My daughter calls it The Big Move. I suppose that is the best name for it. We loaded up a trailer with everything we had bought for her new apartment and headed out on our next big adventure. You know the feeling when everything is going so smoothly that you know something must be wrong? I never had that feeling. We all rejoiced over the awesome time we were making. There were no traffic jams, no delays, no detours.....until we got two hours away from our destination.
I was driving behind my husband who was pulling the trailer and my daughter and her boyfriend were behind me. Suddenly, the front of my husband's Big White Truck began bouncing like a basketball. As we all tried to pull between the construction barrels on the side of the road, the reduced speed stopped the problem so we kept going. Then it happened again. The front of the big white truck - bouncing like a ball. So, I did what any loving wife would do. I called my husband to find out what was happening. It's hilarious to think about now. I didn't take into consideration that he was using all his strength to try to control that monster truck. I wanted to know what was going on!
So, off the interstate we went. Finally finding a parking lot empty enough for all three of us to fit into, we stopped to figure our situation out. Without doubt, this truck wasn't going further. We must have been a sight! Four people with smart phones surfing the internet to find the nearest Dodge dealership. Realizing this was going to take awhile, we sent "the kids" on to get our lodging for the night and began our search for help.
Friends, let me tell you now that it is just fine for you to laugh out loud as you read. This story deserves a good laugh!
All the roads were one-way, so we went around the block to turn around to go do the dealership. Connally turned out onto the main road, and I got caught by the red light. Looking to my right I saw the U-Haul store. I called and asked if he didn't think we should go ahead and rent a truck to pull our trailer on to our destination. When I heard my husband say, "Go in and do whatever you have to do," I knew he was at a peak frustration level. As I made the arrangements he called to tell me he had a flat tire on the trailer and would be changing it and coming soon.
Since I had the dog with me I was outside trying to entertain and keep her cool when I heard it. Ca-thunk. Ca-thunk. Ca-thunk. I knew what it was -my husband pulling a trailer with a flat tire. Sure enough! The lug nuts were stripped and he couldn't remove them without breaking them. After an hour laying in the parking lot of U-Haul, he finally got the tire changed. We hooked our borrowed trailer to the 10-foot empty U-Haul box truck we had to rent because it was the only thing they had to pull a 12-foot trailer and pulled it out of the way. Then we set off to find that dealership.
We got there fifteen minutes before closing. They assured us they would TRY to look at the truck the next day. OK. What else could we do? We went to find somewhere to eat (McDonald's) and then to finish our journey. I didn't say it, but my husband said I could...I told you. I told you we should rent a U-Haul and pull my car behind to travel home in. I didn't say it, but I thought it! Anyway, as if we haven't had enough happen already, it started to rain when we finally got back on the interstate. Does anyone else think this sounds like a country song?!
Two hours later - four hours since pulling off the interstate and sixteen hours since leaving home, we finally arrived to find a sign in the guest house that said - "This is a smoke-free, pet-free suite." Well, the smoke-free was easy enough, but what were we going to do with the dog? I'll let you figure that out yourself.
The next morning we began unloading all the stuff we had brought to make this new place a comfortable home for our little girl. After we unloaded the trailer we filled it back up with boxes and trash because we had already overfilled the dumpster. A couple of days later, in an attempt to sort what needed to go in the trash with what had to go inside, two of us (we won't point fingers, but they were the younger two) managed to break the tail lights on the trailer. So now that had to be repaired before we could go home.
At this point, you should know that the U-Haul was over $200. The truck repairs were over $800. I have no idea how much the trailer lights cost. Plus, we had the brakes replaced on the truck and purchased three new tires for our friend's trailer before we left home. It was an expensive journey.
It wasn't all bad. We had a fun week of moving and unloading and unpacking. We laughed and talked, worked and collapsed together. We treasured every minute because we knew a great distance would separate our family for the first time ever and for a long time between visits once Conally and I headed home.
Remember how in Part 1 of this saga my husband couldn't walk? Guess what! Yes, this trip caused the same problem, so he limped and ached the entire week, but he made it. We got home without any trouble, though, and our beautiful daughter began a new chapter in her life's journey.
I should have known when we bought that paint. The paint she wanted for her new bedroom was named Adventure. Was it an omen of things to come? I don't think so. I think it was just a fun way for us to always remember to always say, no matter what drops into our day...Hey! What's life without a little adventure?
Love it Mom!
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