Moving Update – Reality Isn’t Glamorous
Moving is hard work. Oh, sure it’s fun to get a new place, a fresh start and purge your unwanted things but it’s also messy, exhausting and stressful. I’m not telling you anything you don’t know, but there’s nothing glamorous about moving the way I do it.
There’ve been some comical moments but mostly it’s backbreaking. I’m too cheap to pay packers which is a bummer. I opened a random box several months ago and discovered a shattered ceramic rooster which used to hold a place of honor in my old kitchen. I did cry and sadly, had no one to blame but myself.
I’ve seen other bloggers move in a pretty way. In one post they’re in their perfectly decorated old home. The next post you see them in their perfectly decorated new home. I’d love those little moving fairies to come in and whisk our stuff to the new house, but that’s not on the agenda.
A little back story. We sold our home last year and moved to be closer to our grandson. I knew we wouldn’t be staying in this rental home for long, so we left about 75% of our boxes packed and stored in the garage. I’ve missed having my special things around me but have forgotten what many of them are now. Which begs the question, how special can they be if I’ve forgotten them in just 12 months?
Two large boxes that I never intended to unpack were mistakenly carried into this master bedroom last May. They hold several pieces of antique china and a special lamp that I don’t want to break so they sat in the corner of my bedroom… for a year. It bugged me… but after a month or two, I stopped even noticing them.
We left our antique French armoire stored in the garage. It’s put together like a puzzle with 10-15 pieces and requires several people to assemble. It used to act as our dresser so we had no place to store our clothes. After living out of a box for a month, we went to the local Goodwill and bought a dresser for $10. It’s hideous and assaults my esthetic eye every time I look at it. But after scrubbing the whole thing inside and out, it’s held my clothes for a year. Mr. AWSL may use it to store tools in the garage of the new house:)
Our antique kitchen table is very squat and needs lifts under the feet so you can get your legs underneath. The vintage glass cups which lift it to usable height have been packed somewhere so we haven’t been able to get our legs under the kitchen table properly for a year.
None of this is glamorous but it’s my reality. I’m persnickety, finicky and downright anal about most many things but I’ve had to put myself in check for the last twelve months. It’s been a tough learning experience.
The movers come next Saturday. It’ll be stressful but when I finally get to open boxes it’ll feel like Christmas as I unpack what I forgot I love. That may have to wait though because six days later, we pack our little trailer and head to Canada for several weeks. Did I mention how poorly timed buying this how was?
Thanks for reading and have a great day.
Ten years ago I put my belongings in storage for an overseas three year posting. Upon retiring and moving into my new home in B.C., I realized most of my decor/ furniture items no longer suited my style so I bought new and gifted or sold what I had considered to be treasures. Our tastes change as life marches on.
I hope your moving day goes smoothly.
moving is a trial to say the least. I am happy you are living closer to your grandson and son. Lots of fun. Great you are also having a Canadian holiday. My last move 6 months ago I insisted we had packers. It did cost and it was trial and error. I sacked the first packers. getting gutsy in my old age . LOL Nothing broken though.
I have a request. If you have time in Canada look at our shops. With the US $ so strong I am reluctant to shop US. You do have different and good clothing however the exchange rate sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just interested in how u would shop here.
Love your web site though.
ps my daughter took your same river boat cruise 1 year before you. Looks like a great way to travel. May do the same trip soon.
I like the Nordstrom in Canada (obviously) but when I lived on Vancouver Island, I shopped at the local boutiques and Canadian Superstore. I know… that’s a big range. I will check out what I find on the Island this summer.
