a 30-something life…

Tagged: Moving

Apr 06

seriously, it happened again.

i’m sure a few people have been wondering, so i figured i’d just tell everyone instead of having to repeat myself 12,000x’s.

i know the last time i moved, i said it would be in the same place for two years but a lot has happened in the last 6 months.

1. i happened to get sick and had to take a significant time off work – including being hospitalized. we all know i hadn’t been at my job very long so…no sick or vacation time and my short term disability didn’t apply (future blog post).

2. there was a major transition of the leadership in our office, which is typical for politics, especially in dc. most places it only happens to the big wigs (which i don’t consider myself) but because my boss who headed the administration was let go and i was her chief of staff i went with her.

3. small severance, no vaca or sick due to #1 and so i had to get creative.

4. i sold everything (or at least tried to -the rest will be going next week) i didn’t need to survive. if you know me this was a GIANT ouch – especially when the pink chair went.

5. cashed out my savings and borrowed against my life insurance (sorry jasmine).

6. then of course i hated the fact i needed unemployment but it’s only temporary and my tax dollars went into it so…each week i get $300. if you know anything about dc – you can’t live on that. you can’t even pay rent. you can’t pay cobra insurance so any meds your on even generics are freakin expensive ($700+) – NO lie!.

7. i haven’t bought a shoe, a purse, a cupcake, or a piece of clothing mine the packer sweatshirt when i went home to WI for an interview only bc it was 80% off. give a girl a break.

8. very, very, very eating out if at all. i’ve been grocery shopping, which i hate.

9. i’ve applied, interviewed, applied, interviewed, applied, interviewed at least 40 times – no lie and haven’t found anything (wait for that blog post).

10. then their is the realization that i had to move bc $300/wk = $1200/mo and my rent is over that, not including utilities. i have not lived in my parents’ home since i was 18. i know it’s different bc it’s not the pulaski house but i have my clothes, a few shoes (yes more than 3), make-up, hair stuff and my handy computer. oh and of course max.

11. packing was PAINFUL. i hadn’t even been there a year. i was frustrated, irritated, and heartbroken.

but i did get all the shoes i did not take with me into 2 bins – a very significant miracle!

13. saturday i officially moved into my mom and jim’s basement in west virginia – freaking WEST VIRGINIA!
here are my new digs:

14. i am grateful that i have a place to stay, that will let my max bring his litter box with him. i only wish gas prices hadn’t spiked $.20 since saturday bc that surely puts a damper on my driving to dc.

15. the most important though is that i’ve been incredibly humbled to say the least. i know how blessed i was and still am for all i have. learning to embrace the trials of life is not always a piece of cake (or cupcake) but coming out (peeking right now) is worth it.

…stay tuned for the “job hunting” blog post and the “15 trips and 25 medications later to figure out what was wrong with me” blog post.

highly entertaining (now).

but be aware they will be spread a bit apart because i must admit, it’s been a challenge for me.

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Posted in health & wellness, life, work Moving work

Jun 19

this move.

so the last move – a little more than a year ago was DRAMA – with horrible movers, broken, stolen belongings and being blackmailed for my stuff. no joke.

sounds fun right.

this move, was rather uneventful minus the cat. bless, two marines moving!

i’ve had max for well over 10 years. i happen to be pretty attached even though he’s a bit high maintenance. but he’s a good little buddy, even if he’s misunderstood.

i think poor max has way to much stress in his life – or rather maybe he is channeling my stress – either way, i’d say he’s ready to stay put after this move.

in the car after leaving the apartment for the last time, he decided to test my driving skills.

1st he puked on the front seat. i tried to stop him but that was pointless.
i managed to clean it up at a stop light.

thought we were done – nope.

about 20 minutes later the 2nd round.
he decided he had to poo.
driving with one hand and catching poo in another (with some random napkins) tested my skills on many levels.

danger avoided as i caught “it”. whew.

alas, another 10 minutes passed and he worked himself to the floor on the passenger side and peed.

3rd round over. sigh.

as you can see he was clearly relieved (literally) and now decided to chill without further incident.
thank goodness.

amazing what you’ll do for an animal you love.

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Posted in life Max Moving

Jun 18

my last time in my first place.

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Posted in life Moving washington dc

Jun 13

not again.

this is what my mom and i did all weekend…with a little help from some friends.

99.9% done.
guess what’s left?

if you know me, you know what it is…
the closet – my clothes – my shoes – oh, my!
sigh.

can i wait until the last minute?
one would think, but give the amount of crap i have
the answer is a BIG no.

p.s., pray for good movers on saturday
i might combust if i have another horrible experience.

p.s.s., marla why aren’t you here to lay in my unmade bed eating pizza?

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Posted in family, life @kesselsquilts Moving

May 21

road trip.

kaela and i set off for dc last week – driving cross-country to my new place, new job, closer to family.

along the way we kept a little “record” of our adventure…

1 bump-it (on a girl’s head!).
1 pit stop at pep boys to fix the car alignment.
1 very LARGE hedwig-like owl attacked the car.
1 drink left on top of the car (i think only once, is a miracle).
1 road closure – a 20 mile detour.
1 speeding ticket – thanks wyoming.
9 skunks.
100+ buffalo, mull deer, big horn sheep, and wild turkeys. [video to come]
1 chilled-out black cat.

