mother's Day in May before we head out to Jackson. Time is racing by...
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Schedule Concerns
We took a drive to visit our fifth wheel at the dealership yesterday. The service manager wanted to review the work that has to be done - particularly the rear slide adjustments - and to make sure we are in sync with the time frames. That may be a problem as we are hoping for all the work to be completed by February 17 so that we can place the unit in our space at Pioneer RV. I canceled our storage space at Lake Pleasant, so there is no returning there. The issue now is the timeframe for the dealer to receive the parts that he has ordered. Evidently, it is difficult getting body parts for the "blowout" repairs. We will know more today. If necessary, we can move back the time frame to move our goods into storage and to have the house ready to show to renters. The real problem we may run into is the Spring Training schedule which begins on March 1.
Josie is feeling better with all the medications she is taking. The biggest problem is with the distortions on her face that are causing issues with her eye and with her mouth. It will take awhile for those problems to disappear. We aren't sure how her work schedule will be impacted but the important thing is to get her back to normal as soon as possible. Missing work so close to Valentine's Day is tough, but she had no choice in the matter.
Today, we have to make a trip to the stadium where we will be working Spring Training. There is some paperwork that needs to be completed, and today is the day. After this appointment, we have one training session to take before the start of the season. In a lot of ways, we are looking forward to the change in our daily routine...
Josie is feeling better with all the medications she is taking. The biggest problem is with the distortions on her face that are causing issues with her eye and with her mouth. It will take awhile for those problems to disappear. We aren't sure how her work schedule will be impacted but the important thing is to get her back to normal as soon as possible. Missing work so close to Valentine's Day is tough, but she had no choice in the matter.
Today, we have to make a trip to the stadium where we will be working Spring Training. There is some paperwork that needs to be completed, and today is the day. After this appointment, we have one training session to take before the start of the season. In a lot of ways, we are looking forward to the change in our daily routine...
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Josie Released
Josie was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon and after stopping at the Pharmacy to get a few prescriptions filled, made it home by 5 PM. We are still trying to figure out how she contracted the infections that caused the problems she has had. They could have been contracted anywhere we went during the time before and just after arriving in Seattle - the airport, the plane, a restaurant, the hotel - who knows. Wherever she got it, it spread rapidly. Of course, her resistance to any infections would have been low with her stress level and diet being at an unhealthy level leading up to the trip. She has lots of medication to take and I'm sure she will be back to normal soon.
There is so much work that needs to be done to get back on our schedule of getting the house ready to rent. The fact that Josie will not be working - at least the rest of this week - will give us a chance to catch up...
There is so much work that needs to be done to get back on our schedule of getting the house ready to rent. The fact that Josie will not be working - at least the rest of this week - will give us a chance to catch up...
Monday, February 1, 2016
Another Hospital Visit
There was obviously a lot of stress associated with our activities over the last week. Josie had taken Tracy's loss very hard as you can imagine. Evidently, there has been some fallout from all the stress as she has been bothered by unusual pain and discomfort in areas she has never experienced before. She has an infection in her mouth that a visit to the Urgent Care on Thursday night had diagnosed as a case of Thrush. We filled a prescription to treat that. Yesterday, she awoke with a sign that she had possibly suffered a minor stroke as she had no control of movement on the left side of her face.
I immediately took her to the Banner-Boswell hospital emergency room and she has been diagnosed with Bells Palsy and possibly the early stages of Shingles. She was treated all day for those conditions and remained overnight for further observation:
The month of January was not very kind to us and we hope the rest of the year contains better news. You never know what life has in store for you so we all need to be prepared for all the bad news along with the good news. It has to be time now for some good news...
I immediately took her to the Banner-Boswell hospital emergency room and she has been diagnosed with Bells Palsy and possibly the early stages of Shingles. She was treated all day for those conditions and remained overnight for further observation:
The month of January was not very kind to us and we hope the rest of the year contains better news. You never know what life has in store for you so we all need to be prepared for all the bad news along with the good news. It has to be time now for some good news...
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