8 Months

On February 20 something, 2011, my Mom, Sister, and I set out on the trip to Billings. We were moving, our house about ready to go on the market, new carpets and paint, the movers had come and packed up all of our stuff, and we were staying at a hotel. My Dad was already out in Seattle, working at his new job that had us moving. We said last goodbyes, and headed out. 9 Hours later we were at my Grandmothers house in Billings, and our cousins were there waiting for us with dinner. We were going to stay there for a month or two, until our house sold and we found a house in Seattle. At least that's what we thought. Six months later we made the final trip. There were 11 people, 2 dogs, 2 cars and a moving  truck (towing another car!) on that final trip. So, back to the beginning. Towards the end of December (2010) my dad took the job in Seattle, and wheels started turning in motion. Right after my sisters birthday my dad left. We stayed round to get the house in shape for selling, actually a bit of work. And saying goodbye to friends and family. And then the long trip.  In Billings we continued school, and hung out around, getting used to our new place. Not unpacking much, since we were sure we were leaving very soon. We realized that wasn't going to happen eventually and got settled in for the long run. Finally, in June, our house sold. That same day we flew out to Seattle. This was my first time in Seattle, and my first time on a plane. It was pretty crazy- the only flights out  of Billings to Seattle were quite early, so we had to wake up at 4. None of us really slept the night before, because the water heater started leaking in the middle of the night. By the time we reached Seattle, Sj was sick. She'd had a cold before, but the flight had messed with her ears a bit. Then waiting in line for the rental car, and trying to find our way around a new city on new sleep. Eventually leading to us calling the hotel asking if the room was ready (an hour early). Thank goodness it was. We slept a bit. The first couple days weren't any good- Sj was so sick that she wasn't even waking up to eat really. Finally she started feeling better, so we got together with the realtor. We were pretty limited with houses, because we wanted a mother in law sweet for my grandmother.  Day one we saw three houses. We didn't really like any of them. Day two we saw another three houses- and fell in love with the third. That day we headed back to Sea Tack and flew back to Billings. It was 12 midnight when we got there.  After about 2 weeks in Billings the house was ours. We did the 14 hour drive in one day- very tiring. Then movers came, and the house was full of boxes. Only six days later we left for the family reunion. This was back in Estes park. We got there a couple of days before the reunion started, so we could visit with friends and family. It was quite a packed schedule! Up in Estes we stayed at the Y of the Rockies. There was a ton to do there! We went up into the park, and had fun looking around the mountains.  Back to Billings. This time we were there to pack. Lots and lots of packing!  We also worked in a quick trip into Thermopolis (WY) so we could go through Greybul , a city that some of my ancestors founded. It was pretty fun to go to the hot springs there! Towards the end of August it was all done. The truck was filled, and we headed out. We stopped in Spokane and staid the night. It was interesting working with having our dogs with us there- Cassie had never stayed in a hotel room before, but she did alright. Then finishing the trip.  The cousins were here for only a couple of days- but those days were spent pretty crazily unpacking! Maddi and I also talked our parents into letting us check out the malls, actually two of them. On the last day they were there we all went on a Duck Tour. it was actually pretty fun, of course a bit silly.  Then very, very sad goodbyes. And now unpacking, and trying to figure out where everything is, and getting into the school groove. School is actually pretty crazy this year thanks to the fact it's my Freshman year. Very exciting, but a ton of work.  Once everything is unpacked, i'll post some pics of the house but everything is a bit of a mess now...  Later on, i plan to do more posts about the various trips, using far more photos, but this post was getting to long. Goodbye, Goodbye. -Sonja