3.12.2011

Moving day

And we're in.

Our new house.

Phoebe's in her bed in her new room, and Kates and I are preparing for bedtime as well.

I'm far too tired to go into much detail about all of the ups and downs of yet another move ... I'm seriously second-guessing what prompted us to think we should do this moving thing again. And yet I can't resist the urge to document this special night.

After bringing several car loads of boxes to the house throughout the last week, today's mission was to move the big stuff. I booked a 10-foot moving truck last night and we picked it up around 9 this morning. By 10, a couple friends had arrived at the duplex to help us load it.

We got it done in three trips -- the distance between the new house and the duplex is just two blocks, a left turn and one more block -- but all of the heavy loading and unloading took us until past 2 this afternoon. My back aches terribly, bringing back bad memories of the pain I suffered for months after our move in June, and I felt like I was going to pass out toward the end of the ordeal. Water was my best friend.

Eventually, this afternoon, Kates had to make a trip to the store, and I did pass out. I fell asleep on the couch, and Phoebe curled up not too far away from me on her blanket on the floor.

At this point, I suppose I should mention that I hadn't slept since I rose for work yesterday morning. Thirty-three hours.

Crazy as it sounds, that was sort of the plan the whole time. I got out of bed with the mindset that I was going to get through my work day and then really push it during a nightcap at the house. I was determined to complete as much of our painting as I could ... Initially, we figured we'd have no problem repainting rooms before moving in, but those hopes were dashed when our closing was delayed a week.

So I spent the night putting the finishing touches on Phoebe's room and got a decent start on our downstairs family room. This morning I watched the sun rise and the way the morning light lit up our new kitchen was just as beautiful as I'd imagined.

At about 6:30 a.m., Kates, having awoke without me next to her, texted me.

"Are you ok?"
"Yep. Just painting," I wrote back.
"You're crazy! Did u sleep at all?"
"I know. Nope."

At that point I was afraid if I laid down for even a few minutes, I'd be out for hours. ... I snapped a photo of Phoebe's freshly painted room, with some of her favorite stuffed animals lined up on the floor and waiting for her, and I sent it to Kates' phone. She received it just a few moments before I arrived back at the duplex and had shown it to Phoebe, who was bouncing gleefully at the top of the stairs when I came through the door.

A few other random thoughts and memories that will stick as I reflect on this day ...

Twelve years ago, I never could have imagined my college life science teacher would be helping my family move into our new house. But today he did. And his wife, who used to schedule my newspaper interviews with the university's communications director all those years ago, is now a close friend, co-worker and a wonderful carer for Phoebe. The way those relationships have evolved blows my mind.

When I packed my belongings into my Toyota Camry on a snowy December day 10 years ago and headed north for Wisconsin, I also didn't imagine I'd be bringing so many of those same belongings back to The 'Ville. And yet, here they are. Heck, I still have the first laptop I bought in college.

We had Chinese takeout for supper tonight. After all of the happiness Chinese takeout dinners brought us in K-Town, it seemed fitting to do it tonight.

Phoebe has reached a level where her imagination is running wild. This morning, with the moving process fully underway, she was playing with the remnants of our bed frame, running from room to room in the duplex, retrieving her stuffed animals and all types of other objects, placing them within the bed slats and calling the area her farm.

Life is good.

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