* Remember, folks, this is Nov -- I'm trying to record all of this for our family, so I'm trying to get it all in (no matter how far behind I may be) *
We made it back to SC in one piece after getting all our belongs into half a moving truck, but the movers weren't able to unload our stuff until Tuesday. Since we had no beds or anything else to sit on, Barry and Cathy were kind enough to let us invade their lives for 2 days. And, it was an invasion.
Normally, Barry and Cathy stay up late and sleep late (after 11 or so) - they're both retired, their kids are grown - we totally envy them this lifestyle and look forward to the day when we can do the same. So, having us show up with children who start getting loud at 7:30 probably was a shock to them. They took it all in stride and we had a great time staying with them - they totally know how to do ice cream (more on that some other time)!
The movers started at the storage unit on Tuesday morning, bright and early, and as Brent had to leave for TN, Barry and Cathy continued to be kind and watched the kids for us. As the movers unloaded the truck and filled the storage unit, I started to get concerned. In Royal Oak, we had a 1,000 sq ft house with a shed and a 10x10 storage unit; in SC, we have a 1,200 sq ft apartment and had rented a 10x20 storage unit. We assumed we would have room to spare in the storage unit . . . we assumed wrong (shocker!) At one point, one of the movers told me, "It's OK - if it doesn't fit here, we'll just take it to the apartment." I told him that wouldn't work as the apartment wouldn't have room for it. Luckily, they used just about every inch of the 10x20 space (seriously, stuff is stacked up to the ceiling) and it fit. The move into the apartment was a cake-walk after that - they got everything unloaded and set-up in less than an hour.
After they left, I set to unpacking a few of the more breakable boxes and getting a little more organized before going back to Barry and Cathy's to get the kids. The kids, as usual, were having a great time (they just love Barry and Cathy). We really lucked out having great relatives nearby who are so supportive and helpful. So, Barry and Cathy (if you read this blog), we really appreciate you and are so glad to have you in our lives.
Since Brent was in TN, the kids were troopers about all the boxes and helping me unpack. It helped that I gave them a giant wardrobe box to play in - it was an ice-cream store, a tent, a rocket, and a slide (the video of that is coming). I (and them) worked my butt off getting all but 2 boxes put away and broken down by the time he got home on Thursday. Which was good, as we left Friday for Houston.
All in all, it's nice to have all of our things - it really makes it feel more like home (even if it's only until May).
The Maxwell Family Blog -- Keeping you up to date (more or less) on the lives of Brent, Janet, Will, & Sofia
Sunday, December 6, 2009
November Recap - You Can't Go Home Again
But, you can show up to pack it all up and marvel at everything you had crammed into 1,000 square feet and outside.
This posting starts the recap of our month of November. It was so jam packed and busy that this is honestly the first time I've had to get a posting started. I'll try to be brief, as December is off to a really fun start and I want to share all of that.
In the middle of Nov, we headed back to MI to pack up our house and move our belongings down south. We left Friday after Brent got done working - of course, he got stuck working about an hour or so longer than we had planned, so we were a little past nap-time when we got on the road. And, to make things even better, the "regular" route we would take had a rock slide that has closed the road for around a year (the Army Corp of Engineers has been called in to fix it) and the detour, while completely scenic and beautiful, adds about 90 minutes onto our first leg. We've decided we like stopping in Berea, KY - it's about half-way, has a nice little hotel with an indoor pool (already a great draw for the kids when we're traveling and we say the word hotel) and a Cracker Barrel.
We had a good drive, overall, and were happy to make it to Maxwell's on Saturday for dinner. Sunday, we headed to my parents to more or less say hi, drop the kids off, grab the Tahoe and Dad, and drive to Royal Oak (RO). It was really weird to be back in the house again - I started crying as I walked around, looking at everything. Although we needed to move anyway, it was our first house - we got married there, had our babies there . . . it just has so many memories and, although staying in the apartment is a smart plan for now, I really miss having a house. Oh well - I know we'll have one down here soon enough.
After I had my brief pity party, Dad and I headed downstairs to start work on installing a new hot water heater. Good times, let me tell you. I learned quite a bit about plumbing and torches (those are good fun). While we were doing that, Jerry and Brent made 6 trips to the storage unit and put a ton of boxes back into the house. We all worked really hard and were more than ready to head home when all the fun was over.
When we got back to Grand Blanc (GB), Will was running a high fever and just wasn't feeling well. I stayed up with him until the fever came down a bit around 3:30 (and Mom kept getting up to check on us - all mommies worry about their kids) and we fell asleep in the recliner downstairs until Dad came down and woke us up on his way into the office. I put Will into bed and then I went to sleep in my own bed.
So, our plans for Monday were changed a bit - it all worked out though. Dad came down after his meetings were done and we finished installing the hot water heater. While we were doing that, we had a showing - not exactly the best scenario for a showing, but I'm not turning anyone down at this point. The way they ran through the house, I knew she wasn't interested. Oh well.
Will still was running a fever and ending up throwing up Monday night so Tuesday I took him to our old pediatrician in RO. It was funny when I called for the sick appointment - she looked us up in the computer and said, "Didn't you move? Your records aren't here anymore." I told her we were in town and I wanted Will checked out to make sure he didn't have anything serious. Everyone else in town must have had the same idea and the same thing - we waited an hour to see the doctor. But, she confirmed it wasn't anything serious (not strep) and as long as he wanted to play, it was OK.
The rest of Tuesday and all of Wednesday were packing days for me - I sorted everything into Apartment or Storage, made donation runs each day, and took things off the walls. Wednesday night, Brent and I were going to head for dinner in RO but he showed up looking like death warmed over (he got Will's cold) and ended up sleeping while I picked up take-out Thai and completed packing.
