Hellllllloooooooo PA.

[lindrusso]

Just a quick note to say we're here.

We arrived on Saturday night and spent the night in a hotel since the company was paying for it. We are now staying at the house with an air mattress, 2 sleeping bags, a card table and a few chairs. And, of course, our computers. :D

Our stuff doesn't arrive until Wednesday. Not the greatest arrangement, but it gives the boys and I an excuse to run around and do some exploring before I get tied down with unpacking. I also have plenty of time to figure out where I want everything to go! :D

Anyway, it's good to finally be here, though it will take some adjusting. I miss Angola, but it's pretty here and I know it will feel like home soon. :)

Computers and email are a great way to feel like we're not so far away from friends we left behind!

Alysha

[Canice]

"Welcome" to you! I'm glad you're over that part of the transition anyhow and will be settled in soon enough. Have lots of fun exploring your new home! :)

[sfarler]

Welcome to PA!

We were just driving through the state this weekend and were marveling at the beauty of the lush countryside. All the farms fields were beautiful.

[Wendy w]

Good for you Alysha! Enjoy your new home and what's around you. I have never been there, but I understand that PA is a beautiful state.

[mrswaz]

Hooray! I was just thinking about you and wondering if you made it okay. :) I'm sending you quick and efficient unpacking vibes.

[LakeMartinGal]

Welcome to your new home, Alysha!

One little suggestion (you probably have already thought of this)... put post-it notes on the cupboard and closet doors, so that, if you have "help" unpacking, people know where things go! I had to totally rearrange my kitchen after 'helpful' people had just put things anywhere to get them out of the way! :eek:

Happy unpacking! :D

[Terri_A]

Congratulations on completing step one!!! I think the fact that you get to "settle in" before the unpacking begins is great! Like you said, you can really give some thought to where you want things to go.

I spent a large part of my childhood in PA and my brother is still there, in the Lancaster area. It's a beautiful state and I really enjoyed living there. Hopefully you will as well!

Welcome Home!

[lindrusso]

Hooray! I was just thinking about you and wondering if you made it okay. :)

The packing and loading part went smoothly - they moving company does all the work - it felt odd to pretty much sit around and let them do it all, but it was NICE. :)

However, the engine light on my van came on about halfway through our trip out here (which meant we still had 4 hours to go) and THAT made the trip pretty stressful for a while. But we made it! Thank goodness! I had DH follow me just in case - at least we knew we'd have a ride if we did break down.

Hopefully nothing too expensive is wrong. :rolleyes:

[lindrusso]

One little suggestion (you probably have already thought of this)... put post-it notes on the cupboard and closet doors, so that, if you have "help" unpacking, people know where things go! I had to totally rearrange my kitchen after 'helpful' people had just put things anywhere to get them out of the way! :eek:


Great idea. Fortunately, I won't have any help besides DH and he knows better than to mess with the kitchen. ;)

Help can be nice, but I think I'd rather do it myself. Now, if someone wanted to clean for me and take care of the kids (but they're older now, so I don't even really need that), that's just great. :)

Fortunately the realtor paid to have the house cleaned and we only have the usual weekly upkeep cleaning to face - woohoo!

[pschambers]

Congratulations Alysha on arriving in PA!

Good luck with the settling in.

Patti

[LakeMartinGal]

Great idea. Fortunately, I won't have any help besides DH and he knows better than to mess with the kitchen. ;)
That's wonderful... I need the post-it notes to remind myself where I decided to put things... :o :D :rolleyes:

[tbb113]

Glad to hear that you made it safely. Enjoy the new house and all the opportunties a new place gives you to make new friends, try new things, etc.

Regarding the engine light...sometimes it is as simple as air getting into the gas tank. I've had it happen to me before and they just need to reset the sensor.

[SueK]

Glad you made it here safely Alysha! I didn't think we'd be hearing from you for a few more days. I thought of you yesterday because our new Double A baseball team (Cardinal's farm league) plays the team from Willamsport tomorrow night.

Sending good unpacking thoughts your way!

[vbak]

Moving to a new state will be like being on vacation at least for awhile. So, enjoy it. Wishing you the best.

Vicky

[Lauren]

Congratulations Alysha on arriving in PA and have fun exploring your new area!

