Relocating

In my mind moving to a different state and a new-to-us-but-actually-really-old-house was going to be seamless. Boxes were going to be packed with care and neatly labeled. Movers were going to be hired to load the boxes and unload them in our new house. We were going to have at least a week to paint and clean the new house and maybe even do some small renovations. It was going to a beautiful thing.

Imagine the exact opposite of that, and that would describe our actual move. We packed frantically after delay after delay on our closing lulled me into packing complacency. Movers loaded our U-haul and then it sat for a few days while we waited to finally own our home. We had hours rather than days to clean and paint. Different (not to mention inexperienced and possibly hungover) movers unloaded the boxes and furniture while my mom, my niece Lydia, and our dear friend Kathy cleaned and unpacked and worked nothing short of an absolute miracle while Kevin painted with some good Samaritans from Asbury. It was a chaotic whirlwind that came on the heels of a stressful closing process and leaving a place that has become comfortable and friends that have become so dear to us. I wept when we said goodbye and drove out of Anderson, I tried not to weep when we realized our house needed more work than what we thought, and I wept when my mom, Lydia, and Kathy drove away after working so hard to help get us settled.

We had just a few days to acclimate ourselves before packing and leaving for our family vacation (planned well before we knew what this summer would hold for us). As we relax with my family on the beach I have been processing this move--saying goodbye, relocating to a new state, owning a home again, starting over in a new community, and the whirlwind of activity and emotions that we have been caught up in. Stopping to catch our breath before we really work on integrating into our new place is good. When it is time to head home, I am hoping that it feels like just that--home.

 

 

(Ada and Oliver enjoying their treats from Cluckers)

One thing that has helped the kids settle in (besides claiming their own rooms) has been discovering "Cluckers"--the gas station/convenience store/some version of hot food service--where they can purchase orange push up pops and lemonade after just a short walk from our house. (What's that? Why yes, we do live in a small town in Kentucky. What? Not every town has an establishment with such an intriguing promising name?).

 

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