The Big Move Re-Cap (then I promise all move talk is over)

Naps are just not enough sleep to live on.
Sneaking into our new house the night before we closed, which made sleeping that night impossible due to the excitement (not fazed by the legality – I do have my priorities).  the house could not have been cleaner so I was thrilled and then panicked that I didn’t have my old house clean enough yet.

The ham sandwich the hubby and I scarfed down in the parking lot of the agent’s before the two hours of paperwork signing. It was the last normal thing I ate for two weeks.
My last day of work for ten days and I couldn’t sit still. On my drive home I looked ridiculous with a huge goofy grin on my face, squirming in my seat. The plan WAS to go to the new house, put a few important things away, start painting and the big move would be on Saturday. (dream plan)

When I pulled into the driveway at home though, I was greeted with a medium sized U-haul truck almost full and the hubby and 14 year old son looking like a bad version of Two Men and a Truck. The bad news: U-Haul screwed up and we had this smallish truck until 10am the next morning with no other truck available for the long holiday weekend.

Until 10am, the three of us, (my two daughters carried anything and everything they were able to and to be honest I was amazed at how much they helped) loaded and unloaded that truck 4 more times, driving back and forth between houses. Thankfully the new house has an enormous garage and we were able to just unload everything into it.

I never even changed out of my work clothes. At one point we went to a gas station in the middle of the night and bought an array of junk food and water and laughed at ourselves – we decided that moving in the middle of the night in summer was a great plan to beat the heat, but having to walk quietly in and out of the truck and up and down the squeaky ramp so the neighbors wouldn’t kill us was not much fun.  We caught a nap in the wee hours of the morning – all five of us in our own random chair, surrounded by boxes.

The next morning by noon, it looked like we were having a party. I had the kitchen painter, the painter helper, the exterminator, the carpet cleaner and the cable guy all jockeying for parking position in the new driveway. It was several hours of car rotations and having to answer questions later that I got any kind of peace but absolutely no unpacking or emptying the garage.

After another night’s sleep in chairs we greeted our moving in helpers for the day. Of course it was raining and the carpets had just been cleaned. With all of the painting going on and the already sultry temps outside, the house was rain forest level humidity. I think our help saw the interior of the garage and had heart attacks in private. We ate the pie they brought us for lunch and dinner that day, and breakfast the next.   I THINK these people are still my friends, however, not if we move ever again.

Sunday the kids had enough and went on strike. The hubby and I were on our own. Our son was camped at the old house with a cot and one chair doing laundry and taking care of the cats that we had yet to move for fear of our lives. I snuck out with the little girls and took them to a diner where I ordered whatever they had healthy on the menu. Since we were the only ones there, they took pity on my sad story (and from the way I must have been walking) and gave me a grilled chicken breast, green beans and baked potato.  This was the best meal I had eaten in days. When I came back home, the hubby was eating a bag of nuts.

At one point our son called us from his cell phone – he was stuck in the bathroom because the adorable but impractical glass doorknobs were falling off and locking us in to odd places. I had gotten locked into the basement several hours prior WITHOUT my cell phone.

Monday more of the same but now it was the 4th of July holiday,  and despite no longer being able to feel my feet, we took the kids to see fireworks that night. (we HAD to do it) It was the first time in ten hours the hubby or I had sat down. When he did, I saw him reach into his pocket and pull out one of the glass door knobs from the door that had fallen off. We did get some funny looks from the people sitting next to us. I was really proud of myself though – I had managed to find a bag of pita chips, a jar of salsa and a big blanket. We inhaled the snacks through the fireworks display like it was a Thanksgiving Dinner. When we got back to the house, we were locked out and had to break in, and then buy a whole new door lock and set of keys. That was fun.

Tuesday was the day I worked until it was done (well the putting away and setting up that is) By the time I fell on the floor because I could no longer feel my feet I was sick. I layed there sick for over an hour. The girls read books next to me. (they weren’t overly concerned) The hubby eventually found me and surprised me with a present of Ugg flip flops (so comfy and NEW which meant I could wear them inside – yes my OCD will not allow me to wear shoes inside) which gave me just enough energy to take a shower. This would be the third night of broken sleep due to the cats getting into something because they were anxious about their new surroundings. At one point I woke up and yelled out – “I smell Pee !!– the cat Peed!!”, the hubby patted my back and I fell back to sleep. I had become paranoid in my exhaustion.

After that it’s a blur of feeling guilty so saying yes to the friend sleepover then regretting it, throwing the 8 year old an impromptu birthday party and making a donut cake, and various other completely not like me acts of kindness all while unpacking. I even took several walks into the new town we now live in with the kids despite the fact that I felt like I was walking on bony stubs.

We had a garbage disposal for the first time in a long time for a total of 5 days. Then the hubby threw some ice into it to mix up the Drano he had used and now we no longer have a garbage disposal. (I told him not to do it……)

The girls who have always shared a room, love their own rooms, but are found still sleeping together at night.

I have a list of things I have not yet found. (Like any cord/charger/connecting device for almost every single electronic device.) A list of things I need to buy (a new rug because someone tracked tar on the other one) and a list of things we need to do. (Like painting all of the trim because the painter’s tape ripped it off in small random sections)

But overall, the memories we made in the move, unlike my previous 13 moves, are like no other. I will cherish them forever.

Today is the first Saturday after a week back to work.  We were up at 6am starting our projects.  I seriously cannot wait until we are more settled and I can get back into writing.  Unfortunately all you home owners keep telling me it's never over..... SERIOUSLY???