Edited to say ... I'm so frustrated. We moved in December and have plenty of boxes to unpack in the basement. I thought I would be a nice Mom and have a cold pitcher of lemonade in the fridge for the kids when they get home from school. Unfortunately, I've just spent 30 minutes going through boxes and can't find a pitcher. :rolleyes: Maybe it's time to make a trip to Target and splurge on a new one. :D

[mrswaz]

Regarding the engine light...sometimes it is as simple as air getting into the gas tank. I've had it happen to me before and they just need to reset the sensor.

I hate that check engine light. According to our mechanic they are programmed to go on at mileage "checkpoints" (ie, 60,000 miles, 100,000 miles, etc.) It freaks me out every time I have one go on. Unless your van has a noticeable problem, it probably just needs a tune-up and it will probably cost around $75 just to have a mechanic plug the van into the computer and turn off the light.

[HealthyinMN]

Glad to see everyone made it safely to PA Alysha! I bet you are happy to be back with Bailey! Good luck with the unpacking - it's always fun to see what you may have forgotten about that the movers found!

[bobmark226]

Alysha, I wish you much happiness in your new home!

Bob
(Don't worry about unpacked boxes. They're not going anywhere. I know this for a fact. :o )

[springsgourmet9]

Welcome neighbor! Actually I live in the southeastern part of the state, born and raised in Chester County and love it here. (I did live in Denver, CO for five brief years after we were first married.)

Hope you enoy the state as much as I do. Take time to enjoy your new surroundings amid all the moving in chaos. Not sure which state you moved from but PA has four beautiful seasons for you to enjoy!

[wallycat]

Congrats on your new relocation!!!!

May you have much joy there and lots of fun exploring foodie places :D

[Robyn1007]

Glad you made it safe and sound Alysha! Enjoy your time with your family, sometimes I think that life without all our "toys" would be better. May I suggest grabbing a deck of cards while you're out? They are great entertainment and some of my wonderful childhood memories come from the summer I spent in Illinois playing cards with my step sister and step mother because there is only so much exploring and tv watching one can do.

[lindrusso]

I hate that check engine light. According to our mechanic they are programmed to go on at mileage "checkpoints" (ie, 60,000 miles, 100,000 miles, etc.) It freaks me out every time I have one go on. Unless your van has a noticeable problem, it probably just needs a tune-up and it will probably cost around $75 just to have a mechanic plug the van into the computer and turn off the light.

Ah, good to know. It's approaching 70,000. The light actually went off today. It has never had anything more done to it other than oil changes and a new tire (needs 2 more), so it's probably time for them to give it a look-see anyway. I just hope they don't manufacture all kinds of "problems". :rolleyes:

Thanks for all the good wishes everyone.

Joe - it is nice to be back with Bailey (and DH too ;) ). He did little puppy sprints when we got here Saturday night - running circles in the yard like he does when he gets overly excited.

springsgourmet9 - We moved here from IN, but we both went to Lehigh University in Bethlehem, got married there and lived there for 5 years after graduating, so although this area is new to us, PA is like coming home. :) DH's family is from near Philly - Delaware County, I believe, so not far from you. :)

Laurn - Any excuse to go to Target! :D No Target here.....will have to get my fix when we visit elsewhere......

Thanks again everyone. :)

[BucknellAlum]

Welcome to PA!

Just think how much closer you are to the Jersey shore now for summers!

Good luck unpacking everything!

[cniles]

Hi neighbor!! ;)

Glad you got here ok!! Once you get settled we'll have to see if you, SueK and I can get together (anyone else in the central pa area as well are more than welcome!!) Try to stay cool!!! :)

[lindrusso]

Just think how much closer you are to the Jersey shore now for summers!

Yes, so where are we going in a couple of weeks? OBX!

Oh yeah, I'll bet we'll be hitting the Jersey beaches (or somewhere nearby) at least once a summer. Sure beats the 14+ hour drive we did last time just to go to Wildwood. :rolleyes:

Charisse - Sounds good! I won't be working for a while yet, so either a weekend or when the boys are in school would work for me............... :)

Feeling cooler already!

[imloulou]

Alysha...Congrats on your move!!!! I'm glad you and your family made it safe and sound.

[beejayw1]

Anyway, it's good to finally be here, though it will take some adjusting. I miss Angola, but it's pretty here and I know it will feel like home soon. :)

Enjoy PA. I loved living there, and left because I had no other choice. I wish I could go back - have a wonderful time there for many happy years.

[mbrogier]

Glad you're moved in!!

I've heard that the engine light can come on in some vehicles when the gas cap doesn't get screwed on "right" :rolleyes: three turns, etc. The sensors on the vehicle don't like it, but it's not like you're going to lose gas. The light will go off eventually. I'd check it out just in case.

