We did finally make it to Virginia, and we are getting settled, slowly.
I’ve had a few moments of utter discombobulation when I couldn’t tell you what state or what time zone I was in. The layout of the house is a bit confusing, too, especially at first. But over the past six days we’ve gone from frozen pizza cut with dinner knives served on paper plates to tacos made the way I usually do it (okay, I bought the package of spices instead of using my own blend, but that was a recent change) served in serving bowls to regular dinnerware on a table covered with my favorite cloth.
The main possessions are unpacked, and, perhaps, this coming week, I may be ready to start hanging curtains and pictures on the wall.
There are a few missing items that I’m eager to locate. I have a lamp shade, but have no idea where they would have hidden the table lamp itself. Jenny is missing a baby doll, and I know I didn’t do anything with it, but we’ve emptied every box labeled “Girls’ Room.” And most urgently, I would like to find where they put the little brackets that hold the shelves on our three heavily loaded bookcases. I could have the living room looking very nice in a short hour if only I could put the books away.
Unpacking may be a lot of work, but in a way it’s a bit like Christmas. To open a four foot tall box and see a hundred individually wrapped items is like finding a treasure box. All my kids have enjoyed sitting and unrolling drinking glasses, coffee mugs and an occasional vase.
And despite all my efforts to downsize before moving, I have a tendency to reserve a few things that I might need. You never know if that shelf or cabinet or soap holder might be useful or just the right touch for a bare corner. But now that we’re here, I’ve already looked up the Amvets number and can not wait for the opportunity to call them for a pick up. I just don’t want to make them come twice, so I have a bit more work to do.
Off to hunt for brackets, coax juice into a feverish tot, and grill steaks for a dinner salad.
Reit This Way 
It’s been our sad experience that movers often “lose” the hardware for the furniture so they won’t have to assemble it on the other end. I follow them around now with ziplock baggies and a sharpie, collecting screws and brackets into labeled bags before dumping them all into one bigger bag. Then, we hand carry them like the rest of our valuables! David scoffed at the labeling the first time, but he didn’t argue ever again after looking for the license plate bracket screws in that whole mess of stuff.Or you can just give up and go look in the odd parts drawers at Lowes. They’ve got everything. 🙂
Welcome home. Hope to see you soon. Glad everyone made it in one piece.
Glad you are all in (mostly) one piece, except those bookcases. Hope Baby Doll turns up soon 🙂Love the new pics of everyone!
ah the joys of moving. ive never had movers and for the move we are making next month we will once again be loading it ourselves (though we wont be the drivers)…it just creeps me out to think of someone else packing up all my stuff—though i am sure my back would much prefer it. have fun settlin’r
It sounds like you have things well in hand. Congratulations! I hope you quickly get settled and feel at home in your new house. Wish I could could bring you a welcome dinner!
My first military move was just like Christmas!! We were newly married and much of our stuff had never been used. And to top it all off? It came about a week before Christmas!It was the coolest and best move ever! 🙂I completely agree though. The one thing I like about moving is unpacking in your new home. It does feel like Christmas!
Thank you Jennie for the tip, I had forgotten that I have done the ziplock baggie thing in previous moves! My house is full of boxes, mostly fromt he liquor store, waiting for our packers to arrive in a week. I despise strangers touching my things so I pack a lot of the little stuff ahead of time. They can pack all those glasses and vases though- that way they are responsible.
The guys packing up weren’t the same as the guys unloading and I told the driver the only things I would want unpacked or put together were the beds and tables. I really just think they put them in a “special” spot. They had one box labeled “parts” and that’s were most of the hardware went (in their own ziplock bags). I don’t understand why these brackets weren’t there.Kat – the packers unpacked every single box and repacked it in their own. The few exceptions were bins which they wrapped in paper (mental note: invest in more bins), things in their original box, and a few boxes taped shut which they put inside one of their boxes. Our last move, the packers opened sealed boxes and repacked. So, make sure you tape those boxes and tell them not to open them.