I will spare you some of the details, such as broken toilets (shipping toilets is a problem,) and $2,500 in electrical work. Why would you you put an outside outlet without GFI and the weather proof cover? Why? Why would you do this 8 times? So here is an abbreviated version.
In the end, we decided with concrete floors, which we were told would look like natural stone tiles. We chose this, because that’s what was originally in the house and because all of the tile installers are booked up due to Houston post-hurricane recovery.
Preliminaries.
So we had two points of contact on the floors: D the Owner and J the Foreman. Originally we were supposed to have moved in on the 18th, the date which D swore up and down that we would make. We set everything up. We packed everything. We left ourselves just enough stuff to survive. The kitchen was down to one pot and two pans. Gordon had two pairs of sweatpants and four T-shirts. On 16th, I texted D to check on the floors. I didn’t get a response, so I sent Kid 2, who had already moved in, to check on the floor. She sent me a picture. Feet and feet of grey bare concrete. Nothing is done. No pattern, no color, nothing.
I told her to go find J. She found him, called me back, and reported that J and D are fighting on the phone.
Me, via text: D, the floors are not done. We are moving in two days. We are not upset, but we need a realistic move in date.
D, after a long pause: Twenty first?
Me: Let’s make it twenty second.
This is the further we can push the move, because Christmas is coming and we have to have some time to unpack, and there is no way to have Christmas in the old house, because everything is in the fort of boxes in the garage.
It must be said that my nerves are really frayed at this point. Christmas is a big deal in our house. Not so much the gifts, although, the gifts also, but the dinner, the family thing, the tree. My birthday is on New Year, and for me the tree is everything. Since I was a kid, I loved the whole Christmas thing. (It was New Year Celebration in USSR, because we weren’t big on religion, but it was basically Christmas.) Now the Christmas is in limbo. There is no tree. There is no anything. We are doing very abbreviated gift giving: a few small items, but each of the girls is getting one large present. Kid 1 requested a Nintendo Switch with 2 games and Kid 2 asked for Michael Kors purse. The gifts are bought. Most of them are wrapped. The Switch was purchased weeks ago and is sitting in our closet. But there is no floor in the new house and everything is hanging by that string.
Gordon calls the moving company and they are apologetic but they can’t move the date. The move has to be cancelled. We freak out a little bit, call around, and find a different mover. An estimator comes out, gives us a quote, and we shake on it. We go down to the house, meet with Spectrum tech again – it took four visits to get internet turned on, meet with electrician, bribe J’s crew with a Christmas bonus, and discover that Haverty’s delivered the furniture but didn’t put it together. We had ordered two tables, one for the kitchen and the other for the dining room, because our old table is beat up and too big for the kitchen, but too small for the dining room. We call Haverty’s, they apologize and set a new appointment for the 22nd between 3:30 pm and 4:30 pm.
Then we drive back up to go to Costco, because we are having the traditional family dinner of prime rib and lobster tails, which we do exactly once a year. The kids and boyfriends are coming. Their friends are coming. The boyfriend parents were invited but cancelled. So we get a box of lobster tails, sparkling cider, and prime rib. We also stop by Petsmart and buy disposable litter trays, new dog and cat bowls, litter, and other pet necessities.
December 22nd.
It’s moving day. We get up at 6:00 am. At 7:00 am the movers show up, look at our stuff – by the way, their guy had done a walk through – and they are like, we’re going to need a bigger boat, so they go to get a second truck. They start loading. They load until 2:00 pm. At 2:00 pm, we leave and go to the house, because the Spectrum dude is coming and Haverty’s installers are going to be there to to put together the tables. We tell the movers to take everything.
So we load the four dogs into the car and the four cats. The cats are in cardboard Petsmart carriers, because we only have less than an hour and a half to go, and space in the car is tight. Ten minutes into the drive, Oliver opens his carrier and makes a break for it. For about fifteen minutes he rides on top of Batty’s carrier chilling and looking outside the window. We are on the toll road, going 80 miles per hour. I look over and Oliver has gathered himself for a leap aiming at his favorite person’s – Gordon’s – head. He jumps and I snatch him out of the air with my super-human reflexes and stuff him back into the carrier, and then hold it closed. Thirty minutes later, he sticks his paw through the air hole, hooks my left hand and sinks the claws in. I yell. He lets go and sits the rest of the time in the carrier hyperventilating.
We get to the house. We walk in and D and J are waiting for us. Here is the thing: they made a great pattern on the floor. The pattern is awesome. But then they slabbed texture on it to make ti look like natural stone. The texture is NOT awesome. For me the floor is about a B-. It’s not bad, it’s just not what I would’ve preferred, but it’s definitely better than it was. Some rugs, and we are good.
Gordon walks in.
His eyes do that cold thing, and suddenly Sgt. Gordon makes an appearance. For those of you who have met my husband, you have never seen Sgt. Gordon. It’s a very rare sight these days. It was a rare sight while he was in the military as well, although I’ve seen him occasionally. Once a soldier made an inappropriate comment to me, and my husband looked at him and then asked him a question, and the soldier backed all the way across the motorpool into the cage. But nowadays, Gordon is a gentleman of leisure, as he likes to refer to himself. So the contractors are not expecting Sgt. Gordon, and both D and J get that deer in the headlights look. Gordon is not happy with the floor. He starts asking pointed questions. He doesn’t like the answers he is getting. In the end, I step in and pay them, and they escape, no doubt very relieved.
I could’ve made a bigger deal about all of this, but the floor is of solid quality, they worked hard, and cosmetic alterations can be made later.
The Haverty’s guys put the furniture together and it looks lovely. They leave.
We wait for the movers.
We wait.
Wait.
And wait.
Finally around 6:00pm Gordon calls. They stopped for dinner. We had ordered pizza for them, but no big.
The movers arrive at 6:30pm. And then they moves us in. Slowly.
By 1:00 am, it is evident that the adjustable bed will never function right again, as we tell them to just put the mattress on it and get out. They finally do. We fall on our faces and pass out.
December 23rd.
The next morning, we frantically unpack. The cats are not down with the change. They are following us around the house, screaming. Del the doberman has a mental break down and carries a piece of meat we gave her as a treat in her mouth for two hours while making circles.