5 ups drivers.
14 temples.

4 official tourist stops.

3 hotels.
2 friend’s houses.
7 giant letters on the side of a hill/mountain (Y, G, B, B, BR, U, L).
2 towns spelled out on the side of a hill/mountain.
2 or 3 random sights.

15 states.
AND
an insane amount of talk radio news and commercials…all of which made up our 2952.3 mile trip.

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Posted in friends, fun stuff, life, travel Kaela Mom Moving road trip travel washington dc

Apr 23

my new digs.

can’t wait!

it’s a fabulous place in crystal city, near everything – 220 Twentieth Street.

in the heart of the action with great views – check it out.

much smaller than my current 2800sq. ft. but so worth it.

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Posted in life Moving washington dc

Apr 22

my new home.

yes, i’m leaving utah.

i’m heading out may 14th with my dear friend kaela – yeah for a cross country trip.

i’ll be working for the district of columbia’s health department (in their preparedness division) as the chief of staff.

i have an apartment in crystal city and mom’s within driving distance, so i’m all set.

on to the next adventure!

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Posted in friends, life, work Kaela Moving washington dc work

Mar 19

It’s been 3 months, already?

It’s been exactly 3 months since I left Minnesota for Utah. The funny thing is that to me it feels like it’s been 3 years.

I was telling my mom on Tuesday night about how I’ve been feeling since I left and how crazy sometimes I think I am for moving across the country for this amazing opportunity.

I think it’s easy to get discouraged, to get down, to feel lost, and to want to go home -even though I’m not sure where that would be.

Either way, I’ve been thinking a lot about how even through all the challenges and moments of shear panic about this huge change in my life, I truly am blessed.

I’ve learned more about myself in the last 3 months then I had in the last 3 years in Minnesota. I’ve learned who are my true friends. I’ve learned about what love really means. I’ve definitely learned about being open minded and I’ve learned about leaning…leaning on the one person who is always there no matter what.

I am grateful for all the small moments, especially in the last few weeks. For people checking in on me, dropping by the house just to say hi, checking in on me when I’ve been in pain and mostly I’m more grateful than ever before for my mom.

I was thinking back to when Minnesota became home…wondering how long it took, when it actually happened. After leaving Wisconsin, I never thought anywhere else would be that place for me and I guess deep down because I grew up there it will always be in my heart and part of my soul but as I drove out of my driveway on December 19, 2008, I knew that Minnesota really had become my home. It was where I became an adult, where I grew up, where I came into my own in my career and where I found the greatest gift of my life.

Minnesota was where my heart was…I’ve had to let go a little bit to start to grow here in Utah. Right now, Utah, really isn’t home yet – I’m not sure if it will be but I’m staying open and letting it be a process and only time will tell. I know that most of it really is up to me.

More than ever, I was reminded of this. At BYU, every Tuesday, there is a hour long devotional. Everything stops – no classes, no meetings, etc. – I try to attend these as it’s such an amazing blessing to have that small amount of time just to regroup. I also get to tape them on TV here in UT – one of the perks of living here. This week’s devotional spoke so strongly to me, I wanted to share it with you. Take the time to listen. It has application to so many things in our lives and the experiences we all go through no matter what you religion you belong. Devotional: Carol Wilkinson.

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Posted in life BYU Devotional Minnesota MN Moving UT Utah

Dec 28

One week down…a zillion to go…

Today was my first day of church in Provo. I decided to go the single’s ward to see what it was like before I committed to going to a family ward…it wasn’t that great…nice people I guess, but no one, not one person said a word to me. I introduced myself to two people who then ignored me the rest of the time. I just realized I’m so past that and that I’m done with the competition factor of a single’s ward. It’s just too totally exhausting.

Yet, I then went to introduce myself to the family ward bishopric and they were great. He and his wife invited me over to have dinner with his family. I had a really nice time. I felt welcomed and at home…it reminded me of MN and all the love I received from so many of my surrogate families:)

More importantly though, during church, the high council speaker was very good…he talked to them about change and enjoying the journey…which was very timely for me. I just wonder how many really got it…really got it in their hearts. He referenced D&C 88:33, which reads: For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.

It was a great point that we can’t focus on our frustration with our situation but enjoy the gift we’ve been given…we must see what we’ve been given and embrace it even if it’s not what we really wanted or thought we wanted…Heavenly Father knows what’s best for us. He went on to remind us to enjoy the journey as we go through it…embrace the pain and hardships, relish in the joy and be sure to tall those people in your life that you love them. Stop focusing on what is wrong and look at what is right and if you can’t do that then go to work…serve others.

The speaker went on to discuss how what if we knew before this life that this would be our lot and we chose that, we were ok with that…we knew that the pain or joy would lead us to where we are supposed to be…would we then still be upset now when things didn’t work out the way we planned them or wanted them to be? I enjoyed this talk very much especially since, I felt like it hit home for me 100%.

