Monday, April 28, 2008

Be Prepared Part deux

Some of you remember how found Tamara is of preparedness from an earlier post. You guys had no idea. One of the reasons we moved into our apartment is because it has two ginormous closets. And Tamara had a lot of stuff to fill them with. We have a two year food supply she bought when she was in DC. 150 gallons of ground wheat, fruit punch mix, sugar, flour, coco, rice, and powdered milk await us in the depths of our closet. We also have a gas mask (pictured.) You know, just in case. We also have four 72 hour kits. And a have a tent we can set up in our living room in case we want to camp out. With a stove. Anyway, we're prepared for whatever comes. Speaking of camping, we heard a great story last night. The young men were having a camp out in Inwood Park (I didn't know you could camp their either) and they went for a hike through the park at night. The trees were blocking the normal glow of the city and the path wasn't lit. The next thing they heard was "Yo, it's mad dark out here." Talk to Cameron McNeil if you want more details.
We were discussing if we were going to take our food storage with us or get rid of it. Given how expensive it would be to replace and it won't be a ton to ship we're taking it with us. My mom is super stoked to have our stuff at her place. So much so, she even reminded about how happy she was to have a box of my mission stuff still at her house. Actually, my family has been really helpful with us moving our stuff out, even offering to pick it up at the train station. That's right, we're shipping our stuff out on the train.
The train accepts boxes up to 3'X3'X3' up to 50lbs. You can load them all on a pallet that they shrink wrap and load on the train. It costs $.50/lb. We'll move all our stuff for under $500, hopefully. Since they don't take large stuff we're selling all our furniture. Tables, bookshelves, end tables, couches, etc. It's all gone. If you want a piece of the action, let us know before it ends up on Craigslist. Some of it is already spoken for.
All this planning stuff is not as exciting as we would have hoped. Next on our agenda is to think about a car. I'm pushing for something reliable and practical like this:
Tamara wants a minivan. Sike. She's fighting something fierce (her words) against that. We'll probably end up with something in the middle but if you have any suggestions (We know you love Saturns, Dix) let us know.

13 comments:

Kendra Leigh said...

I think Matt says we have dibs on one of your tables... not the dining one- but one that I can use for my sewing and stuff.... what else you got?

Elder & Sister Ellis said...

Cars, hum? Well, CA doesn't get the snow and stuff like we do, so you don't need the gas guzzling SUV. However with the kids, you definitely want the 4 doors. Since CA has some very high gas prices, get one w/ the good gas mileage (thinkin of you Doug!). We got a Civic Hybrid that gets 45 miles/gallon. However, as big as Doug is you will want something bigger for comfort as much as you travel. Car shopping is so fun!

Tamara said...

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for using the term "sike." That just made my day!!!

Turbo said...

So, do you guys rock paper scissors for the gas mask, in case of a chemical attack? The orange convertible impala SS is really the logical choice for a young family that is about to go into grad school. I noticed in the picture that is also has chrome headers and an oversized intake manifold. That will help you make sure that you are never late to class, and impress anyone to whom may have the occasion to lend a jump-start.

The Finck Five said...

All I have to say is I love my mini-van. I still remember the day I traded in my truck for the van, it was as close to castration as possible without actually loosing anything vital. However, after saying that, when you are putting in car seats, nothing beats it. I also do not know why tami spent money on a tent for the house, she is good at making blanket forts in the family room

Stephanie said...

I believe you have to have 3 kids to justify a minivan. If you can fill it, it's cool. If you can't, then you're a nerd. And something tells me that when the Dixes have more than $3 in the bank, Saturns will cease to be as cool as once believed. But that's just a hunch of mine.

Side of Jeffrey said...

Hmmmm. Get a CUV (cross over vehicle). All the gas guzzling of an SUV, bug uglier. I suggest the Toyota Matrix.

jrushing said...

Shane and I refused the enticings of a minivan and got a Honda Pilot! We like it especially on Sundays when we pull into the Church parking lot and you see 8 to 10 minivans parked all in a row!

Michele said...

I'm so excited you are moving out here to Cali... when, where and what can I do to help?

Michele said...

sorry... forgot to comment on the new car purchase. my vote is a tahoe and yes the gas prices are a bit expensive out here, but I love my tahoe because of the third seat and it's not as big as a surburban.

tawni said...

You sound just like Nate. He wantted an old cadi soooo bad and I just had to say no. One, he isn't gangsta enough and two, could you see Sofia in the back with her car seat? Wait, I actually could! I will let him get one when we actually have a garage to put it in! You boys are funny. I would paint it sparkly purple and yellow for the lakers! Not.

So, I am lovin' our Jeep Grand Cherokee. We just got it used with 20,000 miles! I love the new body style and all the room. We had a CTS (a new Cadi...haha...thats how we roll in business school on the west coast baby!) and it just wasn't working with the child. I do have to say that when we fill her up we watch that nice sign on bonus disappear. Its $$$ on gas, but we wouldn't trade her in for anything. Well, maybe for a Porsche turbo in silver. Anywhoo, I better stop writing a book and get my house clean!

Mia said...

Seeing how Nissan pays our bills I feel it is my obligation and duty to suggest one of their FANTASTIC cars!!! I am partial to the Murano, one of their cross over vehicles, and seriously hope that it is my next car (most likely it will be the Quest though), but their four door cars (Sentra, Altima, and Maxima) are perfectly practical and well equipped. Did I get enough of a plug in in :)

Sechrist Family said...

Well, we LOVE our Toyota Avalons! Yes, plural. We both had one because we love them so much. Jared got rid of his with 250K because it was getting ghetto (still ran perfectly). He has mine now and I have an 07 Expedition. I quite like it. I hate the gas but love the SUV space. The Avalon is great though, it has more space than a Camry and a little nicer too, also VERY reliable!!!