I know you're glad to be back with DH and Bailey. Are you feeling better?

Lauren, Target had some cute plastic pitchers for $5 the other day!

[SusanL]

Another Pennsylvanian checking in to greet you! There is so much to do in PA and we are close to Phila. and NYC! Pitt, as well. Glad you will be able to see family in Phila. Enjoy the weekend.
When we were transferred and the company paid to box our things, they wrapped tissue paper around a box of tissues. One box was Easter grass, wrapped in tissue. The company had to pay for each piece of tissue paper. I think that our moving cost was mostly the paper! :rolleyes:

[lindrusso]

Micah - Hi. :) Yes, overall I am feeling better. However, a bad DirecTV install brought on another wave of anxiety last night. Why? It wasn't my fault. But I had to stay up late and let the anxiety run its course before I could go to sleep. It's probably just residual anxiety. If I keep reacting to things like that, I will definitely explore the hormonal angle.

The good thing is, this house already feels more like home than the last house we were in, so that should help............I hope.

SusanL - I'm trying to keep all the PA people here straight. I know where SueK, linsleyd and Charisse are - where are you? Or if you don't want to say it publicly you can PM me or not say at all (I understand the privacy thing). :)

Yes, I feel like we killed an entire forest with this move with the pile of paper and boxes in the garage! However, the good part is, I finished unpacking all of my dishes, glasses, china and crystal and every single piece came through intact. And I didn't even break any putting it all away. ;)

Didn't get much done yesterday due to various reason and we're on the road for most of the day today. Kind of nice to get a break. Downstairs is mostly done, on to the bedrooms and bathrooms...................

Alysha

[mbrogier]

When we moved the first time, my mom flew up to help me unpack. The company had paid for the professional movers to pack the breakables, so there was a lot of that tissue. Mom spread it back out, and I used it to line my parrot's cage. It was perfect since it was unprinted newspaper. I had plenty left over and used that paper for 2 more moves. I bought another box when we moved again and am still using it.

[Kathy B]

Alysha, congratulations on your move, and I am glad to hear that your new house is already feeling like home. It's nice that you moved at the beginning of the summer so your kids have plenty of time to get used to their new environment before school starts. Are there many kids in your neighborhood?

We moved several times when I was growing up, and my mom would throw a handful of Brach's candy in some of the boxes so we would find a "Treat" as we helped her unpack. It actually was a pretty good motivator for us kids...especially since we wanted to find it before our brothers or sisters did! :D

Wishing you lots of happiness (and lots of new walking trails!) in your new home! :)

[lindrusso]

Are there many kids in your neighborhood?

We moved several times when I was growing up, and my mom would throw a handful of Brach's candy in some of the boxes so we would find a "Treat" as we helped her unpack.

Thanks Kathy. :)

That's a cute idea your mom had!

There are kids in the neighborhood. In fact, we now have a third son! The boy next door is the same age as my youngest and they are already fast friends. Brandon is over here pretty much all day long. Thank goodness he is a very nice boy and very easy to have around! Apparently the boy who moved out of this house was his age, so he lost one friend, but gained another. He is living with his grandfather (not sure if there is a grandmother) and an uncle who is very strange. I'm not sure what the whole story is, but he doesn't see his mom much. Although it's a bit annoying to have him around ALL the time, I'm glad he feels comfortable here - his situation is probably hard on him.

As for walking trails, there aren't a whole lot of options for variation since we're out in the country, but it's a nice walk with not much car traffic. :)

However, if it won't stop raining, we won't be getting out any time soon. I may have to brave the rain and go anyway - it just takes me a half hour to clean Bailey up if we do that since he has SO MUCH LONG FUR!

[Beth]

Glad you've arrived and the first ha;f was smooth. Hope the unpacking goes as well.

BTW, we had the engine light go on late one night driving home from a game. We smelled something hot, so we wound up having it towed. Turned out that it was the gas cap (which I had DH check after remembering a thread about that here a while back). He did say that the light would probably go off once it was tightned down good and driven a while (he may have said 3-4 hours). I've always been told that if you get an oil or engine light, it might already be too late and continuing to drive is a good way to kill the engine, so I guess it's onne of those one extreme or the other situations. The fact that you made it driving 4 hours is a pretty good indication that you didn't have a serious problem.

