My Life in a Box (or a Zillion Boxes!)

     WooHoo, it's Moving Time! Yep, the time has come for Grammy and Papa to get closer to 2 of our 4 grandbabes...and to get some shorter winters than Central Oregon provides. We've been thinking about it for a couple years and when several factors seemed to be aligning, we decided to see if we could make it happen. We listed our home for sale in April. As soon as it was listed (and in the pristine "No One Really Lives Here" state of clean), we drove to Canada to visit our daughter and her family...that's one way to keep a house Picture Perfect!  When it sold 12 days later we knew we had to quickly find a house and begin the nightmare of packing! Off we went to Northern California to spend 3 days searching for a place to land.

     We decided to look around the area in the Sierra Foothills, east of Sacramento. We'd raised our family there before Papa Toad accepted a job in Ohio in 1997. By the week's end, we found a house that I love...in Cameron Park, same place where we'd lived before. Except that I didn't take any pictures of it when we previewed it and since Papa Toad didn't think he liked it, I really don't remember all the details of some important rooms! Like where will The Ark be?????? Oh my, the adventure of it all!!!

     The movers arrive Monday...so here's what The Ark looks like now:

Oh look, I can still see a drawer on my sewing cabinet!

     

The machines have been packed in their original Bernina boxes for a few weeks and I've had serious withdrawals ever since!

         Tomorrow we'll load the RV with all the "I don't want to pack that, let's just take it with us" stuff and tape up the final boxes. Those are the ones that are such fun to unpack! You know, those final boxes that hold all the last minute stuff you need to the bitter end. The Mystery Boxes....the ones you forget to label, or you're so DONE with the moving process that you don't care whether it's labeled or not! So there it is, the box that has everything from the sprinkler can you almost forgot to pack along with the bath mat and His favorite coffee mug to that stack of quilting/cooking magazines that you were going to go through and purge!
     This last stage of packing is soooooooooooooooo different than the beginning. In the beginning I vowed to really do a good job of labeling each box. I even thought that if I was very specific about where the contents had come from in the house that I'd really be able to have a photographic memory about what exactly I'd find in that box. I've never had a photographic memory in my life so why did I think I'd be zapped with that gift now? Instead, as I sit here typing, I'm looking at a box that is labeled "Middle Shelf of Entertainment Ctr." Really? Could I really be that blonde? 4 weeks later and I don't have any idea what was on that shelf! Papa Toad and I have moved 12 times, bought and sold 8 houses...you'd really think we'd have it down to a science! I have a friend who is a meticulous packer! She has a cross reference system...each box has a # that corresponds to a list that tells exactly what's in that box...and each box has a list on its top that tells what's in it. Now, I ask you, where's the fun in that? No mysteries, no surprises, no Christmas feeling in June, no searching, no Yahoos, no feeling of reward when you finally find those pots and pans. (When we moved to Ohio I could not find those pots and pans...after 4 weeks I went and bought a new set!) I bet my friend is still stuck with her original wedding pots and pans because she labels those boxes....and she probably isn't moving 22,000 lbs....and she's not a quilter!
     So, the movers load up all the stuff Monday and the cleaners will come Tuesday. Wednesday, Papa Toad will drive the RV and the "Toad" (towed Escape) and Mom and I will follow behind as our little caravan heads south. We should arrive in Cameron Park late afternoon. I'll try to keep you posted on the rest of this adventure and let you know as soon as I decide where to put The Ark! Meanwhile, I think I need to do a little Stitchin' for the Soul! (Yes, that's not packed...it'll go in my cosmetic bag!)

4 more sleeps......
Nadine