We have six people coming. I’m patting myself on the back for all of the preliminary shopping, when Kid 1 calls. Her boyfriend’s parents are coming. The more the merrier. I take the box of lobster tails out of the freezer to thaw in the fridge, and notice on the side of it it says eight. Eight lobsters. Ten people. Crap.
While I try to digest this sudden development, Gordon comes into the kitchen, looking green. He can’t find the Switch.
We drop everything and start frantically tearing apart the boxes in the garage. We go through all of the medium boxes. Kid 1’s gift vanished.
Kid 1 arrives with two friends, and they attack the kitchen with swifters and cabinet liners. Everything is super dusty from the floors being done. All I can think about is that there won’t be a gift for her under the tree. We don’t even have a tree, but there won’t be a gift there. Gordon and I confer and agree that the gift was probably left at the old house somehow. After the kids leave, we jump into the car, drive all the way to the old house, stop at Costco, buy second box of lobsters, and get to the house. We turn it upside down. It’s basically empty, except the movers inexplicably left my big recliner. Why? No idea.
No Switch. We are so screwed.
December 24th.
We own up to Kid 1, who takes the news with unexpected maturity. She doesn’t need a gift, she is an adult anyway, and most importantly we are all going to be together on Christmas. I get off the phone and Gordon and I open every single box in the garage and recheck them.
Nothing.
Kid 2 and her boyfriend are dispatched to obtain the tree by any means necessary. Kid 2 assures me that it will be okay because she bought Kid 1 a pair of $70 Kendra Scott earrings. I confirm that earrings arrived. For once, I know exactly where they are. They are on top of the big grey plastic tub in the master bedroom.
Kid 2 arrives with a fake tree. They scored a deal on it and it’s prelit. We put it together and it’s gorgeous. I light the wax melting thing with Christmas tree scent and decide that the holiday might not turn out badly after all.
Everyone comes for dinner. We have:
- prime rib
- lobster tails – by the way, I opened the box that said 8 and there were 12 in there, but at this point I don’t care
- corn
- crescent rolls
- tempura shrimp
- mashed potatoes
- marinated mushrooms
Everything needs to be done in the last 45 minutes so it’s not cold. I am scrambling. Finally we serve dinner. It is lovely. The prime rib is medium rare, the lobsters are delicious, everything is good.
Midway through it, Kid 2 asks me to go get Kid 1’s earrings, because everyone is going to open a gift on Christmas Eve. I go.
The earrings are missing.
It’s a tiny green bag. It’s NOT THERE. I saw it, I held it in my hands, I put it on the tub and it is NOT THERE. The only place it can be is the garage, so Gordon and I excuse ourselves and run in there, to break down boxes. Kid 2 panics and dumpster dives to see if it was thrown away.
We do not find it.
Kid 1’s boyfriend’s parents thank us for the lovely dinner and leave.
Kid 2 is crying quietly off by herself. Kid 1 is assuring us that she doesn’t need gifts.
Christmas is ruined.
Gordon steps in to fix things, because that’s what he does, and reorders everything.
Everyone leaves.
December 25th.
It’s Christmas. Kid 1 calls and asks quietly if there are any gifts at all under the tree for her. I say yes. There are at least two. I know what one is – a cute kitty bowl. I don’t know what the heck the other one is and my Doll 10 cosmetics I bought for her are stuck at a mail hub and weren’t delivered. I am just so done by this point. Kid 1 perks up a little and says she is en route.
Kid 2 opens her big gift. It’s the purse she wanted. She hugs the purse. At least one kid is happy.
Gordon is in the garage, looking through boxes and he finds the earrings. They got somehow caught in wrapping paper. Everybody does a happy dance. Kid 1 arrives, opens her earrings, and loves them. Kid 1 is happy. Kid 2 is happy. I am beginning to breathe a little bit.
I go to the kitchen to throw together left overs for lunch. Kid 1 opens the next present and then she says, “Mom! the Switch is right here!”
We had put the Switch and the games in the box, wrapped it in the old house, and forgot we did it. We had brought it over and put it under the tree, not realizing what it was. It was there the entire time.
December 28th.
Roughly a hundred things had gone right and wrong. Had to call Spectrum again, but yay, we finally have working phone service. Had to call a septic dude. He will be over today “sometime.”
The animals have calmed down.
We have found the HEB, our landmark Texas grocery store. It’s small, but it will work. The electrical work on the house is two thirds done. But we still have no desks for our office and our work computers are down, so we have no MS Word, no Photoshop, and no anything. If we manage to get somewhere today with buying desks and setting everything up, Innkeeper will be posted on Friday. If not, it will be after New Year’s.
Please accept this virtual hug from me. I’m sorry everything was so stressful. HOWEVER, Congrats on the new digs, finding the presents and being a Capricorn like me. 😛
Wishing you a Happy Birthday and a terrific New Year!
I am sending you smooth sailing vibes. You’ve had too many bumpy ones. Time for everything to go right (or at least not wrong) for awhile!
You did it. Even with everything else. I appreciate that you are so thoughtful of your readers, but if you need extra time, take it as needed guilt-free. Take care. Happy New Year, and Happy Birthday!
OMG Thank you for sharing. I will take this as a horrible warning – do not move during the holidays. I don’t know how you managed the stress. Please take the time you need. The book devouring horde can wait 🙂
Moving sucks. My last one went wrong, and I don’t want to do another for a long time. *Virtual hug*
That is one supremely hectic holiday! I’m so glad you found the Switch. Happy Holidays.
Tales of Moving Days and Christmas. Both are horribly busy and stressful, but to combine them– that takes big brass ones. Glad your kidlets got their gifts and that your dinner was great. When all’s said and done, it being together that counts the most. Hope you have a lovely New Year.
Wow, I was tired just reading about all y’all went through! Glad you, your family, and menagerie of animals made it safely to the new home. Happy (early) Birthday and Happy New Year!!
Wow, and I had so hoped you would have a swift and uneventful move…
Well, the positive side. You are moved, the gifts turned up, dinner was lovely, Christmas was a win, and the fur-kids are settling in. Those are all huge scores. Good luck on the floors and the office setup!
