On the Road Again...

...for what I dearly hope is the last time for a long time! This weekend Eric and I made the long trek back out to Michigan from Rhode Island with a 17 foot Uhaul, towing my car on a trailer. He did all of the driving, while I tried desperately to find anything other than country music and Christian ranting on the radio. We made excellent time, found 32 of 50 state license plates, and arrived at the condo before noon on Friday. I was really excited, as we have been gypsies for over about a year and a half now. Finally, our own furniture, our own bed, and my whole wardrobe back at my disposal! Sadly, the buzzkill was pretty immediate. The condo was filthy. The previous tenants hadn't even cleaned the bathrooms when they moved out, so you can imagine my distaste. Two of the three bathroom sinks were rusted, and there were other minor damages. The real estate agent brushed the whole thing off, as is her job, I'd guess! After the movers left, I spent 6 hours scrubbing the place down before we started unpacking. Then my parents arrived Saturday afternoon and we did a massive overhaul. We did some bargain hunting (4 lamps for 13 bucks!) and worked a little decorating magic. By the time they left on Sunday afternoon, the place was clean and livable, cozy even. I spoke with the owners (who live overseas) and they were really apologetic. They gave us a credit on the rent for the mess, and are sending a plumber over tomorrow to replace the sinks and fix the rest of the issues. I love cooperative people! Plus we are in a great location, a very short distance from downtown and the football stadium. It took a few days, but the place has grown on us already, and should feel like home pretty soon. Eric started work today, so now my job hunt is on and we'll soon be off to explore Ann Arbor. That and to learn about Big Ten football, spread the Patriots love, and make our friends eat hot wieners.