Wedding Woes

My crazy parents

My parents best friends are moving to Texas from Ohio.  My mom sent an email last night.  The friends closed on their Ohio house today.  After closing my dad jumped in the Uhaul with the husband (well as much as he can jump after his knee replacement) and my mom jumped in the follow car with the wife.  They are then DRIVING to Texas with an arrival of Monday. 

Monday the couple is closing on the new house. My parents are staying in Texas until Wednesday to help the couple unload and set up house.

My parents are 73 and 71!  How is this a good idea?!  They didn't even get out of Columbus before the check engine light came on in the Uhaul.  God be with them.

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Re: My crazy parents

  • Wow.  Good luck to them!  And how nice of your parents.  I hope everything goes well. 
  • My parents are flying back on Wednesday.  The wife has a job at the school and wants to finish out the year.  She has a rental she can stay in until March, but then she's moving in with my parents until May.

  • Maybe they enjoy road trips?  Going south seems like a good idea with the weather reports today.
    httpiimgurcomTCCjW0wjpg
  • yeah, I'd take that road trip any day! GL to them!

  • I thought this was a Prudie letter for a minute!
    LOL- me too!  I was waiting for the issue / question to present itself...  haha.

    Good luck to your parents 6fsn- sounds like fun!
  • Where are they moving in Texas? I'm just being nebby. They'll enjoy the weather at this time of year. 
  • also, FTR, we drove when we moved from Philly to Houston. Granted, we weren't in our 70s and had movers, but I was ~6 months pregnant, and we had 2 dogs in the car. it was about 1550mi from house to house. 
  • *Barbie* said:
    also, FTR, we drove when we moved from Philly to Houston. Granted, we weren't in our 70s and had movers, but I was ~6 months pregnant, and we had 2 dogs in the car. it was about 1550mi from house to house. 
    Wow! That's quite a trek with two dogs and a baby on the way. I don't know about you, but there were definitely times when I was 6 months pregnant where I felt like I was in my 70s lol. 
  • *Barbie**Barbie* member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper First Comment
    edited January 2018
    *Barbie* said:
    also, FTR, we drove when we moved from Philly to Houston. Granted, we weren't in our 70s and had movers, but I was ~6 months pregnant, and we had 2 dogs in the car. it was about 1550mi from house to house. 
    Wow! That's quite a trek with two dogs and a baby on the way. I don't know about you, but there were definitely times when I was 6 months pregnant where I felt like I was in my 70s lol. 
    Yeah. That basically ensured that we were stopping every ~100mi to stretch and use the restroom. The dogs were used to 5-6 hour car trips, but nothing that long. They were super thrilled when we hit a bump or something along the highway in VA and their food bin tipped/opened. They binged in the 2 minutes that it took us to pull over and get it closed. I tried to split the driving, but the most I could go was 75-100mi before I needed to stop. We planned to do it in 2 days, but after 750 or so miles in 14 or so hours on day 1, I booked a room for the next night because we never would have made it in 2 days. The positive side was that since i was pregnant, i really couldn't carry much, so i got to sit in a camp chair with a fan and a drink and direct the movers after they arrived. 

    ETA: FTR, there are NO BATHROOMS in Mississippi. The highway that we were on had a bunch of "truck rest areas" but none of them had bathrooms. 
  • *Barbie* said:
    *Barbie* said:
    also, FTR, we drove when we moved from Philly to Houston. Granted, we weren't in our 70s and had movers, but I was ~6 months pregnant, and we had 2 dogs in the car. it was about 1550mi from house to house. 
    Wow! That's quite a trek with two dogs and a baby on the way. I don't know about you, but there were definitely times when I was 6 months pregnant where I felt like I was in my 70s lol. 
    Yeah. That basically ensured that we were stopping every ~100mi to stretch and use the restroom. The dogs were used to 5-6 hour car trips, but nothing that long. They were super thrilled when we hit a bump or something along the highway in VA and their food bin tipped/opened. They binged in the 2 minutes that it took us to pull over and get it closed. I tried to split the driving, but the most I could go was 75-100mi before I needed to stop. We planned to do it in 2 days, but after 750 or so miles in 14 or so hours on day 1, I booked a room for the next night because we never would have made it in 2 days. The positive side was that since i was pregnant, i really couldn't carry much, so i got to sit in a camp chair with a fan and a drink and direct the movers after they arrived. 

    ETA: FTR, there are NO BATHROOMS in Mississippi. The highway that we were on had a bunch of "truck rest areas" but none of them had bathrooms. 
    What kind of rest area doesn't have a bathroom?! 

