Starting the New Chapter

Cody is my hero. Bless his heart. He may be only 21 but he really stepped up to the plate for me yesterday during our move. In the past I've leaned heavily on Ryan because the nature of his work has given him a lot of experience in moving and making things fit and ... Cody has obviously paid close attention. Not that my dad and Austin and Marquee and my mom and ... well, myself... didn't work our hindquarters off getting us moved out... and my sister-in-law, who came through again with another load to the dump for me... but Cody was definitely the foreman on our little job site.

There were definitely some highs and lows in the process. Austin refused to come to Atlanta *at all* and moved in with his married friend on Friday night. He came and helped on Saturday (but it meant a few more trips back and forth to pick him up, take a load of his stuff over there and take him there at the end of the day) and he worked hard but there was the dark cloud of knowing that at the end of the day I was going to have to say goodbye to him... and there was the dark cloud of knowing that our small moving crew was going to get smaller.

I've already expressed in great detail my feelings about Austin's decision but I'll sum it up again by saying this: either his plans will succeed, in which case I will be very proud of him, or they will fail, in which case, Lord willing, his family will help him get back on the right track. I will love him no less either way.

Ultimately, I was way too tired at the end of the move, with a two hour drive ahead of me with a very nervous cat and a blinding migraine to waste much emotion on the subject again. He asked if I was going to cry and I said, "not today" later, I'm sure, but not then and not since. I told him I wasn't going to give him a hug but that I would miss him and I left him what little cash I could spare him and set off on my way. That was the worst part of the day.

Another unexpected complication was that the smaller moving van that I reserved was not available at the place (near us) where I rented it so we ended up having to drive another ten miles or so to pick it up. The good news is that they credited us sixty extra miles for our trouble and knocked ten dollars off the base price. In the end this meant that we were able to make two trips to the storage place and the one way trip all the way to my parents house without incurring any additional mileage charges. It cost about $36 in gas. All in all, not bad. I just wish we had more help.

Then there was the issue of the "much larger than we needed" storage place which ended up being too small because Cody and Marquee decided not to take the living room furniture (as it was too big for their living room). This made for some logistical issues and meant that my dressing table that I've had since I was 7, that I was going to put in storage, ended up coming with us and actually fit better than I thought it would. I'm glad to have it. This is where I could tell that Cody had really paid close attention to Ryan's tutelage because (although it may look like Fred Flintstone's closet) we got everything in there.

I've mentioned the migraine... I've had one for at least a few hours a day for most days over the past week. It made things difficult... especially the drive through Atlanta... but we made it. And by "we" I mean "me and Trouble"... who was in a pure panic at being put in the cat carrier. He hyperventilated until I turned him so he could see me and any time he would get upset I would talk him through it.

And then there was the issue of having to stop to go to the bathroom while traveling alone with an animal in June in Georgia. I stopped at a Chickfila that I'm familiar with and knew that there was a handicapped parking place right by the entrance which was right beside the bathroom and... it was my fastest pitstop ever. I didn't even wash my hands afterwards... I just purelled back in the car.

I'll take some pictures of my space when it's a little neater... basically this room is a converted garage that has been the big room that all of us children (and two grandchildren and an ex-husband and for a time, an ex-girlfriend of one of my brothers) has lived in at one time or another. It's a large space... and accommodates a double bed, my tv and tv stand, my dressing table, my recliner, a large shelf with bins of my folded clothes (and I wear very few "hanging" items) and... a piano. So if anyone wants to stop by for a sing-a-long... and they know how to play the piano (because I don't)... come on! Maybe this would be a good time for me to learn to play...

Anyways... from a decorative standpoint... imagine having bits and pieces from about a dozen different people.. exposed brick on two walls, paneling on two others, partially carpeted, part linoleum... it ain't the purtiest space I've ever lived in but it's the cheapest! And the upside is that Pop is a really good cook! And the other upside is that the freezer is in the utility room, which is off of my room so I can sneak a klondike bar whenever I want! And I get all the fur-baby love I can stand... mom and dad have three dogs: Lily (who is large) Lady (who is medium sized) and Oscar, the weiner dog who is spoiled rotten. They also have two cats: Rosie and Eddie. Stubby lived here during the Darby era so he's quite at home here... Trouble has been incredibly skittish and has mostly stayed hidden under couches and beds and so forth. He's warming up to the zoo... he even sprawled out in the doorway as if to say, "this is MY SPACE... "but he'll be just fine.

We did not get the apartment to the standard that I hoped for before we left. We just ran out of time and energy. Austin's carpet was ruined and will have to be replaced so I know there was no way I was going to get our deposit back. If time, energy and money hadn't been an issue, I would have hired someone to clean... but we did what we could do with what we had.

This morning I got up, ate the blueberry pancakes that Pop had made (and they were SOOOO good!) went back to bed for a little bit and then went with Cody to return the UHaul. He invited me to go have Sunday dinner with his grandparents-in-law and I was just too achey to move. They do a big meal every Sunday so I will be able to go soon. Today they were having chicken mole... I'm sorry I missed it. But... Pop had fixed a roast in the crockpot and it was SOOOOO good! And since then, I've been pretty much just tucked into my nest, letting my body and my heart adjust to being away from my Auggie Doodle. I love him so much.

Tomorrow we're getting my key made... getting the cable box for my room... and I need to make sure all my address changes are handled...
Tuesday I have a phone interview...
Wednesday is half off day at the rift store...
And at some point this week I need to go down to my Aunt Ginger's to help her work on paperdolls. She makes the most amazing paperdolls... makes several outfits for each one... and gives them to the people who come to the food bank at her church.
We've got VBS coming up at mom and dad's church (If I'm not working by then)
We are still trying to make our trip to Tennessee to see my nieces new baby...
Big Brother starts in a week or so...
The Olympics are on this Summer...
So much to look forward to!

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement! I'm happy to be here... happy to have a new nest and a place to rest... So far, the "New Chapter" is good!