The Hard Part Is Over!

Well, I am finally at the place where I knew I could relax a little: our hotel in Birmingham. I can't believe it all happened so fast!  But I am glad we are at this point in the move. The hardest part is over!!  Everything else is a little more "fun". And when it comes to unpacking, I can do it as quick or as slow as I choose. There is no timeline by that point!

Last week we had the movers at our house disassembling our furniture and loading everything onto a truck. Since we weren't getting into our new house immediately, the truck has to sit in the lot of our moving company for 10 days. That made a few things tricky because the inside of a moving truck in summer can get pretty hot. So there were items we needed to take with us to put in our hotel room. And, of course, there are the items that the movers won't take. 

We originally planned to rent a uhaul trailer to pull behind my SUV, but realized that we would not be able to detach it from my truck in Alabama because it would be too heavy to lift and reattach when we finally had keys to the house and could empty it. I certainly was not going to be driving around Birmingham for a week with a uhaul trailer behind my truck. Plus, there would be nowhere to park it. So, we had to rent a uhaul truck. Once we knew we were getting that and had even more room, we started adding things to our list of what we would take with us on the uhaul. 

We will have about 4 days in the house before our truck arrives with all of our belongings, which is good because I like to clean, clean, clean!  It's much easier to clean a house when it's empty. I don't think the house is super dirty, but it has been lived in for 11 years, so it just needs to be "Kristina clean". So there is tons of cleaning stuff on the uhual!  We also have a company coming to clean the carpets and tile/grout on Thursday afternoon. 

Then, guess what!!??  My mom flies in Thursday evening and will be here for 16 days to help us get settled!  I really have the best mom ever. I tell my kids all the time, "My mom is better than your mom!"  Lol. It's funny to watch us argue. 

Anyhow, then I have a plan for cleaning on the weekend. At least one bathroom has to be cleaned immediately. Then we start the kitchen. I like everything cleaned: inside and outside of cabinets, drawers, appliances, etc. Now, I don't have to worry too much about appliances this time, because my husband has purchased me an entire kitchen of new appliances that will be delivered a few days later!!  I have the best husband, too!! 

Anyhow, we will wipe all the baseboards and windowsills, light switches, light fixtures, etc. before our stuff arrives on the following Monday. It will be a busy weekend, but that's ok. We will make it fun. 

My husband has a plan for his weekend, too. Since we had lots of room in the uhaul, we packed all our shelving units on it and he is going to get those all set up so that it will be easier to start organizing right off the bat. He also has the chore of emptying the new hot tub and getting it filled back up so we can enjoy it after working hard all day and having sore muscles. :) I am pretty sure we won't want it super hot though, it suppose to be in the 90s. But it will be nice. 

So, until Thursday when we get posession of the house, we will enjoy our downtime here at the hotel. And have some "play" time as well. 

I'm still praying everything continues to go smoothly and that our belongings arrive unscathed. But like I said, the hardest part is over. And I don't think that part could have gone any better or any quicker!!  Thank you, God!!

Suddenly All Is Coming Together

So, for days I have been scrambling to prep for the moving company to come and start packing. By Wednesday night I felt like all I had done was make a complete, chaotic mess of our house. I was completely overwhelmed. 

I have to admit, Tuesday night, I sat on the couch and watched the Disney channel for almost two hours. And laughed. A lot. The sad part is, I was by myself. My kids were at my parents house. Lol. I think I was in denial about all the "grown up" responsibilities I was faced with. I just regressed into this child state and relaxed. At one point my husband came out to question my sanity, but then he just left me alone. Smart man. 

Anyhow, the packing went smoothly. It's done. We are now rats in a cardboard maze. Lol. There will be no more Facebook posts about baking or cooking in my kitchen. :(

We have a couple slower days now to finish up things at the house that we need to do, and then Monday another company comes to do things like crate large televisions, crate my grandfather clock, take apart my daughter's loft bed that is like 800 pieces, etc. 

Tuesday the moving truck will arrive and start to load everything up. It really couldn't go any smoother at this point. I am praying that it will continue to go this well!!

I am enjoying this beautiful, sunny 65 degree morning on my back patio (with coffee of course) and wishing I had more time here. 

I will definitely miss our beautiful back yard. But I am starting to feel the excitement of getting to somewhere new and getting settled in there. 

So that is where we are at right now in this whole move process. My anxiety has gotten less, so thank you all for your relentless prayers!!  We can feel them!

I will update again in a few days!!

Long "To-Do" Lists

I am so thankful for the friends and family that have taken the time to send me an email, text message, Facebook message and called me!  And I am also thankful for those people who have taken time to pray for us!  Thank you so, so much!  It really means a lot to me, and I am so blessed to know so many wonderful people!

