Wednesday

Last night was our last night in this house. Dan and I finally got a good night's sleep. Dan up at 5, me 6, we feel ready to tackle the last bits of the move. Even though I think my mind is free of crazy worry, I had a mild asthma/panic attack. I did some breath work (2 counts of an easy, full breath in expanding my belly and 4 counts of an easy exhale forcing all the air out with my belly, repeated until relief comes) and felt back to normal. There is no food or plates in the house so the plan is to work until 9, when Las Delicias opens, and have a last smothered breakfast burrito. Today's agenda is to get all the donation stuff to the curb for pick up, pack up the last remaining boxes, get those in the garage and pack the clothes and toiletries. Interspersed will be laundry, my final dentist appointment, Susan coming to get her final things and a guy from Craig's List is coming to get the bed. We will head over to mom and dad's to stay until we leave. Today is dads 80th birthday so mom is making a nice meal.

Sue, Irvin, Savannah, Jeremiah, Josiah, and Jonathan came by to get the rest of their things. Susan's eyes are red from crying, she breaks down three times while she is there. Once, when I give her the coconut wind chime we got in Kauai, and told her to think of us when the wind made it sing and again when I gave her a plate Dan had made in first grade. Irvin enfolds her in his strong, loving arms as she cries into his chest. Susan and Irvin are meeting us tomorrow to help load the truck, as they say goodbye Savannah realizes that she won't be coming. It's their wedding anniversary tomorrow and they're going to spend the day together. Savannah had this crushed look on her face so I go over and gave her a hug. She started crying and, with tears in my eyes and a shakey voice I tell her a story. She was about 3 months old and we were at their house, I was holding Savannah and looking into her big blue eyes. She was looking right back into mine. We held each others gaze for about a minute. During that time I felt this powerful surge of love and joy infuse every bit of my being. I have never felt anything so powerful before in my life. After that, she just loved me with all her heart. She would always be by me when we'd visit and ask after me when we were not around. She smiles and asks me if I remember that time we made a cake, her eyes still a little damp. As they drive off, Dan say that was the saddest part so far.

With Susan and mattress guy gone we go to Las Delicias for breakfast only to learn that they don't open until 11. Crikey! Since we were running late, Dan takes me to the dentist and we have Einsteins on the way. Wolfing down green chili bagles with jalapeño (me) and sun dried tomato (Dan) cream cheese and sipping on a Starbucks coffee, we go over our plans for the rest of the day. We need to get a pin for the trailer hitch, water bottles for the dog crates, the rest of the chantix prescription and back home to pack up the remaining things and get the boxes in the garage before heading over to mom and dads. Sitting in the parking lot of the dentist's office, we have a moment of respite. Inside, Dr. Chapman says my implant looks great. OK, off to run the errands. Standing in line at the pharmacy Dan cracks a genuine smile. It's good to see him smile, he's doing such a great job, dilligently attending to the details, but it's really stressing him out. Fortified with coffee and cigarettes, we trundle on, we are exhausted, one foot in front of the other, one step at a time. Mentally fuzzy and barely able to hold ourselves upright, we mozy on home to finish the packing.

Four hours later (2 hours longer than we thought it would take) we are done for the day. Everything that is left is in 1 room, about 4 boxes worth. I can get those packed while Dan, Susan and Irvin load the truck and Betty cleans the house.

Bedraggled, we arrive at mom and dads. We are dirty and smelly. A quick shower is in order. Did I pack my sweats in the suitcase, the boxes for Brian or the boxes that are being shipped? I guess I'll find out soon enough!

Walking into moms home it's warm, smells good, and, as always immaculately clean. We put our things away, wash up and head upstairs to see what's cookin. The table is decked out for dad (who is still at work) her fine china, wine glasses and champagne glasses stand ready. Simmering on the stove is her meat sauce: 1/4" cubed steak slow cooked in tomatoes to be tossed with penne pasta, covered with mozzarella cheese and baked until golden brown and bubbly. We have a beer, some prosciutto and olives and catch up.

