Moving on up

For the third time in 18 months, we are T-2 days to Moving Day.  I'm sorry to say that we have developed a "moving routine" by now.  My mom always arrives a few days before to help entertain Ruby while we pack.  The day of the move, I bring Ruby over to share care buddy Ian's house.  I'm also responsible for buying lunch for the movers and for shuttling some of the more fragile boxes and things in the refrigerator to the new place.  Steve "supervises" the move and is also responsible for breaking down and setting back up furniture.  Number one priority when we get into the new place is setting up Ruby's room so that it is usable for sleeping.  Then we typically ride the adrenaline high over a few days of intensive unpacking until the house is about 90% set-up.  The remaining 10% then lingers on indefinitely.

We hope that after this move, we will not be relocating again for a very long time, if ever.  This Friday represents the end of a 6-month long remodel project where our house was essentially gutted and rebuilt.  The transformation is enormous, and when it's all done, I'm sure it will be so beautiful that it will make my eyes hurt. I wish I could say it was already finished and sparkling clean, but in reality finishing touches will still be in process as the movers are driving up on Friday and most likely for a couple of weeks thereafter.  That being said, Friday is the date we planned to move back into the house from the very beginning, so the project has gone as close to schedule and with as little issues as could be hoped for.  I had hoped to post pictures of the construction as it progressed, but that is another thing that got away from me, so now you will get to see the complete transformation from demolition to finished product just like on TV.

It's hard to believe that this remodel, which was the largest and most daunting project Steve and I have ever undertaken, is coming to an end.  As thrilled as I am to be moving back home, it's also a little sad to be leaving our temporary home of the last 6 months.  Ruby and I have had a wonderful time exploring the neighborhood, going to classes at the local rec centers, and meeting new friends.  In fact, as I've spend the majority of my time as a SAHM in our temporary apartment, we now have more friends in this neighborhood than we did in our old neighborhood.  Ruby has also loved living here.  She runs to the elevator every morning and knows how to hold the doors for people.  She's made friends with the staff in the front office and loves to go collect packages.    However, she still remembers our house well.  When I ask her about her old playroom, she says, "Remember Ruby and Ian play in there together?"  (Because that's where they used to play when she was in the share care every day.)  She also remembers the backyard with her play structure ("Remember two red slides and the red tunnel?") and the lemon tree.  It will be wonderful to once again be able to walk everywhere so that I might be able to get some more exercise.  And I'm sure we won't even be able to appreciate how wonderful our house is until we are living in it and enjoying it every day.

As soon as we get the house into a presentable state, I will post pictures.  Right now I have to tackle a stack of still-empty moving boxes before the movers arrive in less than 36 hours!