T-5 Days to Move, the moving company called. It seemed everyone in their brother needed to be packed up and transported elsewhere the week after Memorial Day, so could we, would we, pretty please, let them pack early?
Uh, no.
The A Team for a two day pack was promised, providing me with an extra day to get myself ready, with all the things we'd need for the trip set to one side so I could serenely read a book whilst the pros wrapped and boxed all my belongings.
What really happened?
One amazingly efficient and motivated woman did the majority of my pack up. One. They are paid not by the hour but by percentage of the job. Like I said, motivated. I raced around ahead of her, organizing things so that, for example, all my canning supplies are in a single box and labeled "canning supplies." I have dreams of whipping that stuff out to make up something yummy in a jar once we get into our house in July.
On the second day, she brought a friend, who packed the garage and basement. By the end of day two, her hands were like claws. My kitchen was impassible with dish packs. My kids wanted to make permanent home with the neighbors. I'd had peanut butter crackers and Dr Pepper for lunch. Oh, and my husband was due home from Florida.
Normally, I am competing with his old job for time during a move, as they squeeze out the last ounce of blood prior to his departure. This time, however, his new job already had him and he'd been gone the middle of the past two weeks.
He missed his flight back. Something about early flight out of Orlando, printers not working to provide him with receipts and long lines of truckers at the tolls, but the end result was that he was exhausted (overnight shift at his new job with that missed morning flight) and not with me. It was 1230am before he stumbled back through the front door and crashed into bed next to me.
The trucker arrived early the next morning as I was slinging kids in the shower and ripping the sheets off the beds to stuff into the bedding boxes. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my youngest wandering down the street, back pack over one shoulder, looking at the truck as he headed to his friend's house. "Too early," I thought, and then promptly forgot about it.
My wonderful neighbor made too much breakfast - eggs benedict with a home made hollandaise and a side of fruit - and sent her son over to deliver. Heaven on a plate, it more than made up for the fact that my husband, still reeling with sleep deprivation, had not picked me up anything at McDonalds when he found our son's on the sidewalk and brought them out for a quick breakfast.
But you never eat McDonalds, honey!
I've been eating leftover bacon and spoonfuls of jelly for two days straight!
Another wonderful neighbor also overcooked - fried rice and egg rolls - which we wolfed down at the counter. The boys were, once again, eating at a friend's house. What is it with folks and their surprise excess food? You'd think they'd plan better :)
At 1030pm, our crap - it's amazing how your love of your possessions decreases the more you have to deal with them - drove away into the night and we collected pets and kids and loaded into our hotel for the night.
Husband had to drive back to the house to get allergy meds left in the garage for Snuffy and Sniffy. The kids were asleep by the time he came back.
many thanks to Christine, Argie, AnnaMarie and countless others I am still too tired to remember LOL. Your "pay it forward" attitudes make life so much nicer!
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