Yesterday we completed the big move to our rental house. Like probably every move ever, it was not super fun. But I was fortunate for a few reasons:
- It was a gorgeous day. Simply gorgeous. Sun was shining brightly, the sky was blue, the trees were vivid. It really beats moving in the rain, which I’ve done before.
- We only moved about half a mile away. It is super easy to load up our vehicles with all of the random stuff we didn’t have the movers move. I still have more loads to go today. But it beats moving across the country in a very small car, which I’ve done before.
- Our movers were super nice. Very accommodating. They were very helpful as I had them re-arrange and re-locate a few items to see the best way to optimize space in rooms. It beats movers who aren’t problem solvers, which I’ve had before.
- I am in good shape, capable of lifting, and full of energy. It beats moving homes while 8 months pregnant, which I’ve done before.
- My three kids are big enough to actually help – or at least not dramatically slow the process. Moving with toddlers is super hard, which I’ve done a few times before.
So, all in all, in the grand scale of moves, it was OK. My mom is in town to help and the house was largely set up before the kids got home from school. Now there’s a benefit of moving into a small house! The garage is full of stuff, but it’s organized and I’m grateful to have a large garage that holds our extra stuff, with enough room for a treadmill set up – kind of like an outdoor gym if you open the garage door!
And all of my favorite stuff has largely found a reasonable home. Getting dressed will be a bit of an adventure with clothes and shoes in two different closets on two different floors, but I think my system will work (want a dress or nice outfit? Downstairs closet! Want a cute top and jeans or pants? Go to Taylor’s room!). Sometimes you have to laugh at the silliness of it all.
But the best part of moving was hanging out in our living room last night. Freshly showered after a busy day of work. Stomachs full of pizza. A great glass of wine. And we are UNPLUGGED. Comcast can’t come until Tuesday, so other than hotspots and data, we are unplugged for the week-end. So, hotspots and data let you cheat, of course, but no TV, no Internet.
Our big kids joined us in the living room – and wait for it – we talked for hours. When do teenagers talk for hours? I will tell you. When they are bored and have nothing else to do. So, we talked and laughed. My daughter braided my hair into cornrows. My son played with Zoe, our dog, who is trying to figure out where the heck she is. We considered playing a board game, but the board game box is buried in the garage. So, we talked about school, good memories, music and more. Nothing substantial, but such a great way to end the day.
I’m relatively confident unplugged will be less appealing today, and you realize how dependent we all are on the Internet. I have a big work project underway and can’t entirely unplug. Homework is largely online for both of my big kids. Other life stuff, invitations, newsletters, etc. require the Internet. But for one night, we unplugged. And it was awesome.
The Redefining 
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