Mom's Spanish Style Macaroni and Cheese

Mom's Rum Cake

Dad came home so we go upstairs to eat. Tonight is hard. They are brave, courageously holding back tears. Are they afraid I will get mad if they cry? I hope not. Their cover is broken when a life long buddy, Marta calls. She wants to celebrate dads birthday Friday, he says he won't be in the mood for celebrating. He tries to get her to come with us tomorrow night, unsuccessful, he passes the phone to Dan where he lays on the guilt. "we'd like to see you before we go". She already has plans. Dan passes the phone to me. I try, unabated, I say I'll forgive her if she promises to make my folks happy. She says they'll take care of each other, encouraging me to "go, live your life". We cry and I pass the phone to mom, she's upset too but recovers and they make plans for Saturday. I'm truly grateful for my parents, the life they have given me, the experiences they have shown me, the love they have folded Dan and I in.

Tuesday

Again, Dan had a rough night. He got out of bed at 2am because Lucy was snoring up a storm so he went downstairs to sleep on the lazy boy. I fell right back to sleep and woke at 6am. Not wanting to wake Dan, I stayed in bed and read until 7, I figured we needed to get going. I tried to be quiet but Baxter came roaring down the stairs and woke him. He said he needed to get up anyway. He now has a rib out from sleeping on the lazy boy. Another soy crumble and egg white breakfast wrap later and we packed the stuff Brian will be sending us next week (so we have staples upon our arrival). We took the dogs to the groomers and headed to the bank. We needed to close our account and wire transfer the money to our account in Hawaii. The bank folks we a little envious but really excited for us and sent us off with well wishes. With our money situation squared away we went to Starz to meet Brian and Tiffany. They are such fantastic people and, as a couple, I think they have found their soul mates, but, that's my opinion! I wish them as much happiness as Dan and I have had, more if that's possible. At home, we ate our last Chipotle meal, listening to the CD Karen gave us. Henry Kapono and his album "The Wild Hawaiian", is fan-freaking-tastic! This guy rocks, like a Hawaiian Widespread Panic with some Santana splashed in. Dan's sister Susan came by with Savannah and loaded their mini van up, they are going to come back tomorrow for the rest. Dan made some quick phone calls dealing with changing our address for our 401k's and credit card, then took off to the the vet so the dogs can get the flea and tick stuff applied and Dan can get their health certificate and some doggie downers for the trip. Meanwhile, I waited for Deb and Travis to come by and packed the dishes for our neighbor. Deb and Travis happily took all the food stuffs, the vacuum for Josh and the Blue Ray player for Wes. Dan got back from the vet, $517.00 less,  just in time to say goodbye and we headed over to our neighbors Jed and Stacey. We had a great meal at Texas Roadhouse and said our goodbyes.

To y friends and family reading this, sorry the posts are lack luster, I promise they'll get better once we are in Hawaii!

A Letter from Bernie

This just makes me feel so good! Bernie's husband builds computers and donates them to people who can't afford them. We really are leaving some great people!

Berni Collopy Holmes January 11 at 9:24pm

Marta...uh...I don't have an email for Dan, so please pass this along to him too. My husband is in utter shock. I may not see him for days. Weeks even. The happiest man on the planet says thank you, followed by a heartfelt "I'm not worthy"... All of this stuff will not only keep him busy and happy, but will ultimately make several more people very happy as well. After the initial kid in a candy store reaction, he seems to have calmed down somewhat and plans to take his time savoring all the new toys. To say thank you just doesn't seem good enough, but THANK YOU!! And yes, he has already plugged in the monitor and cracked open the tower. Geek.

Seriously, this is so cool, but are you sure you wanted to get rid of ALL this stuff? It's not too late to change your mind on the way cool laptop bag, and there's also a cool little wooden ring box that possibly has some sentimental value, and a 1966 100 peso coin of some sort. And film. Some shot, some not. Please at least send me your new address and I will get it developed and send it to you WITHOUT looking at it (promise). I think I have your new address, but in case you haven't noticed, I lose stuff.