Several of you have mentioned getting together, maybe for coffee, a drink, lunch or dinner, and please know that I would LOVE to, but my time is so limited because this move went so fast, that I have had to say no to almost all the offers.  It breaks my heart, because I am a social person and I love to spend time with the people I care about.  But I am having a hard time finding time to spend just with our immediate families in these last couple weeks!

I think what is hard, is a lot of people know the company is moving us, which means they literally come in and pack everything up for us.  Which is great!  That saves us a lot of time and work.  But it doesn't mean that there is nothing else for us to do. Which is why I have a notebook with a bunch of lists pertaining to the many things we need to take care of.

Even though they are packing up my house, we still have to get all the stuff we need just to live for two weeks packed up and put somewhere in the house that we call the "no-pack zone".  So right now, I have cleared out the closet in our guest room so that I can stick our luggage, and then as it gets closer all our clothes, towels, toiletries, etc. that we need just to function until we get to the new house. 

But then I also need some kitchen items.  Our dishes and cooking utensils will be getting packed, so I need to make sure I have a place to put things we will need from the kitchen.  Like paper plates, bowls, plastic ware, paper cups, napkins, paper towels, trash bags, etc.  Of course I don't let them pack my coffee machine.  I learned that many years ago.  :)  So I need some disposable coffee cups, too.

My washer and dryer are staying with this house, which means I'll actually be able to do our laundry right before leaving, which will be nice!  But, that means I need detergent and softener.  And I like to leave the house as clean as I can,, and clean at the new house when we get there so I need all my cleaning supplies to not go on the moving truck at all.  This means vacuums, mops, rags, cleaners, toilet brushes, sponges, etc., etc., etc.

Oh, and we have a dog and two cats, so that means I have to have all the pets necessities in a place for us to move them as well.  I am sure you are starting to get the picture and are overwhelmed.  But, I am not yet done.

Then we have to think about all the things we need to move like valuables, jewelry, important personal paperwork, stuff to entertain the kids on a 12 hour road trip, coolers, snacks.

There is also the list of items we need to leave for the new owners. We need to get all these items to a "no-pack zone", too. Manuals for appliances, any accessories that go with appliances, keys, garage door openers, etc.

And then there is just the list of the stuff the movers won't/can't take on their moving truck.  Propane tanks, gas cans, highly flammable liquids....I can't even remember it all. But making these lists is just ONE of the things I am doing right now.

I am also trying to keep tabs on two real estate deals, find a new allergist for my son so that we don't miss allergy shots, and find a new orthodontist for my kids that uses the same bracketing system our orthodontist here uses (yeah, I didn't know there were different types of brackets either!!)

Then there is contacting the utility companies at both houses, lining up carpet cleaners for the new house, making sure I carry with me the paperwork I need to register the kids for school and making sure my car is services for a 700+ mile road trip while towing a u-haul trailer. 

We also have to disconnect all our own electronics. TVs, DVD players, stereo equipment, computers, etc. And it's a good thing the movers require us to do that because then we can make sure the right cables and remotes stay with the equipment. 

And of course, that is on top of just taking care of the usual things like laundry, meals, and running the kids to softball/baseball almost every night. The things I have listed here are not even everything we need to do. I am not looking at the list right now, so that is just what is in my head. The list is overwhelming, and I'm trying to start my morning off on a positive note, so I am avoiding it for now. :)

So, if you are thinking of moving just for the heck of it. Maybe this post will help you change your mind. Lol!

But, really, I just wanted some of you to get an idea why I just don't have the time to see you. And I am so, so sorry. I wish I could. I really do. 

Come visit me in Alabama!!

Different Kinds Of Tired

We all have times when we are tired. Sometimes it's just completely physical....maybe you've been working in the yard all day, or just running here and there. And then sometimes it's a mental tired....you've been using your brain all day to solve problems, or paying bills. And still other times you are emotionally tired....tired from all the emotions inside whether good or bad, emotions can wear you out!

Right now all three of those types of tired are my everyday normal. And it's ok, because I recognize it, I know it's temporary (right, Jackie!?), and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

First, there is the physical tiredness. Many of you know from having moved that there is a lot to do, even prior to your belongings to be moved from one house to another. Errands, phone calls, keeping houses clean, packing, purging, etc. 

The mental tiredness for me is from all the thinking...what do I need to do and by when. Getting all those things from my brain and onto a list helps. But my brain is always churning and trying to make sure I've thought of everything. And if I run out of things to think about, my brain likes to help me out by coming up with scary, hypothetical situations that are very unlikely to ever materialize.  

