Off to a slow start...

First off, let me say hello to everyone who may be reading this. I've added about 10 people to an email list who receive a notice when I post a new blog entry. The list is limited to 10, so if you know anyone who would like to be notified of new postings, please pass it along.

So... I had originally imagined that I would have all my stuff packed in the 5x8 uhaul trailer and ready to tow by the time my father arrived at Fort Lauderdale airport on Monday night. Yes, this past monday, the 22nd. Believe it or not, I was actually concerned about getting through the airport to pick up my dad with the trailer in tow. Ha. I had no idea.

Long story short, I was not ready by Monday. I was not ready by tuesday. On wednesday, with the trailer not yet full, having already shipped 32 boxes, I realized that my wonderful Mazda 3 was simply incabable of towing even this small trailer 3500 miles to Seattle. Actually, it could barely reach 60 mph on a flat highway in Florida. So I frantically considered options. My first thought was to rent an SUV to tow the trailer and ship my car. Every single car rental company forbid me to tow anything with one of their vehicles. I looked into a number of other options too, but rather than bore you with the details, I'll skip it and tell you I traded in my lovable Mazda 3 for a new Chevy Silverado pickup capable of towing almost 11000 pounds. Beleive it or not, this was actually the most cost effective option... and it was mom's idea!

So... Fastforward to Thursday night... I'm packing the last of the trailer with the laughable beleif that I would have no problem fitting what was left of my belongings into the truck bed with the dog enjoying a roomy backseat in the cab with me. I say it was a laughable beleif because, even with the truck packed to the ceiling and the bed requiring considerable finese to close the rolling top, I still had to ship another 13 boxes and leave a bunch of other crap behind. By the time 11:00 PM rolled around, I was still figuring out what I was taking and leaving, cramming loose socks and sheets and pillows into every available crevice. At this point, my dad and I were just so tired of getting ready to leave that I started thinking like someone trying to escape from a burning building... what would you take?

Anway, we finally pulled away at 11:45 and called mom in Colorado to let her know we were on the road. 25 minutes later, I realized I had left an envelope of cash (a LOT of cash!) on the kitchen counter! I cursed and turned around.

It's now 4:35 AM, Friday the 26th, 5 days after I had imagined leaving and I'm blogging from my La Quinta hotel room and reflecting on a fairly important lesson learned from just the begining of this experience...

Never underestimate the amount of crap a man can aquire when provided with the space to store it. After first getting rid of nearly every piece of furniture I own, half of my clothes, old computer equipment, seldom used photography equipment, and shipping a grand total of 45 boxes, I still had more than I could fit into a huge extended cab pickup truck towing a 5x8 trailer. I think I'll begin concentrating on keeping less. Otherwise, I don't think I could ever move again.