Let me know how much you want for the white pantry thing and I'll come pick it up tomorrow sometime, if you're inclined to sell it. I know you were going to get write-off money for it by donating it, so I'll definitely pay you. Unless you'd rather just donate it, and that's fine too. I understand at this point you probably just want it done and over with, and I don't blame you one bit!

Gimme a holler when you can. If I don't see you again before you leave, I wish you safe journey and many happy adventures!

More Packing

Dan got up at 4:15 this morning and feels pretty good. A cramp in his leg woke him up and he thinks it's because he had to sleep in a weird position because little Lucy was owning some precious space on the bed. I got up at 6, feeling really rested. After a soy crumble and egg white wrap for breakfast we got to work. Dan's big project for the day was the garage. I started on the kitchen emptying out everything I wanted to pack from the cabinets and pantry. I left everything I'm not taking for Deb and her son Travis to go through. Dyanne pretty much cleaned out the freezer in the garage, so I guess now all that's left is to do is clean it. Sigh. We sat down to a tuna fish sandwich for lunch and took a nap until Deb came over. With her help I was able to get the kitchen stuff packed. Bernie came by to get an end table and loads of miscellaneous computer stuff for her husband. We went to Granelli's for a last taste of our favorite pizza accompanied by our favorite red wine Layer Cake. Of course, I fell asleep during the movie and again went straight up to bed.

Packing

Ahhhhh, sleep. We woke at 7am, what a relief! Still not feeling completely refreshed, as a good night's sleep aught to make you feel, we dragged ourselves out of bed to ready our selves for another day,  a full day of packing. After a breakfast of cream of wheat, Dyanne came over to help me. She made herself a little workstation and I brought her stuff to pack. It was a really efficient system and we were able to get everything done but the kitchen. Dan cleaned out the basement and now we have several piles;  taking, donating, friends and family and we have a big ol' trash pile for the guys tomorrow! We sat down to a lunch that I dubbed "crabs on black sand with white foam". It was the leftover crab from Greg's house mixed in a white gravy over black rice. I served it with a Colorado red that Missy gave us at the going away party. A lady from craig's list came over to buy my body bugg and left with a lot of other stuff and our realtor came by for the lock box, leaving me with a sarong and Dan with a Hawaiian CD. After everyone left Dan and I hauled out the furniture that is being donated and put it in the garage. Our plans with Tiffany and Brian were cancelled so we got to stay home and relax. Halfway through the movie "Rare Birds" I fell asleep, Dan woke me when it was over, I was in such a deep sleep I went straight to bed!

As Good As It Gets

Dan's eyes popped open at 2:50am, he lay in bed until 3:50 before getting up. I joined him at 4:30.  I had a lot of cooking to do before Jonathan came over to get the bed. I had to ice the cake, roll out the tart dough and fill it with thinly sliced cinnamon and sugar laced apples before popping it into the oven. I needed to make the spicy sausage dip, scalloped potatoes (more thinly sliced things), coleslaw and package up the sangria. In order to make the birthday cake more elegant I wanted to slice the 2 cakes in half so there would be 4 layers. I sliced the first cake in half and found the center raw. In a mild panic, I thought I could use a large biscuit cutter to cut out the center, it kinda worked. The second cake was really raw. I sent Dan to the store to get what I needed to make the cake again while I tried to roll out the tart dough. Resting in the refrigerator over night, it hadn't come together, it was way to dry. I remade the dough and left it to rest for an hour while I remade the cake. Lesson? I can't cook worth a darn on 4 hours of sleep! With the cake cooling and the tart in the oven I made the coleslaw while Dan made the dip.

Jonathan came over and I finished things up while he and Dan loaded the bed and brought the desk and cedar chest down for easier removal later. We sat around for an hour or so and caught up, he making us laugh with his tales of woe in the women department. I am really going to miss him, he is so forthright, funny, honest and kind, a really great person to be around. Now we were running late. Dan washed and peeled the potatoes while I got the sauce ready, I sliced them on my handy mandolin, put the whole concotion in the oven and went to take a shower while Dan loaded everything in the jeep.

