Packing to Leave

On Wednesday, the packers came and found us well along in terms of being ready. They were there to wrap up the really valuable stuff that we'd probably break, like the electronics and the kitchen. I was responsible for the lower level, which included the "man cave" and the two car garage, and my wife was responsible for the uppermost level with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, closets and laundry area. We shared responsibility for the main level, although I'll admit she was far more focused on doing it right and I was reduced to packing up books and VHS tapes and DVD's. You're welcome to ask "why" on the VHS tapes (I also saved reel-to-reel tapes and cassettes), but let it suffice that I'm willing to admit being somewhat of a pack rat.

I had one much better picture of how the main level looked the morning the moving van arrived, but in the middle of it was a view of my wife sitting at the table and drinking coffee while barely awake. Those are the kinds of pictures you don't publish, for fear of your life. I did include my garage shot, with things that I'll soon be asking myself "why the hell did I pay to move this?". That would include the golf clubs, which I haven't used in at least ten years, and the Schwinn World Traveler bicycle, which I only rode once in the last five years with the exception of the ride from the free air pump at the gas station across the highway. Riding that bike uphill into the condo complex was breathtaking, but not in the picturesque use of the word. Also included was the dog carrier - never used for the last three beagles, but one of those "someday we might need this" type items. Perhaps someday there will be a new puppy that will need to be caged during the housebreaking phase. We will need the 8 foot ladder, as the new house does indeed have tall ceilings as did the Missouri condo, and as for the workbench (not shown), my only justification is that "I built it, and considering my limited ability with tools, I'm too proud to discard it".

The following day, the moving van showed up and we took up less space than I expected, and after being weighed we found our cost to move was $500 less than the estimate. So, I guess if you consider success as being defined by limiting the crap factor, we were above average for a cross country move. And that's not so bad, to be above average in the world - it beats my high school academic record where I wasn't above average but took pride in making the upper half of the class possible.

One final comment - we used Wheaton Van Lines in St. Louis, and Patrick Hazzard was the third generation of his family to carry the affiliation. I cannot say enough good things about our moving experience, and I actually look forward to the unloading phase to take place here in Florida in two days. If you gotta go, go with a professional.