It’s my first weekend alone in the new house as Frank is back east helping Gillian move into her new dorm in Vermont. So I took the time to do some of the less fun things that needed attending to. As I was doing some paperwork today, I realized that it has been one month since the furniture arrived and we officially moved into the house.  People are still asking if we are unpacked or if we have settled in.  I say no to the first and yes to the second because they are not really the same question.

For the last month, we have worked to get the house and our lives sorted out.  In unpacking, we tried to see how to fit things from our old house into our new house.  It works for the most part, although there are still things that we don’t need now and we had to buy some new things that we do need.  That’s how I know we’re done catching up and ready to move on.  There are so many instances where I find myself objecting to something that is “wrong” when it is really just different.  They say old habits die hard but they do die.  At work I’ve stopped thinking about how things were done in my old job.  Truth be told, I think very little about my old job anymore; I’m so happy with the new one that there is no reason to look back.  I’m moving on.

Same in our personal lives.  We’ve attended a few churches locally, trying to see which one fits us.  The one closest to the house seems the most logical choice and we’ve enjoyed going but there are things that are just wrong  different than what we are used to so we decided to see what else there was.  Last week we went to a different church.  The ushers were in shorts; the priest sped through the service. It was very quick and casual – something I thought Frank would have appreciated.  But he was the first to say that it wasn’t just different, in this instance it was wrong – unfulfilling and uninspiring.  So now we have a measure that we can use:  instead of comparing things to what we know, we compare them to how we feel.  

So yesterday I decided to try the local yoga studio.  It’s a one room outfit that teaches a variety of styles with no set type it follows.  A far cry from the dedicated Baptiste studio that I used to attend – the one that now offers spinning and crossfit and lots of other options. It was wonderful and I loved it but “The Yoga Patch” is nothing like it.  The Saturday afternoon class was supposed to be “yoga for athletes” although the three of us that were there wouldn’t necessarily have called ourselves that. Kelly was subbing and wasn’t really sure what “yoga for athletes” was supposed to be so we did some flows and then spent half the class working on inversions.  I made progress on my classical headstand and handstand but didn’t have quite as much luck with the tripod headstand or forearm balance.  There were no warriors, no wheels, no core work.  It could have felt wrong but it’s time to move beyond that.

This morning I biked to the early service at our neighborhood church and noticed the differences but didn’t name them as wrong.  Mother Anne gave a great sermon on why people go to church – Frank would really have loved it – and then I biked home.  Different than what it was like before even though this church is no closer than the old one was to the old house. Then I walked to yoga – VERY different – and had Kelly as a sub again for power yoga.  This class was more in line with what I thought of as “normal” yoga and both the attendees from yesterday afternoon – Lauren the freshly-minted teacher and Christine who owns a boxing studio – were in attendance again this morning and the class was wonderful.  Different, yes but enjoyable nonetheless. 

And now to look for opportunities that may be different.  I’d like to find a book club here but understand it won’t be the same as previous experiences.  I’m looking into joining a local running club and checking out the alumnae chapter of my sorority – activities I had little time for before the move.  We wanted this to be a new adventure and the change of scenery alone isn’t enough.  It’s time to make a new life in the new place and stop trying to fit the old life in.  It’s not to say we don’t miss the people from the old life – we do every day.  Now we look forward to having friends new and old come see how well we are getting on with our moving on.  

The pictures and plants really make a difference upstairs. It took some time to explain to the adult children that there would be no “Duncan’s room” or “Jesse’s room” but there would be a spare room (back bedroom) and a sitting room (front bedroom) and they could arm wrestle over who stayed where when they are both home.

Let’s start with the front bedroom which is now the sitting room. Here’s how it looked when we bought the house, including the closet door that didn’t actually close.

 

And the closet behind the door wasn’t much to write home about:

So here it is on move in day:

And now:  no rug yet but it’s a cozy place for knitting and watching the little TV.

