I promised all the people who have helped me raise money for my lung transplant process that I’d keep you updated on this blog, and I’ve done a lousy job of it! Please forgive me.
The thing is I just don’t have the energy I once did. I haven’t had the energy of a “regular person” for some time, but these days it is worse. I plug away at my day and then suddenly, as if hitting a brick wall, I’m done. There is so much to do, that updating the blog isn’t always first on the list.
So, here is where we are on the great move! Medically, I am all ready to go. Whew! That has gone very smoothly so I am greatly relieved that we didn’t have any issues there.
Last week and this week I have been getting estimates from moving companies on moving my things. I’ve sent several loads of things to charity, and have some more things to send as we get closer. I’m not moving a large desk, for example, but wanted to use it until closer to time to go.
If anyone has any advice on bids from nationwide movers, I’d really appreciate it. So far the bids have come in as low as $2,600 and as high as $3,500. There are two more to go, unless I decide to get still more. The difference in the cost seems to be a matter of how you want to do it. There are several pod-like services and they seem to be the cheapest, but their estimates are not guaranteed nor do they come out and actually look at your things. I’ve had a hard time getting answers to questions from them, which makes me a bit nervous. Some do allow you to hire help to load the container, but they don’t seem to be responding to my questions about that. This just makes me nervous.
I like that the van lines send someone to see your stuff, and have insurance, provide the background-checked and bonded labor, and seem to have a mechanism to actually stand by their bid so the sticker shock on the other end isn’t a wide-open thing.
As for the apartment – that has been a long saga. I’ve thought I found something twice, but it hasn’t worked out. It is a long story, but I’ve been sick twice in the last month, which hasn’t helped much. I decided to put apartment hunting aside until I get back from the HPS Conference. That way, if we find something, we are really ready to move and everyone in my family that is helping will be on board.
On the one hand, every day I feel a bit sad to be leaving, yet on the other hand I am sick of having boxes everywhere and my life up in the air. I’m anxious to get this over with and done! I feel like it has been like pulling a Band-Aid off one hair at a time!
I try to keep thinking of the things I’ll be able to do with family when I live closer.
Finally, everyone asks about Fin. Yes, I think he is coming. I have stabilized for now. I don’t know if that will last a month, or year, or a few years – but for now I am perfectly able to care for him. In fact, he makes me stay active on days when it would be very easy to not be motivated. Then there is the emotional support. If you are not a dog person, you might not understand. If you have kids so dogs seem more like pets you might not understand. But, I don’t think mentally I could be getting through all that I have to do to leave if I knew that the day I get on the plane could be the last time I see Fin.
Yesterday I was feeling pretty tired and not well. He just sits with me and keeps me company. I love seeing his face when I wake up, and feeling him against me when I go to sleep. I talk to him all day (yep, I know that sounds crazy.) I’ve always been alone, but I never knew how much it could mean to have that kind of companionship. It is especially important now that I get tired easily and can’t be as social as I once was.
As for Fin’s helper training – it is coming along. Fin is quite good at showing me where the phone is. It cracks me up though, that when I ask him to find the phone, the first place he ALWAYS looks is behind the couch. I don’t think I’ve ever lost the phone behind the couch. I’m not sure why he does that! Grin!
He is getting better at picking up dropped items. I sometimes get a little dizzy when I bend over, so this is useful. The challenge is that his mouth is pretty small, so it has to be something he can pick up. He’s really good at pens! He doesn’t seem to understand that this command can be used anywhere, however. He seems to think it only applies to the office or the couch. Not sure why that is? But, we will work on it.
Lastly, I REALLY want to teach him to not just show me the phone, but to bring it to me. We have gone through a series of things I’ve invented to attach to the handset so he can pick it up. So far, we haven’t hit on the perfect solution. I learned that he doesn’t like to pick up the phone unless the weight is pretty evenly distributed on his mouth. Guess that makes sense. I found a way to attach a rope hoop he could pick up with his teeth, but Fin, being the little guy that he is, decided it was a game to figure out how to get the rope off of the phone. The process continues!
