Too Much Stuff!

We're moving in two weeks!

After 25 extremely happy years in this home we have loved, we found the perfect empty nester home near the majority of our friends and walking distance to the golf course!

It's a home we considered 9 years ago but passed on due to the fact that our youngest had just started high school, the majority of her friends were within walking distance and we were close to downtown Boulder and her school. 

So we stayed and have never once regretted that decision.

Though we were not house hunting and in fact had decided we would be happy to stay in this home forever, the majority of our close neighbors had sold in recent months and with the exception of one dear friend across the road, the neighborhood dynamic had changed.

Recently, that same house came back on the market so we jumped! We quickly called our amazing realtor who scheduled a refresher showing and we submitted our offer contingent upon our selling our house in 60 days. While the seller was willing to accept the dollar amount, she would not accept the contingency so we sat back to reassess. This was the only house we wanted but we didn't want to tip our hand so after a week or so of silence, with fingers crossed, we listed our house. If the one we hoped to buy sold, as we were afraid it would when she dropped her price, we would just take ours off the market and be content that it was simply not meant to be.

Within hours of our home hitting MLS, we had our first showing and barely 36 hours later, our realtor presented us with four offers! Our heads were spinning! 

Take that bitch!

So, we got the home we wanted under contract and then signed the deal on ours.

Now comes the hard part!

Though I never watch reality television shows, I'm told there is actually a series called "Hoarders".

And while I'm certainly not a hoarder and have never considered myself to be a pack rat, I had no idea we had accumulated so much stuff over the course of the last 25 years!

My perception was that as each child moved out, they took not only their own belongings but that which I also offered to help them set up dorm rooms, apartments, etc. While that was mostly true, I had quietly been amassing a stockpile of my own that was discreetly hidden behind closet and cabinet doors.

With all the showings, negotiations, pre-closing details, appraisals, inspections and whatnot out of the way, I began in earnest this week the purging and packing process that comes before every move. And the timing is good as I had surgery on Monday to remove skin cancer from my nose and am sporting a bandage that looks like a Kotex Pad for Minnie Mouse! Who wants to venture out in public looking like that? It's the perfect time to hide out at home so I've been hitting it hard.

OH MY GOD!

We need our own private landfill!

We could set up our very own thrift shop!

This task is monumental!

With time of the essence, we immediately nixed the idea of a garage sale. Too much work for too little reward and the majority of the items end up donated anyway so The Humane Society of Boulder County Thrift Store has been the recipient of almost all of our extremely usable items.

We have delivered a gazillion carloads of clothing (some never worn!), artwork, dishes, small appliances, picture frames (okay, so maybe I am a little bit of a hoarder), tools, luggage, pet supplies, electronics, etc. Their thrift shop has such a familiar look to it. It just feels like home!

So the clock is ticking, the purging and packing continues and deep down inside I know it will all get done.

We are so very excited about this next chapter in our lives and settling in to our new home.

And lest anyone think we can take our time unpacking following the move...think again!

Our first house guests, my sister and brother-in-law who we invited long ago to join us for a golf tournament, arrive a week later!