This should be documented - but it's long and boring

I am terrible at blogging, but when things go crazy in the future and I need to look back for some encouragement, I want to remember this PCS adventure. 

We left DC at about 6:00am after staying up until 3:00am cleaning the apartment for the new renters. I was already exhausted, but we had places to go and things to see. The following day we spent in Nauvoo, IL, where we were able to attend the temple and feel the spirit of the city. We also visited the burial site of Abraham Lincoln and enjoyed uninterrupted conversation in the car. We reached Denver and after helping my parents move the last of their belongings up to their new home in Bailey, we set off for VEGAS.

This was it! I had been anxious for this moment for ages. A few hundred miles into the trip, the speedometer in the van fell to zero and the engine light began to flash. Putrid smells and smoke came pouring out of the hood and we pulled over. My heart sank. The van was brand new for us and had cost us a very significant investment of our meager savings. We called a tow truck and waited, but I was suddenly blessed with an idea... We should tow our car into Vegas with a Uhaul truck so that we wouldn't have to drive seven hours to come back and get it when it was repaired. We took the working car down to Moab to rent a Uhaul truck and luckily our generous family living in Moab ironed out a few details for us. We brought the truck up the where we had broken down and found a surprise. The original tow truck we had called showed up and offered to pull the van off the road. In the process, he ripped the bumper off the van and simultaneously locked his own keys in his tow truck. Excellent. :)

Ironing out a few more details with the tow trucker, we loaded up the Uhaul truck and the trailer, ready to finish our adventure. False alarm! The Uhaul would not start. We sat there, in the middle of nowhere, desperately calling Uhaul and other repairmen, hoping for a miracle. His name was Josh - our original tow trucker. He had left us after the bumper incident, but while driving a route he noticed we were still stranded. He could have ignored us, but he came to the rescue and fixed the Uhaul truck (by taking a hammer and banging on the starter...genius.) He advised us to go - just go until we got to Vegas. Don't turn off the engine when you stop for gas, just drive until you get to your new house. 

The movers were set to arrive at 6:45am the next morning so we had to get moving. We drove through the late-night hours and into the morning. When we arrived at the house, I expected to feel relief and contentment - but the house was empty. No toilet paper, nothing to sleep on, and to top it off, a pipe in the front yard was broken and spilling into the gutter - for who knows how long. It was a trying moment. My mom and I got back into the car, went to the nearest 24hour store and got a few things for the night. By the time Matt and my dad arrived in the truck, it was almost 3:30am. We crashed on the dirty carpets and an old twin mattress the previous owner had left behind.

The adventures continued through the next week with car repairs, endless purchases, and carpet cleaning. We were very blessed to have Matt's parents watching the girls and my parents helping us paint and move in. The Uhaul broke down again, the van cost us about $3,000 to fix and $1,500 to register (including sales tax), and we assembled more furniture than I care to admit. This was our first true PCS, and I hope it is the most eventful one we ever have.