Moving Week Madness

We are alive - barely. It has been an insane week for the Schween family!!! I apologize for the delay in posting about our move. We are still in recovery/survival mode this week, but wanted to get a quick update out to those who have been praying for us through this transition.

Last Monday was moving day. Robin went to pick up the truck that morning and came back in time to meet the friends from church who had volunteered to help us load up. It was a crazy morning as we were still packing and cleaning and taking care of Tyson amidst a house full of boxes and packing supplies and strangers (in Ty's mind) who were there to help. We had Penske truck that was supposed to be the ideal size for a "2 - 3 bedroom house" - we have a 3 bedroom condo so it seemed appropriate. Well, about half way through the morning of loading, no one wanted to state the obvious (which was becoming more obvious all the time): "it's not going to fit." Yes, it's true, the truck was too small...and we were screwed. Our helpers put their brains together to puzzle piece every item together to make more room in the truck. They did a fantastic job and I have never seen a truck packed so well! Though it still wasn't going to be enough...

As the morning wore on our helpers gradually had to leave one by one to get back to work, go to appointments, etc. Early afternoon we were left with Robin, me, Tyson, our friend John, and a fully loaded truck...with a bunch of boxes left upstairs and more yet to be packed. Not the most promising picture considering Tyson was falling apart due to the chaos in our house, and I was tied up trying to take care of him! My mom graciously came down to pick up Tyson and take him back to their house in Anacortes until I could join him the next day. I don't know what I was thinking being able to take care of a toddler (oh yes, and of course Tyson picked this week to make his primary mode of transportation walking!!!) and move out of our house at the same time. The three adults at the house decided that the best option, and a long shot at best, was to try to get the next size up Penske truck that afternoon. This was a nightmare on multiple levels: 1) Unloading the first truck and re-loading a second truck is not fun - especially when you're still packing! 2) Trying to find a truck for 6 days of out of state use at the last minute (ours had been reserved for a while). 3) Trying to find a whole second set of volunteers short notice on a Monday evening. 3) Find the time to finish packing AND clean the place on top of re-doing all the loading work we did all morning. UGH!

Robin immediately got on the phone and started working with Penske to find another truck somewhere within driving distance, and by no small miracle they finally found one for us in Bellevue! If you have ever rented a moving truck, you might have some clue how complicated it was to switch trucks, figure out what they were charging us for each one, transfer insurance documents, etc. STRESSFUL. In the meantime we called in our emergency reinforcements. We called everyone who at some point had said, "If you need any help with the move, let me know!" Whether they really meant it at the time or were just saying it to be polite, those are the people we called! Gotta do what ya gotta do, right? We were so incredibly blessed to have people showing up straight from work and being willing to help with whatever we needed.

Of course, the new truck was too large to drive all the way back to our condo unit so we had to park it out on the street, take the smaller truck out there and back them up to each other, and start the process of unloading one into the other (in the most space efficient way possible, of course). It was definitely pitch black outside, we were having pizza for the second time that day, and Robin and I were physically and mentally exhausted from all of the turmoil. We were so behind in finishing packing and cleaning because we had had to start over at square one packing the truck! Luckily I was blessed by two of my friends coming over after work to help finish clearing out my kitchen, linen closets, and bathrooms. You know, all of those small, last-minute things that still need to be thrown in a random box somewhere? I hate those things. Worst part of moving. Those were the things they helped me with - I couldn't have done it without their help. I was at the end of my emotional rope and probably would have sat in the middle of the floor and cried without them!

At about 9:30 or 10 that night we were finally done doing the truck swap and packing most of the last minute stuff. We sat on the floor in our living room amidst random packing material and other paraphernalia, and our friends prayed for us. Such a blessing. We were totally spent, overwhelmed by the fact that we were officially leaving our condo the next day, and about to start over somewhere new. And not just a new house. We're talking new living situation, new city, new state, new church, new friends, new career...new everything. Prayers were a gift to us that night to say the least! After they left Robin and I kept working on our place, and finally went to sleep on aerobeds in our nearly-empty bedroom.

Tuesday morning we woke up (after a not-great night of sleep) and started the morning off right: Starbucks and breakfast sandwiches. Then we went back to work packing, cleaning, packing, cleaning, cleaning some more, you get the picture... We realized that usually when you sell a house and move out you still have to clean it to some degree, but this was different. Since we haven't sold our place yet (and need to ASAP!) we wanted it to be spotless in order to hopefully speed up the process! Bathrooms cleaned, kitchen cleaned, rooms vacuumed, baseboards wiped down...blah blah blah. Finally we were cleaned, fully-loaded, and ready to hit the road and drop the smaller truck off at Penske on our way up to Anacortes. Robin had to drop me off at my parent's house for the week and pick up my brother who would be driving the moving truck with him to Colorado. At 4:30 on Tuesday, Robin and my brother started the drive BACK to Issaquah to get the moving truck and be on their way to their first stop: Spokane (obviously a hot spot to spend their first night). I don't even really remember Tuesday afternoon/evening. I think I was about 98% dead at that point due to "The Move," allergies, being sick, lack of sleep, sadness, etc. My parents were amazing at helping me rest and recover in Anacortes with Tyson while Robin drove our stuff to Denver.

Robin and my brother made it to Colorado in one piece with no truck mishaps, decent weather most of the way, and had a great time of male bonding full of good conversation and lots of laughs. All day Friday they spent unloading the truck and taking boxes to various rooms in Robin's parents house (where we will be staying for a few months while we work on finding our own place) and once again strategically packing boxes in their basement downstairs where they have graciously allowed us to store everything we don't need for the next few months. Robin worked tirelessly for the next few days trying to unpack as much as he could and organize our living space at his parent's house so it would be ready for our arrival on Sunday. He did such a great job!!! I am so glad that Ty and I waited a few days to fly out so that Robin could start getting us settled.

This brings us to today! We are in Centennial, CO - living in the suburbs just outside of Denver. Robin started his new job this morning!!! Crazy. Thoughts and prayers from our friends and family have been so so so appreciated, and we are thankful that they continue as we start this new chapter of our lives. It will be quite an adjustment for our little family as we impose on Robin's parents space for a few months, and we are very grateful that they are flexing so much to accomodate us here. Well, time for me to go take care of a toddler who woke up mid-nap, realized he is somewhere new, and is now crying his head off :) Ta ta for now!!