Grateful x Infinity

Today, I am so very grateful that all I am required to do is sit at my desk at work. After several nights' worth, and five full days over Memorial Day Weekend and through yesterday, of packing, cleaning, standing, pacing, worrying, packing, and oh-the-deep-cleaning, this is bliss. Let me say that again: TODAY, I am very very grateful to be at my desk, in my cubicle, in my computer job, sitting on my tail and not packing anything. ;)

It's only a small break, of course. After work today, I know I'll get right back into it with the unpacking, but guess what? It will be in our new house. It was so fun to take OUR keys there yesterday, after the closing, and see it empty. Other people's stuff -- even really nice stuff -- can get in the way of seeing the home itself, you know? And we were happy because this is definitely an upgrade. I forgot what fixture or feature made us say it, but we did, out loud. Even though we lost having a basement (to store a lot of crap when we don't know where else to put it), and even though the neighborhood is pool-less. ;) Upgrade. I feel like I want to explain that more: We don't need the house that many of our acquaintances, and even friends, seem to have. The brand-new, custom-kitchen, all-hardwoods basic petite mansion. And we are financially very conservative - we probably could have afforded a lot more than we bought, loan-wise. All we wanted was to get out of our declining neighborhood, and add a guest bedroom. And that's what we did. We also got granite counter tops as a bonus (but we gave up our stainless appliances). Does that help tell you? It's a step up, it isn't a leap -- and I am RELIEVED about that. I wouldn't know what to do with myself in a home like some of the kids' friends have. I guess this is what happens when you live in a metro area with a lot of giant companies' HQs like Coke and Home Depot and UPS. LOTS of people make LOTS of money. Anyway, we are so, so pleased with ourselves and excited to make the new home OUR HOME.

And to sit on my bottom today.

Shawn, bless him, ended up managing the move-out AND the move-in (today), on his days off. I don't think I need to record the whole, long story... well, no, it'll be funny someday.

We had planned it out so well. We thought the movers would be coming Tuesday morning. On Monday when I finally got a confirmation call about our appointment, I was told we had "the afternoon slot" instead. Ooookay. I took it as a gift, because there was still a lot to do. Tuesday, the kids went to school for a last 1/2-day, Shawn went to work, and I went to work finishing all the details. Stripped the beds of the comforters and sheets, and boxed those. Put all the lamps in bubble wrap and boxes. Used my last big box on the pantry/non-perishables, and everything fit exactly. I even had 15 minutes' time to deliver the little gifts I'd gotten for 2 of our neighbors, and to say goodbye. I was walking back home at 11:30. The movers were supposed to show up or call me around noon. Perfection. But they didn't arrive. By 2:00 my patience was out, so I called and they said they'd be there "around 4:15...or 5:00. Or 6:00 at the latest." And I blew up in the customer service guy's ear. I let him know how very displeasing that was... I had taken the day off work! I had things to do tomorrow (Wednesday), not to mention the SALE OF THE HOME, and could NOT reschedule this! And he placated me with "I understand, Ma'am. We'll send a crew just as soon as they're available."

Shawn got home around 6:00 and told me to take the kids -- who had been so good since coming home at noon, waiting with me -- and go eat dinner and go to the hotel. I had used the time waiting around to scrub bathrooms, clean the fridge, and as much other stuff as I could think of that wasn't the floors. So I was wiped, and I left. The movers got to our house at 7:00 pm #AREYOUKIDDINGME. Shawn was later complimentary to them, telling me how hard they worked, and how fast. (Whatever.) They had the truck filled to the brim by 11:00 pm. But guess what? They didn't get everything -- the truck wasn't quite big enough. Hahahaha! Ohmygod.

I'm done talking about it. Soon, distant memories. We have been exhausted the last two nights and sleeping on lumpy pillows in a crappy hotel. So our first night sleeping in our own beds again -tonight!- is going to be awesome. I can't wait. This story arc and "category: real estate" is mostly closed, I guess. What a relief, and what a gift to ourselves. I've had thoughts about it being serendipitous that this has all happened just days before I turn 40. An exciting beginning to Life, Part 2.

The last 2 weeks in our old house

(I have to write down all my feelings about Kate's amazing performance from last Friday. It's captured on Facebook, of course, with everyone's sweet comments, but gosh, it was such a parent moment. Every time I watch the video I relive that high! So, someday soon I will pour my heart out about it.)

It's a mess in our house right now and there's very little we can do about it. That has been hard. I don't feel like we have a place to put all the packed boxes. We HAVE packed boxes... did some more last night. Every night, we must. I've got to stop sitting down at the kitchen table after school. Unless the kids need me to help with homework, I need to be packing.

This weekend I need to get paper plates/cups and we'll start using them for all our meals so I can pack dishes. I got bubble wrap and more packing paper yesterday. Shawn tells me you can write packing stuff off taxes, so I have to remember to put the receipts where I can find them next January! The kids' rooms are... well, they're still full of stuff, but Kate's got a sleepover this Saturday night so I will be in her room until the wee hours to FINISH IT. I think they're going to each get one bag of playthings to keep out, and everything else must be boxed. Poor thing -- she isn't quite understanding that she does get to KEEP her stuff. She asked me if she would still have her lamp and her night table, and she's expressed dismay that I'm taking all her toys away. (Toys she hardly ever plays with, I MIGHT ADD.)

I can't figure out how/when to pack our suitcases for the 2-3 days of moving. The movers come on Tuesday the 27th. We're planning to stay in a hotel that night, and won't have keys to the new house until the 28th around 11am. After the Edenfield closing at 9, we'll go back to Zachary Woods to clean it all up and get the final items we need, and take them to the new house. Probably multiple trips.

I've scheduled move-in for the 29th because we'll have the ZW closing at 4:00 pm on the 28th -- and I don't think we'll have enough time to move in, during that window between closings. So we'll stay in a hotel the 28th, as well. I don't know if that's reasonable or wise, but I think the kids will think it's fun, actually. We thought about doing sleeping bags in whichever house we have access to, but 2 nights of sleeping bags on the floor would be miserable for Shawn and me, we realized. OW. It hurts to imagine.

Lots lots lots to still do. Work is stupid busy for both Shawn and me. Inconvenient of work, n'est-ce pas???

Stage mom

Tonight is Kate's first singing solo. She was asked several weeks ago, after sitting near the drama teacher at our school, to sing the special solo before the middle school musical -- apparently this is a thing they've started doing, where they ask a younger kid to warm up the audience with an awww-worthy song. Last time it was a first-grader. I've not told everyone I know at school for fear of sounding braggy, but yesterday her teachers asked her to stand up and tell the class her big news. So today I've been getting messages from the moms, saying, "Sienna said Kate's singing tonight at the play? Is she?" Hee hee. I'm in heaven. I'm so excited for her. And nervous for her. And all of the feels! And Grandmommy and Papa Joe, I promise to take video.