We did Christmas Eve dinner, too. Beef tenderloin roast, mashed potatoes, riced cauliflower w/mushrooms & onions, steamed carrots, salad, and crescent rolls. I also acquired a slice of everyone’s favorite pie or cheesecake. Mom & elder niece went home stuffed. We went there Christmas morning, had a breakfast burrito bar, then opened the gifts, talked to the family in Florida that didn’t make it up, and had a wonderful morning. In the afternoon, niece had to report to her other grandparents, so we went home and relaxed the rest of the day.
Good Christmas!
Omg. Merry Christmas!
Umm…Merry Post-Christmas? Moving is always awful. Sorry about the floors, electrical and septic. Glad the lobsters and gifts worked out. And you had a tree! Every time I move I swear never again.
Moving blues…so sorry authorlords…deep breaths….and Inkeeper will be appreciated whenever it’s ready.
We’ve never had a move that didn’t go insane. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Breathe. You got this.
Holy smokes, it was exhausting and stressful to read about, so I can’t even imagine how you got through it! But I’m happy to hear all’s well that ends well 🙂
Happy 2018!
G still has a military vibe even when he’s not angry. When I met you guys I wanted to call him Senior Chief Gordon because that’s what my Navy Rank Radar felt like he should be called. I have seen my husband go into Angry Officer Mode, so I know what that looks like. United Airlines got the brunt of that once, lol.
Holy crap, you guys had a WTF Christmas. Glad things got worked out, but wow. Hope your birthday goes better than the holidays did!
Don’t worry about the BDH. We have plenty to do. Make yourselves happy! Love the tree btw.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
I shouldn’t find others misfortunes humorous but have to admit to chuckling. It will be a Christmas you and Gordon talk about for years. I’m glad all is finally well. Deep breathe and relax. Forget innkeeper until next week. We can survive!
Moving really sucks. I’m not in the military and have never been a military wife but I moved 18 times in the past 20 years. You have my complete sympathy. Though we could have used a Sgt. Gordon a couple of times in there to get things done!
Hopefully life will calm down for a minute now. Ask for a spa day.
Wow. I am wore out and laughing (sorry) reading this. Surely the New Year and birthday will be better
You survived, that is the important part.
You are the authorlords and you rock!
Everything will be ok.
Glad everything turned out ok. I know the move drama well. I moved from Texas to CO a little over a year ago. My house sold fast so had to do a short term rental and stuff went into storage. Moved into my house on Nov 17th if 2016…the same day it started snowing. The movers had to transfer stuff to a smaller truck to get down my driveway. They got here at 2pm it was dark at 5 and blowing snow. They came back the following day to finish. So I feel your pain!
Deep breath. You are in your new home. You are safe and dry and hopefully warm. You found the nearest HEB, so you won’t starve. It will all work out.. ..eventually. And you will have a horror story to recount in the years to come “we survived the great move/Christmas of ’17”!
Just reading about your adventures were anxiety provoking and exhausting! Whew! So happy you’re in the new house. I am happy for you that the craziness of the move is over in 2017 giving you a calmer start to 2018! Happy New Year and Happy Birthday!
Holy cats! What a wild and incredible ride!! Glad you are all tucked in safely. Merry Christmas and Happy New year! <3
Your moving woes read like one of your stories! At least no missing pets, no fractured bodies, no kabooms! You’re in, the roof is intact, no evil genie prying it off to scoop up the crunchy humans below. Life is Good!
It was stressful just reading that, let alone living it. Innkeeper or no, I still love y’all. Wishing you a wonderful 2018!!!
I wish I lived closer to you so I could come help you. I can just imagine the amount of stress you’ve both been enduring. I wish I could make it better.
WOW no wonder we would read absolutely anything you write. This had me on pins and needles. I almost fainted, twice.
That was one hell of a Christmas time. You will surely remember it for a long time to come. Heck, I will remember it!
I’m tense just reading about it all. I’m glad y’all survived. I hope everyone is well now.
We quit doing the gift thing at home 8 years ago. This is the first year I haven’t missed it a little bit. I buy for my sis and a few others. I give some pottery I make, that’s about it. I think Michael bought himself a Switch. That’s it.
Oh and no worries about the Innkeeper. When you have time is fine. Family and getting settled first.
OMG! I am so glad that (almost) everything worked out. It sound like you still had a wonderful holiday filled with love. And now you will be able to take advantage of the after Christmas sales in your desks. Just think, in 20…30…40 years, you’ll be laughing about the Christmas that you moved!
Merry christmas. Im glad everything worked out. Dont worry about us we can wait! Family and self care are important too!
You have the tree, you had lobster tails galore, you found the presents, you’re safe so with our blessings, take a break, put a cat or dog or both on your laps, snooze. And make a sandwich. Merry everything and don’t worry about Sweeping, literally or figuratively. I think we can manage to wait till your desks are set up and you have some semblance of order before you send out our next treat.
I’m still smiling at the thought of your brilliant cat catch in the car!
I greatly admire you – it is unbelievable how you managed that move and found the time to make an entertaining story of it. Happy belated Christmas and a happy new year to you all.
Norbert
PS: It was really interesting to read about Sgt. Gordon… I know you are not your characters, but I know authors have to put something of themselves in their stories. I had to think of Curran when I read this… 😉
Blessings on you and your new home.
I am glad that everything worked out. You certainly deserved a Christmas miracle after all the trials and tribulations
While I am very sorry for all the mishaps, I must say I was entertained by the story. Here’s to a great 2018. And happy birthday to you!
Our Christmas was super last minute too. We bought and wrapped presents well in advance but dinner for us is Ham, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, stuffing, green bean casserole, and rolls and even though those things are all super easy to make everyone was exhausted from work which is really intense this time of year. Getting off the couch was physically painful so we ate late and couldn’t care less. Presents went well. Everyone got something they really wanted. I got a Switch too but because it’s expensive I bought the game (Zelda) and split the cost of the system with two of my siblings. I’m such a grown up ?
Moving is stressful-holidays are stressful put them together and it’s no wonder you guys were running around like crazy.
After our last move, I had a dream in which hubby was telling me not to worry, that we only have to move 2 more times. My response was to wrap my hands around his throat and try to choke him to death. It was a very vivid dream, and I was glad he was out of town on business or my hands may have been homicidal in reality! Glad you survived the move, the feeding of the horde, the expectations of the kids, the freak out of the critters, and the whole Christmas thang. You both need to take a bunch of naps. Merry Christmas,happy birthday, and a happy, healthy, prosperous New Year to you all!