[Aubergine]

Alysha, welcome to your new home! i adore Penna.; i spent my childhood summers in and around Pittsburgh and areas to its SE. my family on both sides goes back many generations, although the cousins are now spread far and wide. the state's motto used to be, "You have a friend in PA," and i have always found that to be true, that folks there, generally speaking, are among the friendliest of anywhere i've ever been. some breautiful topography, and wonderful history. enjoy your great new adventure!

[lindrusso]

Hi Beth. It turned out to be something related to air flow. They cleaned something off and basically charged me the $65 for running the diagnostics. Not bad. I hate bringing cars to a dealership, but it's the place where you know they'll have parts you might need - especially when certain diagnostics are needed. They did tell me that a sensor was possibly on its last legs and that if the light goes on again, it will probably need to be replaced. I feel like I can trust this dealership after this experience - they didn't push me to replace anything right away or try to find little things that needed to be done just to charge me something. Whew!

Aubergine - I love PA too. We just drove the boys to New Hope to stay with my SIL (MIL is coming to help) and I was gawking - as I always do when we go there - at all the old houses. Bucks County is pretty with some of its farmland still intact and all the beautiful homes. We came home by way of Bethlehem to eat at the pizza place we used to always eat when we went to college at Lehigh. It was strange to be able to visit without a 12 hour drive!

It will not quit raining here. It's been 3 or 4 days now with no sign of letting up. Guess it was ordered to FORCE us to do nothing by unpack. ;) :) Still, it would be nice to be able to mow the lawn or walk the dog, at least.

Back to work..................

[Aubergine]

Hi Beth.

Aubergine - I love PA too. We just drove the boys to New Hope to stay with my SIL (MIL is coming to help) and I was gawking - as I always do when we go there - at all the old houses. Bucks County is pretty with some of its farmland still intact and all the beautiful homes. We came home by way of Bethlehem to eat at the pizza place we used to always eat when we went to college at Lehigh. It was strange to be able to visit without a 12 hour drive!

It will not quit raining here. It's been 3 or 4 days now with no sign of letting up. Guess it was ordered to FORCE us to do nothing by unpack. ;) :) Still, it would be nice to be able to mow the lawn or walk the dog, at least.

oh, yeah, we're only a couple of hours from Buck's Country, and what a deluge!!!! my rain gauge shows we got more than 6" since yesterday--but, we desperately needed it. and yeah, walking the dog--ours HATES the rain and literally has to be dragged out the door--not fun. hey, you're gonna have a LOT of grass to mow after this rain.:D

Bucks is beautiful, and Lancaster--among the few remaining covered bridges around those areas.

[MrsReber]

Wow, where have I been??? I had no idea you were moving to PA!! I knew you were talking about selling your house. Stupid job is getting in the way of my bulletin board time!

I just got home from PA! We were in Strasburg at the Thomas Day Out show. We went last year, too. It's only 2 hours from my house. Hey, wow, you moved much closer to me!

Good luck with everything! I'll have to go search now and see what I missed out on in posts!

As for the rain....ugh!!! We were camping out!! The good news: no humidity and no bugs. The kids didn't complain once. DH complained and I had to remind him of what he tells us- Don't Complain! Camp in the Rain! It POURED right after we got to our campsite. After that cleared up, we had drizzle and some steady rain today. Got soaked at Thomas and the sun peaked through about 1 hour before we planned to head home.

[gabbyh]

...We came home by way of Bethlehem to eat at the pizza place we used to always eat when we went to college at Lehigh...

Oh Alysha! You are making me homesick!!! How is my hometown doing???? Do you just love being back in PA???

~Gail

[SueK]

Alysha- glad to hear the unpacking is going well. Unfortunately, it looks like rain is in the forecast for the next 4 days!! :(

I'm glad you liked Wegmans! Maybe that will make up for the archaic liquor system in PA. :rolleyes:

[jjsooner73]

Alysha--Glad you are moved and all is well! I've heard Penn is beautiful--I've only seen the ride from the airport to Wilmington.

I'm getting closer to my closing date...most of the hard part of moving has already been done though. Can't wait!

[lindrusso]

Hi Susan. I've been hit or miss with the BB too, so I miss stuff all the time too. :) Sorry your job is interfering. ;) The house we were talking about selling was probably when we moved across town in November. We did do that, but Chuck lost his job shortly after that. Found a job in PA and here we are. Hopefully to stay this time!

