relocation: successful!

Hi y'all!

We're back online, and living in our very own home in the Annapolis Valley!!

Every day since my last post has gone well and felt mostly under control, but thinking back over the entire past five days all at once is a bit overwhelming. There were no major mishaps and I can't even think of any minor ones - yay!

Remember how I made some predictions about the state that the former owner would likely leave the house in when she left? They were mostly accurate. The storm windows are still sitting in the basement. The yard is a mess, with shaggy un-mown lawn and fallen leaves everywhere. Although the house did not stink of cats, I did find lots of kitty litter scattered across the floor where the litter box used to be. Windows, baseboards, kitchen cupboards, and floors were all in dire need of cleaning. The former owner DID clean out the fridge very well, and the bathrooms also seem to have been cleaned (although I cleaned them again anyway). So she didn't break a sweat on our behalf, but she could have left the place a lot worse.

One interesting thing: I caught the listing agent sneaking onto our lawn to take down her "sold" sign, and she said something about the little girl who used to live here getting her foot cut off or something. So I guess the former owner had other things on her mind. It was a strange thing to hear, don't ya think?

We were lucky enough to have heaps of help from family and friends over the weekend. In addition to driving our vehicles here for us, my parents brought their own air mattress and blankets, stayed for a couple of days, and helped us move in, clean up, and assemble things. My friend Kim drove for four hours to come and help us scrub this house - she has DEFINITELY passed the "good friend" test! She loves our mudroom and now her husband is going to be mad at us because he's going to have to build her a mudroom.

Mark's mother has been storing furniture and dishes and stuff for us for like forever, and suddenly we have a house full of furniture thanks to her! I'm not talking Walmart crap either - we have some honest-to-gosh family heirloom antiques now. It's pretty awesome.

Oh, I forgot to mention one old piece of business. Remember how we contacted the Real Estate Commission to help us get our deposit back from the other place that we didn't end up buying? The Commission laid down the law, and our money was returned! I then wrote a big long angry email to the real estate office that had had our money for so long, never sent it, and then deleted it a few days later. This is how I stay sane people. Or not. Maybe that's why I'm crazy, I don't know.