Whirlwind

The last time I wrote, I was in a decision-making mode with uncertainty and emotional highs and lows. Hurricanes or snow was the question. A lot has happened since I pondered that decision.

The truth of the matter is; I desired to be around my friends and family more than I needed Florida. Roger and I settled there together and were a “We” instead of a “Me.” It didn’t work for me anymore, and as many of my followers know, I put my house on the market just before the weekend, and it was under contract by that Sunday afternoon.

I put a lot of sweat and tears into the Florida home, but it was getting the usual super hot and humid every day, and I couldn’t help but want to get the hell out of there! I had my air conditioner poop out on me once, and I prayed after getting it fixed, it would outlast my time there and serve the new owners well. It did.

I made all these decisions after getting a very clear message in my head one day- like a bolt of lightning striking me- that the time to sell was now. Everyone tells a Widow that you should not make any major decisions in the first year after losing your spouse. I can certainly understand why people say that, but no one holds the crystal ball, and you have to follow your heart and your gut when it’s yelling at you to do something. I am also stronger than most people because I have stared disaster in the face more than once- and lived to tell. The fact of the matter is, the sellers market in Florida is great and I didn’t want to drag my feet too long. The house and neighborhood turned out to be a great 3 year investment.

I didn’t know where I was going to go on the Ohio end, but I have family that would give me a place to stay and I would store my belongings in a unit while searching for a condo. The demand for Condo homes seems to be very high in just about every place I wanted to live. I missed out on a couple of opportunities, but I wasn’t going to let that stand in the way of my vision. As it turns out in these crazy times, you better have a lot of cash, no contingency and an escalation clause to get what you want. I was starting to look at apartments (just in case), but if you want a nice one, it will cost you every bit the same monthly payment, and usually more than you will pay for a house.

And since I started writing this blog entry, my life became a whirlwind of activity!

I started planning a move on my own and packing soon after the house was under contract. We had downsized once already to go fulltime in our motorhome, but I was amazed at how much we had already accumulated to transform the house into a home. Apparently, all my choices were good ones in staging the house because I got top dollar for it in our neighborhood. Roger had fought me tooth and nail over buying “things” we didn’t need, but spending time in the real estate business years ago and learning dos & don’ts, certainly paid off. The buyer’s agent told me that their buyers chose my house over others because it was beautiful, spotless and move-in ready. They purchased some of my furniture, which enabled me to move with less.

My house closed on June 21st. I signed my paperwork and got on the road directly from the Lawyer’s office. I had packed my car with important items, some last minute stuff, a bit of car food and water. I had no idea that I was about to face a very long, stressful and rainy day.

The fun started about two hours into my trip north. The PODS driver that was picking up my packed POD called me as I was approaching I10. He said “Mrs. Turner- are you home?” I answered “No, I am already en route to I10. Is there something wrong?” He then says “Oh Mrs. Turner, we got a problem! Your POD isn’t locked.” I said “What do you mean it’s not locked? I made sure I put the lock on it before leaving the house.” He said “The lock is on, but I can lift the door right up.” Oh my God! I am about to die on the road! If he had not checked that door, my belongings could have been scattered all over Ocala on the way to the warehouse! Either it was a defective door mechanism, or my defective last-minute haste to get things done!

“Don’t you worry Mrs. Turner. I will call my warehouse supervisor and we’ll get this resolved! You just keep going because you are too far away to do anything about it.”

An hour after this exchange of words and heartfelt emotion, they called to tell me they cut the lock off, locked it properly with a new one and will contact me to find out where to send the new keys. Problem one solved! Thank you PODS.

My next stop for gas would prove to be even more exciting.

I got fuel and parked my car out of the way so I could get a fresh cup of Java. When I returned to my car and pressed the remote to unlock it, I heard nothing. I pressed it again, and still heard nothing. Third time the charm? Nope. Nada! My remote was not working and I can’t get in my locked car.

Oh, but wait! It’s a 2015 and still has a key to insert into the lock, so I shall try this foreign method to enter my car. My car decided it doesn’t like the key and starts the alarm blowing loudly for the guy next to me to give me dirty looks. Well, guess what? The button wouldn’t work to stop the alarm from blaring either. Pressing harder doesn’t help. Eventually, it stopped and my heart was pounding after I sat down in my car and shut the door.

I believed the immediate problem was over, but did you know that inserting your key into the ignition, after what my car believes is an attempted theft, ignites another episode of “let’s piss off everyone” and the alarm started blaring again! I am thinking now that the man sitting in his car next to me fully believes that I am a stupid female that knows nothing about cars.

So I phone a friend. “What should I do?” I asked after laughing hysterically over my dreaded situation. He asked me if I could manually lock and unlock my door with the lock button. Well, I locked it, but now it won’t unlock. I am literally locked in my car like a prisoner now and it’s very warm. I know if I insert the key that I may hear the dreaded alarm again! I said “Oh this is not good!” to which he responded “Start the car and just go! Just take off and go!” This time, the alarm doesn’t go off, but it flashes that an attempted theft has been made on my vehicle.

I am still laughing as I started down the road. My friend called me back after researching the situation and explained that using the car handle twice in a row will unlock the door if it happens again. We both know that my remote battery must have died and now I am faced with a new dilemma. Where is the 2nd remote that I know I packed somewhere in the back of the car, but have no idea at this point- where?!

My next stop results in basically unpacking the back of my car, as I frantically look everywhere for the other remote. Have you ever witnessed this scene during a trip? You stair at what appears to be an idiot searching thru everything they packed into the car, placing items on the ground, and rummaging thru suitcases. It always appeared hilarious to me. NOT anymore. I now know that there just might be a very good reason for such roadside activity. I am usually a very organized person, but this was a last minute attempt to fit everything left in my house into the back of my car with time restraints for an appointment to sign papers downtown. The remote was right where I put it- I just couldn’t remember where that spot was. Finally- success! I now have a working remote for the rest of my trip. My day was filled with heavy rain and several stops to docu-sign last minute items before the closing transfer could take place. I got the email at 6:52pm that my Florida home was no longer my responsibility, as it had transferred and closed. That chapter of my life has ended and a new one officially had begun.

The next day results in a moment I am quite sure many can relate to.

I fueled up near my hotel first thing in the morning. I always place my credit card in my pocket as I fill the tank and immediately return it to my wallet when I get back into the car. But, perhaps I was a bit exhausted after a day of driving in torrential rain and not getting enough sleep in a hotel bed. The credit card remained in my pocket after I returned to my seat.

How do I know this? Because the next time I stopped for a pit stop, I returned to my car to find my American Express gold card face down on the ground next to my car door! It obviously worked it’s way out of my pocket. Oooooops! Close call that could have been a disaster.

I finally made it to my sister’s home, where they were both waiting for my safe arrival. The sense of relief I felt after two long rainy days and fog in many areas, was overwhelming.

I am home!

I now start the process of closing again. This time, I am closing on a wonderful condo home that will enable me to enjoy the freedom of no yardwork, no snow removal, and the ability to walk away when I want to travel and visit friends for awhile.

The process has begun and I am now set to close tomorrow, July 6th, as I sit in Wisconsin dog-sitting for dear friends. It has not been an easy task to organize a closing in a different state than your house is in, but I have figured out in this life that anything is possible if you work hard enough for it. I am about to join the condo world of living- something very new to me, yet I am excited for new adventures and my new life. In the meantime, I am “Mom” to my favorite Doodle, who is adjusting quite well to me. Love, attention and food is all you need with pets…

I sort of feel like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

“There’s no place like home.”

Me on the left, little sister on the right before heading out for a wonderful evening with big sister and our niece