Thank you for your input. This is what I thought for the Uhaul but was not sure...the 'no air circulation..no light" but I was not sure. Probably the plane will be the best bet. Like I said we did fly 7 when we moved here. They did not leave all in the same plane. They could only put 4 in a plane at a certain time and the 3 others left a little later. It represents several hours also...the driving to the airport, the wait at the airport, the flight itself and then someone at the other end picking them up and bringing them to the new house. I do believe they put them in the luggage compartment. But you know what....in 2002 when we moved here the cats arrived 2 days before us and a friend of ours was taking care of them and had put them in the sunporch and when we arrived by car with our dogs, we had 3 at that time...we were tired, hungry....and the cats were just there quite relaxed and enjoying the sun. In 2002 moving 7 cats with Air Canada cost me if I remember well 385.00$ which is not bad at all. To tell you the truth I did not want to have so many cats. They are all cats that we have rescued. I love them and feel responsible for them. My vet cannot believe I am bringing them all she said maybe the people who will be buying your house will take a few. My mother also told me...why don't you take just 4 or 5 and try to have the others adopted. Remarks like that blow my mind... Thanks again! Anicée

Congratulations on your decision! It's a tough one and there are so many factors to consider. Time you plan on staying in the house is crucial. Also in our area, one major consideration is property taxes. If we were to raze our house and start from scratch we'd be assessed at current house values - more than doubling our current annual payment. That said, if you are not careful with your remodel and your project turns into a "might-as-well project", you will regret having not razed the house. We bought our first house almost 18 years ago and 12 years ago we did our first project adding a master bedroom suite. Costs got way out of control as we were both working crazy hours and just left everything to an expensive (but reliable) contractor. For example, the contractor billed us for the hour it took to pick up the light fixtures at a local store because I couldn't make it there before it closed. When I look at what we spent on that project (including the ridiculous architect fees) it made absolutely NO sense and we were silly to not have built from scratch despite like our neighbors did (although still we probably couldn't have afforded it). Fast forward 12 years - Fortunately, we didn't need to sell the house and our neighborhood grew and home values sky-rocketed and miraculously remained fairly stable during the housing burst. That master bed/bath has been thoroughly enjoyed and our house has appreciated far more than we ever expected so we are by no means at a loss and we preserved our tax base unlike our neighbors who built new. We are now going to update the last part of the house (a new kitchen/family room and guest room). We very carefully considered all the numbers and if we are careful (unlike last time) to control costs then it makes complete sense to remodel rather than rebuild. Of course, I'd love to build a shiny new energy efficient house on our lot, but it's still way out of budget and buying the equivalent of what we will have after the remodel in our market is simply unaffordable. If I look at what we've spent on the house over the 18 years it will total a little less than what we could build it for new now, but we have enjoyed it for 18 years and did it on the timeline that we could afford, in a neighborhood that we love and that our kids really enjoy.

This is the classic damage that happens to children from divorce. This is why its so important for parents to EXPLAIN TO KIDS why things are happening. kids tend to blame themselves for everything around them because at their age they cannot grasp reality and societies ways of life. Thank God my husband always explains to his kids. WHy he left their mother, why he cannot go back with her. He always explains. There is alot of facts missing from your explaination. There are many reasons a father could have left. One usual reason is the deep seeded hate for the ex wife. And the exwife causing him grief. She may have put a restraining order on him. He couldnt' stand seeing her while picking up and dropping of his daughter. Second. the amount of child support was so heavy he needed to get a better job to support his daughter. If that was so, they yes, he would leave the support for teh benefit of his daughter. Third, he may have been depressed. I know my husband was depressed because he felt at the time of the divorce, being a failure as a husband and a father. He felt he couldnt' fix the situation and left for the benefit of his kids. But he didn't leave the province or state. But he still left and his kids did blame themselves for a while. What this man did wrong was that he did not explain to his daughter that he is leaving not because of her. He needs to leave for _______explaination. It should have been given to your friend. That way she would not have this complex of selfblame, less worth and so. ITs so IMPORTANT. Unfortunately, the damage is done. But i honestly think, she should meet with her dad and confront him with her feelings. Tell him off the bat that she doesnt want to lose the relationship she has with him BUT she has long lingering questions and feelings of the past. She is an adult and has the right for answers. He will speak with her because she is not a child anymore. i have to be honest. What i've noticed is that men just dont seem to see the same things woman do. My father also moved on and doesnt' speak anymore to us since he remarried. He speaks with me on the phone and now is trying to have a relationship. I've been invited this weekend to his house. I know whatever didn't happen in the past is long gone. He was never much of a father to me. I had alot of resentment and hate for him. Felt neglected, not good enough. But overcame it by delving into my environment and friends and talking my feelings out. But what helped me the most was my confrontation with him. It was heated and loud and alot of emotions poured out. But that helped me. Screaming at him and telling him he wasnt' there for me while i grew up helped me. I felt a closure of somesort. And from that point i moved on with my life. i finally married and have a child ofmy own. Your friend needs to speak with her dad. She must on this, or she will never get over her feelings. Regardless of how much counseling is done.

Oh my it is really so good to see all my friends! Thank you so much for your kind words....we are in Prospect, KY - a burb of Louisville - if you drive out of our subdivision and turn right, you are in horse country with a few minutes - turn left and you are at the mall in 10 minutes - we are blown away by the beauty. We do have a large cottage garden that has been sadly neglected but has wonderful bones...I found a secret upper garden that is accessed from the side door of the large screened in porch - there is a gate at the end of the garden and old stone steps that lead down to the lower cottage gardens - there is a wonderful large brick wall covered with so much growth - oh tons of work my friends but good garden bones they are - I will tackle that garden next spring - right now I have other fish to fry (the fixer-upper house, LOL).......I had forgotten what a nice place the Gardenweb Decoracting Forum can be - thanks for the warm welcome home!