We stopped at Starbucks, tired from not getting a chance to nap, and arrived at Greg and Barb's at 3:15, only 15 minutes late. Stepping into chaos and loud voices, I hurriedly set out the dip, bread and sangria so we could snack and got the potatoes warming in the oven and the coleslaw in the fridge. Barb's parents were there and we all struggled to hear each other  as the kids ran around happy to have the whole family there. A soccer mom dropped Gracie off from her game and her and Dan talked about Kauai while I went over the details of the next few days with mom and dad. Greg went all out on the protein; mussels, salmon, halibut, crab legs and steak. As we sat down to celebrate mom and dad's 80th birthday (his January 13th, hers February 13th) the neighbors joined us. It was a fantastic dinner, happiness and camaraderie in abundance. The birthday cake and tart were brought out as we all sang happy birthday and mom and dad blew out the candles.

Joyfully eating sweets, we talked about our move. The neighbors were really supportive and got the whole reason why we were moving. I was glad mom and dad were there to hear it because that is the normal response we get. When dad tells his friends, he gets the opposite. We were the last to leave, at around 7, when Gracie jumped into our arms and said she was going to miss us. We said our final goodbyes and headed home, happy that it worked out so well.

To bed at 9 and fast asleep.

It's Complicated

The sugar from the margaritas is running through my veins, making my heart beat fast and setting my mind in a tail spin. It's still dark, I look at the clock and it's bright face reads 3am. Dan is sound asleep. Ugh, I lay back down, try to go back to sleep. At 3:30, I throw in the towel. I have a lot to do today, may as well get started. I go downstairs and put on my cool new bluetooth headphones and fire up Itunes. I need something soothing so I pick Andrea Bocelli. As I'm importing the pictures from last night, Dan joins me, I woke him up. Fueled by kashi's 7 grain pilaf and running on 4 hours of sleep I make the Hummingbird Cake I made for co workers on their birthday. It went over well then, so I decide it will be a good one for mom and dad's 80th birthday party tomorrow. As I pour the pecans into the rich, fruit laden dough,  I remember mom has developed an allergy to nuts. I don't know what kind of nuts so I decide to make her a free form apple tart, she doesn't like sweets anyway, but loves her an apple tart. I also make some sangria for tomorrow. Dan is taking 13 boxes of books to a buyer, depositing checks, getting large packing boxes and getting an air line crate for Lucy today. Deb is coming to pick me up (since we now only have 1 car) and I'm taking her to lunch at India's Kitchen and then to see It's Complicated (click on header to see trailer). I was glad for her company and the respite from the details of the move. We only have 4 days until we leave our home, staying the last 2 days at my folks house. In that time we still have to finish packing and donating, Jonathan is picking up the full size bed, Gail is picking up outdoor clothing, Susan and the kids are getting the lazy boy, surround sound, and other miscellany items. They are bringing two friends, young girls who got their first apartment, so I'm sure they'll take a lot. We have to go to my folks birthday party, get packing boxes for the bikes and some kind of container for the large, framed pictures of our life experiences. I still have to call the insurance company, change over my address for the magazine subscriptions, we have to go to the post office to change our address. Bernie is coming over to get an end table and some computer stuff. We need to schedule the donation pick up, activate our Bank of Hawaii account, transfer the money to it and close our current account, drop off boxes of essentials for Brian to ship to us on the 20th, order an air mattress for delivery to our new home, reserve a rental car in Kauai, get the dogs groomed and take them to the vet for the final Hawaiian requirements, bring stuff to our neighbor that they bought and go out to dinner with them, go to the dentist for a final check on the implant they put in last Monday, go out to dinner with my folks, meet the house cleaner to get the keys and the realtor to do a walk through on the house, give him the keys and be on our way. Whew, almost there!