Personally, I would have melted down about a dozen different times in your story, but you guys toughed it out like champs. You may think about burning some sage now to cleanse all the bad vibes, lol. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Birthday!
Wow. Moving is bad enough but a big dinner on top of it? You guys are superstars. Merry Christmas (late) and Happy New Year (early)!
I am impressed. I’m glad you had Christmas, and hopefully you will look back at this with a smile. A less hectic New Year. And, I think your daughters are awesome.
My Mom passed away a couple years ago and I had been living with her during her chemo and radiation as her caretaker. Over the Spring I had packed up her house by myself and got everything ready for storage while also organizing 2 estate sales and working part time. It was hell. My brother helped move stuff to storage, but that was it. Over twenty trips back and firth over two months, he called it quits.
I moved the rest while trying to move myself into a rental with roommates. Everything that could go wrong, did. Now, three years later, I am still living in quasi storage.
I went through my unit this summer to try and taper the sheer amount of my stuff, my patents stuff, and my grandparents stuff. I buried stuff (kitchen, linens, and household junk) way in the back that I was convinced I had donated, so…..I bought a lot of it again. I
I hate moving. Hate it.
I send my deepest sympathies.
Look at it this way, you have extra lobster tails, and you were together for Christmas! The rest, you can work out later. :o)
Building is hard. Moving is hard. Christmas is hard.
Doing them all at the same time is crazy, but sometimes that is just how things work out.
You got a tree, you got presents, you got food (made and served). You didn’t lose the pets.
Take a day (or two) off and enjoy – you have earned it.
You are utterly amazing. I think I would be bald by now from pulling my hair out in frustration! May your New Year be bountiful.
Welcome to your new home, stress and all. Thoroughly enjoyed reading about your day, even tho stressful, had a happy ending. Thank you, and the best of the season to you and yours.
Hugs to the Authorlords. You made it!!
See, here’s where you went wrong. You have a Book Devouring HORDE – put them to use! We could have been there and had you moved in no time at all! LOL! Wow, after that, I think I’ll just rent a Pod and not worry about movers for the next move (getting too old to do it completely by ourselves!) But you guys made it through with grace and sheer determination. Kudos to the Kid 1 and Kid 2 for their maturity! We’re all in awe over your adventures in moving. And now you’re moved – it can only get better from here, because at least you’re now on site!
Happy New Year and Happy Birthday to Ilona. I know that 2018 will just be fabulous for you all!
You are so right! We would have come from far and wide!
Shhh!!!! Our Favorite Authors should not know what, we the fans will go through to hurry up and get the next book!!! ???
Wow…just wow. It makes the year we stole a Christmas tree ( we had to, really) look like a walk in the park. Here’s to a peaceful new year!
HUGS, HUGS, HUGS AND MORE HUGS! Take a long, long bubble bath. Thank you for sharing! Moving sucks – been there done that.
I wish you a joyous and healthy New Year (Happy Birthday!)
I’m exhausted just reading what you’ve all been through. ?
Wishing you a Very Happy New Year and best wishes for 2018?
Good lord, this gave me anxiety just reading it so I can’t imagine what the past few days have been for you. My sincerest wish that everything calms down for you guys sooner rather than later.
No kidding! Think -I- might take a Xanax! Deep breath… you all got this!
LOL, that was my reaction too. And I still have anxiety over that leftover chair- can they make the movers go back for it or do they need to get a truck and some muscles to fetch it?
You are giving me flashbacks to summer of 2016 and the trek from WI to FL with a dog and a ferret and worrying about all the belongings in 2 Pods out there somewhere. Glad you guys are there and in one piece, full of lobster and prime rib, and on your way to be happy in your new abode. Happy New Year from my family to yours.
You guys are AWESOME parents! ?. I know, cause I had a pair myself! I hope you have a happy birthday and a wonderful new year!
Surviving all that with your sanity intact was quite the feat! Just reading this made me break into stress shivers! I’m so glad it’s all getting sorted out… somewhat and hope that your family gets settled down soon to relax when ushering in the New Year!!
Omg I too am exhausted after reading this! Here’s hoping for a wonderful new year in your new house!
HUGS, you made it!!
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy birthday!!
???
xo
Oh you poor thing. You have my every sympathy, the people that bought our house screwed things up repeatedly, we too had to shift dates, school entry days and I ended up briefly monosyllabic one night while I tried to figure out if we were even going to end up moving or if we were going to lose our deposit on the new house. I didn’t even have the spectre of Christmas looming over me. I hope things settle down rapidly for you all and you’re happy and healthy in your new home!
Exciting times, at least you didn’t have a major 7.8 earthquake the week before you moved, knocking out road and rail, then having to find temporary accommodation for three weeks before your furniture could get on a boat, happy times
This year I managed to throw away a gift sent to the kid and loose a present we got for her boyfriend, a first for both. My only excuse is I was sick. I cant imagine trying to move during Christmas. Happy Birthday Ilona hopefully the hard part is done.
Oh my gosh! Y’all poor poor things! I gained a few more gray hairs reading about your stressful holiday. I hope the new year transitions seamlessly for y’all. If you ever need movers again, I recommend hiring the local firefighters, most of them will load and unload your trucks for you and are very fast and nice. I hope you enjoy your new home!
Oh my. I may move to Utah or Alaska this year. With three dogs and a cat. I hope my move is easier than yours. But somehow I don’t think it will be. Glad you all moved in. Let the unpacking commence!
Bless your heart. ❤️ It’s been a trying and stressful time do you all, but I’m glad to hear it all came together for you. Thankfully I haven’t in 15 years and don’tiss it a bit.
My husband is talking about us building a new house and I asked him if that is code for he wants a divorce.
In cases like this I say, “You’ll have to do that with your next wife.”
(hugs) That was a roller coaster of a Christmas move! I’m glad everything worked out in the end.
