Moving Day 2006

I am recording this day for future reference, in case I EVER decide I want to move again. Oh wait, we are moving again . . . in 7 days.

6:00 a.m. Alarm goes off, snooze button.

6:10 Alarm again. Knock clock off the stand.

6:20 *%^$ alarm. Must get out of bed to search for clock and unplug it from the wall. Stumble down the hall to find Brian who slept on the couch. He had been coughing so he had to move out.

6:20-7:00 Wonder aimlessly around the house surveying how much still needs to be done. Brian gets ready for work and leaves. Apply my makeup and put on gym clothes.

7:00 Cooper is up and ready to eat. Pack up the rest of the kitchen stuff, which takes 8 more boxes instead of the two I had intended.

7:30 Wyatt up and ready to eat. Pack up my bathroom, another three boxes. I am now out of boxes and have five more rooms to go.

8:30 Leave for gym. Start dishwasher and washer for their final loads.

9:15 Decide running is all I will accomplish today, I have to much to do and am already tired.

9:25 Head to U-Haul and buy boxes to finish the house. 48.34 later, I leave.

9:30 Arrive home. Call Brian to arrange for the U Haul trucks to be picked up at 5:30. We are getting two trucks. One to be packed for storage items to be kept until the house is built and the other truck filled with all things going to the apartment to be kept at storage until June 5th.

9:45 Find boys in neighbor's yard playing in her sprinkler, making mud puddles. Call them back home.

10:30 Finish packing up both closets in our bedroom. Decide I have WAY to many clothes and I need to simplify my life. Also used to many boxes. Pack my bag for the next 10 days while we will be homeless.

11:30 Listen to screaming boys who can't seem to get along. Must work through the crying because so much needs to be done. Pack both boys closets as Cooper ask 1000 and 1 questions. Pack bags for both boys for things we will need while we are homeless.

12:00 Run to McDonald's for lunch because I have packed everything else I would have needed. Explain AGAIN why we are moving and why we cannot play at McDonald's today.

12:30 Call Brian to make sure we have the U-Haul trucks and also for him to make a list of everything that needs to be done. "No problem, that won't take to much time," he replies. Secretly cringe inside because he has NO IDEA how long all of this will take, but it will take a long time!

1:00 Throw kids in bed even though it is an hour earlier than usual. I am sick of hearing the fighting and yelling "NO!" and "STOP!" every two seconds. Surprisingly they go down without a fight.

Clean the kitchen from top to bottom, including mopping. Make sure all cabinets are cleared out and pack the rest of what I had forgotten that morning. Call friends to see if I can store food in their refrigerators for the next ten days and keep one box of food that I have left.

1:30 Remember I have not finished printing off invitations for my sister's shower next weekend so I unpack the printer/computer and print off the remaining invitations. Curse inside my head because the shower is NEXT weekend.

2:30 Pack up computer again and other things I find lying around the house. Put all packed bags and things going to the hotel in my car to get it out of the way.

3:30 Kids are up! Called Brian to see if he has picked up the trucks yet, have him buy 6 more boxes. Where is all this stuff coming from?!

4:00 Brian is home. I grab the boxes and pack up all toys from the boy's room. Leave a laundry basket out of toys that will go with us.

4:30 Leave to go back to U Haul place to get Brian's truck. He takes the boy's to a friend's house who will watch them while we are moving things. THANK YOU!! After Brian drops the boys off he heads to the pizza place to get pizza for our movers, back to U Haul to drop my truck and pick up the second truck and heads home.

During this time I am finishing up what is left to pack. Feeling confident of my packing and organizing skills and good about the move. Friend calls and ask me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding in September. Congrats Ashley!!

5:45 Brian is home and the pizza is set out and ready. First mover arrives!! Wait for others to arrive and eat some pizza.

6:30 7 people are ready to move. Instructions: All boxes that say STAY on them go in the truck on the right. All other boxes go on the left side. Somehow this confuses everyone so I stay by the trucks and direct.

7:15 Moving along nicely with all the boxes. Some men have even begun taking down furniture. YEAH! More people arrive to help. Explain instructions again. Eat pizza. Friend arrives to take food and potting plants. Remind self to clean the refrigerator.

8:20 See men taking refrigerator. "Oh well, I will clean it when it comes out of storage." Finish up what we can because both trucks are now full. Wait. . . we still have ALOT of stuff still in the house!

8:45 Decide how to get everyone to the storage unit. I ride with a friend to go get my truck still at the U Haul store. Drive from there to storage unit where Brian informs me that what I rented was not big enough. Alarms are going off because he is opening other units.

9:15 Finally settle storage unit and begin unloading. Things go smoothly because we are just shoving it all in. Security pulls up and questions our pass code. She said it is another person's code and we need to change ours. HUH?!?! Save that for tomorrow.

9:40 Head to friends house to pick the boys up. She sounds exhausted. My boys are usually in bed by 8:30.

10:00 Back at house they are loading up the truck again. People are moving a bit slower. I am beginning to realize not everything is going to get done tonight, like I had wanted. House is cleared out except for the crib and the TV on the wall. Garage is still a mess.

10:20 Guys start to head to the storage unit again. "Take Cooper with you." I beg. Yes . . . they are still up. "Can't, no room." he replies. Shutter with exhaustion when I realize I have to entertain the boys with nothing to occupy them, alone. Trucks pull away.

10:40 Strange echo sound inside of the house. Boys are wrestling in the other room so I decide to mop the study and hallway. As soon as the boys feel I am half way finish they come inside and whine and cry in unison. My head hurts from all the echoing.

11:00 Finish mopping. Wyatt is bleeding from all the wrestling he didn't agree too. I am sitting in the middle of the living room wondering what I have done.

11:10 Call Brian. "Where are you?" "Almost there. We still need to take the trucks back." Hang head and cringe.

11:30 Follow Brian with my truck filled to capacity for the hotel stay for the rest of the week plus things for the next ten days. Front seat is packed to but I decide to let Brian drive and I will scrunch in the seat. I am nice like that, you know.

11:40 Arrive at U Haul to drop the final truck. I forgot about the other friend that drove the U Haul truck. We have to take him home too. I stand in front of Cooper's car seat as he tells me that I am in his way. Yes . . . they are STILL AWAKE! Jerry scrunches in the front seat as Brian drives. Thankfully it is a short trip.

11:50 Drop Jerry off and head to the base where our hotel is. Stop at 7-11 to get drinks and some food.

12:45 Finally arrive at our room and unpack everything from the car. This will be our home until Friday. Set up the crib and get the kids in their PJ's

1:30 Lights are out and we crash.

The rest of week I spent at the house cleaning and still packing up the garage stuff. It was a very stressful week and a major blowup occurred the last night. We had repainting to do where furniture use to be and each day was harder than the previous. We were so excited to see Friday come and go that no words can describe it.

We are now at my parents until next Monday when we can move into our apartment. Brian is staying at his office. Lucky thing!