I wish we had taken pictures of our move, but that was not high on my priority list that weekend. This link is a Google Image search for 26' Penske truck - so you can see the sheer size of the truck (
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=26%27+Penske+truck&gbv=2).
We moved our belongings to our new home the weekend of September 20. That Thursday, I rented a 26’ Penske truck in Valdosta and drove it to Mama’s house. That truck was HUGE! I knew the 26’ truck was Penske’s largest, but I don’t think I realized how big that truck would be. Prior to that weekend, the largest vehicle I had driven was my grandmother’s Lincoln Navigator. It was a shoe box compared to the rental truck. The truck was also a diesel, so it was pretty loud.
When I got to Mama’s house with the truck, I parked it in her driveway – it barely fit! Justin and I put some of our furniture and boxes at Mammie’s house when we sold our house in Tifton. I decided that we should load that stuff in the truck first. Mama and I drove the truck out there and Justin’s parents, my sister (Carrie), and Carrie’s boyfriend (Mark) met us to help load. We spent a couple of hours loading and then headed home for the night.
Justin and I stored most of our stuff in Mama’s garage, so she and I spent all day Friday loading that stuff. We loaded most everything except for the refrigerator. I wanted to wait until we had help because it was so heavy. That evening, Justin’s parents, Carrie, and Mark helped us get the fridge loaded and we called it a day.
At 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, we headed to Atlanta. I drove the truck and Justin’s dad rode with me. My mother and Justin’s mother followed us in Mama’s car. We stopped in Macon to eat and take a break. That truck was not comfortable. I don’t think the steering wheel was adjustable (if it was, I couldn’t figure out how to move it). Because it was a diesel, the engine was rather loud so listening to the radio was not really possible. Also, the truck wouldn’t go faster than 70 mph (believe me, I tried…that gas pedal was on the floor). I prefer to drive a little faster than 70, but I survived. Before we left Macon, we discussed buying gas. This was the weekend when gas was becoming scarce in Atlanta (actually, all over Georgia). We stopped at two different exits before finding diesel in Forsyth.
Did I mention that the truck was big? I was at the same height/level as semi-trucks. Because of the truck’s size and weight, we were supposed to stop at weigh stations (the only one we encountered was north of Forsyth). I was so glad to see that it was closed when we went by. I’m sure I would have been waved through, but with my luck, I would have been stopped and the truck would have been searched, box by box.
I was pretty comfortable driving to Macon – straight interstate…what’s not to love?! Once I started getting closer to Atlanta, I got fairly anxious. Our house is located north of midtown Atlanta (off I-85), so we had to drive through downtown and midtown to get to our exit. Because the lanes are so narrow, I was afraid I was going to hit someone or run another vehicle off the road. I did fine, though.
Our mini-caravan arrived at the house just before noon. Justin and I spent a few minutes showing our parents around and then we started unloading. It took us about an hour to unload. After that, we ate at The Original Pancake House (
http://www.originalpancakehouse.com/). Oh, so good!
After eating, Brad and I took the truck to the drop off location. Justin followed in his car. My mother and Justin’s mother unpacked boxes while we returned the truck (THANKS!). We had to find diesel (again) before dropping off the truck. The drop off was quick and easy. We headed to Home Depot to grab a few necessities and then went back to the house. We got the bed set up before we had to head back to Nashville. I hated only spending a few hours with Justin, but we really needed to get back to Nashville. We did get the bed set up and I know Justin enjoyed being able to sleep in an actual bed again (he had been sleeping on an air mattress for a while). We were so tired, but glad that part of this was over.
I guess if I don’t find an interior design job, I could always be a truck driver. =)