Hi Gail. I was thinking about you on Saturday as we drove through the Lehigh Valley! We stopped at Campus Pizza, just to visit an old haunt. Still yummy. Then we stopped at Cedar Crest Blvd. to get some gas - that's when we realized I had left my purse at Campus Pizza, so we got the extended tour of 22. :rolleyes:

We do love being back. But it does take some adjusting just because it is a change - even if it will be for the better.

The old hometown looks much like WE left it over 13 years ago. At least from the highway..... ;)

Sue - I'm really trying not to get discouraged about all this rain! It really is good for unpacking, but not good for my mood. I really get blah when I don't see the sun for days on end. I'm glad we're up in the hills where flooding isn't an issue - I know this area is very prone. I hope this stuff doesn't follow us to NC - that would really be bad! :(

Hi Jennifer. Good luck with your closing and all that follows. :)

[lindrusso]

bumpity bump????

[BarbaraL]

Best of luck in your new home! PA is a great state. I was born and raised in NJ, but have spent alot of time in PA. My aunt and her family lived in various places in Western PA (Erie, Titusville, Meadville, Warren, Franklin) and my cousin currently lives outside of Pittsburgh. My brother went to college in Selingrove and I went to college in Easton. Almost moved to PA ("Mainline" area, west of Philadelphia) some years ago, but the job situation changed.

Hope you're all moved in and feeling at home soon.

[lindrusso]

My brother went to college in Selingrove and I went to college in Easton.

Hi Barbara. :) Lafayette? I remember teasing someone here on the boards about being a rival (we went to Lehigh), but don't remember who it was!

Well, it stopped raining long enough for DH to give Bailey a walk and for me to mow not quite half the lawn. Man, a push mower is looking puny with a little over an acre now! At least we traded up to a power mower instead of just a push mower. :eek:

[cniles]

Hey Alysha - I thought of you last Thursday night when they were showing tornado warnings for your area!! We spent the weekend up in the Pocono's with my BIL and family and just got back to the Carlisle area yesterday. My lawn is all squishy and I have weeds galore!! Maybe tomorrow I might be able to get the lawnmower out!!! ;)

Glad to hear everything's going well - and I'm sooooo jealous you have Wegman's near you. Our countdown is one year to go - at least they've started the construction. We have one scheduled to go in Mechanicsburg area. I CAN"T WAIT!!! :)

[lindrusso]

Charisse,

Yes, it seems that tornadoes like to welcome us when we move to new areas. :rolleyes: When we lived in TX, I became less than enthusiastic about rain because rain in TX usually meant storms and tornado watches/warnings. Then we moved to IN and I thought - oh good, no more tornadoes. The week we moved in, there was a small tornado in town. :eek: IN was on the edge of tornado alley, so it also often had tornado watches and warnings.

So, then we move back to PA where I know from living here for almost 10 years that tornadoes are rare. Ahem.............

Wegman's will be worth the wait! It's so strange to have people envious of MY shopping choices. :p I was in foodie wasteland for 9 long years. :D

More rain today. :mad: It might let up later enough to get the back half of the lawn done.......if we're lucky. Fortunately drainage is good on our hill, so the lawn isn't too squishy.

Rain, rain, go AWAY!!!!!!

[BarbaraL]

Hi Barbara. :) Lafayette? I remember teasing someone here on the boards about being a rival (we went to Lehigh), but don't remember who it was!


Yup, that's me. Also, DD, who just finished her freshman year at Laff-alot. DD also looked at Lehigh (and no, I didn't object!); she loved the library, thought it looked like something out of Harry Potter. She also figured she'd stay in good shape, walking up and down that hill! Lafayette's built on the top of a hill; Lehigh's on the side of one!

[lindrusso]

She also figured she'd stay in good shape, walking up and down that hill! Lafayette's built on the top of a hill; Lehigh's on the side of one!

I well remember carrying my load of textbooks back up that darned hill from the bookstore which happens to be located at the bottom of campus! We used to beg anyone with a car to give us a ride.

When I went, there was no social policy in place, so all of the free-flowing beer and late-night eats tended to undo any benefit of walking all those hills. ;)

[BarbaraL]

IWhen I went, there was no social policy in place, so all of the free-flowing beer and late-night eats tended to undo any benefit of walking all those hills. ;)

I have many happy memories of pub nights and cocktail parties. Those days are long gone; the schools are now much more strict about such things. The vast majority of students (at least in my experience), handled both their work load and partying responsibly, but there are always some who get out of hand.

Ah, the good ol' days.