    I have a bladder that rivals that of a small hamster, so an entire state with no bathrooms sounds positively horrifying to me. 
  • *Barbie* said:
    Where are they moving in Texas? I'm just being nebby. They'll enjoy the weather at this time of year. 
    The friends are moving to Austin. The first 4 hrs of the trip took them 7.  
  • it was literally an area for truckers to pull over on the side of the road. no bathroom, no vending machine, no picnic tables, no trash cans. just a small paved area or gravel area to park. I didn't understand how that was even sign worthy. 
    I guess if you're a guy it's pretty easy to pee in the woods, but probably less so if you're a pregnant woman. 
    We got to the point where we started just pulling off at exits and driving for miles either way in search of a gas station or mcdonalds. finally found an RV park and i was all, "They have an office, so probably have a bathroom!"
    ...as soon as I waddled in i saw a sign "no public restroom" - the office was in the living room of these people's house. thankfully they were nice and let the poor pregnant lady use their toilet so they didn't have a giant puddle in the middle of their living room. much relived i go back out to the car and DK was all, "oh, i don't really have to go but since we're stopped..." and i'm like, "no! you can pee in the woods if you need to - i'm not letting you ask these people to use their house."
  • My siblings and I were just talking about something similar.  In all the moves my 4 brothers and I have made, we have never hired a professional company.  We always just helped each other haul and lug stuff. 

    A few years ago when our dear friends moved from Chicago to Florida, even in our late 50's, we hauled a decent amount of furniture for them.  My friend was in her early 60's, and her husband in his late 70's.  They drove to their new home in Florida, spreading it out over 2 or 3 days. I'm in my early 60's.  I know I should start doing things differently, but my brain often does not acknowledge my age.  I sometimes shock myself when I hear things for which I just volunteered.

    Bravo for your folks! 
  • @6fsn - Austin is really nice. they'll enjoy it. 
  • What kind of rest area doesn't have a bathroom?! 

    I have a bladder that rivals that of a small hamster, so an entire state with no bathrooms sounds positively horrifying to me. 
    Don't try driving out west!  When you leave Colorado, heading west, there is NOTHING.  "No services", as it reads on the exit signs for ranchers.  No trees or bushes, either!
    httpiimgurcomTCCjW0wjpg
  • *Barbie**Barbie* member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper First Comment
    edited January 2018
    I actually didn't mind driving in Utah, but admittedly, I've only been in the southern part of the state. 

    ETA: I also wasn't pregnant, so much better bladder control. 

    also ETA: We just road tripped through Tasmania, and the western part of the state is really isolated, so not a ton of stops. I was super proud of figuring out how to pee in the woods. 
  • My Grandfather drove to Mississippi from Wisconsin every year until he was 96...  js... age is a number...  And that's the reason he had the knee replacement, so he can do stuff like that again!

  • CMGragain said:
    What kind of rest area doesn't have a bathroom?! 

    I have a bladder that rivals that of a small hamster, so an entire state with no bathrooms sounds positively horrifying to me. 
    Don't try driving out west!  When you leave Colorado, heading west, there is NOTHING.  "No services", as it reads on the exit signs for ranchers.  No trees or bushes, either!
    You guys would just love Alaska! Many rest stop bathrooms and rest stops in general have signs saying, "Closed Oct. 30-May 1" or something like that. Only open in the summer/tourist season!

    My H and I moved involving a road trip right after I found out I was pregnant. The morning sickness literally started in the middle of the move. Eating is what helped with it. We only had a random can of peaches, and nowhere to throw it away when done. No bags or places to put it (loaded down car) and the rest stop we pulled into had signs saying the dumpsters were closed until summer. 

    We threw it in anyway.  :D
  • *Barbie* said:
    I actually didn't mind driving in Utah, but admittedly, I've only been in the southern part of the state. 

    ETA: I also wasn't pregnant, so much better bladder control. 

    also ETA: We just road tripped through Tasmania, and the western part of the state is really isolated, so not a ton of stops. I was super proud of figuring out how to pee in the woods. 
    I had to pee the woods hiking in Shenandoah.  And it was a little frigid...inspiration to pee faster, I guess. :D 
  • *Barbie* said:
    *Barbie* said:
    also, FTR, we drove when we moved from Philly to Houston. Granted, we weren't in our 70s and had movers, but I was ~6 months pregnant, and we had 2 dogs in the car. it was about 1550mi from house to house. 
    Wow! That's quite a trek with two dogs and a baby on the way. I don't know about you, but there were definitely times when I was 6 months pregnant where I felt like I was in my 70s lol. 
    Yeah. That basically ensured that we were stopping every ~100mi to stretch and use the restroom. The dogs were used to 5-6 hour car trips, but nothing that long. They were super thrilled when we hit a bump or something along the highway in VA and their food bin tipped/opened. They binged in the 2 minutes that it took us to pull over and get it closed. I tried to split the driving, but the most I could go was 75-100mi before I needed to stop. We planned to do it in 2 days, but after 750 or so miles in 14 or so hours on day 1, I booked a room for the next night because we never would have made it in 2 days. The positive side was that since i was pregnant, i really couldn't carry much, so i got to sit in a camp chair with a fan and a drink and direct the movers after they arrived. 

