Day 2 - July 26

The day began with the arrival of the dumpster followed by more planning, plan/permit prep and a trip to Home Depot and the grocery. We also removed the carpet and padding to begin the prep for the new hardwood floor on the main level. 

View of the living/dining area Day 2

10yd dumpster

Day 1 - July 25

Most of the first day we spent unpacking with the help of Drew's wonderful classmate Scott. We also assessed the condition of the house and planned our attack. 

View of the living/dining area Day 1

We set up our "kitchen" in the storage bedroom so we can eat throughout the renovation

Pulled staples and tack strips before moving bedroom furniture in. We will refinish the floors in the future but they're pretty good now so not a top priority. 

First Night in Durham!!

We anticipated our arrival throughout the 5 day drive in the box trick. Arriving in Durham was even more exciting than we had expected. 

Kelly was bit by a poisonous copperhead snake within our first hour of arrival. The snake was lurking in the shadows on the front path residing by the much overgrown front landscaping. Unfamiliar with the copperhead's potential danger we played it safe and headed to the ER around 10:30pm. Of course, we didn't leave home before Drew had a chance to behead the copperhead and stick it in a cup to take with us in the car. 

Parts of the copperhead. Courtesy of Andrew McGraw

In the end, Kelly was fine. Little pain and absolutely no reaction to the bite. The ER staff did very little - just monitored the bite for 3 hours such that we didn't get home till 2:30am and we still had to unload and set up our bed to sleep for the night. 

Moral of the story: be smart and be safe but don't over react to a copperhead bite. 

Box Truckin'

A nearly shredded tire, 3 air guns, and 4 tires later we were back on the road!

Next upgrade was an AC recharge on day 3. Well worth it!!  The ride is quieter and more comfortable. Now we're over half way there!!

10 Pounds of Chicken

After five days of daily consumption of fast food, Drew proceeds to order several pieces of fried "chicken" and rationalizes eating it by completing 30+ push-ups in the Wendy's parking lot.  Do you think it's a fair trade?

Let the Box Truck Adventures Begin!!

We left Healdsburg, CA this morning and now it's NC or Bust all the way!

Two Tired Puppies

Thanks for the workout babies!

Meet the Neighbors

Not only are we excited about moving to Durham and exploring North Carolina now we also get to know the Vandergrifts better. Sara is Kelly's cousin. Sara and her husband Mark have three great kids Vaughn, Milla and Fletcher. We can't wait to live just up the road from these cuties!

Mr. McGraw

Nuff said