And now the de facto “linen closet”:

The back bedroom, or spare room, is the same size but has a useable closet. On the day we bought it:

And on move in day:

And today:

So guests can now choose between a room with a queen size bed with storage space or the room with the futon, no closet, but a TV! (I’ll let you know how the allocation goes when everyone is here for Thanksgiving!)

And now, the master bedroom.  I was alternatively leery and ecstatic about the layout of the master bedroom.  Now I’m just deliriously happy.  Jesse tried to capture it in panorama when we bought the house:

But the closet needed special panoramic attention:

Lots of space there! Enough to stuff in lots of boxes on moving day:

But now, here’s our fabulous master bedroom.  Half the square footage of our old one but much more useful:

And the dream of a closet – unheard of for a nearly 100 year old house:

And the piece de resistance – the washer and dryer are IN THE CLOSET! No more traipsing up and down stairs with baskets of laundry.  It all gets washed and dryed in the same place where it gets taken off and hung up:

But again my friends, you’ll need to come to KC to see it for yourself.  Then you can make the choice between the big bed and closet and the room with the TV.

Hope to see you soon!

Because I don’t want to use all my space on WordPress with one post (and because I really want you to read more than one blog post), I’ve decided to break things up a bit.  For those who are interested in how oor wee hoose is shaping up, here are some comparison photos from the main floor.

Kitchen:

When we first looked at the house:

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The day we moved in:

And today:

Notice the pictures and other flotsam and jetsam.  While have gotten quite adept at cleaning up to staging standards, this is how it really looks after Frank cleans up after dinner (which is only fair since I cooked!)

For those who are morbidly curious where all the stuff in those boxes went:

 

Now the study.  How it looked when we first saw it (complete with realtor):

The day we moved in:

And today:

 

(Special photo: Frank’s bar so everyone knows that the whisky made it okay.  The rest of the liquor is hiding in the cabinet.  It’s not nearly so important!)

Dining room: sure sign of a civilized home!

The day we bought the house:

The day we moved in:

And today – complete with wilting flowers from last week’s farmer’s market:

(Note: art on the walls! It was hard to line them up with the crooked floors.  For example, the wine rack has corks from wine bottles under the right side to make it kinda straight sortof:

Yes, that’s just the red wine that lives upstairs.)

And finally:  the living room.  This room is now a combination of the formal living room in the old house and the very informal family room. (I’m slowly getting over the fact that there is a TV in my living room which I don’t really like….)

When we bought the house:

When we moved in:

And today:

 

And there are more pictures on the walls:

Hard to see on this rainy night but at the top of the tower on the right is a turntable! We’re having soooo much fun with all the 80’s vinyl – right now it’s “Faith” by George Michael.  Who doesn’t love library book sales where Men at Work LPs go for 50 cents!

(And the white wine lives here.  It’s just to the left of the small table.

(And isn’t quite as crooked as the photo but notice how many bottles are missing…. )

But to really appreciate how cute it is you’ll have to a) wait to see tomorrow’s pictures; and b) COME VISIT US!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Our first real weekend (read: break from working) was both enjoyable and successful. We discovered the City Market on Saturday morning which has a fabulous farmers market. We scored lots of great produce, fresh flowers and some new houseplants.

We needed new plants because the moving company wouldn’t move any of ours and we only had room for one: mama plant. Apparently pothos are about the only plant that I can manage to not regularly kill and we had been given such a plant many years ago. Like maybe 20 years or so. We know it was a housewarming gift but we cannot recall if it was for our first house that we bought in Madison in 1992 or for our house in VA which we bought in 1997. Either way, this is a really old plant. And it has spawned many other plants – at least six that we left behind and every housewarming plant we have ever given to any of our friends. So mama plant had to come and rode along in the car with us on our journey and is happily ensconced in the alcove at the top of the stairs. But she is lonely. So we bought some new plants to keep her company. The stall at the farmer’s market was attended by a lovely man who, while sad to hear that I regularly kill plants, was heartened to hear that I do earnestly try to be a good gardener. So he recommended several plants that can be treated like pothos – low light, can stand drying out between waterings, etc.

