For the past few weeks we have packed lots and lots of boxes, loaded up the truck, drove roughly 750 miles, unloaded the truck, cleaned the new house and unpacked (well at least most of it). It was quite a busy and stressful month. But overall, it all went great and the move was very manageable.
The truck we rented was 26 ft long and seemed huge, but believe it or not we filled it to the brim with our stuff and even donated our china cabinet, big dining room table with chairs. black leather sofa, TV stand and lawn mower. Those items definitely wouldn't have fit in.
We had 2 days to load the truck ourselves and on Monday afternoon, March 30th 2015, (a little delayed but still on schedule) we waived bye a last time and turned our back on Pembroke Pines. Luckily, we decided to split the drive up North in to 3 legs. On Monday we only drove 2 hours up to Ft. Pierce, the next day was our long drive and we made it all the way up to Walterboro, SC (8 hour drive) and on Wednesday we had another 3.5 hour drive to our new home. A couple of times we got stuck in traffic, but luckily the kids slept right thru it. We noticed that lots and lots of snowbirds made their way back home after a long cold winter, just in time for Easter.
While Derrick drove the big moving truck (the largest one he was allowed to drive without a truck license), I had the kids in my car. Our cat was hubby's co-pilot and did very well on the whole trip. Since I couldn't feed them or help them when they dropped a toy, I had planned to stop every couple of hours. But in reality we only stopped every 3 hours and the kids did very well during the long drive (partial thanks to the Ipad).
At night, we stayed in a (cat friendly) hotel. The kids thought we are on a vacation trip and were excited about eating in a different local each night and staying in a hotel. Amelia was my big helper during the trip and took care of her little brother when I drove or unloaded the car. It was heartwarming to see them hold hands at the hotel and she leading him like a big girl to the room.
We hired 2 people to unload the truck and they just did that in 3 hours. That way, the furniture were all set up by nightfall and we all were resting peacefully in our own beds. Of course, even after a week of being in the new house, we still have some boxes to unpack, items to store, pictures to put up on the wall, and to rearrange things (the kitchen is much smaller and I have to be creative to store all my kitchen gadgets). It will take some more days till we finish these projects.
First thing we had to buy was a refrigerator and then a kitchen dining table (we found both items used in a great condition for a great price) even though the kids thought a picnic indoors is fun.
We also needed a new lawn mower for the big backyard and a patio set so that we can start eating outside. Our backyard before Derrick mowed it. You can see the house in the background and the fire pit.
There is still lots more to do and it seems like that we are almost every day at Walmart to purchase something we need for the house but it is all coming together nicely. By now the kids rooms are completely done. Once the house is all set up, I will take some pictures and post them on the blog.
On Friday while walking thru our neighborhood, we discovered a park with a playground only minutes away from our house. It is so nice to be able to walk there when the kids get tired of just playing in the backyard. Plus, the weather has been really nice since we have been here. At night it was between 30 and 40sF and during the day around 64F. Just perfect and no need for an A/C. But we are on the upswing and it got much warmer last night (high 50sF) and daytime high today was 79F, which still felt good in the backyard.
So far, we are really enjoying our house and making it our home. The people we have met are all very friendly and on time (unlike in South Florida where being late is the norm). We had a great start in Mooresville so far and I think that this town will really grow on us and we will be very happy here.
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