Onward

Five months after making the decision to move, the moment I had been dreading finally arrived when the movers showed up last weekend.


The big tractor trailer pulled up Friday morning and I have to admit I had to get my Big Girl Panties on about what was coming. We've been through this before with professional movers, so I knew what to expect. But this move is just so....well.....difficult...that when I saw that great big truck I had to go find something to do in the basement for a few minutes to save myself from an embarrassing display of emotion.

The movers were very professional and very careful but they are there to do a job, after all, which is to pack up everything we own and haul it away. It's just so, I don't know, intrusive that there's really no way to get through it except to just do it.

Hating it doesn't change it.

Of course, (because Murphy loves me so his law reigns supreme in my life most of the time) a realtor wanted to show the house in the middle of all this chaos. So, between three strangers tromping through my house putting everything in boxes and three more strangers tromping through my house to see if they wanted to buy it, I realized that I had had enough of all these people invading my privacy and disturbing my home.And they were getting everything so dirty.

So I left for a little while.

When I came back, the realtor was gone and I felt a little better. Sometimes one just needs a little space and then coping can continue.

After the chaos was over and the movers were gone, of course I had to do some cleaning. It was so empty and quiet. Very weird. With all the comings and goings of our family members and friends over the years that house has never been quiet. Until now. I had the same feelings I had when we cleaned out my grandmother's house after she passed away. It was such a difficult thing to do that I just wanted to get out of there, and yet, I never wanted it to end because I knew that once it ended I would never be back again.

However, it's behind me now and we are one big step closer to being re-settled. How I would have loved to have stayed in that beautiful home. When we moved in, Joshua was only 10 years old. Sariah went on her first prom while we lived there. Katie left on her mission from that home. Sariah and Jarom made their first steps into independence out the front door that made rainbows everywhere when the sun shone through it.  Katie and Matt started their married life there then brought little Caleb home from the hospital for a few days until Katie could climb the stairs to their apartment. Joshua's friends kept an extra toothbrush there because they practically lived with us on the weekends. We celebrated 6 Christmases there, 7 Independence Days, 42 birthdays, held one great big Later Family Reunion, and said goodbye to our sweet little Shirley kitty who had been with us for almost the whole time we have been a family.

No wonder I'm having a hard time.

Yard Sale

Two summers ago I had a big yard sale which was very successful, but I had lots of stuff left over. Seeing that it was all set up on tables in the garage, I decided to leave it set up since setting up a yard sale is A LOT of work (and doesn't pay well), then have another yard sale in a couple of weeks.

For two years - yes, two years - we've been parking in the middle of all that stuff.

So, today I finally had the second yard sale. It wasn't very profitable - only $60.00 but the best part is I got motivated to rid ourselves of tons of things that, after two postings on e-bay and two yard sales, had not sold. My objective was to get rid of EVERYTHING. (Except Kent and the cats.)

And I learned some things in the process, so let me share with you new wisdoms and some old things that I had forgotten.

1. People who do e-bay are CRAZY. My yard sale started at 7:00 am. At 6:40 am I walked out into the garage and I could hear voices outside. Yes, they were waiting. Honestly, I was afraid to open the garage door but I figured I couldn't just ignore them, so I let them in. I felt like the Queen of England making her appearance to the crowds. Up came the door - slowly and stately - and there I appeared standing in the middle of tables full of fun little vintage items and collectibles that they couldn't wait to get their e-baying paws on. They literally came running in and starting grabbing stuff. I don't even think they looked at what they were buying. They were just happy to get it before the next guy did. Works for me.

2. Some people aren't very personable early in the morning. As people came strolling into my garage I was so lively and happy - "Good morning!!" I'd chirp. They wouldn't even look at me. (I guess not making eye contact with me means I don't exist in their world and they're not obligated to buy anything out of a sense of just being nice to someone they just met.) "How are y'all this morning" I'd sing. It was unbelievable that I was met with not only deathly silence but averted eyes as well. Fine. You want to be rude? Go ahead. But you'd better be getting ready to buy something while you're doing it.

3. When you're old you can get away with stuff. While I was eating a lovely fried egg and piece of toast as I marketed my wares, this nice little grandma lady and her daughter were looking around. I'm munching away and she walks up to me with two quarters to pay me for a little purse she wanted. Did she hand it to me? No. She PUT IT ON MY PLATE. Right between the egg and the toast. Uh.....OK. Then she found something else she wanted and put three quarters - you guessed it. ON MY PLATE. And you know what I did? Smiled sweetly and said "thank you"! Maybe she thought it was like a collection plate at church or something. Like I said, when you're old you can get away with stuff.

4. Guys at the D.I. (thrift store) are very long suffering. Remember that it was my goal to get rid of everything - one way or the other. So I had to take three loads to the D.I. As I pulled into the drop-off line for the third time the guy just looked at me with the vague look of recognition on his face. I got out of the car, smiled sweetly, and assured him this was my last load. I asked him if he was almost done for the day. His unsmiling response: "No". That's it - just "no". Honestly, if I'd had a fourth load I don't think I could have faced him again. It would just have to wait.

So now my garage is clean. I'm feeling a little lost without all my little treasures out there but I'm sure I'll learn to get along without it. And, it's not too late to find new treasures at someone else's yard sale next weekend.

Oh, wait. I guess getting rid of stuff so you can get more stuff kind of defeats the purpose. Maybe I'd better go lie down until the feeling goes away.