Moving (Up)

Two posts in one month? INCONCEIVABLE!

So we moved down one story (to a U-Haul) and then up to the third story of our new apartment in Manchester. It's pretty fabulous -- way bigger than our last place, with an updated kitchen and a lovely balcony. I'm drinking more tea than I ever have before just so I can sit out there and watch the trees sway.

Pretty much my standard lunch now -- balcony friendly.

Trees, as advertised.

Moving in wasn't an easy task. Though we've only been married (almost) nine months, we've accumulated a lot of stuff. My favorite things (recliners, 61-inch television and books) were easy to move (except for the books, which were a huge pain even after I donated hundreds). The miscellaneous items are always the biggest pain. Sure, I can pack up all the kitchen stuff in four huge plastic bins, but what about the items that float around, not yet packed? Still in use?

Ian was working almost constantly until the day we moved, and I was away for almost a week in Virginia. When I got back, nothing was in boxes and I only have four days before we had to load the U-Haul. (Ian made me a "You pack it up, I'll move it in" deal, since I hate loading and unloading boxes but enjoy putting stuff away.) He bought some big plastic bins and away I went, sorting, tossing, donating and packing.

He was so busy with work that week that he couldn't even pose for a pre-moving picture! See how bright and white his skin is? That's the flash I saw of him between work and sleep. (Actually this was taken on a winery tour my mom gave us at Chateau Morrisette.)

In any case, it got done. On the night we picked up the U-Haul, he had to go to orientation at his new job and we didn't get back until after dark. (I went along to do some last minute errands in the town where we live now.) We ordered pizza and prepared for the worst U-Haul packing experience possible. I'd told everyone we didn't need help loading it, because it seemed like it would be super easy. Standing there before the job, I realized how wrong I'd been.

Then -- like an amazing cavalry from a movie -- my mother-in-law and her fiance pulled up. They pretty much organized the entire U-Haul and made what would have been a miserable experience actually fun and far easier. Best moment of the night: dropping our bedframe from our old balcony to Alex and Oksana on the ground below us. I couldn't stop giggling.

A face I'll miss seeing on a regular basis.

We also played with these. 

Our original plan was to crash on the mattress, load it up in the morning and meet them for the drive to the new place. Instead, we went back to Oksana's and slept there (after taking my favorite dog in the world on a stroll.) In the morning we were rested, refreshed and ready for the almost two hours of driving necessary.

Ian was pretty worried about me taking the U-Haul. He wouldn't let me drive ahead while he got gas; he didn't want to let me (in the huge, unwieldy truck) out of his sight. He actually stayed behind me for the entire drive, carefully protecting me from would-be tailgaters.

See? That's him in my rear view mirror. (I was paused when I took this, by the way.)

So we got there safely and did the whole thing in reverse. To be totally honest, I barely carried anything. The U-Haul metal walk thing slipped out of my hands and slammed into my knee. I actually had nasty bruises on it and on my upper leg all week; Ian kept asking me if they hurt, even after the tenderness was gone. Everything I did carry was light and easy to lift. Once all the items were in our apartment, we munched on some pizza, returned the U-Haul and said goodbye to Ian's mom and Alex. (They're getting married next month and I'm really, really excited for it.)

I should be including pictures of the apartment, but it doesn't look exactly the way I want yet. Ian has been working late nights almost every night (so we mostly get to spend time together when I drop him off, pick him up or late in the evening or early in the morning) and I don't want to hang the pictures myself. All the major stuff is put away, thrown away or in the attic storage space, though. Maybe in the next month I'll actually take some pictures. Until then, take my word for it: it's a bright space that's pretty large compared to our old one and I'm absolutely in love with it.

(There's also a clubhouse with a gym, a pool, pool tables, a movie room and ping pong!)

Though I'm very happy overall about the move, there is one important thing about our last town that I'm going to miss a lot. (Well, miss in the sense that I'm still planning to drive and see her at least twice every month.)

Marilyn is awesome; she's also from the south. She's been teaching me to cook yummy things! We have lunch and spend the afternoon together once every week.

Pop-Overs!

(One last apartment thing: why do people avoid moving to the top floor of a building? No one is galloping above you, the view is way better and climbing the stairs four or five times every day is good for my legs. It's great! Whenever I asked for a top floor, the apartment people would look surprised, then happy -- apparently it's harder to sign people for top-level apartments if there's no elevator.)