Moving this weekend

Hey everyone! Just to let you know, the move has been less than stellar thus far. Things have not gone as planned. The biggest shocker came when I got the rental agency to pickup the truck and realized that my drivers license had expired! So basically I’ve been driving with an expired license since the end of March.

The guy at Enterprise dropped me off at the DMV near their office to sort it out. I hadn’t even thought about it because back at the end of January I got a notice from the DMV saying because of my good driving record, I could renew online, so I did. I’ve been so busy with “life” since that time that it didn’t hit me that I had never received my new license until I went to hand my current (expired) license to the agent at Enterprise.

Ok, no problem, I thought. It probably got sent to the wrong address (I’ve moved around a bit in the last couple years). So after waiting in the horrendous DMV lines, I find out that California won’t give me my license renewal (that they gladly took my money for a couple months ago because of my good driving record) because Arizona had a “hold” on my license.

Ahhh… now I remember the speeding ticket I got almost two years ago on my way to the Grand Canyon. Ok, so can I pay whatever fine is involved and be on my way? “No sir, but here is the phone number for the Arizona DMV…”

And so I’m standing outside the DMV, on hold with the Arizona DMV for over 30 minutes. My cell phone battery is getting dangerously low in a contest to see if they’ll answer before the phone dies.

Finally, an answer! “Sorry, you’ll need to call the William’s County Justice Department, pay the fine with them, have them fax us the information, and then call us NEXT WEDNESDAY and we can release the hold on your license. If the won’t fax it to us (they might not), it’ll have to go by mail and the process will take about a month.”

Great.

So the good folks at Enterprise rental car gave me a ride back to my “old” home, where I starting devising Plan B. I can’t borrow a truck because my license isn’t good. I called the friend who was scheduled to help me move this afternoon and told him what was going on. He offered to rent the truck, but unfortunately, it wasn’t as simple as moving things from one place. I have a mattress and box springs to pick up from one city, a bed frame from another, my current home to load as well as my storage unit which is in yet another city. And then I still have some stuff back at my house in Murrieta. I wasn’t going to ask any friend to drive me all over the place — it was too much.

So I turned to Craigslist and found a mover who is sending one guy with a truck over Saturday morning. He’s going to help me resolve three of the five pick-ups I’ve got — the storage unit, my current home and the mattress and box springs — all for $200 (more than the truck rental would’ve been, but I’ll end up with some professional help).

I still need to figure out how to pick-up the bed frame, but I’m hoping I can get a friend with a larger vehicle to help me out with that one. And the BBQ and other miscellaneous stuff that’s still out in Murrieta (65 miles away) will just have to wait.

The good news is that I did get a hold of the Williams Justice Department and was able to pay off that two year old ticket I had forgotten about on their web site. They said they would fax the info over to the Arizona DMV on Monday, and I should be able to call them on Thursday and get the hold released. Then I just need to go back to the California DMV and get my new license. And THEN, maybe I’ll rent a pick-up truck to get the BBQ.

Phew! I need a cold drink!

The good news is that Plan B is working out. I’m sitting in the living room of the new place writing this, and getting ready to close up the windows and head back to the “old” place for the night.

Thanks to everyone for the wishes. It hasn’t gone exactly as I’d planned, but it’s all coming together.

Anyone up for a Big Blue Beach party this summer? 🙂

Hey everyone! Just a quick update: I’m exhausted!

I’ve got all my stuff moved in. My dog is VERY happy that she can come inside. I’ve been cleaning and unpacking and getting things setup. I just got my desk setup and thought I’d test it out (it works, obviously).

There is still a lot of cleaning to do, cleaning out the kitchen cabinets and getting all the dust out of the closets. And I keep thinking of little things that I need (light bulbs, something missing in the pantry, etc.). But I’m pretty much burned out for the day, so I’ll pick it up again Sunday morning.

Some friends stopped by this afternoon with lunch and a housewarming gift (a sign that points towards the beach). And my daughter called to say she’s thinking of stopping by for a visit next Monday and staying overnight.

I still have to find a way to pick up the headboard and bed frame and my BBQ, but that may have to wait a week.

And finally, yes, I did say PARTY! 🙂