    ETA: FTR, there are NO BATHROOMS in Mississippi. The highway that we were on had a bunch of "truck rest areas" but none of them had bathrooms. 

    And the ones they do have include ash trays in all the stalls, lol.  I have indeed seen it.  Gross.

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  • *Barbie* said:
    *Barbie* said:
    also, FTR, we drove when we moved from Philly to Houston. Granted, we weren't in our 70s and had movers, but I was ~6 months pregnant, and we had 2 dogs in the car. it was about 1550mi from house to house. 
    Wow! That's quite a trek with two dogs and a baby on the way. I don't know about you, but there were definitely times when I was 6 months pregnant where I felt like I was in my 70s lol. 
    Yeah. That basically ensured that we were stopping every ~100mi to stretch and use the restroom. The dogs were used to 5-6 hour car trips, but nothing that long. They were super thrilled when we hit a bump or something along the highway in VA and their food bin tipped/opened. They binged in the 2 minutes that it took us to pull over and get it closed. I tried to split the driving, but the most I could go was 75-100mi before I needed to stop. We planned to do it in 2 days, but after 750 or so miles in 14 or so hours on day 1, I booked a room for the next night because we never would have made it in 2 days. The positive side was that since i was pregnant, i really couldn't carry much, so i got to sit in a camp chair with a fan and a drink and direct the movers after they arrived. 

    ETA: FTR, there are NO BATHROOMS in Mississippi. The highway that we were on had a bunch of "truck rest areas" but none of them had bathrooms. 

    And the ones they do have include ash trays in all the stalls, lol.  I have indeed seen it.  Gross.

    That can be said for every state though ("Tales of a road warrior")...  There are the ones that the mind just has adding machine tape sounds at how much the taxpayers spent on the thing and then there are others (in EVERY state) that you wonder "has this been updated since it was built in the 60's?!?! - at least there's toilet paper, running water, and no pee on the seats!"...
  • MesmrEwe said:

    And the ones they do have include ash trays in all the stalls, lol.  I have indeed seen it.  Gross.

    That can be said for every state though ("Tales of a road warrior")...  There are the ones that the mind just has adding machine tape sounds at how much the taxpayers spent on the thing and then there are others (in EVERY state) that you wonder "has this been updated since it was built in the 60's?!?! - at least there's toilet paper, running water, and no pee on the seats!"...

    I will certainly not doubt the "tales from a road warrior" :), MS is just the only place I've ever seen ashtrays in bathroom stalls.

    Though not at roadside places.  I don't think I've been to one in MS.  But in businesses that allow smoking.  Like casinos, restaurants, bars, etc.  

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  • @mrsconn23 Yeah it was in the high 40s/low 50s for us, so a bit chilly. We had a damn good view, though.

    We were at least an hour and a half from the tiny mining town where we had planned to stop for lunch, and driving through the mountains the whole way.

  • MesmrEwe said:
    *Barbie* said:
    *Barbie* said:
    also, FTR, we drove when we moved from Philly to Houston. Granted, we weren't in our 70s and had movers, but I was ~6 months pregnant, and we had 2 dogs in the car. it was about 1550mi from house to house. 
    Wow! That's quite a trek with two dogs and a baby on the way. I don't know about you, but there were definitely times when I was 6 months pregnant where I felt like I was in my 70s lol. 
    Yeah. That basically ensured that we were stopping every ~100mi to stretch and use the restroom. The dogs were used to 5-6 hour car trips, but nothing that long. They were super thrilled when we hit a bump or something along the highway in VA and their food bin tipped/opened. They binged in the 2 minutes that it took us to pull over and get it closed. I tried to split the driving, but the most I could go was 75-100mi before I needed to stop. We planned to do it in 2 days, but after 750 or so miles in 14 or so hours on day 1, I booked a room for the next night because we never would have made it in 2 days. The positive side was that since i was pregnant, i really couldn't carry much, so i got to sit in a camp chair with a fan and a drink and direct the movers after they arrived. 

    ETA: FTR, there are NO BATHROOMS in Mississippi. The highway that we were on had a bunch of "truck rest areas" but none of them had bathrooms. 

    And the ones they do have include ash trays in all the stalls, lol.  I have indeed seen it.  Gross.

