Surprise: Home Sweet Home

Last week took an unexpected turn of events.  Originally, I had planned on visiting my parents to help my mom prep for the move (planned for July) and then flying to close on the new place.  Unfortunately, my mom was struggling to manage my dad's care and we decided on Tuesday that we would go ahead and move my parents plus the basics over 1,000 miles.  But based on my time line we needed to be leaving Wyoming Saturday morning.

Wyoming Sunset

Luckily, I was flying Southwest so I could easily change my tickets and my bosses were ok with me extending my trip to help my parents settle in.  But my flight on Wednesday night was super late.  I didn't get into my hotel until 3 am (3 hours late), then I only slept about 2 hours that night.  My sister drove me up to my parents.  The packing madness didn't start until Friday, but we were frantically packing all day.  Then in the evening we loaded up the stock trailer with their stuff, and my awesome uncle loaded up the tractor, tools, and my mom's rock collection on to his flatbed.

The next morning we got up bright and early, finished loading the odds and ends and rolled out by 8 AM.  I was trying the diesel truck (standard) and trailer.  Neither of which I had really driven since 2009 and that was just a trip from New Mexico to Georgia, so really it was more like 2005 since I had driven either with any regularity.  My mom immediately started grumbling about me driving slow.  For the record we were still on their narrow dirt driveway and I was driving 20 mph.  It also might be the first time she has ever grumbled at any of her kids for driving too slow.

Baby tractor and hay!

Despite my nerves, the driving wasn't too bad (other than when I established that I can not back up a gooseneck anymore to save my life).  The first day we made it across Wyoming (pretty), Utah (salt, salt, and more salt), and part of Nevada.  We ended up having to drive an extra hour because all the hotels in the town we planned to stop at were full.

The next day seemed to drag on and on and on.  I was ready to be done with driving, plus it got to be windy and I was struggling with the trailer and the wind.  We were able to arrive in the late afternoon and get the trailer unloaded.  The next day my stuff arrived and it was unloaded along with the hay that my uncle sent on the flatbed.

One paddock

Everything is almost ready for Stinker to arrive.  I am still working out the details on getting him a buddy and also on when he will arrive out here.  I have to go back to Alabama for a couple more weeks, but then I will be out here.  I am so over this packing an unpacking and moving, but I still have to finish getting work moved and unpacked.  Then I have to go to my parents' old place and get everything ready for the movers.  But the moving is at least half way done.

Fancy ass barn

I am super excited about the new place.  I feel so relieved that I am able to manage his care and he can have as much turnout as he would like.  I am still pinching myself that we got so lucky to find this place.  The buying process was so stressful.  We had to write a contract before we saw it and there was another offer on it.  Luckily, the previous owner left us tons of directions of how to make everything function.  I have a remote to turn on sprinklers for the ring.  The ring has a mixture of sand and rubber footing.  It is crazy nice.

Full Sized Ring!