Plus one of my favorite quotes is applicable here too:) “Change, we don’t like it, we fear it. But we can’t stop it from coming. We either adapt to change or get left behind. It hurts to grow, anybody who tells you it doesn’t is lying. But here’s the truth, sometimes the more things change the more they stay the same. And sometime, oh sometimes, change is good. Sometimes change is everything.” Meredith, Grey’s Anatomy

So my first week in Provo is almost over.

I’m unpacked but all my stuff to hang up is still all over…I just haven’t been motivated to do any of that…I have a week left to get it done so I’ll be fine. It has snowed a ton here…but it’s so beautiful!
Tomorrow I got to HR and get all that stuff taken care of and I also get to go to my new office. Yeah! So hopefully I can get all my books and stuff in before classes start next week.

I’m getting really excited to start this new chapter in my life. It’s exciting and scary all at the same time. I miss everyone at home though…I’ve been so blessed with phone calls and emails by everyone and I’m so grateful!

I had a new friend come over last night and a miracle of all miracles happened…Max did not freak. He didn’t hiss or anything…he actually wanted loves. I could hardly believe it.

Maybe 3 days of being boarded helped him realize people aren’t so bad or maybe he just hated MN. LOL!

Oh, and dating life is been rather productive as well:) he he…

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Posted in general, lds lds Moving Provo UT

Dec 25

Continuing on…Post #2: Leaving on a Jet plane…ok, not really…but in a jam packed car.

Saturday (12-20-08) morning before the storm hit, Victoria, Lucinda and I hit the road toward Iowa on our way to the West.

If I do have to say so myself, I did a sweet packing job in the car…we had 3 girls, one cat (who is a bit temperamental), a litter box, and 5 suitcases…plus all the necessary supplies if we got stranded.

I of course didn’t get much sleep (2 hours) the night before we left but I did drive the whole way out of the cities to Des Moines. I got the leg that was full of snow, which was fine given it was my car and I surely didn’t want to have any one else be responsible for killing us on our crazy adventure. Click here for the crud we drove in.

Along the way to Des Moines we say, what Victoria called the graveyard, which were all the insane drivers who thought going 75 in a blizzard was smart. So needless to say we saw on average 30 cars and a few semis in the ditch. NOT a single one was us though!!!

Max was a little jumpy the first part of the trip and wouldn’t say anywhere in the car but on my lap…he’s not the lightest cat in the world even without his hair (20#, I know…diet) so my legs kept falling asleep because he wouldn’t go to anyone else. We finally forced him to go to Victoria and free my legs from becoming paralyzed. It worked. Plus, having a 20# cat or any animal on your lap can heat you up pretty fast so it was a warm trip:)

The picture of Max is him on my lap…it was actually rather comical because whether or not he was on my lap or V’s he could sit like that but then he’d drop his head and put his paws on our seat belts (like he was going to protect us). V named it the “dead man’s drop” because the cat looked half dead laying like that. I guess you had to be there but it was funny. Trust me.

Out of Des Moines, V picked up the driving and then it was like the Lord put this little bubble around us. Everyone, everywhere across the country was stranded and we had smooth sailing. We had clear blue skies…the cold was tolerable except in Sidney, NE where we said the night.

Once in Sindey, Lucinda’s sister picked her up in after we all had dinner. Now for you Cabela lovers this is the home of the first Cabelas!

It was a wonderful leg of the trip with Lucinda. We had some great conversations and I’m so glad she joined us. Thanks Lucinda for making the trip extra special.

V and I got back on the road again Sunday (12-21-08) morning and made it to Wyoming pretty quick. Again, smooth sailing…my mom kept calling to see if we were ok (thanks mom!) and to see if we saw any cowboys:)…the answers was always no.

At this point Max slept most of the way and actually (even V said) did a great job. Here he is sleeping on the pillow in the back seat of the car.

We did cross the continental divide.

We finally came to the point where we could see an end in sight…UT was ahead and we began to see signs for Salt Lake City (SLC).

V and I drove into SLC and dropped Max off at a cat kennel…wow…what a blessing…I didn’t have to worry about him for 3 full days and then he LOVED me when I came to get him…Thanks V, for the leg work on that one. V and I traveled into SLC to stay at Little America and it was perfect…I took a hot shower and got to IM with a friend for most of the night.

V decided to come with me to my new place on Monday morning to get my keys and see the movers unload every things. WOW…do I have a lot of stuff. Not to mention our bubble ran out and it started to snow but thank goodness for those super nice guys who unloaded my suck into my new place.

The snow coming down as I looked out from my new place.

The movers fighting the snow!

V trying to stay warm in my new place as they moved stuff in.

So far so good…I’m all unpacked…it only took me 2 days (Yes, MaryAnn I’m an over achiever) but stuff still needs to be hung up and such. I’m loving my new bed and have been sleeping like a baby. I’ve actually had 4 nights of normal sleep. Go figure. Maybe it was MN that was keeping me from sleeping:)

Oh and my only last comment from the trip (that I can think of now) is that my friends are sure obsessed with Twinkies…both Len and Marla, and you guys think I’m strange:) xoxox