Movin' and groovin'
We survived the move. It went well overall, but there were some key hiccups.
It took some effort to load the truck on Friday, and we gave away some small pieces of furniture to folks who were helping so we'd have enough room. Once loaded, we got on the road and made it to our first stop without issue. We stayed outside Beckley, WV, so my dad could see Tamarack on Saturday before we continued. That went well, and we had a nice leisurely morning before heading out around noon.
We cruised through WV smoothly and made it through part of Ohio when Dad felt something funny with the truck and decided to pull over. Good thing he did: the sidewall of the front driver's side tire was shredded. The tire was still holding air, so he had pulled over before the rim got damaged. Nevertheless, it was leaking air fast and we called Budget.
Thankfully, they made us buy the "optional" insurance because of the size of the truck. The insurance included roadside assistance.
It took about three hours (two or so for the Goodyear guy to arrive, and a bit for him to change the tire), but we were able to get back on the road without any towing or unloading/reloading. However, that meant we wouldn't get to our next reserved hotel until after midnight.
We got to our hotel in Merrillville, IN, to find they'd given away our rooms. We also found that no hotels in a 25-mile radius had any available rooms. In desperation, we decided to take a nap in a Walmart parking lot and try to keep driving.
We were able to doze for an hour or so, get some breakfast at a 24-hour White Castle, and keep truckin'. We then kept pushing through, stopping frequently to take little power naps, until we arrived to our new house a little after noon.
We were greeted by several people from a local church who had heard through one of Sarah's coworkers that we'd need help unloading, and they made quick work of getting everything off the truck and into the garage and house. Sarah and I went to bed very early and slept for at least twelve hours.
Monday, a lady from the same church came by and handed me $50. She wasn't able to help unload the truck, but she wanted to help somehow. Thank God for Barron Foursquare Church.
It's been a week since we arrived and we still have piles of boxes to deal with, but it's good to be in Wisconsin.
"The LORD said to Jacob, 'Return to the land of your fathers, and to your relatives, and I will be with you.'"
Genesis 31:3, WMB
Tags: meet-the-mayhaks