In the afternoon, we wandered off to West Bottoms to go antiquing. Apparently “First Fridays” are a big deal in KC and the weekend associated with said Friday also have special things going on and playing in this area of town is one of them. While it would have been unbelievable overwhelming to just wander aimlessly through the maze of shops, we had a quest to keep us focused: a coat rack. Not any coat rack but one that was the right color and had big antler-like tines for hanging hats. The closets in oor wee hoose have been redone to allow for the maximum amount of stuff to be hung but what that means is that there are usually two bars for hanging short items instead of a single bar across the top which accommodates items of all sizes. So no where for long coats in the hall closet. We don’t have many of these (2) but we do have to accommodate the ones we have. A coat rack seemed the perfect answer – and it is!

Throughout the weekend, we spent time unwrapping and hanging the pictures and paintings that had been in the old house. It now looks familiar and feels like it’s our space and not just space with our furniture. There is an air of permanence now that shedding boxes wasn’t enough to accomplish alone. Once those empty boxes are hauled away today, it will be time for the big reveal. Stay tuned!

 

Today’s experiment was to act like we actually live here: I went to work and Frank didn’t. Typical for the summer so it seemed normal. I didn’t even bring a travel mug of coffee because with a 15 minute commute, I wouldn’t have time to drink it. I got to the Bank and was issued my badge and parking credentials, filled out paperwork and then headed to my department where I proceeded to be scared witless by the number of people hinting that there were high expectations for what I could do now that I’m actually here.

Frank, on the other hand, had a more harrowing experience: dealing with the cable company. Yes, we signed up for Google Fiber; yes, we will have 1000 GB download speeds; and yes, it might take several months for our house to be wired. We can’t wait that long for basic internet and TV access so we made a deal with the devil and signed up for month-to-month basic cable and internet with the local evil empire, Time-Warner. After close to a dozen text, email, and phone reminders to repeatedly confirm the installation, the cable guy came by this morning and got our basic wiring sorted so we can at least watch the local news and compose blog posts using more than my thumbs.

I spent the day shaking hands, smiling, and trying to create secure passwords while my spouse tried desperately to finish putting together the storage furniture which we need to get rid of those last few boxes in the living room. Then there was the invitation to happy hour for me- not because of me but one doesn’t say no to margaritas with the boss, the boss’s boss, and the Bank president on one’s first day regardless of the reason.

Then a fabulous dinner out at a local establishment (Julian – fabulous!) to which we can, and did, walk. And now to collapse in exhaustion after our different but equally taxing “normal” day.

Apparently reality TV has affected me more than I care to acknowledge. I think I had subconsciously been planning a big “Ta da! Look at how quickly we unpacked” post. Until today when I realized how far in the future such a post would occur. We have made significant progress – Facebook friends might have noticed it by the various meal photos that have been posted

But what you have been spared (or have missed depending on your perspective) as blog readers is a blow-by-blow account of the initial trials and tribulations. It is also due partly to our lack of internet access (I will whine about that soon) and there is only so much wit and wisdom I can relay from my phone.

So I ask your patience and promise to regale you with tales of establishing residency, meeting the neighbors, the bunnies of Brookside, finishing the unpacking, and starting work. And of course more photos of food, the new house and tallies of wine consumed!

It was really great waking up in our own house this morning even if Frank nearly killed himself trying to get up off the air mattress on the floor. We walked to another coffee shop before having breakfast and them the real work began. More trips to Home Depot and Target; hanging blinds; cleaning bathrooms (first time I’ve scrubbed a toilet in 20 years!); signing for wine deliveries and generally preparing for the arrival of our furniture tomorrow.

We did have another gourmet meal of nachos and margaritas.

We met some neighbors and had our first visitor – Jon from my work who biked over to say hello and remind me of the awesome job I start next week.

We also managed to get the wine sorted before the madness starts. Keep your fingers crosses for us tomorrow!