Just think now, that’s one Christmas you’ll never forget! 😀
Hey, don’t worry about Innkeeper! Just have a relaxation day for yourselves, maybe with some wine! 😉
So, basically your Christmas was actually pretty similar to Dina’s in OFS:
* Somebody’s parents unexpectedly arriving (Sean’s/Kid 1’s boyfriend’s)
* Emergency runs to the grocery store to pick up vital items (Archivarius/lobster)
* Someone crying over having no Christmas gifts to give (Dina/Kid 2)
* Important items disappearing and chaos ensuing (Archivarius/Christmas gift)
* Former military guy steps in to fix the mess (Sean with the Archivarius retrieval/Gordon with the gifts)
* Somebody arriving late with necessary help (ad-hal/movers)
* A cat causing trouble (Olasard/Oliver)
* Plumbing issues
…but after a lot of drama and a ruined Christmas, there is a happy ending with great food and presents. 🙂
This is hilarious. Hope it brings a smile to Ilona and Gordon – their life imitating their art!!
Happy New Year to all the BDH! Happy Birthday to Ilona!
I look forward to a scene in a future Innkeeper where the Ripper of Souls a.k.a. Olasard a.k.a. Sebastian North claws his way out of his box/ crate , scratches Dina and decides to travel on Sean’s head!
It reminds me of a move we made once where our cat ripped his way out of the cardboard crate before we reached the town limits and decided the only place he would deign to travel was on my lap. This was okay until we were a few miles from our destination where I was to meet my husband’s new boss for the first time whereupon the cat expressed his opinion of the whole moving house business by peeing on me. Luckily we were able to pull off the road near a creek where I had an impromptu swim and changed into my “ cleanest dirty jeans” .
Ilona and Gordon, Happy New Year to you and your family and happy birthday Ilona.
Happy birthday Ilona! It sucks that it wasn’t a fun experience but good tidings for 2018.
Reading this gave me such PTSD about moving (I moved in November) I am so glad I didn’t have an entire house/family/animals to move! If anything the apartment search is where I lost my mind. Sounds like you have mostly everything set up now and glad all the Christmas presents were found and none of the movers stole anything!
My mom did the same thing with a bunch of Legos she bought for her niece’s (my cousin’s) son, she wrapped the gift and put it under the Christmas tree to promptly forget all about and then tore the house apart looking for the Legos. She finally went out and bought him another gift. It finally occurred to my dad to check to see if the Legos were included with the other wrapped gifts under the tree and lo and behold there were the Legos. Of course my mom had already sent the other present so the Legos will now be donated. Gotta love the holiday stress.
As many in the BDH, I felt the words you wrote. I wouldn’t have had the capacity to write about it. Thank you. I wish the best to you and your family in the new year.
I know it doesn’t seem like it now, however, this will be one of those Christmas’ that you will always remember. Plus the grandkids will want to here the story of the Great Christmas disaster that turned out great. Glad you all had an amazing family Christmas.
A trick I learned about traveling with cats is to put a towel mostly over the carrier. They will feel safer in their cave and still have a peek of light and air. Momma won’t ave as many scars, either.
On Christmas eve our water heater burst and a square of drywall and insulation above our fridge fell and smacked me in the face on the way down, my phone update had a bug in it and everything needed to be erased with a hard reset for it to work again, the tire on my car popped, and a family member had to go to the ER for what turned out to be a UTI. I wanted to cry. Everything except the ceiling in the kitchen is now fixed, so compared to your troubles, I call it a win. On the bright side, you should manage to get your desks on sale for the after holiday specials!
Oh Carol! Now speechless. You got through it – they make em tough in your neck of the woods.
Gee! This is rough. I hate when the holidays turn eventful like this. But you survived! Hopefully, it will be smooth sailing for a while.
I’m glad that you got to spend Christmas with family and it (mostly) went Ok. Good luck with the unpacking.
Take a week and breathe. I’m as eager as anyone to read what you write but I want you guys to keep going for years and years. Stress is bad. Relax and rejuvenate. Spas are good.
Holy ….Christmas?
I’m so sorry you were stressed and crazed.
I am so motherfucking impressed that you pushed through and had a big Christmas tree and dinner anyway. That’s amazing. That’s the stuff right there. I hope you’re proud of yourselves, you should be.
Uhhh, barely reading the post made me feel tired. I can’t imagine living through it. Strenght and humor to survive your trials and all the best
And this is why I am never moving. When I die, it’s going to be a big Viking funeral! Just light a match.
Wow! This will be a Christmas story told for generations of your family
Happy 2018 and a beautiful birthday.
Holy cheeseballs! Phew. I got tired just reading that. Happy Birthday and New year cheer to all of you.
So. A typical weekend in your lives? ? I am so happy for you that everything worked/is working out for the good. The truly important thing is that you were al together and still speaking to each other. Happy birthday in advance. I will follow you 5 days later (but many years earlier),
We started Remodeled of my husband’s families farmhouse in 2016 into 2017. NEVER AGAIN. I will never move, Remodel, or even vacation again. I am becoming a hermit, living in a cave.
You are by far stronger than me. As by our second flooring installer I was so over it all.
We’ve moved internationally four times and never had that level of stress. Some stuff always goes wrong for sure but that much and that bad? Nope. Nightmare! Well done on keeping cool.
I really hate moving. Sorry you guys had a frantic move. I am getting ready to freak out during my move in about 5 months. Hubby just got back from a TDY and was hoping to get started, but they told him come back after the New Year, so more waiting. I honestly don’t care about the packing, I just really need to be sure we can get our dog a flight with us. Can’t send her to relatives because no one wants to keep her until we get there. It’s been giving nightmares.
My hubby also does the cold stare. Last time I saw it was when immigration had us fly to Guam from Okinawa only to tell us I couldn’t do my citizenship test because no one mailed my paperwork from New Jersey. I had to ask him to leave while we figured out what needed to be done. That was a long week of everything going horribly wrong.
Sending guys and good vibes for the rest of the year. And hope you guys have a Happy New Year!!
Ah moving — several days of craziness followed by it all coming together. Sounds hectic and stressful but it worked out in the end. I’ve moved I’ve moved 23 times – I can empathize 🙂
When I moved from Vancouver to NYC my company put me up for a month in a furnished studio apartment. My 2 cats were confused. I was there, their beds were there but it wasn’t home. Then I finally moved into my actual apartment and the movers came with the furniture – as soon as the couch and chair and throw blanket came out they were content – all the stuff with the familiar scents were out.
Glad Christmas worked out. May you have much happiness in your new home.
Thank you for letting us in on the holiday drama. I am so sorry you had it, but amazed at how well you told it. It’s probably true that you would make a shopping list fascinating.
