Settling In

It’s been just over two weeks since we moved into our new house and it already feels like home to me. The move went smoothly, no catastrophes or casualties! The movers did a good job and were unloaded by noon that Saturday. All three kids were here after that (plus two significant others) and by 6pm we had the kitchen and bathrooms unpacked, the furniture in place and electronics set up. Later than night with sleepy eyes and a grateful heart, I watched the kids tease each other and laugh as they played video games and told stories from their childhood. Nothing makes me happier than seeing our adult kids enjoy each other’s company. Our oldest lives less than 5 minutes away and the other two stayed the night before heading out in the morning to their respective homes. As I said goodnight to them and watched them head to bed, I knew in my heart that we had made a good decision with this house. I think having them all here that first night really made it feel like a family home. I want our kids and their families to feel comfortable when they visit and for us to make plenty of special memories with them here.

Chad and I took the next few days off work to finish unpacking and working on projects. By the time we went back to work, we had everything unpacked, organized and nearly everything crossed off the “to do” list I had made before we moved. It was a good feeling to be able to come home after work and just enjoy our home. Naturally we just started a new “to do” list but at least we made it through the first one!

I’m settling into my new routine as well, as mentioned in my previous post. In bed by midnight, 20-30 minutes every morning for yoga/meditation, a weekly group exercise class of some type. I haven’t been on a good walk in the last two weeks, my walking buddy has been laid up and it’s been bitterly cold. But this week I’m going even if I’m on my own! I’ve also been setting aside time each week to reach out to people and for reading/journaling/blogging. It may sound more complicated to set time aside and keep track of it for these things, but it actually makes it much simpler. I find I don’t waste as much time on social media or my phone either if I have a plan!

Living here as been an adjustment for sure. We haven’t lived in a single family house in almost eight years. We spent five years in a three story townhouse and then another almost three years in a third floor apartment. Having ground floor windows, trees, a driveway and so much space has been great. Grocery shopping is so much easier without dealing with stairs or an elevator! I look out our windows and see trees, squirrels and the creek instead of parking lots and buildings. We even have our own full size mailbox and garbage pick up again.

We had our first weekend guests and a party during Superbowl weekend and everything went smoothly. The kitchen layout works well for get togethers and we had enough seating and plenty of parking. The house passed the test! Our next party probably won’t be until spring when we have the backyard set up. I can’t wait to fire up the grill, relax in my lounge chair with a drink in my hand as I watch the action on the water. I saw my first kayaker the other day!

It will take awhile to fully get used to the changes (watch for a blog about our new Alexa!), but so far so good. Sure we’ve had to shovel snow and now have a 20 minute commute to work. But it’s a small price to pay for having a home of our own.