Pulling on Big Girl Panties

What do they say about 'life is what happens when you're busy making plans'? Yeah, that applies.

The movers came to our house on 6/24 and loaded up our belongings. They drove away, after telling me our stuff was not leaving for Texas; rather it was going to a warehouse in Pittsburgh and when they found a driver, they'd assign him our move. So I had some concerns but there wasn't much we could do about it right then.

We flew to Texas on Saturday, 6/27 to meet the movers who were scheduled to arrive between 6/29 and 7/2. Each day I'd phone to ask if we had a driver. To which they'd answer: No. Over and over again, no. Finally it became apparent they were not going to make the agreed upon delivery date. then they told us they'd found a driver who will pick our stuff up this Thursday, 7/9. He won't be delivering it til the next week, either 7/14 or 7/15. Two weeks late.

They are paying us $125 a day to be late, and by the time they arrive, if they arrive this new date, they will owe us $1500. There's no way they'll be making any profit on this move. That's a consolation, but I would rather have had our stuff arrive on time.

However, the $1500 will go toward the fridge that had died while we were gone, or the AC that had gone out upstairs when we arrived, or the sprinkler system that is not working right and the lawn is dying. It's been interesting and a bit overwhelming at times, but most of us have days like that now and then.

Don flew home to PA this morning. Without me. He had to go back to work, after taking a week's vacation to help me at the house, getting things unpacked and set up. That was the plan, and instead he spent time dealing with refrigerators and air conditioners and sprinkler systems and such. Then we left for awhile, heading back to the metroplex.

I'm at Sarah's for several days, before I climb into the car I'm borrowing from Dan and Janae, driving 2 hours across the metroplex and to the lake, staying there alone for about 6 days til the movers come.

I'll be there by myself when they arrive. If they arrive. I won't see Don for 15 days til I fly back to Pennsylvania on 7/21, and I won't be going to Denver or Kansas to see my family til this fall.

Did I mention I've never driven across the metroplex? Did I mention I'm still learning my way around the lake, and how to take care of the house and all that goes with it?

So - 'is what is'. I was a bit sad to hug Don goodbye this morning, but being sad or overwhelmed is a luxury I don't really have time for, and it wouldn't do anyone any good either, so I'm making myself just get over it.

New plan: have a nice visit with Sarah and her family, which will include playing with grandkids, drinking sweet tea, knitting in her sewing room, having a big, fluffy bed all to myself, get to see Dan and Janae when I wasn't going to be able to, and maybe she has a bit of a baby bump by now?, then going to the lake. At the lake, I'm going to stain the deck, paint the deck furniture, steam off some wallpaper I do not love, sit at the boathouse, watching the sun set and reading books and sipping diet coke or wine, taking walks around my new neighborhood, and learning to be a big girl.

I can do it. All of it. Some of it may be a stretch, but it'll feel great to look back and see that I made it. I must not have been as limber as I thought I was, because God sure is making me do some stretching exercises lately!