For the next two weeks we are doing nothing but getting ready to move to Texas. The vacation to Florida is finally over and our lives are getting back to “normal” and we are now able to focus on the things that need to be done. The first big challenge is to find an apartment. Yes, it is true, two weeks to go and we have not even called about apartments yet. I really can’t explain how much of a life disruption this trip to Walt Disney World has been. Everything in our lives has been completely on hold waiting for that to wrap up. Now the move to Texas seems quite real and we really need to be on top of it quickly.
Dominica did a ton of work on the apartment stuff this morning. She called a few places, got details, specs and even had some people go out and take pictures for us. Once we were pretty sure that we had found a place that we were going to be happy with I emailed my boss and asked him to go over and to take a look to make sure that the place was going to be okay. It is pretty crappy renting an apartment without ever having gotten to see it yourself first hand but we really do not have that kind of luxury these days. So we are doing the best that we can.
By early afternoon we had decided on a place right in front of the office in Las Colinas. It actually shares a driveway with work which is going to be massively convenient. Parking at the office is horrible and being able to walk will be great. It is a two bedroom exterior unit. We have a pool and a coffee shop in the complex. It looks really nice in pictures so we are hopeful.
The next big challenge is getting a storage unit here in Peekskill. We have decided that logistically we absolutely have to have someplace where we can take the stuff as it gets packed so that it is out of our way. We have no idea how long it is going to be before we are able to move from New York to Texas with all of our stuff because so much is dependent upon the sale of our house in New York. So we are going to store things in New York for now and make the decision on shipping it all to Texas later.
I ran out right at five thirty and made it just at the last second so that I could check out the storage units and pick one up tonight. We decided that we wanted the luxury of space so we got a 10’x15′ storage unit in town. That will make life so much easier. We are both completely relieved having gotten the unit. Now our plan is to start boxing things up tonight and filling the car with boxes until it is full and then driving over to the storage unit and unloading there. If all goes well we can do this twice a day. That will keep all of the boxes out of our way and the house will actually become empty as we go rather than becoming a disaster of storage that is in our way while we try to pack. On my way back from getting the storage unit I swung into Pastel’s and picked up some dinner to go.
We have the additional complication that the house needs to remain basically furnished so that it can be shown by the real estate agent. This is really tough because if we leave it furnished then we can’t ship that stuff to Texas until the house sells. If we ship everything to Texas right away it might keep us from being able to sell the house. We can’t leave the stuff that we pack in the house, though, because that impacts the showing too. We ran through scenario after scenario and this one was the only one that made the remotest sense. It isn’t going to be run living with everything that we own being in storage but we just have to do it. It’s that simple.
After I got back I worked for another two hours or so. Then I went up into the attic and we got down all of the packing boxes that we had fortunately saved up there so we can begin putting them together and packing everything up. Dominica did some work with Liesl after we were done in the attic with Liesl climbing up and down the stairs. She was only going a few steps but it is some significant progress. She walked around a bit this evening as well. Toddling around the living room getting a feel for this new walking thing that she is doing now.
Then we settled into the living room and officially kicked off the holiday season by watching White Christmas which is the most classic holiday movie ever and never gets old no matter how many times that I have seen it. Dominica and I have made a point to watch it each and every year before Christmas.
After today we are both feeling much better about everything. Having an apartment and a storage unit means that we have a plan. Not much of one, but a plan nonetheless. Those were the most stressful items that could have caused there to be a real disaster. They are out of the way and our real estate agent is coming tomorrow to discuss selling and/or renting the house. Now it is just the packing that needs to be done followed by the cleaning. We can handle this. We are seeing the house as more and more manageable chunks. As long as we keep at it, we should be okay.
So the plan is, more or less, on 19th December we are going to have a small party so that we can clear out all of the remaining alcohol in the house. We can’t take it with us so we might as well have everyone drink it.
Then we will get onto the road on the 21st or 22nd. It will take two days of driving, minimum, to get down to Houston. It is going to be a really long trip since we have Liesl and Oreo in a completely backed car and Dominica is pretty much useless as a second driver because she is asleep the instant that we are in the car, even as a passenger. So this will be dramatically more difficult than when I drove to Houston with Francesca because she was able to do half of the driving and was awake and actually talking to me when I was driving. Dominica just nods off and makes it harder to stay away than if I was actually driving alone.
We will be in Houston at least until the 28th of December when our lease begins in Las Colinas. We are not sure exactly what day we will move in but as we only have the clothes on our backs at that point it might not be for a few more days. We are not going to be looking forward to a completely bare apartment very much.
Then we have the apartment for six months, until the first of July. Our hope is that the house will have sold by that point and we can start looking for a permanent home in Texas. Either way we will have had time to have found a more long term location at the very least and should have a better handle on our situation.
Good luck with the move. I know it’s the accepted thing, at least according to TLC and the Home & Garden channels, but I can’t figure out the insistence on showing a house with furniture unless it comes with the house.
I want to look at the potential of the space, not how well your stuff fits. I want to see the floors and walls, not come back at closing to find the area rug was covering up a huge stain on the hardwood floor, or that great china cabinet was blocking the hole in the drywall!
But I know where you’re coming from, again, good luck.
In our case, some of it actually does come with the house. The bed, some miscellaneous items and the living room suite are all included as we aren’t willing to pay to move them.