    That can be said for every state though ("Tales of a road warrior")...  There are the ones that the mind just has adding machine tape sounds at how much the taxpayers spent on the thing and then there are others (in EVERY state) that you wonder "has this been updated since it was built in the 60's?!?! - at least there's toilet paper, running water, and no pee on the seats!"...
    The same can't be said for Alaska. Many rest stops with a toilet seat over a hole in the ground. Little or no toilet paper. No sink. 
  • MesmrEwe said:
    *Barbie* said:
    *Barbie* said:
    also, FTR, we drove when we moved from Philly to Houston. Granted, we weren't in our 70s and had movers, but I was ~6 months pregnant, and we had 2 dogs in the car. it was about 1550mi from house to house. 
    Wow! That's quite a trek with two dogs and a baby on the way. I don't know about you, but there were definitely times when I was 6 months pregnant where I felt like I was in my 70s lol. 
    Yeah. That basically ensured that we were stopping every ~100mi to stretch and use the restroom. The dogs were used to 5-6 hour car trips, but nothing that long. They were super thrilled when we hit a bump or something along the highway in VA and their food bin tipped/opened. They binged in the 2 minutes that it took us to pull over and get it closed. I tried to split the driving, but the most I could go was 75-100mi before I needed to stop. We planned to do it in 2 days, but after 750 or so miles in 14 or so hours on day 1, I booked a room for the next night because we never would have made it in 2 days. The positive side was that since i was pregnant, i really couldn't carry much, so i got to sit in a camp chair with a fan and a drink and direct the movers after they arrived. 

    ETA: FTR, there are NO BATHROOMS in Mississippi. The highway that we were on had a bunch of "truck rest areas" but none of them had bathrooms. 

    And the ones they do have include ash trays in all the stalls, lol.  I have indeed seen it.  Gross.

    That can be said for every state though ("Tales of a road warrior")...  There are the ones that the mind just has adding machine tape sounds at how much the taxpayers spent on the thing and then there are others (in EVERY state) that you wonder "has this been updated since it was built in the 60's?!?! - at least there's toilet paper, running water, and no pee on the seats!"...
    The same can't be said for Alaska. Many rest stops with a toilet seat over a hole in the ground. Little or no toilet paper. No sink. 
    And THAT is why I never throw out unused napkins when we stop at a fast food restaurant... 
  • CMGragain said:
    What kind of rest area doesn't have a bathroom?! 

    I have a bladder that rivals that of a small hamster, so an entire state with no bathrooms sounds positively horrifying to me. 
    Don't try driving out west!  When you leave Colorado, heading west, there is NOTHING.  "No services", as it reads on the exit signs for ranchers.  No trees or bushes, either!
    You guys would just love Alaska! Many rest stop bathrooms and rest stops in general have signs saying, "Closed Oct. 30-May 1" or something like that. Only open in the summer/tourist season!

    My H and I moved involving a road trip right after I found out I was pregnant. The morning sickness literally started in the middle of the move. Eating is what helped with it. We only had a random can of peaches, and nowhere to throw it away when done. No bags or places to put it (loaded down car) and the rest stop we pulled into had signs saying the dumpsters were closed until summer. 

    We threw it in anyway.  :D
    In 2001, we took a trip from Fairbanks to Prudoe Bay anad back, along the Haul Road.  There were three couples in a van with a professional driver.  Boy, was I a good sport back then!  I remember a rest stop called "Happy Valley".  It was a wooden outhouse with a large coffee can instead of the usual hole in the ground.  I wonder if things have improved?

    httpiimgurcomTCCjW0wjpg
  • CMGragain said:

    In 2001, we took a trip from Fairbanks to Prudoe Bay anad back, along the Haul Road.  There were three couples in a van with a professional driver.  Boy, was I a good sport back then!  I remember a rest stop called "Happy Valley".  It was a wooden outhouse with a large coffee can instead of the usual hole in the ground.  I wonder if things have improved?

    this might be a stupid question - but what were you supposed to do once you used the can? dump it out in the woods?
    I mean if you peed it's not really a big deal, but if you pooped...
  • we encountered one of these in Tassie near one of the trails. no TP in the restroom, so thankfully I had tissue with me. i did throw that in the toilet - but it's biodegradable, and technically could have been eaten, so I justified it. 

    they did have water for the sink but no soap. i had sanitizer and wipes in the car. :-)

  • CMGragainCMGragain member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited January 2018
    *Barbie* said:
    CMGragain said:

    In 2001, we took a trip from Fairbanks to Prudoe Bay anad back, along the Haul Road.  There were three couples in a van with a professional driver.  Boy, was I a good sport back then!  I remember a rest stop called "Happy Valley".  It was a wooden outhouse with a large coffee can instead of the usual hole in the ground.  I wonder if things have improved?

    this might be a stupid question - but what were you supposed to do once you used the can? dump it out in the woods?
    I mean if you peed it's not really a big deal, but if you pooped...
    As I recall, the can already had a sample of poop.  I think the rule was, "Poop and run!"  There are no woods, hills,  or bushes in the Alaska tundra.  Seriously!  Never again!  ...and people ask me why I like cruise ships!
    httpiimgurcomTCCjW0wjpg
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