Moving Back

Monday, June 26, 2006

Still unpacking

I am loathe to admit that we have taken minimal (two) photos of our house now that we've moved in. However, that will change this weekend, I assure you. We've hooked up the family computer and are no longer operating solely from laptops. Downloading our photos will not be too far down the priority list.

Vern and I have put a few pictures on the walls and some plants on the porch and patio. It is amazing what these few things do to make a house feel more like a home. Now if we can only get the house aired out enough to rid it of the previous owners cigarette odors....

As we are still unpacking box after box after box, we laugh at how things were packed. What is the floral arrangement from the butler pantry doing in the same box as the dog food from the untility closet? And, we wonder where some items are, as surely the packers couldn't have made items smaller. I saw the inside of the moving van--it was empty. So where, oh where, can some of our items be?

I remember these dilemmas from our last move, but at least then we had unpackers to do much of the work for us (no, not our family that we schemed to come visit the first two days after we moved into the house in St. Louis--these were actual paid unpackers). Now it would seem that we just have more stuff and less time to unpack. Add in a two year old, and it is amazing that we have anything unpacked other than the electrical outlet covers.

After seeing how much junk we moved, we have decided to implement a new rule. No large purchased items without getting rid of another large item. No new toys without getting rid of toys. No large toy items. Period. This goes for all of us--Vern, Dawn and Erich. I don't want to still be unpacking at Christmas!

Monday, June 12, 2006

We're in!

We're in! Well, sort of. If you count living with boxes as "in," well then, we're in.

Closing day on the Hartland home was long and stressful, but well worth it to spend our first night together as a family in a very long time. Erich was delivered by Grandma Barbara and Dax delivered by Uncle Jeff. We all tumbled into bed (set up by the movers) in an exhausted, but satisfied state.

Reality came hard the next day, with trying to get vehicles titled and plated, since in Wisconsin one legally only has two days from establishing residency to do this. We also needed to unpack and unpack and unpack. I have a new appreciation for the unpackers we were able to hire in St. Louis. No such frivolity with this move, and as a result we will surely be unpacking boxes for the next five years.

Our house is slowly becoming our home, and with some targeted improvements we are sure it will quickly become a familiar and comforting place. We've already met more neighbors in the first week than we met in the first year in St. Louis, which makes us feel great about the area we've chosen to live. There is a walking path along the Bark River, which is directly across the street from our house, which will make for awesome family walks. There are playgrounds for Erich close by and loads of places to explore.

Yes, yes, we know you all want photos, but it will have to wait just a bit longer. We need to find the box in which the the batteries are packed.

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Hurry Up and Wait

The house transactions in St. Louis are done. Dawn left town with a very large check in her possession. She is headed for West Salem for the weekend to see Erich and coordinate some things with her parents.

Meanwhile, I am in Milwaukee enjoying the last few days at the Zagar Spa/B&B/Doggie Resort and Wine Château. I am on call so I cannot leave the area. It has been 3 weeks since I have seen Erich. Man, is that a long time!

I can’t really do anything regarding getting ready for the new house either. I just have to wait until we close on Monday.

Wait Wait, Wait and Wait.

In less than 48 hours we will be in the new place and back together as a family again! This thought still seems very surreal. We have been apart for a long time. I can’t believe the next stage of our lives is almost here!

Dawn leaving her job and me taking one -$40,000
Paying relocation costs out of pocket -$25,000
17% higher cost of living -$??,???
Insane housing market -$60,000

Being together and back in Wisconsin, employed, and with less than a 30 minute commute.

Priceless!!

Clear water lakes - BONUS!!