Just Some Trivia

While sitting in the van, waiting to cross from Mexico into the US, I was bored. So, I engaged in some trivial pursuit. I did a rough estimate and came up with the possible number of round trips I have made from Mexico into Texas and from Texas back into Mexico. In almost 14 years, that comes to about 3,550 tríps. And each round trip costs about $5.00 in tolls, depending on the current value of the dollar. So, that would mean that I have spent around $17,700 in tolls. And If I spent an average of 30 minutes of wait time on the bridge for each trip, that would mean about 106,080 minutes or 1,708 hours WAITING to cross the bridge. Now, I am sure that all my readers will find this information USEFUL!!!

Getting closer.......

This week is the LAST FULL WEEK that I will be living in Reynosa. Whew! Tomorrow, the movers come to give an appraisal of the stuff that is going in the moving van on Wednesday, February 4th. Then, I have to hurry up and get the last things that I am taking in my van packed up and transported. I need to clean the big pieces of furniture that will go in the van. I have two cats left to take to the vet for their shots and international passports!! It will be a big week of finishing as much as possible before the moving van comes. Then after the big pieces of furniture are moved, I still have to clean the house, take the cats and Chiquita over....and get the keys turned over to the owner. Hopefully, I will be all in one place by Tuesday, Feb. 10th. And, so we are getting closer to finishing up on all these trips back and forth.

Just Keep Moving!!!!!

Well, it seems that my schedule is dominated by pack, load the van, unload the van and go back for more. In between, I am trying to keep up with my church activities and the rest of life! Now, I have a new washer, dryer, and stove--in place and working in my new house. About 50% of what I can move myself is now in Raymondville. I am aiming for February 4th as the day for the movers to take the big pieces of furniture. I am tired....I have lots of sore muscles from lifting furniture that is really too heavy for me to do by myself....but Opie is my only faithful helper and all he can do is cheerlead!!!....or trip me or push me out of bed onto the floor (which he did last week and my collection of bruises prove it!). I am thankful for so many, many blessings.......but I must admit that it is getting pretty stressful and I will be so happy to be ALL in one place. So, each day, I am just telling myself to keep moving and one day soon we will celebrate!!!!

In the Middle of the Mess

Ten days before Christmas and yes, I have boxes all over the place.....but alas! they are not gift boxes nor are they wrapped. They are packed boxes or boxes waiting to be packed. I have made 11 trips to Raymondville with an assortment of stuff. And, I cannot really tell the difference....except for the mess....in my old house! Please note the picture of my temporary bed!!! Last week, I started checking about phone service and I found out that I don't have a lot of choices for internet. I contacted Sprint, my cell phone carrier, and discovered that I can use a "card" or whatever it is called and get internet service for my desktop. And, the little connection piece costs $300 + tax...however, it was a promotion until Friday of last week. It was free with a two year contract. So, I got it. Now, I am getting ready to take my computer apart and put it in the van. I will take it to Raymondville tomorrow and try to get it set up and working! I am so thankful that I called when I did....now during the 30 day trial period, I hope that it works and I will have good internet service and just use my cell phone, no landline, at least for now. Then also I contacted the moving company about the moving date. It cannot be scheduled until after January 5th due to heavy traffic on the international bridge and the company's vacation! And, the price for a medium sized U Haul type trailer is now up to $750. Oh, dear...I hope it doesn't keep going up in January. Well, it is back to packing and getting my computer ready for the trip to Raymondville. In about 1 month, I should be contracting the movers. But will this mess ever go away?.......

Moving On Again!

Well, almost all the blinds are up at the new house. Opie and I spent the night in Raymondville on Friday night after our Ladies' Christmas Celebration in Lasara. How nice it was NOT to have a long, dark drive to Reynosa. We slept on an inflatable mattress....not the best, but we did sleep. On Saturday, we went back to Reynosa and got the mirror for my chest of drawers. It would be hard to bring with other things. And, we slept in Raymondville for the second night. It was unbelievable to take only 15 minutes to get to church on Sunday morning. In the afternoon, my uncle helped me take the middle seat out of my van so I have more room for furniture. So, this will be another week of moving stuff to Raymondville!!! And, there are not many days before Christmas and NOT NEARLY ENOUGH days before I should have all my things in the new house. Thus begins another week of moving!!!!

Picking Up Speed.....as I Move!!!

On Monday, I went to make my last rent payment for the house in Reynosa. My deposit will cover the rent for all of January and I can use whatever time I need in February to finish up the cleaning and moving the cats and dogs in exchange for a window unit a/c and my gas stove. I am satisfied with our arrangement. Yesterday, my uncle and aunt who winter in So. Texas helped me get all the windows in my new house measured. Then we had a great lunch of Mexican food! Finally we went to Wal Mart and bought blinds for all the windows. Bro Balde from my church is scheduled to come and put up all the blinds tomorrow. I will be taking the first huge load to the new house tomorrow. Today, I will be packing....packing.....packing. So I am picking up speed as I move!!!!!

And The Moving Goes On.....

Another week has gone by and a glance at my countdown shows that as I write I have less than 48 days to complete this move. Wow! That is getting a little scary.

This week, I was able to set up accounts for gas, water, and lights and as of Tuesday everything will be in my name and I will be paying for the services. The wonderful news is that I did not have to pay a deposit for my electricity. I am so very thankful for that. I also met with the landlord, went over some things about the house, got the keys and paid the first month of rent. Then I was able to measure the windows for blinds and curtains. And, I looked again at how my furniture will fit. I have now taken four small loads of things to church and left everything in the office until I get the windows covered at the new house. I have another small load ready to go tomorrow.

Now, on Monday, I will get my retirement check so I will be doing the regular errands. On Tuesday, I hope to take my van to the dealership....it is making a funny noise I want them to check. On Wednesday, another load goes to Raymondville and I plan to buy the blinds and any curtain rods or brackets that I will need. Then one of the men from church is going to put up the blinds and curtain rods. I want to start playing Christian music and praying for protection and blessing in the house and for everyone who comes to visit. I will take another load plus Opie on Friday morning and hopefully, I can clean out the church office and set up for the Ladies Christmas Celebration that we will be having that night. On Friday night, Opie and I will be sleeping on an inflatable mattress in the new house for the first time. In the morning, we will go back to Reynosa, feed Chiquita and the cats, load up the van.....and go back to Raymondville to spend the night.

Well, those are the plans right now. I am so thankful for those who are praying for me during this rather stress-filled time. .....and the move continues...........