But it’s all just stuff right, and it will eventually be sorted. The great thing is you are nearer your grandson and that makes everything ok. Enjoy Canada and looking forward to pics
I thought about you and your trailer quite a bit in the last two weeks. I know you are the driver on your trips, and I am just in awe of that. We drove from Wisconsin to the Black Hills pulling our teardrop, which is nothing to pull really, compared to your rig, and we parked it while exploring the twisty roads in the Badlands area and in Custer State Park. But those mountain roads! It was rainy on one of my turns to drive (we just have a Subaru Outback with an automatic, so… should be easy?) and we went up the curvy mountain roads (not so bad), and down again (bad!), through tiny little tunnels and around pigtail loops. Gorgeous scenery, and I highly recommend the park. But! There were people with big campers driving through those tiny places and I was very grateful to be in a car. But the downhills and all the downshifting required! I was trying to use the gears, not the brakes, but when the car seems like it is roaring it’s hard to persevere. And of course, the people behind us…luckily there were lots of turnouts where I could pull off and let people by. You go, girl! Especially if you’re driving in the Canadian Rockies, which we have gone through on the train from Vancouver to Banff.
Good for you Pat!! It gets easier and easier. Our SUV brakes went out, completely… on our first trip with the trailer. It was Sunday and everything was closed on the Oregon coast. We crawled south and with only the trailer brakes slow us down. It was terrifying. When we finally found a mechnic, we had burned through all brake pads and ruined the rotors. It was hair raising.
Wow, scary! Some downgrades are just so steep that no amount of downshifting will stop you. You must have had to stand on the brakes a lot! Hope this trip is easier for you.
It was white knuckle driving. Our SUV has 226,000 miles on it 🙂 so we’ve got our fingers crossed every time we hook up the trailer!
After my husband died 15 years ago, I moved and downsized 3 times and still have too much stuff. When I moved into my current forever home, I decided to take it easy and lived with some unpacked boxes for a couple of years. It made the move less stressful. I hope you can just leave the unpacked stuff and enjoy your trip!
Good for you being easy on yourself. We need to take care of ourselves. I know I will be anxious to get back to things but plan to revel in the escape because reality will hit all too soon.
Good luck with your move. I enjoy seeing your posts and your outfits. I am going on the same river cruise that you were on. We are going from Budapest to Amsterdam. I hope you don’t mind me asking you some questions to help me pack. Did you wear shorts? How about atheleisure wear? And bluejeans?
Thanks for your help and don’t work too hard.
I don’t own shorts but many women were wearing them. I brought black jeans and blue jeans. Both of which I wore. The dress code is very casual. Think resort casual with athletic shoes. Have fun!!
Downsizing gives you a sense of freedom. We tend to keep way too much stuff. I have done some drastic purging, and need to do more. Keeping things you don’t absolutely love is such a mistake. I had a hard time getting rid of “gifts”. Honestly, I don’t remember what I got rid of, and haven’t missed anything.
You are going to be just fine! Stress, yes. So, breathe deep, go outside or lie down until it passes and unpack in the garage at the new place, just in case there might be a bug or two. Smile!!
I have become a continual declutterer since the longest period living in one house has been 5 years. I love it! It’s such a great release, something I learnt 20 years ago when diagnosed with breast cancer and a broken marriage and subsequent new relationship. Letting go of stuff is cathartic. Stuff is just that, memories live within. Here in New Zealand we don’t have basements or lofts for storage so that certainly helps as there’s so very little packed away. Even our garage can fit two cars! Best wishes for your move. Perfect timing for a holiday.
We lost our home to hurricane Katrina but like they say, every cloud has a silver lining. I realized we had to get rid of a lot of stuff to move into our smaller place. The day they came to pick up the destroyed house, I was watching from the new bedroom window of our new home on the left side of our property where we were rebuilding. He put the clipper thingie into the house and out fell all these manaquins I had left in my old sewing room. Arms and legs flying everywhere. I often wondered if that scared the poor fellow. ?
Bottom line to story: It might be time to think minimalist. I did and it made life so much easier.
Oh, boy, can I ever relate to this post. We’re in the process of relocating from California to Tennessee, and, like you, we opted to do most of the packing ourselves. The thing is, I recently learned we have to get out almost a month sooner than expected, so we’ve been scrambling. Doesn’t help that I’m not only a huge procrastinator, but sentimental as well. I think I’ve spent as much time agonizing over stuff to get rid of and reminiscing over this and that as I have on actual packing! I finally secured us a rental home today (sight unseen), but it looks nice in the pictures. It sure makes one feel better to know others are going through much of the same ordeals. Thanks for sharing this post; it helped to put things into perspective a little.