Finally, the emotional tired. Lots of people ask me, "Are you excited about moving?" and I am happy to answer it, but it can't be answered with a simple "yes" or "no". There are things I am excited about...a new house, meeting new people, exploring a new area, not having a long, drawn-out winter (most exciting, by the way) and the feeling of starting a new journey. But, there are many other emotions involved. Sadness, of course...saying goodbye to family, friends, neighbors, teachers, and coaches is really heart wrenching. We have been so lucky that everywhere we have lived we have met wonderful people and made many lifelong friends. And I will cry my eyes out when saying goodbye to those people. Every time. There is also anxiety and fear involved. Mine usually revolves around my kids. Will they find at least one good friend they can count on?  Will they eat lunch by themselves the first day of school?  It's so much emotion all wrapped into one that it is exhausting. 

I know lots of you reading this experience all these same types of tired in your lives because it's completely normal and human. We all have our struggles and burdens.  

So what I really want to tell you about now is one area I am NOT tired. And that is spiritually. I am actually refreshed. And really, truly at peace. I have spent a lot of time praying quietly or talking (out loud) to God about this move. All aspects of it. From the help in buying and selling houses, to just helping order my day. And I have this amazing group of friends that are also praying for me. Which is such a blessing.  And prayer works. It really does. I hope you all remember this when you are going through something that makes you tired.

Because of being spiritually refreshed, I can manage all the kinds of "tired" so much better. 

The bottom line is....it's all going to get done one way or the other. No matter how many lists I make, or how late I stay up. It will get done. It always has. 

But with His help, it sure is a lot easier!!  

Finding Our House

In my last post, I had recently gotten back from a trip to Alabama where we had made an offer on a house. After a week of not getting anywhere, we started having some doubts.  Especially me.  My husband was worried about us missing out on a good house, and I understood his concerns, but I was worried about buying the wrong house. I felt like that would have been an even bigger mistake. I really felt that wasn't out house. So, we ended up withdrawing our offer. 

That same day, we ended up getting two offers on our Michigan house just hours apart.  Our house had been in the MLS less than two days!!  We were totally in shock. But happy.  It's certainly better to sell quick then drag it out for awhile. I've done that before. Definitely not fun.

But, I realized I needed to get back to Alabama quick and find "our" house. Not an easy job since just the week before I saw everything there was to see in our price range in the area we wanted to live.  A few new things had popped up, and we adjusted our price range a bit, just to give us a few more options. But really, I still only had a handful of houses to see.  

Frank had to start his new position this past week and was driving down with his car, so we decided I'd drive down with him, and fly back once we had a house. Or at least a plan.  

We spent a whole day driving down...about a 12 hour drive.  The next day, I was up and ready to go looking at houses.  I had been praying a lot before I left Michigan that if God had a house picked out for us, to please let it come on the market while I am there and for it to work out smoothly.  While we were driving to a house I had on my list, we came across another house with a "For Sale" sign in the yard and I said to my agent, "I don't remember that house being for sale a couple of weeks ago". She agreed and called the listing agent's office. They said they had no listing at that address and to call the listing agent directly. She did that, and found out he was entering it in the MLS right then.  He gave her some basic info on it and she told him we wanted to see it that day. 

We kept driving around and looking at the other houses on my list, and I just kept saying, "this isn't it". I was holding out hope for the house that we found earlier. I saw lots of good houses, but some of them were in a location I didn't like, or the lot was one I didn't care for. Or it didn't have the right amount of rooms we needed for our family to function. Those are things I couldn't change. I started crossing off those houses immediately. If there was something I didn't like and couldn't change, then it was off the list. Then there were houses that I loved the lots, and it had the right amount of rooms, but maybe I didn't love some of the paint, carpet, or kitchen appliances. Well, that's all changeable. Even if we don't do it righ away or never do it. At least we have the option. And that's really my best advice to anyone looking for a house!!  

We finally saw the new-to-the-market house and it was really nice!  I thought to myself that it might be the one.  After checking it all out, I told my agent to make another appointment to see it in a few hours, and called Frank and told him to meet us there. 

After he came and we looked around together, we both decided we did not want to let this one get away.  We had our agent write up an offer that night, and had come to an agreement less than 24 hours later!!  Praise God!  We knew that this was the house!!

We had the opportunity to meet the owners on Friday night, and she said she had been praying for the family who was meant to have their house. It gave me chills. I feel like God kind of heard both our prayers and said, "Hey, I can answer both those prayers right now!!"  And reassured us that the previous house we had made an offer on was definitely not meant to be ours. 

I got back to Michigan on Sunday night, and now begins the final preparations before the move. I have a to-do list a mile long. And only 10 days until the movers show up to pack. Our last day in Michigan will be Wednesday, June 25. 

I know I will not get to see most of you before we leave, and many of you I did t even get a chance to see at all in the short time we were back in MI. 

I will keep blogging through this crazy process, and of course you can reach me by phone, email or Facebook!!  

Have a great week....I've gotta start checking things off this list!!