Happy Saturday friends! As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago I thought that for the next year it would be interesting and helpful to those that might be moving to document and share some behind the scenes things of our moving experience. Last week I shared our week two updates, and today I am looking forward to sharing some from this past week. If you are interested in reading more of the updates you can click on the links below:
Post #1: The Beginning
Post #2: Week 1 Update
Post #4: Week 2 Update
This past week was so busy and in many ways it feels like we have crammed in several weeks worth of work into this one week. The weeks seem to go so slowly in some ways and then in other ways they seem to fly by with a ton of things that we are doing.
This week held a lot of ups and downs in regards to this move and I would say we are again, just like last week, taking one day at a time. We have been able to go through a lot of things and we did get a lot accomplished this week so that has been good and we just continue to press forward. Sometimes it seems like there is an end in site of all we are doing and other times it seems like we are never going to finish. Haha. I think anyone who has moved a whole house and is approaching a long distance move has felt this way!
This week we tackled our bedrooms in deep and purging ways. I constantly feel like we are running to drop things off at charities, the dump, or to friends. As hard as it has been to get rid of things, it has been feeling so good to really pair down to a more minimalist lifestyle.
One of the things that I did was start to go through my jewelry (starting with earrings, rings, and bracelets). Y'all know that I love fashion and jewelry but after so many years "away from real life" I have found that I don't wear as much as I used to. So one evening I decided to go through this area and was amazed at how much I got rid of and I plan to go through even more.
Purging and cleaning out is a common part of moving I think, and this move in particular (after being away from this house for 5 years) has encouraged me to really think through my belongings. One of things that I started reading after mom announced her decision to move back to New York was The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I know, I know, it has been out for a long time and talked about for even longer (*smiles*), but at the time it was released I was so extremely sick that this was something that I feel I am catching up on after all of these years. *smiles* There was a lot of good tips and thoughts in this book that I am still working through and reading through and it has inspired me in many ways. If you haven't read the book and are interested in reading it you can find it HERE.
So Monday we spent a lot of time in our rooms cleaning out, purging, and working on our rooms. Monday was a bit emotional as I was still dealing with a very hard father's day last Sunday and so it was a slower day. One of the things that I am constantly learning is the way that it is good to give "breathing space" into the moving process. I mentioned this in my post 5 Tips for Staying Healthy During a Long Distance Move, but giving yourself grace is so important in this process.
On Tuesday morning the temperatures were cooler so we spent the morning down in the garage finishing up the last few items that we needed to deal with there. Honestly, this was emotional to have to go back through, especially the things of my dad's with lawn care items and tools. So there were tears... and times were we just gave each other a lot of hugs.
On Tuesday afternoon we tackled the closets in the bathrooms, bedrooms, and the hallway. We had already begun the process of going through these closets before, but a couple of months later we found ourselves getting rid of even more things. It is amazing how many things we are realizing do not bring us joy and life and how many things we really want to have with us after this move.
This quote. Just this quote.
Also on Tuesday here on the blog I shared 5 Amazon Prime Deals for Moving Items that were part of the Amazon Prime Day. As I looked up these items though they are still on sale and hold great deals for those with an Amazon Prime Membership so definitely check them out. You can find the post HERE.
On Wednesday morning I had a zoom meeting with some of the faculty and the principal of my new school. It was SO nice to meet some people I will be working with in a few short months, and I am so excited to get started! My department head (also named Rebecca *smiles*) is delightful y'all. Simply wonderful. She has been going above and beyond to make me feel so welcomed and I am so excited to work with her! Everyone was extremely kind and I can't wait to get to know everyone in the months ahead!
On Wednesday afternoon we continued packing and had several people stop by to pick up items that we were giving away. It was fun to see a few friends for a few minutes as it has been so busy we really haven't had a lot of time for proper goodbyes as we would like.
Also on Wednesday we were excited to have a potential buyer come to our house, only to find out that at the last minute they had to be rescheduled for Thursday. It has been confusing because there is really no constant updates from our realtor. Because this is a personal friend, we try to stay patient, but sometimes the lack of communication has been ... concerning. The ups and downs of moving definitely are difficult and so we continue to do all that we can from our end as we trust the Lord in this process. Wednesday night we took more things to a charity and then took some books to be sold at a local bookstore.
Thursday morning we were again disappointed as the buyer that was going to look at the house backed out and I headed off to another emergency dental appointment. Unfortunately I have an infection of some sort that is not wanting to heal and it has been causing a lot of pain which I would appreciate prayers for. It was a long appointment and painful, and so the morning had a lot of tears as it was not what we had wanted in many different ways.
Thursday afternoon we tackled our screen porch with tons of items and made another trip to charity and a huge trip to the dump.
Lots of donations and lots of recycling.
In the midst of all the discouragement and tears about the house not selling yet or as quickly as we were hoping, we continue to cling to the knowledge that the Lord is in charge and will provide each step of the way, including the perfect buyer for our house.
One of my favorite quotes that I read in a book this week was such a gentle reminder:
"Our forefathers had many dangers to contend with... on either side of them rose a wall of water like none they had ever witnessed. The wind raged, the sea churned threateningly, like a lion ready to fall on its prey. The army of Pharaoh sat on the edge of the land intending to pursue them. How easy it would have been for our people, through every step of that perilous passage to set their eyes on these dangers. How easy to give in to fears and discouragement. These are the rushing waters of our lives, surrounding us like a churning wall on every side. They are the army of our Pharaoh. But instead of growing distracted and fearful, we can choose to set our eyes on the path that the Lord opens for us. One step at a time, we can go forward..."
Yesterday we headed out to do a thousand little errands that we had to do around town and some appointments that we had. We were out for nearly 14 hours, but were able to get a lot of things done that we needed to and we were so grateful for that! Of course, our day would not have been complete without another trip to the dump, a drop off at a local charity, and selling more books and DVD's to the local used bookstore. Haha. They are getting to know us very well at these places. *smiles*
As we close out this week both mom and I are feeling very tired, but grateful for all of your prayers in this process. Our goal is to leave TN this coming week so that we can get up to New York to have time to find a place to live, settle in, and also have a break to recuperate from a long and difficult year of losing my grandmother and a ton of other changes and things behind the scenes before the start of my school year. We appreciate your support and love as we work to accomplish this!
We specifically ask again for prayer that the house would sell quickly for my mom, that the price it sells for would be a blessing to her beyond our expectations, for our energy and for our health in these busy and stressful days, and for the Lord's continued guidance and provision. Thank you so much for praying for us! I can't wait to share in a week more updates and progress!
(PS- I well understand that we are not the only ones moving in the midst of a season of unexpectedness or in grief... or even those who are military families moving to a different country. My heart and prayers are with you if you are in one of these situations.)
Want to catch up on all of the moving updates? Click below to read through the specific posts!
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