Checked out of yet another hotel this morning with no word about the furniture. I tried to extend our stay at the illustrious Holiday Inn but they were booked for this evening. I did a quick check of airbnb but there was nothing for tonight. The only thing we could find was a fancy room near the plaza for $250+ per night. Well that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I was not going to pay that kind of money to stay in a hotel near my house! A plot was hatching…

We stopped at the local coffee shop – the Roastery – for some very large lattes. Then we picked up some basics at the Brookside market for breakfast which we ate at the impromptu table that the whiskey box became. Quick meeting with the insurance man and we were free to run up more credit card bills to put the finishing touches on the house: blinds, towel racks, ceiling fan, stools for the breakfast bar in the kitchen (assembled by yours truly), and a few less obvious items.

We got word during this spree that the furniture wouldn’t be delivered until Thursday morning. Yes, the very last day of the delivery window. *We* had to be here Monday just in case but they have until Thursday to show up. Two more nights in hotels? I don’t think so! An air mattress, sheets and pillows cost far less than just one night so we were bound for some urban camping! And we got to find the local laundromat to wash the new sheets which is always an adventure!

The beautiful but unbelievably expensive fridge was delivered in the heat of the 100 degree day so we could stock up on food that doesn’t require real cooking and stop eating out for every meal. So back to the local market for some essentials and we celebrated our first day in our house with that gourmet meal that is rotisserie chicken and microwavable sides. But nothing on paper plates has ever tasted quite so good!

So we drink a glass of wine while the air mattress inflates in the dining room and enjoy the adventure because when Thursday and the furniture arrive, them the real work begins!

The trip from St. Louis to KC was fairly short and uneventful – although the number of billboards advertising adult superstores along I70 was pretty frightening.  We got to the house just after lunchtime and unloaded the car, met Jan the mail carrier and started making lists of things that we need to replace.  This involved a trip to Home Depot and Walmart to start since the moving company wouldn’t take anything that involved chemicals – like cleaning supplies or Weed and Feed.

We ran errands and waited for the call from the moving company which never came.  That meant another hotel reservation and another night in limbo.  We bought new appliances (fridge gets delivered tomorrow, washer and dryer on Friday) and tried not to think what the Mastercard bill was going to look like next month.

So after a fabulous meal at Cafe Trio, we are settled into another hotel waiting for our stuff to arrive so we can really be home….

Today we said goodbye to Kentucky and started what could be a long road trip. After breakfast, we checked out of the B&B (mediocre at best and not worth the money BTW) and headed out into another grey day. It’s a pretty boring drive straight out interstate 64 and we weren’t quite sure how far we were going. The delivery window for the furniture starts on the 21st so if the moving company called and said we needed to be there first thing tomorrow then we had a 9 hour drive to Kansas City ahead of us. We had planned to stop in St. Louis on the way, the only question was for how long – just for dinner or for the night?

So we rolled along the miles out of Kentucky into Indiana and the skies started to clear. Funny thing about Indiana is that you move from Eastern to Central time about halfway across the bottom part of the state. There is no sign to show it but the time on my iPhone was suddenly different than the time on my watch. Oh and Frank’s car seemed to know. All of sudden the hands on the dashboard clock started speeding forward.  Because the hands don’t move backwards, they needed to skip ahead 11 hours to lose the hour. It was like something out of a science fiction movie.

With no flying saucer or time hole in sight, and no phone call from the moving company, we made plans to stop over in St. Louis for the night. Some speedy texts to my friend Alice and a couple of clicks on my cell phone and we had a room at the Moonrise Hotel, the only hotel on “The Loop”. It has a space theme which could be a bit over the top but how can you not love having drinks below a giant rotating moon on the roof top bar!

We wandered all over the area which is entertaining in a “hookah bar on every corner” kind of way. Then it was time for some culture – and possibly some stained glass – so we headed for the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. Not much in the way of stained glass but oh, the mosaics! 83,000 square feet of them. Absolutely breathtaking! (For those keeping score at home, I did light a candle for my mom.)

Then it was out for Thai food with friends Alice and Todd followed by GF cannoli and accompanied by lots of friendly chatter.  It’s so nice to be able to meet up with friends as we traverse the eastern US. Tomorrow, it’s KC or bust!