When we moved into this house in May 2021, I swore it would be my last move ever. I even made sure I got to that last box that never gets unpacked and unpacked it over a year ago. And yet here we are – about to go through the whole moving process one more time.
After a long search, my husband has taken a job in another city about two hours north of where we live now. I’m not fond of the moving process, but I don’t mind where we’ll end up, becasue my mother and one of my sisters and her family live there. But I dread putting the house on the market, waiting for it to sell, packing up and moving, then looking for another house and moving into it, and spending hours unpacking again.
My husband had a good idea to help with unpacking – invite all of my family over for Christmas dinner and to open gifts. Once we’ve finished with the gifts, we’ll tell them since they’ve gotten so good at unwrapping things, we have a surprise—and hand out boxes for unpacking. We could even throw in a “Dirty Santa” twist, where people get to swap the boxes before opening them. (Okay, we’ll probably not do that, but it was fun to think about!)
Late this spring, I went to my mom’s house and dug up several irises descended from irises my grandmother used to grow in Massachusetts and planted them on one side of the house. I figured since they didn’t bloom this spring, they wouldn’t bloom this fall. But two days ago, I walked outside and Grandma Caulfield’s irises were blooming. I thought it was a sweet way for the old house to wish me and my family well as we start this journey yet again.
What is your least favorite part of moving? Do you have a good story about moving? Any advice? I'd love to hear it.
Late this spring, I went to my mom’s house and dug up several irises descended from irises my grandmother used to grow in Massachusetts and planted them on one side of the house. I figured since they didn’t bloom this spring, they wouldn’t bloom this fall. But two days ago, I walked outside and Grandma Caulfield’s irises were blooming. I thought it was a sweet way for the old house to wish me and my family well as we start this journey yet again.
What is your least favorite part of moving? Do you have a good story about moving? Any advice? I'd love to hear it.
I'm sorry you have to move again. It's never fun, but it is nice when it is all over.
ReplyDeleteWe made my last move because I needed help with my husband's care (he had dementia, and got to the point where he had forgotten how to climb stairs, among other things.) I was overdue for a knee replacement and heart surgery.
ReplyDeleteMy daughters took over. One of them wanted the house, so we didn't have any of the cleaning, repair, etc. with which one usually has to deal with, and since the house never went on the market, we skipped that major hassle. My other daughter handled most of the arrangements for moving company, new furniture that would fit in our apartment in a retirement community, and they handled the packing and unpacking.
Although I wouldn't wish our health difficulties on anyone, I will say that's the way to move.
Mark, you're right, it will be fine once it's over.
ReplyDeleteKM, how wonderful that your daughter's could step in and help like that. Dealing with our health problems and our spouse's can be very hard, and I'm sure they were a great comfort to you. It certainly does sound like the best way to move if you have to do it!
Good luck! So happy the irises bloomed for you. When we moved from Atlanta to Cincinnati I brought my magnus coneflowers and woodland violets from a friend's mother in Vermont.
ReplyDeleteI had to move constantly as a kid, so I vowed not to do that as an adult. We've lived in this place 9-1/2 years and our last home over 21 years. Contemplating a cross-country move when my husband retires at the end of the year and DREADING IT ALREADY. Maybe I can hire you, since you've gotten so adept at the process! Happy travels and easy house selling/buying to you, Nancy.
ReplyDeleteI wish you a speedy sale and the perfect house on the other side.
ReplyDeleteI never moved much as a kid, made up for it as an adult. Oddly enough, I enjoy it. It's a chance to get rid of all the "why do I even HAVE this stuff." I admit, I'm a closet Marie Kondo. Hubs makes up for that.
My weird moving story. In 2005 I sold my Florida house, my then boyfriend had convinced me to move to northern Maine. My house went under contract, we had our Maine house under contract, we were 95% packed and the movers were contracted. A week before the move, along came Hurricane Wilma. I remember sitting in my house listening to the wind roar (turned out a tornado passed two feet from the front of the house) and wondering if the sale contract would survive the storm. It did, despite heavy damage in our neighborhood, we suffered only two chipped roof tiles. No more packing though. Everything was closed. The movers showed up on the designated day, they finished our packing and off we went. Whew!
Nice to be moving so near family, Nancy, although - moving again - sorry about that. I'd go with that Christmas unpacking plan.
ReplyDeleteWhen we moved from Tennessee to Illinois, we expected the movers on the morning of the day the new owners were taking possession of the house. Tight timing and . . . a problem. The truck showed up first thing in the morning, but not the moving men. The driver called and found out the men were delayed from a job the day before but would arrive by noon.
We waited. Waited. They didn't show. More calls. They couldn't make it at all.
The truck driver made more calls and found half a dozen people to do a rush job that afternoon - six women from a women's football league. Holy cow! They told us to stand back and those women didn't just move our boxes and furniture into the truck - they ran it all from the house into the truck, laughing and treating it like a training day. Fastest, most exciting, and most fun we've ever had on a moving day. Nothing broken, either, except the land speed record for house movers.
The lesson is to never say "never."
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your move.