It's been Crazy rollercoaster ride since mid February!
On 2.15 we signed the papers to put our home, of 45 years, on the market for sale. We began the big clean out…especially of the barn, the field & garage. Danny packed the garage & I took the house…learning I’m really good, efficient & fast at packing! I’ve been visualizing packing this house for 20 years & have kept the contents pretty slim.
We have a huge stash of really great beer to pack!
We sold an old tractor, a truck, had an old car hauled off, put a gazillion things on marketplace & dealt with all that craziness. I’d searched for a furniture-flipper to take my Grandmothers cherry dining room set—table, chairs, teacart & hutch. Someone to give it to that would fix the broken bits, paint, restore…whatever they could do to make someone else love it. I gave it to them, hoping they would make a good profit, but that the pieces would find a home. I sold my 2002 4Runner, with 390,000+ miles on it, knowing it would be best to let it go now…no room in the city for three cars, but it broke my heart just a little bit to let her go!
The guy who bought my 4Runner barely spoke any English, but he was so kind. He wanted me to have this pic before he towed her away. I was a bit distraught at this point….but he was understanding!
I spent a lot of time saying goodbye to family & friends….that was fun but difficult. My sister in law & I are so very very close. She has known me since I was a little girl…so hard to say goodbye. Janice is also the one who cuts my hair. She came out one day & gave Danny a lesson on how to become my new stylist!
Danny & I tried to spend the last few weeks enjoying slow evenings…outside with the propane fire pit, then inside with the wood fireplace…using both all our propane & wood, but enjoying the peace & quiet of country campfires, many moon filled skies then later gazing at the stars & our dark skies which we know are not in Orlando.
My walking women! So much time on the trail with them & they stood by me all through my nightmare last summer even though I couldn’t get out with them on the trails. They are the best! (missing a couple in this photo!)
So very hard to leave this lady! Sandy is one of my dearest, most funny & great friends. The best to spend 3 hour lunches with!
Such a fun party at the Lion…sure going to miss all these people!
My family!
Taking a packing break to watch the eclipse.
We found a buyer for the house & on 4.28 we picked up a 26’ U-Haul—the biggest they rent—& began loading it, for hours! Danny is a master at tetris-box-furniture loading. Danny & I & our two cats, slept on the floor that night…knowing it was our last night there.
My kids & Claire’s handprints that adorned my laundry room.
It was emotional doing the last walk thru & more so for me, the last walk outside around the spaces I spent so much time & knowing I was losing all of that peace, quiet & privacy. We’d moved here very young, had three great kids & raised them here until, as young adults, they decided to move far away. Danny, who has worked harder than anyone I know, was more attached to this place than I was, & I felt so sad for him.
And, then, we left. We hit the highway & took off—Danny driving the moving van & me & the cats in my 4Runner I call Camper. Our two cats are not used to being in carriers or cars, so it was a very, very, very long two day drive. We both have been soooooo worried about the cats….how would they handle the drive, the changes, the restrictions of city life? During the drive to Orlando, we stopped frequently to let them out inside the car to roam, eat & use the litter box.
But, finally, after a long day on Monday & a 14 hour road day on Tuesday—both days mostly driving in the rain, we pulled into the driveway of the place we’re renting in Orlando around 8pm. We secured the cats upstairs with all the stuff they needed & began to unload our stuff from the truck…it was SO VERY PHYSICALLY HARD! Danny is a beast, but I am not. After 2.5 hours I hit a wall…literally, I was dead meat; feeling sick to my stomach. Danny hung in there for quite awhile before he stopped unloading & sank down in a recliner to sleep for the night.
I was grateful the next morning the four of us were still alive & the unloading began again. I’m really glad I didn’t know how hard this was going to be prior to agreeing to a ‘self-move’. But we did it! (in spite of the mattresses & box springs going up the stairs to the 2nd floor! so. freaking. hard!) By Wednesday evening, we’d turned in the truck. Came back to our new temporary home…& just stared at the gazillion boxes facing us.
But neither of us can live in chaos & I’m very grateful Danny & I are on the same page that way. We unloaded, organized, sorted, decided what to unpack & what to keep in boxes. I remember on Thursday, staring at the kitchen which held more boxes than cabinets & thinking “how in the hell am I going to do this?”. Turns out …it’s by unloading one box at a time. By Saturday, the whole house was sorted & done. Danny had worked his miracle organized magic & the garage was perfect…we could even pull one car in if we had to. I was determined to make this rental house our “home” whether we’re in it for three months or a couple of years. And, it is. From bedrooms to patio, its comforting. All of our old furniture is here, my twinkle lights, our books, plates, pillows, albums…all our stuff….it’s as homey as it can be.
Here’s an interesting note about this rental: When Sara’s home flooded during hurricane Ian back in 8.22, their friends had a rental that was available & they graciously let them move in immediately. Sara’s family was there for one year & four months…that’s how long it took for them to restore & remodel her home. So, the same house was vacant when we needed a place to land & most importantly, after three months, we’ll rent month to month. Unheard of in this area where most places you have to sign a years lease. We are looking to buy our own home here, but not in any hurry. This rental is the perfect location….about 5 blocks from the girls.