Happy birthday / new year! May you have left all the stress in 2017.
Face it – now you have to decide what to do with all that lobster. Poor dear.
Don’t sweat the Innkeeper. The BDH will give you all the time in the world to calm down and get in the mood to write. It is always better to have it done right than done fast.
(Looking forward to a new house, NOT looking forward to the move…)
That was an epic read, and I half expected someone with alien or shapeshifting powers to walk through your scene of craziness. Congratulations on your new home, on surviving the move, and still having a wonderful Christmas.
Happy New Year!
I sympathize with you. My husband used to work for Saks Fifth Avenue and we’ve moved with the company a total of six times!!! However, I was exhausted for you and your family’s move. I’m glad in the end it all worked out for all. Have a wonderful and prosperous New Year and enjoy your new home. ???
O_O
Wow! I need a Xanax just reading about your holiday. Hope your birthday is drama free.
Glad it all turned out well in the end! Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday and Happy New Year! God Bless us everyone!
Aw, hugs to you and yours. That reminds me of the year we moved on the 23, cleaned the old place on the 24th and drove to my Mom’s on Christmas Day in a storm with tornados both in front of and behind us. Someday, believe it or not, you will look back on this with a smile.
“Humor is emotional consternation remembered in tranquility” Author unknown – read on a wall in a NZ hostel circa 1991
Lessons learned from Ilona and Gordon’s move:
1. Sell, gift and throw everything away before the move. May not be cheaper, but definitely less stressful.
2. Have just 1 kid. Fewer gifts to lose/give and throw away when kid moves away.
3. No matter what the movers/contractors/previous owner say, it WILL go wrong. Somehow. Somemway.
4. Do NOT move near a holiday. Preferably move to Canada, since all they have is Boxing Day and that has to do with moving anyhow. I’m pretty sure about this.
5. Ilona pretty much destroys this writing thing, neh? I’m riveted just reading about Costco trips.
6. If you do have 2 kids, make sure that they love each other. Otherwise, you may end up with just one after the move anyhow. So #2 is the satisfied, but you’ll probably need to hide a body.
7. You guys are awesome. Hang in there! Also, snippets of Kate could have been used as bribes and as others said before, you would have moved to a fully functional and finished house on the 18th. Of 2016. Because we do so know how to time travel.
Also, it’s Ilona’s birthday in 4 days. ?
Who says I’m not observant?
I realize now why your books are so awesome
Moving sucks. I’ve moved 8 times. Something always gets lost. Something always breaks. It usually costs a fortune.
Your Christmas was way better than ours. Our aunt passed away, both of my sisters marriages ended on Christmas Eve, and my sister-in-law woke up in agony due to kidney stones. I spend it alone as usual because I have severe chemical sensitivities and fragrance, cleaning products, etc make me sick. Ah, well:)
Can’t even imagine having to face all of that — and at this time of year — and you STILL hope to post the next Innkeeper installment for us. You ARE the authorLORDS!!!!!!
As you are well aware, this will all be worth it in the end. Congratulations on (finally!!) getting into your new house!! To many happy years spent in your new home!!!
I live in Canada, in 2010 I moved in January. Nuff said.
I’ll never ever move in December, and moving in the winter sucks.
Omg!! Merry Christmas ! Happy New Years! Happy Birthday!!! I don’t think I ever want to meet Sgt Gordon. Glad you guys made it!!
Holy smokes! I would have had a nervous breakdown. You did good. Happy New Year and Happy birthday.
Every year my family has christmas on boxing day. Every year my husband and I transport ourselves, our dog and our presents for everyone across the one and a half hour drive to my parents. This year there were 15 of us all together.
One of my brother-in-laws has had a pretty crummy year so far. He is currently going through bouts of chemotherapy for leukemia and had to have a temporary feeding stent installed – as a result of course this meant he couldn’t eat any of the christmas dinner or any treats or even have a glass of wine. So all the poor guy had to look forwards to was our traditional gift giving after the meal.
Guess whose present I forgot. I asked him weeks ago what he wanted – it was the first christmas present we bought and I left it at home on the dining room table. I apologised profusely and sent it by mail as soon as we got home but it’s not the same. 🙁
Congrats on finally getting your christmas tree and surviving all of the madness. I’m glad that all the pets are settling in and that it all worked out for everyone in the end.
A Christmas to Remember. Okay, I’m exhausted.
Yeah, really. I need a drink after reading that. Now I’m bummed i left the last jar of aged eggnog at my brother’s house.
Rats, I was going to say that, exhausted. My Christmas dinner basically blew up but it was NOTHING compared to that. Wow, you survived all that. So impressed. And talked about new Innkeeper!!? I would take to my bed, with a bottle, and chocolate.
Breathe. Please breathe. Deep, cleansing breaths. (Calm, blue ocean)
Your upbeat, positive attitude made that a Christmas to cherish…..and one that won’t be forgotten.
EVER.
Oh. Wow. That… that’s a lot. I hope you get to breathe now. All the breaths.
You’ll remember the miracle of finding the lost presents and the the wonderful dinner next year.
It was truly a saga. A Christmas story that will be remembered for ever in your family. Merry Christmas Gordon and Ilona.
I hate moving.
You were together and you have created a memory you will never forget. It wasn’t a normal Christmas, but you were blessed with new space to us to create you magic. God bless you all, breathe, have a cup of tea, knit, celebrate. You moved. You’re in your new space.
I simply hate that you had to suffer through all the bad, but reading your account made me laugh out loud. A rare thing these days. I’m happy all the gifts were found, that the dinner turned out, and the animals are settling. I have no doubt more ‘new house’ adventures will happen. Also no doubt, that you will share them in the same “Ilona style.’ I hope you get your recliner.
PS: I’m quite relieved I’ve never met Sgt. Gordon.
Oh, wow! Stressful, but I’m glad that Christmas wasn’t ruined in the end! Hope you love living in the new house!
In the end, all was well. I love good endings. As for the catching up and books and so on, anticipation is good.
Happy new home.
You have a Christmas tree, a happy family, and memories both good and better of the holiday.
BTW, you aren’t alone in the birthday near the holidays. There are four birthdays within 25 days of Christmas in my family. In order they are my second sister (this Saturday), my oldest sister (this coming Wednesday), my g-niece (next Friday, not tomorrow), and me (mid January). My ex-brother-in-law is also in early January after his granddaughter but we have very little contact with him. My grandfather decided to share his June birthday with my sisters, a tradition that my second sister continues with her granddaughter.
