Well, Riverbend, it’s official. I’m moved in.
Mostly, anyway. If you recall, I’ve spent the past few weeks painting walls and planning my garden and just generally being giddy about my newfound homeownership. But as I waited for my apartment lease to expire, I hadn’t yet actually made the move. I was using the few weeks between closing and my lease expiring to complete projects and prepare the house for me and my little family. It’s been hectic! I attended my family’s Mother’s Day dinner with paint splattered like freckles across my face. There have been many little tasks we’ve completed, lots of trips to home improvement stores and more than one late night. It’s been a lot, but also very exciting. I’m making this house mine. And this weekend, it was finally time to do the big move.
I’ve been strategic about it. This past week, I loaded my car up every night, drove to work in the morning, did my workday, and then headed to the house in the evening to drop off items. So, by the time Saturday rolled around, most of my belongings were actually already in the house. Which was great news for my loved ones, who had less to move. And, speaking of my loved ones, can I do a brief shoutout for them? These people showed up early at my apartment on a Saturday morning and, with minimal grumbling, helped me load furniture and wayward boxes into a U-Haul. I’m extremely fortunate to have people in my life who were willing to help. It rained all day long, of course. Is it even possible to move on a sunny, 75-degree day? Never in my experience. I think moves are reserved for stormy gray hot days, and that’s exactly what happened this time around. I mourned my freshly-mopped floors as we loaded the table and bedframe and other furniture into the house from the U-Haul, all of us dripping wet and sweaty and increasingly sore. But fortunately, I think this is my last move for a while. At least, I hope so, because it’s been quite the process. This past month has been projects galore, and the month before that was house-hunting galore. I’m ready for chilling-on-the-couch galore. That’s where I thrive. It was strange to actually be in the house on Saturday night. My cat, who cowered behind the toilet for several hours, was finally out and exploring. He managed to find nooks and crannies we hadn’t even thought to clean, climbing out of the fireplace covered in soot with a creaky “meow.” At one point in the middle of the night, already tossing and turning in a strange new place, I was awakened by a clang. I turned on a light to discover the cat had knocked over the old, unscrewed vent cover on the wall and was now crawling in the ductwork. Cue panic. Cue an 8 a.m. trip to the home improvement store to buy screws so we could screw in the vent cover and lock him out of the ducts. Ah, the joys of parenthood. My cat is fine, and I am also fine, as we both adjust to this new place. I love my little home and I’m eager to fully settle into it. It’s bizarre to be in this space that I’ve been fixing up for a month, except now I live there. It doesn’t fully feel like mine yet, but all my stuff is there. Eventually, it’ll feel like home sweet home, and I can’t wait.
