The road to Florida - part first

Waaaay back on August 11, our move officially began at around 7:30 a.m. The packers had arrived! Yes, we had people pack for us. And, at the risk of sounding completely spoiled and ungrateful, it was not a blissful experience. Everyone said three hours, three hours were all these "professionals" needed to pack all our crap. And we were fools enough to believe them. 10 and a half hours. That is how long it took for two guys to pack our stuff. Mind you, they arrived at 7:30 but did not actually start packing until after eight. By the time they "finished" there was almost no light left for them to work by - they'd packed our lamps and only the kitchen and bathrooms have overhead lights. It was frustrating enough that day, but jump ahead to unpacking and we are about ready to kill someone. The box marked "blankets?"  It contains a shelf, toys, a radio, and one comforter. What about the one labeled "cat box, bottles?" It has the cat box (a cloth cube with Honey's toys, brush, etc.), but it also has our Corningware, and, the crown jewel, bottles that were meant for the recycling center. Ugh!

But back to August 11. Thank goodness for my neighbor friend, Melody, who took Emily for the day and showed her a really good time. Mel is the mom of sweet little Emma, and, in case I haven't mentioned it before, one of the best neighbors you can ever hope to find. The girls became inseparable, especially as our time to leave drew near. Emma even joined us at the California Pizza Kitchen for our last dinner in Virginia Beach. The girls totally owned the evening:

Emily and Emma with Neptune

At the Town Center fountain

Once we got home we all tried to sleep on naked mattresses with only the bare essential in linens. We needed some good rest because the next day the movers would load up the truck and we would hit the road.