Did you even have something perfectly planned out only to have everything to be turned upside down in a moment?
Well, that is how our moving process happened.
The Setup
Weeks before moving, Carissa and I decided to hire a company to move us rather than move ourselves. With two cars, an RV, three kids, a cat, and a dog, we felt like it would be best to not have to deal with driving a moving truck as well. Plus, because of our precarious moving situation not having a house to move to, we needed to find a storage unit to load all of our stuff into until we found a house.
Well, we did some looking online and found Budget Movers. The ad was connected to Budget Rentals, which is a company that rents out vehicles for people to drive, and this appeared to be their moving arm. Similar companies like Penske have this same option.
When we talked to them, they told us they also offered 30 days of free storage for our stuff and would then deliver everything to another unit or our home after the 30 days at no extra charge. It all sounded like a great deal and, quite honestly, was hitting us right where our needs were. So, we booked them to arrive Monday morning at 8a.
That worked out well because we would be getting the RV on that same day and would be able to load stuff into the RV and stuff into the truck at the same time. This allowed everything to be loaded a day early, which meant we would have all of Tuesday to say goodbyes, wrap up any loose ends, and then get on the road Wednesday morning all together to make the trip to the East Coast.
The Realization
Monday morning came and we were ready. All the kids were delivered to their schools for the day at 7.45, Carissa and I grabbed some Starbucks coffee, and we were at the house ready to get the show on the road at 8a.
At about 8.30 I started to wonder when I would see the movers. If you are reading this and know me, you know that I can have OCD tendencies, and I certainly like things to be on time. The company said they would be coming between 8 and 10a, so I wasn’t overly concerned…yet.
At 8.45 I decided to call them and see when we could expect to see the movers so we weren’t sitting around wasting time. It’s not like they had another appointment earlier in the morning, right? I mean, we were scheduled for 8a. They weren’t the cable company.
I went to my email and found my correspondence from them and clicked on the link to their website. The site came back as nonexistent.
You ever have a moment when your heart sinks and you get a sick feeling in your stomach? Yep, I had that.
I tried to type the link in manually thinking that maybe the link in the email was broken. Nothing.
So, I tried to search the company on Google. And that’s when I had a full realization. This company wasn’t real!
Instead of finding the company’s website, I found reviews and sites talking about how the company was nonexistent and a complete scam. Site after site that I clicked on was riddled with stories of how this company had scammed someone out of hundreds of dollars and never showed up to move them.
That’s when it all sunk in. I told Carissa that we had been scammed and that we needed to start figuring things out.
The Pivot
After the tears, frustration, curses to the heavens, and choice words about the company, I calmed Carissa down and we got to work. 😉
We didn’t have any answers at all about how we were going to make this happen. We were supposed to leave in two days, our house closed in 4 days and we were supposed to be on our first RV site by then. The boys had one more day of school left, we had a houseful of stuff that didn’t have somewhere to go, we had three vehicles and only two drivers, and we had to keep a scam from sinking us financially in the middle of the transition.
I called our bank and handled the financial side as quickly as I could and luckily, by the grace of God, discovered that the company had never taken any money out, despite having all our information to do so.
Another saving grace of the Lord was that weeks before scheduling the moving company I had rented a Penske moving truck ‘just in case. I never canceled it because I hadn’t quite gotten around to it, so that became the lifeboat we were going to have to jump in to get our stuff to our new home.
Next was the issue of drivers. We had three vehicles and two drivers. We knew we had very few options to help us. My Dad had just had a heart attack the week before and was about to go into quadruple bypass surgery that morning, and all of our friends have jobs and families they couldn’t just drop on a moment’s notice.
We decided to call Carissa’s parents and see if they would be able to fly out to us the next morning (Tuesday) and then help us drive to Virginia Beach. Graciously, they rearranged their schedules and said they would be able to leave super early in the morning on Tuesday and help us in our mess. I was able to find tickets for only $175 each and they would arrive by 10a, which got us back on our timeline to be out by Wednesday morning.
Well, that’s not how it worked out at all.
The Other Shoe
On Monday afternoon I was able to pick up the Penske truck and get it to the house to start loading it. Later that afternoon I met up with Martin (of the Martin and Chris Lopez clan) and we were able to exchange the RV. I got all the instructions, guidelines, and warnings about the RV and I was headed home to park the monstrosity in front of our home. I felt bad for our neighbors because we had a 26′ moving truck that looks like a semi and a 35′ RV parked in our driveway and in front of our house. It was a little overwhelming for everyone.
Tuesday morning at about 6.15a my phone started to ring. It was Carissa’s parents informing us that the tickets I purchased were for a date in September and that they wouldn’t be flying to help us out.
Imagine my dazed confusion as I tried to wake up from my night’s sleep and process all of that. I got onto my computer and looked for my email receipts to see what had happened. Sure enough, somehow in all the chaos, I had bought tickets for them later in September, not the next day like we needed them to be.
So, we were down again.
It is moments like these that God’s grace and mercy really shine through. It is also times like that I am glad I don’t face life without him. If only to help me check myself before I have a complete meltdown…or breakdown… whichever is appropriate for the moment.
Again, out of their generous grace, Carissa’s parents told us they would hop in their van and drive the 12 hours to us so they could get up the next day and help us on our 3 day trip to Virginia Beach. I can’t tell you how thankful I am for them in this whole process.
So, friends came to help us load the truck on Tuesday. We sweat a lot, ate pizza, gave hugs, and said goodbyes to many of our friends who had been vital for us in the 7 years we lived in the Quad Cities.
On Wednesday afternoon, with a loaded truck and car dolly hauling the Honda, loaded RV, and two minivans carrying 4 adults, 3 kids, a dog, a cat, and a partridge in a peartree, we left our cute little green house in the Quad Cities and drove off into the wild unknown of the world completely uncertain what was in store for us.
The Thankfulness
Life is completely random. Even for those of us who like to try and control things through planning and coordinating, we always have to be ready for the curveballs that come out of nowhere.
For about 6 days, the Pardekoopes faced complete uncertainty multiple times, and we found out way out. With the hand of God, gracious generosity of friends and family, and a determination to not be sunk by the circumstances, we made it to Virginia Beach in our RV life.
We aren’t completely out of the woods yet. We still don’t have a home, Carissa still hasn’t started working, my consulting business still hasn’t recovered from COVID and there are no open ministry positions in the area. But, we know God is holding us in His hands and providing for us every day.
There have been so many times where we have said to one another that we are so glad we moved here, and we have to keep reminding ourselves we aren’t on vacation. This is our new home. Even though there is a ton of uncertainty, we are figuring it out, finding our way, and trusting in the Lord to help us along the journey.
I hope you are enjoying this little glimpse into the crazy life we live as the Partykoopers. We are thankful you are along for the journey.
