Off to Washington

Since I am just starting off on this blog, I figured I would catch you up to today and go from there. I hope to use this forum to share photos, recipes and our journeys as we explore a new home location.

About mid-January Daryl accepted a promotion within Boeing which moved us to Washington state, in Everett near Seattle. So, the whirlwind of getting our house ready for sale, finding a new house in Washington and, in general, picking up our lives to move across the West started.

We had 30 days before Daryl was to report for work in Washington... eight of those were spent house hunting in and around Everett. We found a home near Lake Stevens, which is about 10 miles East of Everett. We are considered 'out in the country', however local stores and restaurants are about 5-10 minutes away. Larger chain (big box) stores are 15 minutes away. Click here for some pictures of Lake Stevens from the Chamber web site

On Sunday, February 18th we left Arizona at about 10:30 am for our four day drive to Washington. Our first stop was Santa Clarita, second Sacrmento, third Eugene, OR and our final (but temporary) destination of Puyallup, WA. We stayed in a corporate apartment for one month while Daryl trained at the plant he would be supporting.

The drive with 2 dogs and 1 cat went much better than we could have expected - the cat did exceptionally well and the dogs are used to traveling. La Quinta hotels is fantastic as they allow pets with no questions or additional deposits. Knowing this ahead of time, Daryl scheduled each stop so there would be a La Quinta we could stay at.

On March 15th we drove up to Lake Stevens to spend our first official night in the new house. Our furniture was scheduled to arrive between 8 and 9 am the next morning. We slept on the floor and had a styrofoam cooler to keep a few things cold for the night, but it was well worth it! I will get updated photos posted soon now that we have moved in.

We have found that although it is really nice having a company come in to pack everything - it makes unpacking so much harder. Boxes labeled Living Room had Guest Bedroom stuff, Kitchen had Living Room stuff, etc... So, knowing this, next time I will ask they not mix rooms! If the box still has space left in it - stuff with paper! Our goods all arrived and not a thing was broken!! Kudos to Dircks!

In between unpacking and getting settled, we've taken some time to explore our new neighborhood. We live nearby the Centennial Trail, which is a path that follows an abandoned train track, runs about 17 miles in length and is considered a county park.

On days that are rainy or cold, we stay home and unpack. Days that are nice and/or sunny - we go walking. Well - that pretty well catches you up. From now on posts will be more specific about what we do on a day to day basis. Enjoy!