All Moved (well, almost)

We did it! At least 95% of our stuff now resides in our new house. Of course it resides in big piles, but at least it's there. The moving went very well, and our friends were very trusty indeed. With very little ado we picked up the U-Haul, our friends arrived, we packed the truck, went to the storage unit, packed the truck some more, and then went up to the house. It took a few extra suburban loads to get the storage unit completely empty, but several people stayed to make sure it got done. We had beer, snacks, and pizza when it was over, and it was so much fun just to have people in the house. It was the first time to be in the house with noise and commotion (the nieces and a few other kids came too) and it was really warm and cheerful.

On Sunday we went over to the condo to gather some of the odds and ends. For some reason, this is one of the hardest parts about moving for me. I hate having to go back to the old place to pick up the leftovers and do the cleaning. Maybe it's because I just want to move forward, but I always dislike this part. We managed to fill Mark's car with stuff, and the condo is STILL not quite empty. Once we got home again, we spent the whole afternoon unloading boxes. Seven boxes of kitch stuff later, and I was just starting to feel like I have a handle on things. Of course I haven't even touched the living room, bedrooms, or bathrooms.

The biggest surprise of the weekend was the way the cats responded to the change. The black one, who is normally so brave and curious, was completely petrified to be in a new place. He found a deep, dark corner to hide in, and we didn't see him for the rest of the day. Thandie, on the other hand, is usually skiddish and frightened of everything, but she was much happier with the move. She hid for a few hours, but pretty soon she was being very brave and inspecting the house all over. By last night, both of them decided to venture downstairs. They stay close to the ground and slink around like big cats. My favorite part is the way they stretch their necks waaaay out to look around scary corners.