Scouting and Packing

After coming home from vacation, it was time to get to work.  Over the next five weeks, Andrea and I shoved all our earthly possessions into boxes, researched apartments online, and attempted to have one last gathering with friends, family and loved ones.  Lest I forget everything, may this post serve as a highlight reel.

Many mornings, days and nights were spent on packing things into boxes and assessing their value.

• Evelyn was blessed with a gracious, six-year collection of clothing that we stored in the attic, but without such a massive storage space in Virginia, we brought with us only what she would need for the upcoming year or two.  Thankfully, Andrea's grandma offered her attic to store the remaining clothing items for the short-term future, so we didn't have to donate them away. 
• Speaking of donation, it's amazing how much extra stuff we collected in only five years of marriage.  It's been nothing less than eye-opening to realize how much we really need and don't need in regards to material possessions.  So we piled bags upon boxes and were refreshed in the blessing that places like Birthright and consignment stores exist.  Although exploring it's ideas before the move, I think it is the motivation behind Andrea's most recent (and timely) minimalism kick.
• But really, we just spent most of our time packing and figuring out if we really wanted to move all our stuff.  It was exhausting and annoying and I'm glad it's over now.

In the middle of all that packing, I was lucky enough to drive down to Virginia with Andrea's brother, Adam, to scout out the prospective apartments that interested us as well as the surrounding neighborhoods.  It also doubled as a great bonding experience for Adam and me, considering we were in the car for over 12 hours that day.  Although it was a long day and a lot of miles, in hindsight, I was thankful that I was able to get there and back, and especially with no car problems for once.  Eating at Steak N' Shake for dinner wasn't a bad consolation prize either.


Our final weeks of living in the Southern Tier, of course, was peppered with both sadness and excitement.  As much as we were excited for the new adventures that await us, it's always hard saying good-bye to familiar places, and people, and our local Wegman's.  As much as we could, we scheduled our last weeks visiting these people and places, making the most of every opportunity.  Transitions are tough for nearly everyone, yet I am still steadfast and certain that God has placed us here for a reason.  It is our daily prayer as of late that we find ourselves a loving church and friends that we can love just as much as family.