Another Flippin' Flight

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

4:15 and I'm awake again. This has got to stop.

Carol and I were very busy yesterday, but we accomplished a lot. We drove by Service Point to get an idea of where it is and it's only 3.5 miles from the townhouse. It's really strange but the miles here seem so much longer! I'm sure it's just that phenomenon of unfamiliarity but when we're using the Magellan and she says you're going to turn in .5 mi -- it takes forever to get there!

Then we just drove around and Hillsboro seems to be bigger than either of us thought. Population of 88,000. Their central downtown area has one-way streets so we'll avoid that whenever possible. :0 ) She'd heard that Winco is a good grocery store so we used the Magellan to find one and we took a mini-tour. It's like a Pak-n-Save. Warehouse shelving; lots of selection; huge; and you bag your own groceries. While we were in Winco, the Palladia called and we've been approved for the apartment (townhouse). We need to get proof of renters insurance and an account number with PGE (it's not P G & E, silly. It's Portland GENERAL Electric and has nothing to do with gas).

We left Winco, deciding to find an insurance agent and get that taken care of. As we're driving around, Carol suddenly pulls into a driveway -- she'd spotted a Farmers Insurance sign. We walked in and Walt has been blessed to become our agent! He said it would take him awhile to complete all the paperwork but he could give us evidence of insurance and we could come back later to pay, etc.

Went back to our room and I called PGE to set up the account with them. Took about 1/2 an hour, but the guy I talked to was really nice. He even recommended Stouffers stuffed peppers as a decent frozen dinner!

Armed with the necessary information we went back to the Palladia and signed the papers that make us official residents. I'll pick up the key(s) when I drive up on Sunday, but we did think about it later that I may not get there until after they close. We're going to go by there to day and see what arrangements we can make. We get 3 door keys, 2 mailbox keys and one amenities key (for the fitness room and pool). This is when they tell us that NO utilities are included in the rent ... we'll get a bill from the gas and water companies and we pay the apartment complex. I can tell you right now that I'm not putting in phone service! I'm keeping my 925 785-3262 cell phone number, and work will have my business cell number to call. Our new address is 2602 NW Palazza Way, Hillsboro OR 97124. I was pronouncing it "Palatza" but was politely told that 'here' we say "Palaza". Sort of like Plaza with an extra a thrown in for good measure.

After all that was done we had to go back to Walt's office to complete the insurance. Carol arranged to have her car insurance transferred here and we bought and paid for a renters insurance policy. Only $160 a year for $500,000 lliability. We're all good. It all seems a bit overwhelming, but when you split everythiing 3 ways, it's not so bad.

After all that running around we headed back to our rooms to freshen up and then we went to Heather and Tami's for a delicious lasagna dinner! They have a really cute house in a nice area and seem to be settling in. Heather says HI to everyone. We're already making plans for some sightseeing trips. I can't commit to anything yet because I don't know what my work schedule will be like, but I'm game! Tami even printed out my boarding pass for my flight today, AND gave me a doggie bag to take back to the room. Lunch!

Well, time for me to start packing AGAIN. Carol wants to run by DMV this morning and we need to run by the leasing office to see what we can do about the key pickup. I'll be home for the rest of the week so you won't get another email until I arrive in Portland. Actually, not even then, because I won't have internet access right away. Hmmm...maybe we should set that up today before I leave!

Alrighty then. Don't plan to hear from me until next Tuesday (the day I start work). If it's sooner, you'll just be surprised.

Toodles!!