We Moved!

Part of me can’t even believe I’m writing this. Two weeks and three days ago, we passed our final inspection and moved into our new house!

That moment, as the inspector was signing the Certificate of Occupancy and our construction foreman gave me a huge grin and a thumb up, was truly among the happiest of my life.

Every moment since, as you might imagine, has been a whirlwind. The movers arrived at the house literally moments after the inspection was complete. It may seem like extreme optimism to schedule the move for the same day as the inspection, but for us I’d say it was more extreme desperation. Our lease on the rental house ended on May 31, and we knew we’d need a few days to get it cleaned out, carpets steamed, all that good stuff. And moving companies tend to be pretty busy toward the end of the month, so we took the only day they had available. Oh, and also the rental house suuuuuuucked. We could not get out fast enough.

So I booked the move for Tuesday, May 24, and Laurence, our esteemed foreman, bent over backwards to get us through the seven (yes, seven!) inspections necessary to get that certificate of occupancy.

As of Friday, we’d gotten through five, and then failed Number Six (Public Works). A hastily-installed–and TOTALLY unnecessary–sump pump, complete with hideous concrete access slab in the center of my back yard, got us through on Monday; and then the final was scheduled for Tuesday.

So Tuesday morning the moving company (to whom I will devote an entire post, because they are AMAZING) showed up at 9 am. They had my entire house packed by 10:30, and the truck loaded by noon. See? AMAZING.

The inspection wasn’t scheduled until between 1-2:30, so we told the movers to take a super-long lunch. Then I headed to the new house to meet the inspector. Of course, building inspections work a lot like Comcast service calls, so the guy didn’t show up until 3. I may have called the building department to find out where he was, and I may have cried.

The tears worked though, because fewer than 15 minutes after he arrived, the inspector said we were good to go. So then I cried again. Sobbed actually; tears of joy and relief and excitement and I don’t even know what else.

Now, a little over three weeks in, I’m about 85% unpacked. The kids’ bedroom and playroom are all set up, the kitchen unpacked, and my craft room is coming along. Everything else…well. Life has an annoying habit of not standing still when I have stuff to do. I’m dying to finish the craft room, organize my closet, and start hanging artwork. But instead we’ve had swimming lessons, and gymnastics, and the last day of preschool, and contractors coming to finish “one last thing” at all hours.

It’s coming, though. The end is in sight. For now I’m just riding the new house high, and pinching myself periodically, because I still can’t believe this place is actually ours.