Kirsten & the Great Big Move (Phase 1)

I don't know if what I'm about to coin a phrase or start a new cliche, because if it's not yet cliche, it should be. You know who really loves you (or who your real friends are) by who is there to help you move.

This past weekend can best be described by the words chaos and bedlam. And okay, it can be described by the word bleach too. Cardboard is another good word. I didn't know it was possible to smell like a packing box, but I am living evidence that one can smell like she has spritzed herself generously with eau de cardboard. One day and one long, hot shower later, I still smell like boxes and bleach. Bleh!!

I shared in a previous post about how fabulous my siblings are. In fact, "fabulous" is really only scratching the surface. Kaari normally has a Tuesday-Saturday workweek, but took Friday & Saturday off with the inane hope we'd all actually be moving into the house by then. Since we were not, she took two of her four days off to help me clean and pack.

View from the kitchen, looking into the living room & bedroom area

And speaking of scratching surfaces, not only the cleaning and packing would have suffered were she not there, but my sanity would have as well. The more I pulled out and packed, the more there seemed to be left to do. Several times, I stopped and stared blankly at the space before me, unable even to form a coherent thought. Efficiency and organizational expert that she is, she kept things moving, taping boxes, packing boxes, setting them in a stack so we could see that despite the appearance of stuff multiplying like rabbits, we were making progress.

Kaari reigns supreme over the chaos!!
(Unfortunately, waving the magic wand did not a clean & packed apartment make)

Once upon a time ... this was my kitchen

Let's not forget Peder! He is my big brother with the big truck. It is greatly to my advantage that he has several years of furniture moving experience under his belt and considers helping his sisters move as just "part of the Big Brother contract". He gave of his time, his muscles, his sweat, and his truck with a cheerful heart and a big grin. Not only that, he managed to get all my furniture (bed, sofa, bookcases, DVD rack, TV, TV stand, etc.) in one load, not to mention several boxes -- a minor miracle. The whole load is now in the basement of my grandparents' home, awaiting (like me) Phase 2 of the Big Move. Mom and Dad even stopped by and packed their car with a few boxes, my bedding, and some smaller items to take another bit of the load away from me.

The truck, all loaded up and ready to go!

So now I'm in the guest room of my friends' (Peggy & Adam) new home, taking up fridge space, using their hot water, and just generally enjoying the hospitality they have extended to me. I'm exhausted, and haven't eaten normal food in at least a few days.

But I wanted to take the opportunity to thank the village (Peder, Kaari, Mom, Dad, Grandpa & Grandma, Peggy & Adam) it took to get me this far, and for those who I know will come through until I'm sleeping on a familiar mattress under a roof that I can call my own.