As I write this, it’s been 14 days since we landed & became Florida residents. Most everything has gone smooth & the surprises have been few & not horrid.
The unpacking & organizing went faster than I thought it would; changing of all the addresses, getting stuff turned off back in Kansas & on in Florida, all the minutia of moving seems like its never ending. But we are two people who haven’t moved since we were 20 years old! The learning curve seemed steep, but we’ve managed to get all the shit done & I think in a really short time. And, I’m so proud of US…we did it. We embraced the change…one of the biggest of our lives & got it done. We’re here.
So far, the things I’m struggling with are: 1) back in Kansas, I’d have my windows wide open by now & sometimes doors too. We wouldn’t turn on the A/C until July….just fresh air all the time. Here in Florida, you can’t do that…at least not this time of year or for months to come. I didn’t forsee, how much I would miss that fresh natural air & breeze; 2) Orlando is a huge city with multiple library branches…yet they are so backward from my lovely, perfect, high-tech Lawrence library. I actually went on a ‘rant’ the other night, storming through the house about this! Not proud of that, but gee….I expected better of this bigger city; 3) my walking. Not only do I miss my walking women SOOOOOO much, but there aren’t tree’d paths for 20 miles. There are sidewalks & paved trails that you can piece into 7 or 8 miles…but not woods. It makes me feel claustrophobic & like I can’t breathe without the trees & woods & quiet. I’ve always driven at least 12 miles to my river trail…but it’s at least 20 to get to some forest here.
But with those complaints…..here’s some of the trade off’s. Sara stopped by today as she was on one of her runs….just for a few minutes to chat, but that was wonderful! We’ve been to Claire & Emma’s softball & t-ball games & events at their elementary school. The girls have stopped by a couple of times & Emma had a sleepover with us already. We rode our bikes out one night & randomly stopped by the girls house just for a quick good night hug. The girls & Sara walked over on Mothers Day & gave me flowers & gifts! The girls stayed while Sara went running….it was perfect! This is why we upended our life as we knew it….for these precious moments. But, we’d have been leaving Kansas whether we moved here or out west. I’ve been trying to leave that state for 20 years. Never dreamed I’d move east, but moving closer to Emma, Claire & Sara is what’s meant to be right now.
And for the two of us, we’re taking lots of time to explore the area. Even though we’ve been familiar with so much of it having been here often to visit, we’ve been taking back streets & figuring out neighborhoods. We’ve yet to look inside a house for sale, but have been by some & viewed them from the outside, deciding they’re not for us. Besides, driving to new areas, we’ve biked & walked a lot too. We both got library cards, have discovered new breweries & a whole lot of new places to eat. We’re trying a bunch of Cuban restaurants too. Orlando has a gazillion food trucks too…..Danny & I love trying those as well. We can bike to multiple breweries from the house & have more than once. I’ve been making some of the local Spanish speakers laugh with my sad attempts at speaking Spanish…I will get there though!
We’re about an hour from Cocoa Beach…so we took a day trip over there for a long beach walk & lunch.
Sunset on one of my urban evening walks.
Our cats seem to be dealing with the changes too. Very slowly, but it’s going ok. We found a vet a mile from our house & took Sammy today to see why she's losing weight. Bob will go on Friday for his check up too. Sammy has discovered there are lizards on our patio & while she’s not allowed the freedom to be outside on her own like she was in Kansas, we spend a lot of time on our fenced in patio with her. So far, Sammy 1, Lizard 0. Bob is still afraid to go outside very much…it’s much much noiser here than it was back in Kansas.
Danny will be flying back to KC next week to pick up his Tacoma & then stop for a couple of weeks at his family’s lake house to get some work done there, before making the trip back down here.
We still have pesky little things to do like get new drivers license’s, car inspections & registrations to get done….but that will be about the last items to check off on the move list. Except for all the medical, dental, eye docs, dermatologist, etc. we need to find. But neither of us are in a hurry to do that….we made sure before we left Kansas, we got everything done.
Next up is to figure out our travel plans. While we’d love to take off out west for a 2 or 3 months, our cats are holding us back for traveling together. So, we’ll see. I’m committed to stay here through the middle of July to help with Emma & Claire, but then I’m out of here. After my brutal, scary & horrible last summer, we’re both super hopeful I can travel again, solo & back to my beloved Crested Butte, Colorado, New Mexico & places beyond! I hope Danny can come join me….but we’ll see how it all works with the cats.
And, then there are the boys! Such wonderful men & with so much great news & awesome life events happening for them! Peter & Leia are expecting a baby in November…YAY! How spectacular is that? And Luke & Jordan are getting married in Lake Tahoe in June of 2025…so very very happy for them!!! What a fantastic year of amazing & awesome things happening for our family!
So, on day 14 of being & living here….this is my update. Everyday, I am grateful for my good health returning….I’m getting closer to normal all the time. My foot has healed & the nerve pain has stopped. So. Very. Much! to be grateful for!
Hopefully, my next update will be on my travel page. I can’t wait to get back on the road & traveling again. I hope all the time I can do this…mentally & physically. I know my body has changed with this illness or whatever it was & all of it has done a mind-fuck on me too. But I’m determined to go. I dream about travel, the road, the trails, the camping…all of it all the time. That’s one thing that never changes!