At Last!

We're into the new house . . . a mere 8 months from closing, not that anyone's counting. There's still some stuff at my house--a dryer, a few empty bookcases, and a few odds and ends--but for the first time, we're living in this house that feels like ours and not just mine.

Moving brought another experience of grace and generosity: Sam worked on the new house until midnight and 1:00 a.m. for several days, and then we started moving on Monday afternoon (no school--a 2-day Fall Break). By the second day, we were exhausted, me from several days of packing and him from finishing up the renovations and beginning the hauling, and we were facing down a second day of moving that would take hours and probably not see us finished. But then a bunch of friends showed up, bringing the refreshment of their energy and good humor, and the worst was finished within two hours. It was like being rescued, or having a sentence commuted.

So now we're surrounded by boxes, and the place is still kind of dirty. Not construction-zone rubble like a few weeks ago, but also not spic-and-span. We have work to do to finish up the last bits at my house and clean and do yard work over there, and there are still a couple of small projects here. Plus the unpacking. And yet, it feels incredibly peaceful. Even without knowing where a cereal bowl or a tube of much-called-for concealer might be found, it feels so easy to be here, so homey for both of us to live in this space we've been planning and working on for so long now. It feels like a dream--I can't believe we actually get to live here.