Wedding Song - God Knew That I Needed You

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

THE END STRETCH

 Hallelujah!

Tomorrow afternoon will be our Official 'On The Road' Day.

Last Friday's buyer nonsense set us back: we expected a check … and got another disappointment instead. We had to reschedule buying the pretty red 4x; and lost out on a 5th Wheel buy in Creswell-OR, as well - so, I did an internet search for a new 5th Wheel, and chased a smokin' deal all the way to Indiana, where the price for the 5th Wheel we were now focused on, was considerably cheaper. I asked Holland if he'd consider driving there to nail the deal down, and he said "Yes! If we can save that much money, you bet I'd do it."

So, that's what we're going to be doing very shortly :-)

Holland has been wanting another dog (he had to put his down, in December 2022); but all the dogs he wanted {"to keep you safe"} were killer dogs, and I nixed every one of them. I do not like german shepherds, rotts, or pits: these are the breeds he wants, for the very reasons I do not want them. Plus, those breeds stink. He was getting frustrated with every nix. I agreed to a Husky because the pups are adorable, and the dogs are kinda gentle, and pretty much stink-less: but the price for one was crazy steep; and Holland nixed that. He suggested a pound dog, and I nixed that, "No. 98% of those dogs have been abused and will come with baggage that may never get sorted out. If we do get a dog, we should get a puppy; and that way it's not going to be mentally twisted and mean. We can train it, and steer it's behavior in ways that suit us and our lifestyle." He said, "Okay we want a dog, and you want it to be a puppy that is hypoallergenic - let's see what I can find on Craig's List."

That is how we came to have our little furry traveling companion, Bleu :-)

MONDAY: The check arrived for deposit: I am a 'tenant' now, for the next 3 days; the bulk of this will go towards a new truck & a new 5th Wheel trailer.
Holland said he'd drive to Indiana to save thousands of $$$$ ... so, that's what we're doing.
The Floorplan is what works for our new life journey. We both like the farmhouse theme.
This is the Plan to go get our new 5th Wheel.
We also saw this cute little puppy on Craig's List and knew he was 'the one' for us ;-) 7 weeks old and the price was right. His little face was begging us to come and fetch him.
This is what Bleu will look like (sans tail) when he reaches maturity.

Yesterday was a Banner Day - everything happened a day later than anticipated because the Buyer's Loan Agent was an ass … but, we finally got the ball rolling today.

1) We got the 4x we wanted: bright red and a BEAST 😁

TUESDAY: Interesting things, somewhere near Sandy-OR.; headed towards Gresham Ford.
The truck we bought to haul our heavy home behind us, like turtles. We both like the color, red ;-)
Selling the Highlander, next.
I was glad my big man was behind me the entire way to Vancouver-WA from Gresham-OR.; with walkie-talkie contact, safer and more reliable than cell phones. I hate city driving - having my husband so close behind me was very comforting.

2) We sold the Highlander to Car Max, in Vancouver-WA, for a very good price; it was worth it - and then some. The Highlander was the last remaining thing in my life, from my life with Bob. We could not tow it without damaging it's mechanisms; plus, now Holland and I can start our new life together 100% New 😉 Holland has also sacrificed things that meant a lot to him. We are both learning to bend so that our marriage can be strengthened - thereby enriched 😘

Our first major purchase together - an F-350 Power Stroke Diesel, to haul the 5th Wheel we will be purchasing to travel the USA, in.
The new 4x is a BEAST - I'm 5'2" … but I'm going to tame it. LOL
At CarMax in Vancouver-WA, to sell the Highlander.
Sold the Highlander at CarMax in Vancouver-WA, for a very good estimate appraisal … and it wasn't even 'show ready'.
This is the girl at CarMax that sealed the Deal.
I did manage to get into Betsy without any additional help.

3) Late last evening, we drove the Beast to Olympia to collect our 7 week old furry {son}, who we had intended to name "Kid" after sharp-shooter, Billy the Kid; but when we saw him (a blue heeler) Holland said, "He certainly is blue." And that's how our fur-baby got his Name: "Bleu" (yes, I did spell that correctly; it is French for blue).

He is a lovable character, and will be spoiled rotten 🥰

Hoping to get the puppy before the weekend.
Europe - 'The Final Countdown' song:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hj8M8XZpis)
MAP Lacy from Longview; 1 hr. 6 mins via the I-5 N
We finally got Bleu; and he seems happy with us; Bleu's tail has been bobbed already.
Bleu is such a handsome boy … and he's already won our affections.

Today  Holland is installing a fancy stereo-GPS system in the 4x; and putting a 5th wheel hitch, and brake control thingee in the 4x, with the help of his best buddy, Tim: they are going to miss each other a lot - but we will be back here every September & March: it's not like we will be dropping off the face of the Earth. Finding a way to see my friends when we jog back up this way, will be trickier now that we have the Beast: Ramona's driveway is tight, and the Beast is long and huge.

Shay stopped in to collect her Realtor's Lock Box, and left a gift for us - she's so special to me. I am glad we are friends.

#Aa - Shay's gift to us for a new life journey.
She knows I record e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. LOL

If everything continues to go smoothly, we should be heading to Indiana to collect our 5th Wheel, tomorrow morning 🙏 - we can get one, now that we have the Beast. We are driving to Indiana, rather than buy a 5th Wheel locally, because there's a $17,000 difference to buy one in WA, or OR. I'm always up for a looong drive, and Holland is always on the lookout for ways to save $$$$. It's a win-win situation ;-)

In the meantime, I'm doing laundry, finishing up last minute packing … and enjoying "the baby" :-)

The baby is napping while Holland and I do our 'final count down' stuff.
NO HITCH - another freaking snafu we don't need! The sales guy ordered the wrong one; hopefully we can get one when we get to Indiana.



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