Bonus: There aren't any assholes with loud stereos here!

We made it over to the Lovely In-Law's place in once piece - considering it was only a two hour trip, that's not really saying much.  But there were concerns about being able to fit in the truck and then in the storage unit, and there were concerns about getting the pets transported.  The first two concerns were valid - it was a tight squeeze, but we got everything into the truck or the FIL's van, and then into the storage unit or the IL's garage (we're refinishing our dining room set, and B is sorting through some of his stuff while we're here, so we had quite a load to bring to the house).  Granted, we couldn't find anything in the storage unit if our lives depended on it, but at least it's in there.

The cats, however... that's a more interesting story.  I got some sedatives from the vet a few weeks ago, mainly for Gyro.  When we made the trip to Toledo three years ago, he was a hot mess the whole way.  Drooling, yowling, peeing, hyperventilating - I did not want a repeat performance, for both my sanity and his health.  So first we made the decision to take the pets to the IL's a couple of days before our stuff to save them that stress.  I crushed up one of the little pink pills and mixed it with half a can of wet food, gave Gyro the dosed half & Lily the rest.  She'd always been fine in the car, curled up and quiet, so I didn't want to dose her.  Well, except I didn't take into account the fact that she's a pig, and she finished off the last few bites of Gyro's drugged food.  So Gyro got nearly a full dose, and Lily got a very small dose... and this time, Lily was the hot mess.  Gyro was quiet and relaxed, nearly konked out.  But Lily was stoned, and it scared her.  It was like The Exorcist in her carrier - she'd lay on her back and push off all sides with her feet until she was spinning around like a demented banshee, and yowling like one too.  She didn't pee, thank god, but she was in bad shape.  She finally calmed down when we were 20 minutes from the house, and once we got inside she was fine.  Beyond that, they've both adapted pretty well to the little apartment, and are enjoying the windows and the birds outside.  Jake, of course, is happy as a dog can be with a humongous yard to run in.  He's only gotten lost once or twice I think, which is pretty good.  His recall is getting better, although it still takes some raised voices to break his concentration when his nose is to the ground.

As for us, we still aren't sure what our time-frame is for heading out west.  We've got a free month of storage, so if we wanted to leave at the end of June we'd save ourselves some money, but I don't know if we're going to be able to swing that schedule.  B picked up a job for June, helping one of his professors from BG with a study on Lake Erie, so he's going to be spending a couple of days each week back over near Toledo.  So trying to work out logistics would be tough with that going on.  We're trying to sell a few more things too - we got rid of the extra bed last week, and B has ordered the parts he needs for the Buell so it can be sold too.  He might sell the Yamaha parts he has, but he hasn't decided if he wants to give up on that project yet.  The point is, our list of things to do before The Big Move is changing a little - not growing a ton, but definitely changing - so we might push it out a little bit.

We're both still job-hunting - B is getting frustrated with the hiring process for federal jobs - it's very slow and he's very impatient.  I applied for my dream job the other day, so I'm really crossing my fingers on it (Sustainability Director at University of Oregon!), and a few others too.  I really hate the job-hunting process though, it makes me feel horribly un-qualified.  My experience is so widely spread - I have very little in-depth in any one area.  It's making my enthusiasm for this whole idea start to fizzle.  And then I start thinking too much and worrying - we're 31 years old, neither of us have jobs, we don't have a home, we hardly have any savings, good god are we even fit to call ourselves adults?! - but then reality and common sense kick in and I remember - B sacrificed the better part of a decade to serving his country which required putting the rest of our lives completely on hold.  We don't have a mortgage hanging over our heads.  We're not tied down to a city that we absolutely hate.  We can find something to pay the bills until we find something that will help fulfill our goals.  It'll all work out.

I hope.