Tag: changes

Sleep-in Days

During the quarter decade or so that I was teaching, I always felt that the very best thing about summer break was not just the time off, but sleeping in. As a secondary educator, I often had to wake up as early as 5:45. I’ve never felt like a morning person, and it was usually about second period by the time I got into my groove.  The sheer bliss of sleeping until 8:00 was the best gift of summer.

After more than a month of moving from one state to another, I decided to enjoy some carefree sleepy mornings this weekend. Clearly, my body was telling me to slow down. Not only have I been occupied with setting up a new home, but I have also been pursuing an active social life by hiking, kayaking, and getting out for live music almost every night. This is in addition to researching and setting up a new online business, as well as doing some fill-in work for one of the shop owners in town. I guess I have been busy.

Taking the time to wake up and leisurely lie in bed was a much-needed reward. Saturday morning I decided to set aside the to-do list for the weekend and just relax. It will all still be there tomorrow.

Santa Claus Arrives in August

Making a significant life change can challenge a person to overcome obstacles and branch out a bit.  Those obstacles can also bring out our resourcefulness.

Honestly, I don’t know if I was being more resourceful, stubborn, absolutely silly, or all of the above regarding my laundry conundrum today.  I will admit that this afternoon I just had to stop and laugh at myself.

Okay, let’s set the scene. I signed the papers to buy my new home in late June, and my move-in date was in mid-July. As you can imagine, I was quite busy there for a couple of weeks making arrangements for the out-of-state move. One big purchase that I needed to take care of up front was the washer and dryer. Lucky for me, the big box stores were having their annual 4th of July sales. Great timing! I shopped at my local store back home, and then called the store here in Montana to make my purchase. I was told that the set I had chosen was out of stock and would arrive around July 23rd or so. No problem, I thought. I have extra sets of bedsheets and plenty of towels to get me through. And like many women, I have far too many clothes.

On July 25th, I hadn’t heard anything, so I called the store to see if they had an estimate on the arrival of my new appliances. No information. On Friday, I did get the right person. The washer and dryer were in transit and would be there soon. Okay, I could hold out a little longer. I’m used to handwashing underwear anyway.

Then, this past Monday, I finally got the news that the set was in Spokane. Okay, we were getting closer. I should get them by Friday, for sure. They still needed to make it to Missoula before shipping to Kalispell, though. On Wednesday when the phone rang, I thought finally I would get my delivery time. Nope. Sorry. They were trucking them up Thursday, so I would probably get them Friday, or Saturday for sure. He apologized for the delay. The next day, on Thursday, they told me that the delivery would be Saturday, but I would just need to stay near home because I’d get a call thirty minutes beforehand.

As you can imagine, I woke up this morning and called the store. (They had left a couple of messages yesterday when I was out hiking.) I was assured that I would get the delivery sometime today, but they didn’t know when.

Less than five minutes later, the phone rang. “Ya, I’m sorry, but we opened the box, and the washer is damaged. I can deliver the dryer if you want.” Was this really happening? No, I preferred to wait for the full set. By this point, I wasn’t even upset at all. My situation had become quite humorous. I decided that I wouldn’t let this ruin my day in any way. I had plans with my new friend this morning and an event this evening. I could wait another week or so.

When I got home this afternoon, I realized that the only thing I was really running low on was dishtowels. Should I go to the laundromat for a load of towels? I still had a few clean bath towels. Then my stubbornness, or maybe resourcefulness, kicked in. I can hand wash a few dish towels, right? Throw a little detergent and bleach in the laundry room sink, swish them around, rinse a couple of times.  No problem. Oh yes, I did.

Then some Montana magic happened. As I sat down to write this post, a white pickup truck pulled into the driveway with a brand new washer and dryer in the back. One of the two gentlemen had a fluffy white beard with some sporty sunglasses. Undoubtedly, he was my summertime Santa.  I told them the story of that morning’s phone call, but they had no knowledge of it.  They just said this set had my name on it since yesterday, and they were sent from the store to deliver it. It was mine, and it wasn’t damaged in any way. This was also their only delivery of the day. Interesting. Clearly, someone at the store was taking care of me.

They were both very friendly, Montana Friendly, as I now like to say.  After it was all set up, we chatted a bit about great places to kayak, and they left me with the owner’s manuals. I thanked them and made a comment about the fact that I hoped they weren’t more complicated than my automatic sprinkler system. (I thought I had reprogramed it yesterday, but, well I didn’t.) Summer Santa said, “Where is it?” He walked over, punched a few buttons and re-programmed it for me. Merry Christmas!

After they left, I realized that if I had gone to the laundromat, I wouldn’t have been home for the surprise delivery. (There was no thirty-minute call.) Sometimes stubbornness, or maybe resourcefulness, pays off.

 

 

Should I Even Reveal This?

I almost want to keep this secret; you may not even believe it, but here goes…

I had a most pleasant experience getting my driver’s license today. First, you have to know that I’m a rule follower. Legally, you are supposed to get a Montana license within sixty days of moving here. Clearly, not everyone does this. Mine was still valid for two more years in Washington, but rules are rules.  I pretty much have to follow them.

I don’t know how many states are doing this, but all of them should!  You can make an appointment online at the department of licensing. This isn’t just for a driver’s test, but for any service. They even send you a reminder via text.

I arrived today just in time for my 11:30 appointment, and immediately received a friendly greeting: “We’ll be right with you.”  A couple of minutes later, a woman came to the waiting area and asked the few of us waiting who had an appointment. When I said that I did, she handed me a clipboard with a two-sided form to fill out, (The second side included my voter’s registration.) and then helped another person.

I was back at a desk within a few minutes. The employee working with me checked my documents, and we engaged in friendly conversation. As I took a quick vision test, we commiserated a little about our aging eyes. She then took my photo, I wrote a check, and I was out of there before noon. It was all so simple and efficient: a one-stop deal.  I don’t think I’ve ever left the DOL that quickly or that happily before.

 

 

The Journey Begins

I’ve been saying that I want to write for quite some time. So here I am! Actually, I have only lived “here” for eight days. I’ve packed up and moved to the beautiful state of Montana. Not a second home, but my new home.

I started making plans for this move about a year ago. I was four years out of a divorce, had been teaching for over twenty-five years, and really, really needed to make a change. First, I made lists. What do I really want? How can I truly find contentment? Then, I did quite a bit of reading. Finally, I did some in-person investigating. I visited the places at the top of my list, and then met with real estate agents. I wasn’t messing around or just talking about it; I was doing it.

Besides the divorce, I was at that turning point known as the empty nest. Fortunately, my kids turned out alright and had begun supporting themselves. This is what really opened the door for a big change. (Yes, I do consider myself quite fortunate.) Additionally, I hadn’t been particularly successful in the dating game and was unattached. Many people had told me I was picky. Darn right! Why would I compromise and agree to spend the rest of my life with someone unless he was going to make my life better, and I could do the same for him?  Essentially, there was nothing left to hold me in place.

And that brings me to the purpose of my blog. I just want to share and express myself. I do have some strong opinions, but I’m not out here to create controversy. I’ve had enough of that. I just want to write, and see what happens. I do hope to entertain and hopefully make you laugh, as well as provoke some thoughts.

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