Your own version of “A Christmas Story”. You just need one of the dogs to get his tongue stuck to a pole.
Hugs that it gets better. Make New Year’s your perfect holiday this year. You’ll be in my thoughts. And happy early birthday!
O…my….gods…you guys have had All The Crap thrown at you!!! Looking forward to Innkeeper in January-give yourselves a break. I am also thankful to never have met Sgt Gordon
WOW. You deserve a vacation after that. More than.
I am happy that Christmas was good, and that the present was under the tree. It’s amazing how stress influences memory!
Here’s one of my favorite jokes about memory. I’m only 42, but I know this is going to be soon!
——
Two elderly women were out driving in a large car-both could barely see over the dashboard. As they were cruising along they came to an intersection. The stoplight was red but they just went on through. The woman in the passenger seat thought to herself “I must be losing it, I could have sworn we just went through a red light.”
After a few more minutes they came to another intersection and the light was red again and again they went right though. This time the woman in the passenger seat was almost sure that the light had been red but was really concerned that she was losing it. She was getting nervous and decided to pay very close attention to the road and the next intersection to see what was going on.
At the next intersection, sure enough, the light was definitely red and they went right through and she turned to the other woman and said, “Mildred! Did you know we just ran through three red lights in a row! You could have killed us!”
Mildred turned to her and said, “Oh, am I driving?”
——–
My best wishes to you and your family for good health, lots of laughter and peace in your new home and in the new year.
((HUGS))
Best,
Layla
Hahahaha!
Oh honeys. So been there. Still in the middle of remodeling with ten foot x eight hole in dry wall, no faucet in kitchen sink water goes straight up and no cook top. Here in California all skilled works have left to make giant bucks in fire destroyed counties. We have severe shortages on all parts and leftover low skilled workers. I anticipate at least another year in chaos. We adapt.
Dear Merciful Heaven. With all this going on you furnished us with a snippet? Are you mad? Kind, thoughtful, all that, but positively barking! In spite of it all your kids came through like champs and the presents did get presented. It’s amazing what stress does to memory. But boy, this was one never to be forgotten or repeated Christmas. Happy New Year. Happy birthday. May 2018 make up for 2017.
Words fail me. I’m so glad everything worked out at the 59th minute of the last hour. Whew!!!
It still sounds like a wonderful holiday since it wasn’t boring or humdrum (even though stress was dialed to max). You’ll always remember it and the pain will dull over time. ?
p.s. Hopefully Sgt Gordon was able to cancel the reorders. Sounds like he and Curran would be good friends.
btb the tree looks nice–good job Kid 2. And early happy birthday wishes and hugs, Ilona!!
OMG, a story to remember and my birthday is on the first too. Happy Birthday ? and congrats on still having a bit of sanity left. Moves never go smoothly ?
Oh wow, sounds like you guys has an exhausting holiday season! Glad everything worked out eventually. I hope things will go smoothly going forward. Happy Holidays!?✨
Whew!!!
Have a blessed year ahead!
Oh my! Hope the rest of your holiday passes peacefully!
Happy early birthday, Ilona. All I can say is wow. At least the weather was decent for the crazy move.
Why does Sgt Gordon reminds me of Major Connor Rogan?
Happy New Year and stay warm!
Sounds like a hot mess. Good job surviving all that! Now take a minute and breath. BTW, your kids are fantastic. I love the way your family pulled together.
Wow. One h*ll of a holiday!
Your tree is beautiful and it sounds like you pulled everything important off. Yay, you guys! You’d totally win an adulting ribbon if life was fair and we got those.
I hope everything simmers down for a while.
If there is no Innkeeper it will be Ok, moving and arranging your stuff is difficult and trying to do it during the holidays… oy vey. I hope that you can rest and enjoy the rest of the year.
Don’t worry about us, you guys get some rest and settle in. I have moved several times and it really sucks. Worse during the holidays. All the best to you and Merry Christmas!
Holy Crap!!! What a holiday! But, you made it and the kids are happy. Remembering many moves, including my first one after living in the same house for the first 13 years of life, which was just before Christmas, I can empathize.
I must say I was sad that you kept Sgt. Gordon on the hook. I was looking forward to seeing what that would be like. I think many contractors would benefit from a dose of what was coming.
Well, whenever the next installment of whatever it will be arrives, I’ll happily read it. If I were in your ‘hood. I’d drop a loaf of bread and some salt on your porch, as well as some wine. Hoping the rest of the uncrating and setup goes smoothly.
Christmas moves are the WORST! I did one a few years ago, and with an infant no less. We had to wait 3 days for our stuff because it was a 2-day move and the movers were off for the holidays. The. Worst. But you made it! And Christmas wasn’t ruined. 🙂
Merry Christmas? I don’t know how you did it but… am so glad things came together. *HUGS*
Have a Happy New Year, filled with all the good things.
Wow….like wow. Congratulations for NOT completely losing it, and still managing to appreciate the day, the new house, and the opportunity to be with your loved ones.
This Christmas tale will age beautifully.? Welcome home and Happy Birthday New Year!???
Wow, you can TOTALLY use a lot of this in your upcoming stories. Loads of problems, solutions, more problems, MORE solutions, eventually happy ending where love and family triumph! Happy holidays folks! Congrats on surviving the move!
WHOA. So much happened, so much! In your shoes, I’d have hid in the broom closet and sobbed into raw cookie dough. And then ate it.
I hope the rest of your holiday and birthday celebrations are snafu-free.
Happy New Year! I hope it turns out more relaxing!
OK I am exhausted after reading that. Especially the searching endless boxes for stuff.
We moved 6 years ago on Dec 21st. We were supposed to have moved in 3 weeks before that!
We had 11 family members who flew in from around the world to celebrate Christmas with us. The ones who came early were put to work helping with the move 🙂
Thankfully my sister and I had completed unpacking the entire kitchen while the flooring was being done in the rest of the house. In the middle of that we made about four trips to the airport in three days. We also still had to scramble to get a tree, decorate, wrap presents (there were 7 kids ranging from 1 through 19) etc.. Present were ordered from Amazon as I didn’t have time to get to a store. The two teenagers got gift cards. The other kids were 11 and under so they needed actual presents, stockings had to be stuffed etc… We had kids sleeping on the floor on sleeping bags, adults on mattresses in rooms where the beds hadn’t been bought/setup.
