Hillsboro, at last!

I've been trying to find a way to fix the first part of this blog so someone who is new to it can just start reading at the bottom and work their way up. I'll figure it out but I don't really have the time to waste on it right now.

Again with the tips. I'm telling you ... I'm going to start charging! I should start a consulting business. "Sharon's Screwups -- let me screw up, so you don't have to!"

Tip #1 - when moving any distance, be sure to bring along a roll of toilet paper. If you're flying, pack it in your suitcase. If driving, throw it in the car. You may not have time to dig through boxes and if your boxes are on a moving van, who knows when you'll get it! Sure, you can run to the store .. but do you have time for that?? 'Nuf said.

Tip #2 - if your Magellan freezes up on you, turn it off. Push the ON button and hold it for 10 seconds. Not until it turns on -- for 10 full seconds. Count them. One, one thousand. Two, one thousand, etc. It will come on and turn off again. It's supposed to. You are just rebooting it. It's fine.

I woke up really early on Sunday, and promptly went back to sleep. Well, not PROMPTLY. I was hoping to get on the road by 5:00 or 5:30, but since I woke up at 5:00 that was pretty much thrown out the window. I did manage to get the rest of my stuff in the car (those last minute items that you can't pack until you walk out the door) and start the engine about 6:15, give or take. I put an audio book in the tape player (Eragon) and headed out. I was using the Magellan even though it was pretty much a straight shot up I-5. So when she said to take the exit for I-505 I was a little nervous! It was way before the turnoff for Davis and I knew I wasn't near I-5 yet ... but being the brave soul that I am, I took the exit.

My heart is skipping a little beat because there is NOTHING on this stretch of highway. Just a lot of farmland. I have no idea how long this will last. Praying I won't need gas before I see a gas station. Wonderiing if I should have invested in a Thomas Guide. Darn Magellan! What does she know? She doesn't live here! Turns out she knows more than I do. It hooks up with I-5 and I avoided that long drive across 80 to Sacramento. Whew.

The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. I stopped for gas twice in California, my strategy being to fill the tank when it reached the 1/2 level. Not taking any chances. I hit a couple of rest stops on the way to get out and stretch my legs and give my eyes a break from asphalt and car bumpers. Hit a McDonalds on my first gas stop and got a breakfast biscuit. Other than that, I ate snack size raisins the rest of the way. Oh, and a single serving bag of Lays Baked potato chips.

When I hit Creswell, OR I stopped to visit with Cal's two brothers and a sister-in-law. It has been several years since we've seen one another so it was nice to spend a little time together even though it wasn't very long. When I was leaviing Larry and Sandy's (you know how you always refer to the married in-laws as "John and Mary" never just "John" or "Mary") I turned on the Magellan and it wouldn't come on. At all. Everything was plugged in, but it had been sitting in the hot car, so I was assuming she was suffering from heat exhaustion. After a minute or so it came on (whew!) and I headed out.

Yes, I was tired. I also had no makeup on and I finger-combed my hair in the morning so I wasn't looking my best. When I left, those brats called Cal to say that I looked really tired. So of course, he called me right away to see if I was alright. That rest stop did a world of good though.

I also had regular calls from Tami/Heather. They were just checking on my progress. Making sure I was okay. At one point they called to say they were at the apartment waiting for me to help me unload! How sweet is that!

At my last gas stop, Magellan gave up the ghost. She wouldn't display the map any more. When I started the car, it went to the User Settings screen and I couldn't get past it. Couldn't back up and could only go forward one more screen. SHOOT! When I left the station to get back on the freeway, she was still talking to me but I didn't know if she'd keep that up. Just outside of Salem, Tami called again and I told her I had no idea where I'm going because Magellan wouldn't show me the map. She told me to take the 217 exit and call her, and they'd talk me through it. As I came up to the 217 exit, Magellan told me to take that exit! She was still talking to me!! YAY

She got me all the way to the apartment and Tami, Heather and Tami's daughter, Heaven helped me unload the car. They actually did 99.9% of it. (I must have looked REALLY tired) We walked across the street to the mall and I had dinner at Rosie's while they had dessert (they'd already eaten dinner an hour earlier while they were waiting for me). I don't know whose dumb idea it was to walk! We wound up taking the long way around because none of us knew for sure where the restaurant was in relation to my apartment. I thought I could use the exercise but I was more tired than I realized. It was fun though, and I so appreciated them showing up like that. I'd have been up until midnight moving things into the house.

Just so you know, there are 30 steps up to the 3rd floor. Eight steps up from the ground floor, then a landing and 6 more steps to the 2nd floor. Turn the corner and eight steps to the next landing and 8 more to the 3rd floor.

I know I'm a day behind, and tomorrow is the first day on the job, but I'll try to get caught up. There wasn't as much happening today but still have things to share.

Sleep tight, until next time!