Balcony View

Balcony View
This ain't Alabama

Saturday, February 16, 2013

final weekend

My final weekend in Chicago was spent with Lacy and her friend Kristen who flew up from Orlando to join us in our last blast in the city.  I had not been "home" in a month, working in Huntsville and living in Lacy's guest room.  Finally it was time to pack it all up and drive south.

I decided rather than pay a moving company to do all the work, I would just rent a truck, hire someone to load it, and handle the rest by myself.  Well, by myself and Lacy.  After a fun-filled 2 days, we spent all of Monday packing everything up.  Had to walk 3 blocks to Office Max twice for boxes and used every one of them.  Tore everything apart, broke everything down, and finally crashed exhausted and anxious for what Tuesday would bring.

Up early and taking a cab to the Penske rental place, with me sending up constant silent prayers that I could drive a 16' truck through the city streets without taking out anyone or anything.  So very, very thankful that there was no early snow event in the forecast.  We (barely) made it back to the condo after a harrowing stomach-in-my-throat drive down Chicago Ave with morning traffic.  I only almost clipped one car.  At least I think I almost clipped it...I didn't see any extra scratches on the rental.

The movers came and gave me another reason to panic; they were concerned about the size of the truck I had rented and whether everything would fit.  Judging the "rooms" that the Penske people said it would handle, I thought we were fine.  What would I do if everything wouldn't go??  Start selling off real quick?  Rent a 2nd truck?  Scream??  Thankfully there was no reason for panic and I don't know if the mover guy realized how much stressed he caused me.  I tipped them well anyway just for being really nice guys and handling everything quickly.

Quick goodbyes around and here we go.  Two Chicks and a Truck with a 10-hour drive ahead of us.  Whatever possessed me to do this?  Let me just say here that I handle most things pretty well, but where I lose it is when I have no control over a situation and it's not going as planned.  So anything....ANYTHING...going awry on this trip would just be overload after all the planning and working and stress I'd already been through.  Needless to say, as usual, my fears were for naught and we made it in record time.  Not a hitch in the trip at all.  Even with a short stop at the handy-dandy outlet mall in middle Illinois where Lacy bought a present for herself (a beautiful Coach purse that was on ridiculous sale), and I bought a skillet.  What does that say about us??

We pulled into the back yard of my newly purchased house, unlocked the door, and crashed on the newly shampooed carpet that was still a bit wet.  After a few hours of not-really-great sleep, we were up and unloading.  Seth came to help and the house was slowly starting to look more like a home.  Full of boxes.  That I would have to unpack.  I didn't even know yet where things went.  I prayed to the goddesses of household to guide me and help make quick work of it all.

Being the organized, efficient person that I am, I had invited my family to spend Thanksgiving, which, um, was the following day, at my new place.  Yes, I'm not quite altogether all together.  No matter - Tim and Vickie brought leftovers from an earlier feed and we made do, and had a great time of family fellowship and food.

After everyone left, and I was tired and alone in my new place that was familiar only because of my things being placed in it, and reflected on the preceding days.  The weekend in Chicago, the packing and moving, the time with family that I was happy to be a part of again.  The finality of it all; here I was, back in Alabama in a house hastily purchased after a move hastily accomplished.  Would I be "okay"?  Always.  Could I settle back to small-city life?  Sure.  Would this house be a home?  Of course.  Really??  We'll see.

No comments:

Post a Comment