There were plenty of hugs and tears to go around as we loaded up and said good-bye to friends and neighbors. Here is the big truck outside, ready to go.
Part of the loading process. The mover estimated our move pretty tight and as we got down towards the end, our driver had to call to switch cabs. I wasn't part of that conversation, but I think it was necessary to accomodate all of our things. They put several small boxes in the sleeper cabins, our small t.v. and one of our lamps rode on the seat beside the driver. When the garage was almost empty, we had two long folding banquet tables left and the guy said "You know, all things considered, we have done a pretty good job." Patrice and I agreed, until he finsihed the statement by suggesting that we choose one table to take with us. Um, sorry, no. You are not getting paid thousands of dollars for us to leave our stuff behind. Figure it out. Somehow, they managed to get everything in.
Our neighbor, Erika, popping in to say goodbye. We reminisced about our first day in the neighborhood. Patrice had some responsibilities to take care of and Mom and Dad and I waited for him to get back so that we could work together to get the U-Haul back to its place. While we were waiting, Erika and her sister Vanessa knocked on the door with cookies to welcome us. (Erika was 12 and Vanessa was 14. They are 17 and 19 now!) It was snowy and cold day. It was quite a different day when we left.
Nicco was exhausted at the end of the busy day. Patrice and I kept working until about midnight to minimize the cleaning and touching up we would have to do the next day. We spent our last night in the house the same way we spent our first night--on an air mattress. Only on the first night, we built a fire and we had boxes of stuff all around. No fire on the last night, and no boxes either.
The little car is finally packed and ready to go. We got up at about 6:00 to finish cleaning and patching up holes and touching up paint. I got an oil change and tires rotated to prep the car for the trip. We were dirty and stinky and the last thing we did was rinse our bodies before we left. Nicco was like a tiger in a cage, pacing the empty house waiting for his daddy. He said "Isn't this house clean yet? I am ready to rock and roll! Come on Dad, let's go already!" A final sign of our moving on was when the mail arrived 20 minutes before we left. The only thing in the box was my 2010 license plate tag and my renewed car registration, as if to say here you go, now you can get on your way.
Our empty living room. Patrice had a vision of the day we brought Nicco home when he looked down the stairs into this room for the last time. We had many adventures and happy moments here!
Another last look. We thought about all the meals we shared together and with our friends in this little kitchen. It will be difficult to think of our first home in a business frame of mind and divorce ourselves from the emotional attachment. But, like Patrice's boss said, having a rental is no big deal. When you are ready to go back in, you just throw 10-12 thousand dollars into it and you're right back. Yes. $10,000-$12,000. Just, you know, throw it in. No big deal.
Here are some first looks:
Nicco wandering the hallway, deciding between the two small bedrooms which will be his.
The kitchen entry to the living room. The house is lovely, cozy, comfy. In a pretty little neighborhood with two pools and a park within walking distance.
The best part of the house: the back patio. What do you think, Thanksgiving dinner out there? Hmm, Mom and Dad? What do you say?
The sun coming up over the Catalina Mountains. A brand new day. A fresh start.
The little car is finally packed and ready to go. We got up at about 6:00 to finish cleaning and patching up holes and touching up paint. I got an oil change and tires rotated to prep the car for the trip. We were dirty and stinky and the last thing we did was rinse our bodies before we left. Nicco was like a tiger in a cage, pacing the empty house waiting for his daddy. He said "Isn't this house clean yet? I am ready to rock and roll! Come on Dad, let's go already!" A final sign of our moving on was when the mail arrived 20 minutes before we left. The only thing in the box was my 2010 license plate tag and my renewed car registration, as if to say here you go, now you can get on your way.
Our empty living room. Patrice had a vision of the day we brought Nicco home when he looked down the stairs into this room for the last time. We had many adventures and happy moments here!
Another last look. We thought about all the meals we shared together and with our friends in this little kitchen. It will be difficult to think of our first home in a business frame of mind and divorce ourselves from the emotional attachment. But, like Patrice's boss said, having a rental is no big deal. When you are ready to go back in, you just throw 10-12 thousand dollars into it and you're right back. Yes. $10,000-$12,000. Just, you know, throw it in. No big deal.We took our last looks, locked all the doors and windows, hugged our neighbors, and drove away. I was bawling like a baby, of course. Nicco doesn't like me to be sad, so he said "It's okay Mom. Those guys with the truck will put the couches in the new house. Doesn't that make you happy? Be happy now!" We were en route at just about 5:00 p.m. and Patrice drove until he couldn't drive anymore, reaching almost to Albuquerque at about 10:00. I took a turn but had to turn the wheel back over to him at midnight. We took progressively shorter turns driving through the night until we finally arrived in Tucson.
Here are some first looks:
Nicco wandering the hallway, deciding between the two small bedrooms which will be his.
The kitchen entry to the living room. The house is lovely, cozy, comfy. In a pretty little neighborhood with two pools and a park within walking distance.
The best part of the house: the back patio. What do you think, Thanksgiving dinner out there? Hmm, Mom and Dad? What do you say?
The sun coming up over the Catalina Mountains. A brand new day. A fresh start.
2 comments:
Apparently you made it safe and sound to AZ. I like the house, from what I can see of it. I want to see more pictures of the house. Even if it is just a rental ...
p.s. You have to call me because I don't know your phone #. So there.
I'll be excited to read about all of your new adventures!
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