The big day is finally here... MOVING DAY! This has been months and months in the making. Most of those months we didn't know where exactly we were moving to but we knew we were going somewhere. I've been slowly purging and selling things off (though still have more to sell - where in the world will this stuff fit in our smaller house????) and stacking things up in the garage, hallways or in the bedrooms. Really, anywhere that stuff would fit, I've found a place to stack it.
I'm ready. Josh is conveniently not here but arrives tonight around 10PM. I know the kids are not ready to go. Liam has a playdate this afternoon but I wasn't able to coordinate anything for Aidan unfortunately. And the moving guys just asked if they can take the tv now (it's only 2PM!) - what do I say, no???? And so let the fun really begin. Thank god for ipads!! Perhaps in hindsight we should have done a hotel tonight too as I just went to make a peanut butter sandwich with my last bits of food and realized the silverware and plasticware are both packed already! And so Oreos it shall be for lunch - a lunch of champions right?????
But like I said, I'm ready. This has been a long time coming. We still have so many balls in the air at the moment and so many things happening over the next 7-8 weeks before we even get to Amsterdam that it will be nice to check one item off the list in the next few days. I'm trying to not be overwhelmed by it all but it's hard. So I'm chunking it up - moving, hotel, leave BCN, cruise, US before camp, US kids in camp and then back to Amsterdam to start our new lives (again).
I remember the day we left Attleboro 4 1/2 years ago. I cried so hard as we pulled out of the driveway. Josh and the kids overall pretty stoic (Liam having no idea what was going on as he was only 2). That house had so many wonderful memories of our family as it grew. We got engaged there, married, got both dogs, had both kids and spent so many wonderful days and evenings with friends and family there. To leave it was so hard.
What I didn't realize until we were settled in Barcelona is that while it's a house we've loved, it's just a house - the memories are ours no matter where we live. And I think that is a piece of why I'm ok with us leaving Barcelona. The memories will be ours forever - that won't change. I will miss our friends here, though 90% of them have moved on and no longer are here - but the ones that are still here will be our friends no matter what - I know that these friends that we've made here will last beyond the Spanish border.
That doesn't mean I won't be sad when we leave. Just ready. Too many difficult things have happened in the last few weeks that have just cinched the deal that our time has come (the last being the exploding hot water heater on Sunday that wasn't repaired until Wednesday) to say hasta luego to Barcelona. For now. If Aidan has his way, we'll be back in a few years ;)
I'm heartbroken for the kids though. I remember leaving home and my heart breaking for Aidan (again, Liam being too little for the move to have much impact) knowing that he was leaving his friends behind. He wanted the school year here to last at least another month so he could extend out his time with his friends. At least unlike the last time, he's better now about emailing and is starting to get into it. He's not very loquacious with his email but it's a start.
Liam, on the other hand, sees this as his first move. He knows we lived in Attleboro but he doesn't remember it. So this is his first big move in his memory. He's not happy. And yet, he's totally going with the flow. He's really good about expressing his emotions though and has told me how much he's going to miss his friends and he's excited to Skype with them. I'm terrible at Skyping so I need to be better at that for his sake! But he's accepting of the move and is kind of excited about a new house. I just don't think he realizes how far that new house is from Barcelona.
And so the movers are packing up everything. They are going faster than I thought they would but I'm excited to see things happening. Finally some movement in our lives!!
Boxes I prepacked in the office and the kids chilling out before they took the couch (now apart in bubble wrap)
Aidan's room (they haven't made it up there yet but we sold off the bunk bed last week and repainted too). And the playroom, also newly repainted and cabinet doors reinstalled.
Stuff I've been stacking out in the garage
Stairwell to the roof, full! And the living room is full of boxes. Good thing the table belongs to the apartment or I'd be sitting on the floor already!
Liam's room - just a few things.. and the playroom about to be put away til August!
Garage and hallway
Kitchen before they took it all! And the playroom before we put the doors back up last week.
Stuff stacked in the kitchen. And the playroom.
Office
My glamorous room with my mattress on the floor. And notice it says MUY FRAGIL on the boxes of lego sets that are already assembled - the test will be, do they arrive in Amsterdam assembled? I offered to pack them but they said they would do it... fingers crossed or we are going to have one very upset 10 year old!
All the living room furniture except the tv and tv stand - how did our soft, coffee table and chair with ottoman end up in a stack like this?? I was going to toss the rug today (after 2 years of dog puke, chocolate milk and other food products, it's time to go) but it's the only place for the kids to sit so I guess it can wait til tomorrow!
So we're close. They'll finish the prepacking today and then move everything out. I always like to see what it looks like empty - the before and after. Then the cleaners will come on Saturday and our key exchange and final walk thru on Monday and we head out of Barcelona on Tuesday. The countdown is on - 4 1/2 days left to go! More to come as we wind up things here in Barcelona!
Besos,
Julie
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