Happy? Birthday Mikey!

Let's see what Michael did for his birthday. He had off to attend to a bunch of moving-type affairs and we had our favorite borrowed truck until noon Saturday. Around 9am we went to the DMV where there was the usual line, so we moved on (darn it, my hair looked so good). Then it was off to the water company, cable company, and cable/internet.



Everyone was very nice, although things took a bit more time than they should have because of an issue with the lease, and then it was time for lunch - a bag of chips and a bottle of soda.

Ok, now we were fortified for our trip to Ikea. Well first, we stopped at Fred's Bed's in Big Coppitt Cay and ordered a king-sized platform bed frame (we still need a mattress). I can not tell you how excited we are to be able to get a king-sized bed. We rented a place for a month that had a king bed and have never been the same since. You have to admit, this place didn't look too promising, but they can order cheap-ish stuff and deliver fast, and free.




That done, we continued north. I forgot how much fun it is to have the highway patrol on your tail.

There was more traffic on the Keys than usual thanks to Biker's week, and once we got past Homestead, we managed to screw up. In a place with looooooooong lights, school zones, and more traffic.



We stopped to ask directions only to be grinned at and then asked "¿Que?" Ah yes, Bienvenido a Miami. Never mind....By the time we got to Ikea it was 5:30pm. By the time we finished shopping (we were going to milk this trip for all it was worth), someone on the PA was announcing that we all had to get out, they were closing (it was about 8:30pm). We rushed around getting all of this,

(4 carts - we each pushed 2) and then checked out wondering all the while how the heck we were going to get all this in the truck. We could have had all our goodies shipped by Ikea for a reasonable $189, but they only have one shipment/month to the Keys - the end of the month. Heck - it's the 14th! We need the rest of the month to put all that stuff together. So we went outside and did what we do best- we packed. Seriously - you''d be amazed at what we've done in a Mini-Cooper - and yes, I'm still talking about packing. Dinghies too. With a little help from an Ikea helper who had seen this before, we were set. We were back on the road at 9:15pm.



Now all we had to do was hope it didn't rain. A chair, sofa, and bookcase (now tv stand) were in the bed of the truck and were open to the elements. More fortification necessary - here's your birthday dinner Mr. Mike!

Yep, another bag of chips and a soda...Eventually Michael pooped out and took a nap. By the time he woke up it was no longer his birthday. I had no problem staying awake as I suffered through the 45- and even 35-mile zones in the various Keys (we were not going to get a ticket on this trip) and watched with great trepidation as lightning kept highlighting horrible, puffy white clouds above. There were many times it was obvious we had just missed a rainstorm. At one point, I noticed the stuff shifting in the back, and we pulled over to tighten the twine. Unfortunately, this was where the everglades extends and it was incredibly buggy. We both had the itchies big-time for about 10 minutes. Around 1:15am, we got 15 minutes from the new house  - we had to get this stuff out of the bed - when it started raining. By the time we double parked in front of the place it was pouring. The two of us finagled 4 heavy, big boxes out of the truck and under the stairs for some protection from the downpour. %#*!  Once the rain stopped, we got to carry everything up the stairs as quiet as possible and make sure nothing was too wet (we seemed to have done ok).

Michael decided he deserved a birthday beer so stopped to get one. Wahoo!  Upon arrival at our temporary home, I saw this.

Are you kidding me? My wayward Shuffle (mp3) had arrived and I wasn't there to receive it. AAAGH!

Neither of us could fall asleep, so turned on the tv that's not supposed to be working (cable is set to "seasonal" at this place). Closed-captioning is on and I've been addicted to the typing errors that occur (I'm a writer, so sue me). We put on a stupid movie and then laughed at the ridiculous errors that popped up - from spelling, to missed dialogue altogether, to clearly misunderstandings..."and he's an illusionist!" became "anti-illusionist," etc. It turns out there's quite a bit on this if you Google "closed captioning mistakes."

I got a good snooze for an hour before the sun came up and can't sleep once that happens so am up. It also occurred to me that somehow we forgot to pick up the ottoman for the chair...We still have the car for 1/2 the day and have to get tvs, a toaster oven, a vaccum, and some tools so no rest for the weary. I'll also move my stuff and the kitties over to the new house too. Michael will stay in the old, as it's closer to work - and has a pool. It's paid for  - why not? I want to get the cats acclimated and see what else we need to get (by living there) while I'm still unemployed.

So that's how Michael spent his birthday. When I got on the computer this morning, I saw he had 26 messages for a happy, happy. Way to show him some love! Thanks to my mom for the birthday gift for him and the fun stuff for me too. Do we ever outgrow the love of care packages from our parents?