The thing is I just don’t have the energy I once did. I haven’t had the energy of a “regular person” for some time, but these days it is worse. I plug away at my day and then suddenly, as if hitting a brick wall, I’m done. There is so much to do, that updating the blog isn’t always first on the list.
So, here is where we are on the great move! Medically, I am all ready to go. Whew! That has gone very smoothly so I am greatly relieved that we didn’t have any issues there.
Last week and this week I have been getting estimates from moving companies on moving my things. I’ve sent several loads of things to charity, and have some more things to send as we get closer. I’m not moving a large desk, for example, but wanted to use it until closer to time to go.
If anyone has any advice on bids from nationwide movers, I’d really appreciate it. So far the bids have come in as low as $2,600 and as high as $3,500. There are two more to go, unless I decide to get still more. The difference in the cost seems to be a matter of how you want to do it. There are several pod-like services and they seem to be the cheapest, but their estimates are not guaranteed nor do they come out and actually look at your things. I’ve had a hard time getting answers to questions from them, which makes me a bit nervous. Some do allow you to hire help to load the container, but they don’t seem to be responding to my questions about that. This just makes me nervous.
I like that the van lines send someone to see your stuff, and have insurance, provide the background-checked and bonded labor, and seem to have a mechanism to actually stand by their bid so the sticker shock on the other end isn’t a wide-open thing.
As for the apartment – that has been a long saga. I’ve thought I found something twice, but it hasn’t worked out. It is a long story, but I’ve been sick twice in the last month, which hasn’t helped much. I decided to put apartment hunting aside until I get back from the HPS Conference. That way, if we find something, we are really ready to move and everyone in my family that is helping will be on board.
On the one hand, every day I feel a bit sad to be leaving, yet on the other hand I am sick of having boxes everywhere and my life up in the air. I’m anxious to get this over with and done! I feel like it has been like pulling a Band-Aid off one hair at a time!
I try to keep thinking of the things I’ll be able to do with family when I live closer.
Finally, everyone asks about Fin. Yes, I think he is coming. I have stabilized for now. I don’t know if that will last a month, or year, or a few years – but for now I am perfectly able to care for him. In fact, he makes me stay active on days when it would be very easy to not be motivated. Then there is the emotional support. If you are not a dog person, you might not understand. If you have kids so dogs seem more like pets you might not understand. But, I don’t think mentally I could be getting through all that I have to do to leave if I knew that the day I get on the plane could be the last time I see Fin.
Yesterday I was feeling pretty tired and not well. He just sits with me and keeps me company. I love seeing his face when I wake up, and feeling him against me when I go to sleep. I talk to him all day (yep, I know that sounds crazy.) I’ve always been alone, but I never knew how much it could mean to have that kind of companionship. It is especially important now that I get tired easily and can’t be as social as I once was.
As for Fin’s helper training – it is coming along. Fin is quite good at showing me where the phone is. It cracks me up though, that when I ask him to find the phone, the first place he ALWAYS looks is behind the couch. I don’t think I’ve ever lost the phone behind the couch. I’m not sure why he does that! Grin!
He is getting better at picking up dropped items. I sometimes get a little dizzy when I bend over, so this is useful. The challenge is that his mouth is pretty small, so it has to be something he can pick up. He’s really good at pens! He doesn’t seem to understand that this command can be used anywhere, however. He seems to think it only applies to the office or the couch. Not sure why that is? But, we will work on it.
Lastly, I REALLY want to teach him to not just show me the phone, but to bring it to me. We have gone through a series of things I’ve invented to attach to the handset so he can pick it up. So far, we haven’t hit on the perfect solution. I learned that he doesn’t like to pick up the phone unless the weight is pretty evenly distributed on his mouth. Guess that makes sense. I found a way to attach a rope hoop he could pick up with his teeth, but Fin, being the little guy that he is, decided it was a game to figure out how to get the rope off of the phone. The process continues!
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