Where to begin?

Since my last post a few things have happened. I'm not exactly sure where to start. Sigh. Here goes...December 18...the day before we  left Bozeman. Looking back on this day, like to so many in the last few weeks, I see a blur of activity. We were running errands, tying up all the loose ends, packing the Budget truck and cleaning. Cleaning. Cleaning. Cleaning. Still cleaning at 1am. By that time we were close to being finished, cleaning the kitchen, punchy and silly as we scrubbed every surface. I have to say that the  place sparkled and it should have...we spent hours and hours to be sure that the place would be spotless and that would net us our whole security deposit in return.

The next morning was the big day. We were cutting ties and leaving Bozeman for the last time (even now...several weeks later that doesn't seem real). We woke up at 6am to rearrange the items in the Budget truck, connect with the carpet cleaning guys and do the walk through with our property management company. Bleary eyed we woke to two  inches of snow on the ground. Not enough to derail our plans to leave that day but enough to make the last few hours in Bozeman just a little more annoying. I ran a carload of stuff to the thrift store while Tim started to rearrange the stuff in the truck...we still had quite a few bankers boxes to fit in there. After I returned home we finished loading the truck and loaded up the Honda. That is, loaded it with additional stuff then we drove it onto the car carrier that we  towed behind the Budget truck.

We  didn't quite have everything out of the house when our property management company arrived to look at the place. She was all smiles as she walked through to inspect each room. I'd say inspect is too strong a word - she barely looked around but was happy enough at  what she saw. We did get  our security deposit back so we  were happy too. :)

Next we ran around to  finish errands and it was then that I took stock of my shoes. Yes, you read that right: shoes. With the few inches of snow on the ground and all the running around my shoes were COMPLETELY soaked.  I remember walking out of Northwestern Energy (we were closing our account) and fearing that if I looked down I would see puddles oozing out from my shoes with each step.

Finally the moment had arrived. After all the packing, running around through the snow, loading and reorganzing the truck....we climbed  into the Budget truck and drove out of Bozeman. For. The. Last. Time.  A strange feeling all around. I didn't start to  feel relieved right then and there because I was still worried about potentially icy roads  along the way. But to  my great  delight we drove to Idaho Falls without incident...not a flake  of snow to  be seen. A couple hundred miles down and we were totally exhausted. We checked into a Holiday Inn Express and collapsed, happy but spent.