Wagon Train East Episode #1

Thursday: Allied Movers showed up at 8:30 am...
a job well done. Nice crew, moved quick, and were very careful with all furnishings. We spent the night with my Aunt. Left Charlie dog and the cats in the empty house. Outdoor Kitty "Friday" took off when the movers came.
Friday: paperwork, signings, carpet cleaners, all loose ends tied up, a birthday party for my cousins son, and ice cream parties at the kids' schools for 'going away' parties, a comedy club act in Seattle as part of hubby bday gift (purchased long before knowing we'd be moving so soon!) . Stayed the night with my Aunt again. A busy exhausting and uncomfortable day. I'll post more about that some other time. Just know that my little Bear could sure use some good thoughts.
Saturday: Eastward Bound
Up and out of the house by 8:45 without a single tear or sad feeling. Over to our old empty house to round up the dog and the 3 cats. Charlie dog was happy to see us and was excited to bring his new stuffed ducky into the truck. Pixie and Bandit had been locked up in a bathroom and were easily shooed into their crates to be carried out to the van. Our outdoor kitty Friday could not be found. We waited and waited, we called and called, we set out food and shook little treats around. Then we waited some more. And waited. Oh Friday! Where is my kitty? Nowhere. He must have been scared off by the movers and by remembering our previous moves. We couldn't wait any longer. I had to leave my kitty behind! I feel so terrible, so guilty, so ashamed. But there was nothing else to be done. We were almost 2 hours behind schedule and Friday was not likely to be showing up. We wish our little friend well. He is an accomplished hunter and outdoorsman, often dissapearing for days at a time - we send little blessings and prayers for his safety. My heart is so sad.

Our caravan is such: Dad and Buddy in the Tribute with Charlie Dog. Me, Chick, Bear, and both cats in the van. Today we traveled 363 miles. That is about 90 less than we planned. We made a stop at Snoqualmie Falls off of I90 and hiked down to the bottom of the falls and then back up. Gorgeous! Such a pretty side trip and the kids got plenty of exersize... so did hubby and I! The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully. We love our walkie-talkies and little Bear likes calling her daddy on it to say hi. Sometimes we call Charlie dog and it is so funny to see his head perk up and look around when he hears our voices over the little handheld walkie-talkie! Chick spent most of her time typing up a story on the laptop, and Bear got to watch some Tom and Jerry on the portable DVD. Buddy was busy learning his new Gameboy game: Lego Star Wars. Charlie dog settled in very nicely and only got whiny when we stopped and he didn't know what to expect. Guess we won't be using those doggie downers we bought! The cats came out of their crates. Pixie was curious and even sat up on the dashboard for awhile. Bandit came out from under the seat to sit on Bears lap a couple of times, but preferred to lay flat and still under her seat with just his tail flicking out. It's going so much better than I had worried about!

Sunday we hope to travel closer to 500 miles and hit either Big Timber or Billings MT. I have some books on CD as does hubby. It'll be a long day, but we have some time to make up for. We think we'll try for a handful of small stops instead of a longish lunch.

Keep us in your thoughts...