mary

It’s done.  We’re finally, totally and completely residents of
Goose Creek, South Carolina.  We made it back down here Friday evening with all our things.  One of the guys that works for Micheal had offered to come over and help unload the truck Saturday morning, but we ended up not needing him.  We started taking a few small things off the truck and two boys from next door came over and started helping.  An hour and fifteen minutes later the truck was empty.

The rental service was scheduled to come in early Saturday afternoon to pick up their things, so it was a bit crowded in here.  I called Saturday morning to confirm the pickup time and they said they were going to have to reschedule us for Monday because they had to go pick up a housefull furniture from a woman who was a month behind on her rent.  I told them that wasn’t going to happen.  I told them that I’d scheduled that time well in advance and I needed their furniture picked up because we had so much stuff in here that we couldn’t move.  We went ahead and moved all of their stuff into the living room so we could put our bed and dining table together.  They did finally come and pick up the rental furniture within the time frame originally scheduled.

If we ever move again (I should probably say ‘when’), I’ll be there to supervise every aspect of the packing!  Cheryl had called me and told me everything was packed and all that was left was getting more tape to seal up the boxes.  I told her that could wait til I got there.  Well, I got there Sunday evening, looked around at the number of boxes, then called Micheal to find out what size truck he’d rented, and then told him I didn’t think it would be big enough.  He said it was the same size as the one he used to moved our things to
Fort Wayne.  I told him that by looking at the boxes, it just wouldn’t work.  We couldn’t figure it out……

Til I started looking in the boxes.  Some were only about half full, some were only about ¾ of the way full.  Only one or two were completely full!  I called Cheryl and told her there was a lot of repacking to do.  Obviously she didn’t have the experience packing that she said she had.  So she and her friend came over and we started repacking…and decreased the number of boxes by a least 1/3.

But when we got everything here and started unpacking it all, we realized how much they really didn’t know how to pack.  They would take something small and fragile, put it loose in the box, then pile hard heavy stuff on top of it.  Just as an example – boxes of Jello with canned food packed on top of them.  The Jello is still usable, but the boxes are crushed.  Luckily we haven’t found anything important broken…yet.  But if we do, it will be the first time in over 6 years of moving around that we’ve lost anything.  Well, there is one exception…my container carousel.  I have one of those space saving food storage container carousels that sits on a shelf and spins and holds 3 different sized containers plus lids.  They had laid it on its side in the box and piled heavy stuff on top of it.  It still holds the containers but it doesn’t spin anymore.  But that’s nothing major.  Oh well.  We don’t have anything that can’t be replaced.  

What was really funny is we still had the original boxes for some things, which I’d told her about.  She didn’t repack those items in their original boxes.  They packed the item and then packed the EMPTY box separately, sometimes in the same box!!!  Like I said, if (when) we move again, I will be supervising the packing 100%!!!!!

Other than all that, we’re settling in quite nicely.  We have at least half of the boxes unpacked.  Most of the kitchen is unpacked and a good portion of the office.  Our new entertainment center, coffee table and end tables will be here tomorrow.  The kitchen and bedroom are almost completely organized.

I’m holding up pretty well, so far.  I’m doing everything a little bit at a time.  I’ll start unpacking a box, then sit down for a few minutes.  Actually, I’ll sit in the recliner and find a good movie on TV.  Every time I get up to go to the bathroom or to get something to drink or something, I’ll unpack part of a box.  So far it’s working.  But I told Micheal that I don’t plan to do this again for a while.

And one favorable note…I got on the scale when I got back to Fort Wayne, and had only gained a couple of pounds since we came down here, even with all the eating out we’d done.  So I guess I haven’t done as bad as I thought I had.  Now I just have to find my scale again.  It’s still packed in one of those boxes stacked in the spare bedroom.

Well, I’m off to read a few blogs, go get some groceries, then do some more unpacking.

Y’all have a great day!