Movers carrying large boxes into the empty storefront from a large moving van parked downtown was the first sign for many that something was happening at the Hotel Cathlamet. Few knew that the hotel had quietly been for sale for over a year.

When Kay and Wayne Cochran, along with their daughter Stephanie and her husband Kevin Prestegard purchased the hotel in 2012, they were excited and hopeful. They had plans to restore the hotel and bring a much needed business back to town. Fortunately, they were able to do those things.

But life's mercurial nature announced a darker mood when Stephanie's health began to go downhill.

"I was diagnosed with a chronic illness about a year into our ownership," Stephanie said. "We decided to sell the hotel when it became apparent that my health was going to continue to decline."

At first they hired help with the cleaning, but as Stephanie is quick to point out, running a hotel is a 24/7 job.

"The business kept growing and growing every year," she said, "which is what every person who starts a business strives for, but the increased business meant more and more work and stress for me."

Despite support from Kay, who was working in the real estate office and Kevin, whose job took him to Naselle, the better part of the work at the hotel was left to Stephanie and her father, Wayne.

It meant there was little time left to take care of herself, and with the diagnosis of the chronic illness, the close knit family determined it was time to sell the business. Stephanie's health would not take a back seat.

"We only advertised it on one online site," Stephanie said. "We had a couple dozen people look at it. We had four offers before we accepted Laurel's. I knew the business' worth and I wasn't about to give it away. I had worked too hard getting it to where it was. We also knew we had to sell to someone that would be a good fit for our little community. Our transaction with Laurel just took on a life of its own and worked out. When things are meant to be they seem to fall easily into place, which this sale did."

Enter Laurel Waller and her children Tanya, 23, and Tim, 20.

The family most recently lived in the Los Angeles area where Laurel had worked in IT and Tanya and Tim attended school.

Timing bordered on crazy. The hotel transferred into the Waller hands right as Stephanie and her family were poised to go on vacation out of the country.

Their very first day began with a hotel that had been completely booked.

Trial by fire, they say.

It's been less than a week and the three haven't had much sleep.

Having to turn over 19 rooms in one afternoon is a monumental task for people who have never done this kind of work before.

Laundry takes a lot of time. So far they've figured out that they need to wash queen size sheets first. Those rooms turn over the fastest. But what to do when you need clean, dry towels at the same time?