The last few months - part 1

Why hello, its been a while, no?! I'll be honest, there were some times that I contemplated whether or not I really felt like having a blog anymore. For the last few months, there has been so much going on that I never found the time or motivation to document because there was always something else to take care of. I haven't written for myself in ages, and am feeling quite stunted and uninspired and incapable in that department. With summer here, though, I really want to get back into it. I am disappointed that spring 2011 is a blur in my mind, uncaptured in words and in very few photos. So I will try to go back and fill in the missing pieces, try to tell this story of our move, of the end of the school year, of big life changes and little adventures.

If I take you back to early spring, I was an MLS-addict, obsessed with checking properties for sale, either hunched over my computer or oh-so-conveniently, pretty much anywhere I went with my Remax app on the iPhone. We racked our brains over tons of possibilities, looked into condos, made check-lists and jotted down calculations over and over, tweaking variables to find out what would work best. It was so draining and stressful for a long time, with so many unknowns and what-ifs. You can really get lost and discouraged in the process. But I am happy we toughed it out and did our homework, because it paid off.

Thankfully we found a great agent who understood our needs and eventually helped us find this place. We visited it on a Thursday evening and the following day, she managed to negotiate the price way, way down with the seller's agent. We were surprised and a little overwhelmed at how fast it started to roll from that point on. She stressed the importance of us making an offer right away, before the weekend and the possibility of an open house which would attract more people and offers. We were stunned, I think, when we went to her office that Friday afternoon, not fully aware of what we were launching ourselves into. We told her that we wanted to visit one last time before making an official offer. It was supposed to be my birthday supper that evening, but I dragged my mom away from cooking duties so she could come by again for some advice. All along I knew that I didn't want to let this place go, so after an hour or so of debating, of inspecting the place, of dreaming of the future, I filled out the paper work for the first offer and oh my lord what a feeling...
The next day, on my birthday, we received word that our offer had been accepted!! The only thing they didn't agree to was giving us the table (seen here) and chairs that they had been using to stage the place. We were disappointed at first, but we had already bought chairs a few months earlier and were going to be refinishing my parents' old kitchen table, so it wasn't really a loss. Also, the chairs were fabric, which wouldn't have stood the test of time or dealt well with spills and stains. The table was also glass, and although it was gorgeous, I think it would have been a pain to clean, not to mention that it wasn't the most child-friendly type of material, which would be a concern in the future.
So the next few weeks involved lots of calls, sorting, planning, organizing, and finally packing. Without including any of Pat's things or the kitchen items that were stuffed under the stairs in my bedroom, here is what my parents' basement looked liked (eeek!):

Honestly, looking at this, it still feels surreal. The amount of time that went in to coordinating all of this was monumental, but we did it! I am so glad that I moved in the month of May, before the last month of school and the need to move all the boxes from my classroom back into storage at home... Anyways, we were really lucky to have family and friends helping us a TON. Here we are on moving day:

Everything went pretty smooth overall, and although it was exhausting, it was exciting and fun at the same time. My mom and my uncle were especially helpful over weeks and countless projects, and we are forever indebted to them for all their hard work.

The last little while has been all about settling in, organizing, making it our space, decorating, and getting into a groove together. It has been a learning process. It has been a bit crazy at times. We have learned that a house will always be a work in progress, and that's okay. It was hard for me to accept at first, but I am coming to understand that I need to just let things be and appreciate what we have. I think we have done quite well for being here for two months.

There is much more to tell, but I have to get ready for work at the library. One more day before my vacation time. I will be back sometime soon to fill in part 2.

Enjoy the sunshine.