Moving Extravaganza

Moving is an all-consuming process. Thursday the deadline stopped inching closer; It stood up and charged!

Thursday, I used a sick day to start the process. 

The Prius ended up much, much more full by the end of the weekend.

The truck started to see some business, as well.

It also ended up much, much more full by the end of the weekend!

If you ever want to get a true sense of how much stuff you have, move. Every time I felt like a room was almost done more stuff appeared. It popped out from under or behind furniture; It oozed out of every nook and cranny. I found some really old cheerios, too (not even the bugs wanted them).

Thankfully, the weekend was sunny. The temperature was barely above freezing, but with no threat of rain I could throw everything out on the driveway while Carrie packed and cleaned.

We dropped Shane off with my parents Saturday morning at 10:00 AM. We worked almost non-stop from that point on.

I almost didn't remember to stop and take a few pictures. When I did, I got a glance that told me there was still work to be done!

As the boxes piled up and up, our desire to move things went down and down. We kicked more things out as curb alerts. They've been a hit all week. I jumped out of bed Thursday night when Domino's pizza guy ring my doorbell at 9:45 PM.

There's not much time for sentiment late in the process.

I think moving holds a special place in people's memories. You block out how much work it is until it's time to move again!

Personally, I feel like just about everything up until you arrive at the new house stinks. It's all work, reminders of what you'll miss, and no new adventures (yet).

I do enjoy the puzzle aspect of trying to cram everything in, though. Especially the large items. Pop and I loaded the big stuff onto the U-Haul Saturday night. Carrie's knee was done. My parents have been instrumental in getting us from here to there. 

To boost my wife's morale, we had sushi Saturday night. 

We slept on our mattress on the living room floor.

Sunday morning, we woke up early and made the drive south. I got to play Tetris again.

We had a lot of fun trying to get IN to the storage unit, too. We were stuck at the gate for twenty minutes and a light cover fell on my head. We also saw the merits of the non-temperature regulated units curb-side....as opposed to the long hallway and corner we had to clear for ours!

Carrie stated her moving career is over. She wants to hire locals to unpack everything later.

We dropped off the U-Haul, unloaded the Volvo, and then dead another short morale-boosting trip to the barn. Carrie lunged Franklin for a few. It was better for her spirits than her knee.

We returned north for a final clean and to grab everything we missed.

The house has never been cleaner.

I still find it highly ironic:

We updated everything, new closets, new floors, new window...

.... and construction on the highway finally finished after half a decade.

The house is stunning and traffic is better than ever! And then we move.

Yes, I think it's the right choice (more on that later). I still find it ironic. Proof of God's sense of humor.

I hope that our old home serves the new owners well. We left the TVs and bookcases because they were screwed into the wall.

7:00 PM Sunday we deemed it mission accomplished. We the last of our scattered belongings in the garage and locked the house for the final time. Carrie drove south for the final time. I drove to Nana and Pop's to spend the night with Shane. Monday, my job was to get the last odds and ends and bring Shane south for Spring Break. 

Our time in Chantilly is at an end. We leave many good memories and good friends behind, but not forgotten.