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Sunday, December 11, 2011

What I love about moving

December 11, 2011
What I like about moving.Nothing.
What I hate about moving.Everything
What I love about moving….
For what seems like six months (actually 3 weeks) we have been in the process of moving… We have lived in our home for 11 years and 5 months.  That house is almost 4,000 square feet.  It is two story. Has a pool. Huge front yard. Lots of “landscape” stuff in the back yard. It is 5 bedroom, 3 bath, 2 living areas, huge utility room and all of these little extra “spaces and features.” I actually put bunk beds up in one area and called it “The Kids’ Corner.” I remember when we moved into it, I could not imagine ever having enough stuff to fill up all of the storage that house provided. Seriously, who needs to store so much stuff (I am now calling it sh_t) that you would actually fill up that house? Apparently, we did.
All three of our kids grew up in that house. Their friends were always welcome at our house.  I have loved that house from the moment I saw it.  We have shared that house with our family and friends. At one point my sister and her three girls “lived” with us for 2 months!  That house if full of memories, love, and laughter.
It is also possibly full of tears, stress, anxiety, mold, dirt, trash and stuff we absolutely do not need.
We have downsized. A LOT. Our new home is about 1,800 square feet. As soon as I knew we were going to be moving, I began cleaning out. I have thrown stuff away, and wondered why I kept it… I have kept stuff for storage that I have wondered what in the world I would ever need with it… and I have scaled down to those items that are truly the most important to me.
The light fixture from my dining room. (it is actually dis-assembled and in my closet) It is an antique fixture that was in my parents’ house when I was growing up.  My parents gave it to us when we moved to our house on KToN.   Photographs and memorabilia (also scaled down some…) The quilt that Cody’s grandmother made him and that Cody’s mom repaired last year. (I am using it as a bedspread, and I have to add that every “square” is made of 1960’s polyester!) My brand new dishwasher which was a gift.  The oak table with the incredibly uncomfortable chairs. (It is the table I grew up with.)  An antique desk and trunk which were the first purchases I made at garage sales when Cody and I moved to Moody, TX after 6 weeks of marriage. Lynnsay’s wedding dress. My grandbabies’ baby bed. My favorite books.  The shutters that were in my Mudgie and BigDaddy’s house, and a chair that was in their bedroom as long as I can remember.  My antique Coca-Cola sign.  The Texas stars and Texas print I bought for Cody’s 40th birthday (he turned 50 the Sunday after we moved in our new house)…wooden crates, antique suitcases, the “Please Don’t Smoke So I Won’t Croak” sign… all of my roosters…baskets, special wine bottles….pictures my dad painted, pictures my Aunt Debbie painted…
The list goes on and on.  It is amazing how many memories you can put into an 1,800 square foot house…
Our new house is one story.  It has 3 bedrooms and two baths, one living and dining area and an incredible kitchen that is open and a part of the rest of the house. I can clean it in an hour. I have everything I need at my finger-tips.  My kids and all of their friends still hang out here. The yard is small and manageable.  Our house is beautiful!
Yesterday and today we worked hard at getting 11 years of “stuff we don’t need” out of our old house and into storage, or into the “trash” pile.  Our old house is cold, it is a mess, it makes us all sneeze and cough. It no longer holds all of my most treasured “things” and does not look like the place where all of my “memories” are…in fact, as I sat in it, I tried to imagine what it looked and felt like four short weeks ago…it was a hard memory to call up, unless I closed my eyes. 
What do I love the most about moving? Getting homesick at our old house for our new house; walking into our new house today and giving thanks to God that we were home!  Watching my granddaughter play in the Tupperware cabinet and run around the house like it is the only one she has ever known; having my kids, their friends, our family and friends all here at the same time…enjoying “down time” with my husband; having my daughter curl up on the chair and watch t.v. while she is visiting… What I love the absolute most about moving is realizing that what makes us special is our family and our love for each other and everyone else…
God is good…

2 comments:

  1. Well put....I hear your appreciation for the important things in life. Your family and the memories that have been created. I have also come to realize home is not the building we live in. It is the souls that fill it and congregate in it. (a lot like the church) In all of the time ive known you, 20 years, (wow) your homes have been warm and welcoming and a place people want to be. Thanks for last night, we had a great time hanging out with you in your new home! Love you!

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  2. I'm excited to make new memories at the house together. I feel so blessed to be part of our make-shift "family". I wouldn't trade it for the world!

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