Thursday, the packers showed up. Given that we already have a lot of stuff boxed up and down here in SC, I didn't think it would take them more than 4 hours to do the house. Not so much - they showed up at 8 am (very timely - it was nice), took a half hour lunch around 11:30, and kept boxing up everything until 3:30. Wow! So glad I didn't have to do that myself. I did get to read a book and a half though - that was nice.
Friday, the movers showed up. I figured since everything was packed, this should only take the morning. Unfortunately, the movers had a flat tire issue that I didn't find out about 9:00 when they were supposed to be there at 8 - and they didn't show up until 10. That totally sucked as I wanted to make deliveries to Ann and Kristi when the movers where done, and had I known they were going to be late, I could have done that in the morning. Oh well. They did show up at 10 and it took them until 3:30, working constantly - they didn't take lunch - to get it all packed into half a truck. I should have taken a picture - it was stacked up to the roof.
Brent and I walked through the empty house one more time (very sad) and then headed to GB. We hung out a bit and saw what the kids had been doing that week. There was lots of playing, but the thing Will liked best was making a bird house with Dad. He kept showing it to us and still talks about it.
We spent Friday night at Maxwells and then hit the road home on Saturday. We made stops at Ann's house (they were, unfortunately, at music class) and Kristi's house (they were home and it was awesome to see everyone briefly). The drive back was uneventful and we were happy to be back home in SC.
This posting starts the recap of our month of November. It was so jam packed and busy that this is honestly the first time I've had to get a posting started. I'll try to be brief, as December is off to a really fun start and I want to share all of that.
In the middle of Nov, we headed back to MI to pack up our house and move our belongings down south. We left Friday after Brent got done working - of course, he got stuck working about an hour or so longer than we had planned, so we were a little past nap-time when we got on the road. And, to make things even better, the "regular" route we would take had a rock slide that has closed the road for around a year (the Army Corp of Engineers has been called in to fix it) and the detour, while completely scenic and beautiful, adds about 90 minutes onto our first leg. We've decided we like stopping in Berea, KY - it's about half-way, has a nice little hotel with an indoor pool (already a great draw for the kids when we're traveling and we say the word hotel) and a Cracker Barrel.
We had a good drive, overall, and were happy to make it to Maxwell's on Saturday for dinner. Sunday, we headed to my parents to more or less say hi, drop the kids off, grab the Tahoe and Dad, and drive to Royal Oak (RO). It was really weird to be back in the house again - I started crying as I walked around, looking at everything. Although we needed to move anyway, it was our first house - we got married there, had our babies there . . . it just has so many memories and, although staying in the apartment is a smart plan for now, I really miss having a house. Oh well - I know we'll have one down here soon enough.
After I had my brief pity party, Dad and I headed downstairs to start work on installing a new hot water heater. Good times, let me tell you. I learned quite a bit about plumbing and torches (those are good fun). While we were doing that, Jerry and Brent made 6 trips to the storage unit and put a ton of boxes back into the house. We all worked really hard and were more than ready to head home when all the fun was over.
When we got back to Grand Blanc (GB), Will was running a high fever and just wasn't feeling well. I stayed up with him until the fever came down a bit around 3:30 (and Mom kept getting up to check on us - all mommies worry about their kids) and we fell asleep in the recliner downstairs until Dad came down and woke us up on his way into the office. I put Will into bed and then I went to sleep in my own bed.
So, our plans for Monday were changed a bit - it all worked out though. Dad came down after his meetings were done and we finished installing the hot water heater. While we were doing that, we had a showing - not exactly the best scenario for a showing, but I'm not turning anyone down at this point. The way they ran through the house, I knew she wasn't interested. Oh well.
Will still was running a fever and ending up throwing up Monday night so Tuesday I took him to our old pediatrician in RO. It was funny when I called for the sick appointment - she looked us up in the computer and said, "Didn't you move? Your records aren't here anymore." I told her we were in town and I wanted Will checked out to make sure he didn't have anything serious. Everyone else in town must have had the same idea and the same thing - we waited an hour to see the doctor. But, she confirmed it wasn't anything serious (not strep) and as long as he wanted to play, it was OK.
The rest of Tuesday and all of Wednesday were packing days for me - I sorted everything into Apartment or Storage, made donation runs each day, and took things off the walls. Wednesday night, Brent and I were going to head for dinner in RO but he showed up looking like death warmed over (he got Will's cold) and ended up sleeping while I picked up take-out Thai and completed packing.
Thursday, the packers showed up. Given that we already have a lot of stuff boxed up and down here in SC, I didn't think it would take them more than 4 hours to do the house. Not so much - they showed up at 8 am (very timely - it was nice), took a half hour lunch around 11:30, and kept boxing up everything until 3:30. Wow! So glad I didn't have to do that myself. I did get to read a book and a half though - that was nice.
Friday, the movers showed up. I figured since everything was packed, this should only take the morning. Unfortunately, the movers had a flat tire issue that I didn't find out about 9:00 when they were supposed to be there at 8 - and they didn't show up until 10. That totally sucked as I wanted to make deliveries to Ann and Kristi when the movers where done, and had I known they were going to be late, I could have done that in the morning. Oh well. They did show up at 10 and it took them until 3:30, working constantly - they didn't take lunch - to get it all packed into half a truck. I should have taken a picture - it was stacked up to the roof.
Brent and I walked through the empty house one more time (very sad) and then headed to GB. We hung out a bit and saw what the kids had been doing that week. There was lots of playing, but the thing Will liked best was making a bird house with Dad. He kept showing it to us and still talks about it.
We spent Friday night at Maxwells and then hit the road home on Saturday. We made stops at Ann's house (they were, unfortunately, at music class) and Kristi's house (they were home and it was awesome to see everyone briefly). The drive back was uneventful and we were happy to be back home in SC.
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