We’re IN, we moved last Saturday, however, we are STILL awash in a sea of boxes. It takes a long time to unpack 5,932 boxes! I do have one piece of advice, if anybody that’s over sixty is reading this and even contemplating a move, do it... NOW! If we were older, I don’t know how we would have done this.
Here are a few insights for any of you that are thinking of relocating...
1. This is holy grail, HOLY GRAIL, PEOPLE. I know better, hubs and I have moved countless times in our forty-six years of marriage, PACK YOUR SHEETS AND KNOW WHERE THEY ARE! So, did I follow my own advice???? Oh hell no, we’ve been sleeping between two blankets since Saturday night. I counted twenty-nine boxes in our bedroom this morning that haven’t been unpacked. Now why, tell me, would anybody have TWENTY NINE moving boxes in just their bedroom??? I’m clueless, but somewhere in those boxes are multiple pairs of sheets, SOMEWHERE! On a happier note, we both do have our own pillows. Whoeee, life is good!!!
2. Pace yourself, you will be exhausted, both physically and mentally. Moving is a daunting task at any age, but when you’re in your 60’s, it can be overwhelming at times. A couple of nights ago, poor LC was asleep in his recliner, I didn’t have the heart to wake him since he was curled up in the fetal position, sucking his thumb ;) and instead I went to the bedroom with the intent of going to bed. Well, the bed was totally full of stuff, so what did I do. I just sat and cried for a bit, had a little pity party, blew my nose and cleared the bed. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m absolutely thrilled with the move, love the house, but I never could tap dance and chew bubble gum at the same time, so I’m just a little overwhelmed with the chaos.
3. Know where the tools are that you will need when you start unboxing and getting your house in order. Apparently ours are buried somewhere in the 3,572 boxes that are stacked to the ceiling in the garage. And no, this isn’t stuff that goes in the house, the house boxes are in each individual room, it’s just who knows what, important things, I’m sure, that LC has in his garage.
4. Laugh, OFTEN! It helps to have a sense of humor about all of this. Hubby and I should be ashamed of ourselves, but last summer this older couple, I’m talking late 70’s moved into our condo neighborhood. These people had their house and garage completely full of boxes and for weeks and weeks and WEEKS, day after day after DAY, these poor old people sat in lawn chairs in their driveway going through boxes. We would go by on our golf cart and wonder if they were ever going to get unpacked. SHAME ON US, because NOW, WE ARE THOSE PEOPLE. Poor old things, they looked like they had just had it, and in retrospect, we should have stopped and offered our help. Trust me, next time we see older people struggling, we WILL do something, a casserole, a hug, a smile, anything would have helped them, but we were oblivious.
5. So here were are, DAY 5, and still aren’t finished putting the kitchen together. We’re working on it, steadily, and I don’t feel as exhausted as I did earlier in the week, I just have too much stuff! I have five sets of dishes, FIVE, and this is after I got rid of some of them. Oh, and I have Christmas dishes, too. Arughhhhh… But luckily, this is the largest kitchen I’ve ever had, lots of cabinet space, lots of counter space, I’m really going to love it. I’ve actually cooked a few times, I made a pot of chili, baked a ham yesterday, and even though things aren’t completely put away, I’m able to function. And somewhere in the garage, I have a new French Door Refrigerator, the very one that I’ve drooled over every time I went to Lowes.
We visited our friends Diane and Jerry a few years ago, she had an LG French Door Fridge and I fell in love with it because it had the extra drawer, it was just da bomb! Somehow I just couldn’t justify buying a new fridge, because mine was perfectly good, but when we sold the condo, we left it. I promptly went out and bought the Samsung that I had wanted forever, and someday, hopefully soon, it will be in the kitchen. Our house came with a fridge, but it was a side-by-side, so it’s in the kitchen until we unbury this one in the garage. The sales manager is buying it, and I’m finally getting the one I want. Moral of this story, all good things come to those who wait.
And speaking of good things, hubby just walked in the door with this box of donuts from The Donut Palace. OMG, OMG, HOW I LOVE THIS MAN!!!!!! They are still warm, and they are just DECADENTLY DELICIOUS!
Old(er) people love donuts, and when we left Heavensville, I thought nothing could ever replace our beloved Donut Bank. Well, I’m wrong! People kept telling us about this Asian couple that own a donut shop called The Donut Palace. It’s in a strip mall, a mile away, so when LC went to Home Depot this morning he came back with this box of donuts, still warm. Yes, people, they are as good as they look, they actually blow Donut Bank out of the water. *gasp*. Just another reason to love Tennessee :) V, I know you are checking these out, we will hit this place up when you visit!
And that’s my life so far. The kitchen picture was taken a few days ago, it looks much better now. More pictures coming when I get it together.
Just checkin’ in, people have been emailing, wanting to know if I’m still alive. I am, alive and well in the hills of Tennessee with this big grin on my face. The sun is shining, Christmas music is playing and I’m on a mission!
Back to it, that pantry is calling my name this morning. ~ Jan
