WE MADE IT!

Hello everyone! We finally made it. The 14 hour trek from Tampa D.C. was long, and tiresome, but we're here. I've gotta tell you, I was really worried about driving the distance with the four cats in the back, but they turned out to be unbelievably good!! A couple of them meowed a little bit for the first half hour or so, but after that, they were so quiet, we were actually worried about them. Every time we stopped for gas, food, etc., we would check on them and find them just chilling out in their carriers. WOW! What a relief.

So we're all getting settled in to our new apartment. The cats are busy exploring the new environment. Roscoe immediately found his new spot in a basket that Grandma Price bought for him. And Iddle and Mouse are equally happy no matter what spot they're in. But I was really worried about George, because he has never been good with moves. Usually when we move he spends the first 2-3 months hiding in a bathroom, or under a cabinet somewhere, or in the case of our last apartment, up in the loft for a year and a half. But I'm thrilled to say that I haven't found him hiding once yet!! (Here he is hanging out above the fireplace). I think it has something to do with our vet's recommendation that we get an air plug-in that has a chemical called Feliway in it. It contains a pheromone that soothes cats' anxiety. I gotta tell you, it's a miracle product. We sprayed some in their cat carriers before we left, and I attribute that to their behavior in the car too.

I've spent the past 3 days unpacking and looking for work. It's been a chore, but I'm almost done. Luckily for us, we are planning on moving into a house or townhouse in the next 6 months, so about half of the stuff is being left in boxes in the spare bedroom, which we're using as a storage unit. That's not to say if anyone of you wants to come visit, you won't have a place to stay. We bought an air mattress for the move, and it's about the most comfortable one I've ever seen. We were taking it down because the movers set up our bed, and Lori remarks, "I kinda wanted to sleep on the air mattress again. It was fun." So don't be afraid to come visit, please.

When I was unpacking one of the bathrooms, everything in the mover's boxes was individually wrapped in packing paper. To save time as I unwrapped each item, instead of putting each piece of paper in a trashbag I would throw them into the bathtub. Well let me tell you, the cats thought they had found heaven as they dove head first into the crinkly paper. They looked like little kids playing in the plastic balls as Burger King. I started laughing and had to take a second from unpacking to run get the camera.

Anyways, just wanted to take a moment and let you all know we made it safely. By the way, I like it here already. We just have to get Lori to have at least an open mind about Virginia enough to enjoy it. So far, she hasn't taken to it all that well, but I'm sure she'll come around.

Would love to hear from you all. Even those of you who I've never met, and who just read this site for fun. I'll post more as things arise. Take care.

- Matt