It still wasn’t half as exciting Ilona’s move. It was a really fun Christmas though! 🙂
http://gph.is/1eR4bI3 ? — But in all seriousness, I’ve had a list half that long and a lot less go sideways on me in the holiday season… I can only imagine the amount of advil and escapism you need right now. You probably have -zero- free time, but if you want a quick and easy read to settle your disposition in the chaos this might do the trick:
https://smile.amazon.com/Cupcakes-Trinkets-Other-Deadly-Dowser-ebook/dp/B00DH5WVV6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1514530628&sr=8-1&keywords=cupcake+and+book+magic
Hope it helps, or at least things get easier for you soon!
Enjoyed this book. Keep wanting to try and make some of these cupcakes ?
Holy cow, that one will never be forgotten. But you triumphed, Christmas was lovely, and Happy Birthday and New Year too! Welcome to Hays County. (PS — The best HEB is about 20 minutes north in Kyle. The crowds are rough but the people there are lovely.)
I’m tired just by reading about your week! I did wonder on Christmas if you had gotten your tree. I didn’t, for the second year, and with no valid excuse. I did, however, set up an Xbox, so I have a feeling of accomplishment.
Here’s to smooth sailing in the new year!
Wait, you knew you were going to be in the house a few days at most by Christmas and you decided to HOST a big dinner? That’s decision making from a completely different universe to mine. I avoid hosting like the plague and if I knew I were moving just before a holiday, I would either plan a super-small dinner or find someone to host us. You have super high standards for yourselves and met them, even if it was exhausting. Wow.
Just so you know…you have wonderful kids…and your tale is one that would bring tears to 0’Henry’s eyes. Have a wonderful new year!
WOW! What a move! Fortunately all (almost) is solved.
I did laugh a lot about all the things your pets did ahah…
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 🙂
I’m so glad that Christmas ended up surviving. I blame Mercury for retrograding at the worst time this year.
Kid 1 is a gem, truly. I know adults who would’ve thrown a fit and a half.
Now you’re moved (yay!) the animals have calmed (thank goodness) and it can only get better from there. Best of wishes and luck for 2018!
whew, that was really intense. Almost bit the rest of my nails from anxiety while reading it. But I must confess, that I really liked Sgt. Gordon. Any chance of having more of him? LOL.
Glad you survived the move and saved Christmas. Take time for yourselves. The BDH will understand. Have a great New Year.
I haven’t read all the comments but is no-one else surprised about moving toilets? Do you really take them with you when you move in the US?
I was surprised at moving toilets. Were they super special ones? I had culture shock moving between Australia and the UK. In Australia when we sell a house, it includes curtains and curtain rails, light fittings, light bulbs, oven. Here in the UK, all of those can be taken with you when you move. You basically have to leave one functioning light bulb on each landing, and that’s what many people do.
Usually in the US we don’t move them. I would bet they were getting new ones and they arrived broken. Usually here most people take anything not permanently attached. Sometimes buyers can negotiate for items. When my sister in law sold her house the buyers really liked their dinning set and asked if it could be included in the sale. She wanted something new so she said yes.
We have toilets, bit they are 20 years old. They work, but cosmetically they are not the best, and cleaning them doesn’t really help that much. We tried.
Reading all of this is just as much fun as reading innkeeper, so no worries about that.
I truly hope everything will settle down in the next month or so.
For when it does not I foresee another period of exhaustion and sickness coming for you all..
Nobody wants that to happen!!!!
Enjoy the christmastree for a long time and have a good start in 2018.
Oh, and let sgt. Husband deal with problems for now….
Aw, you two. I’m sure all that brought you closer together. LOL. 😀
That was quite a stressful christmas. But you were all together and are now finally in your dreamhouse.
We also had a very strange christmas this year. Our 15 months old son had surgery in emergency the night of the 23-24th. He did recover very quickly but we couldn’t leave the hospital before the 25th. Santa had to come to the hospital to deliver some of the gifts for our bigger girl… that was quite stressful this year!
But we are all here now, at home and our son is better, so everything is allright!
And then you published the first part of the first chapter… even better!
So you see, even on the other side of the ocean there are people waiting for your posts and waiting for your books (we live in France, very close to Switzerland). Please don’t ever stop writing ;o)
Have a nice holidays,
Best, Delphine
I am glad everything has worked out. ::hugs::
What an epic Christmas story. You guys will never forget this one. Your kids will never forget it. We may never move again. God Bless!
Man I think I would have lost my freaking mind! That had to be hell on Earth! Lol. End of the day everything worked out and that’s the main thing. I hope everything goes smoothly with finishing it all for you guys. ?
Dear Lord! You lived through it and your Kids are wonderful! Wish you could take a break!
OMG! In a year or two, maybe five, it will be a family legend of “get ‘er done” and you can take pride in it and be thrilled you powered through it with everyone cooperating and no screaming fits. I don’t have a sergeant but I do have a Chief Petty Officer. He made an appearance during the broken water pipe issue, I was impressed and he certainly made an impression on the gentleman he was talking to! If people would just do their Jobs properly and efficiently so much stress would just go away and everyone’s life would be so much better. Some days my eyes cross due to the total lack of common sense in people. My son moved right before Thanksgiving and offered to fly me up for Christmas. I told him thank you but I would wait until spring when they had time to settle in and get organized. My DIL does not deal well with stress and there were several house issues to be dealt with, better to visit when things have time to settle down. Anyway, take time to breathe as you work your way through boxes and organizing your new home. We will get the next chapter and be thrilled whenever it arrives. Happy Birthday to you, enjoy it whatever you do!
Oh Joy!! What a wonderful thing to look forward to MOVING!!!
May everything work out and well, as quickly as possible.
HAPPY NEW YEAR’S BIRTHDAY!!
Very funny moving saga. I’m sure many years from now it will be one of your memorable Christmas memories. 🙂
Yep. I have a retired State Police Lieutenant. Scary pale blue eyes, very quiet voice, and remorseless logic. Kids 1 & 2 are adulting just fine. Enjoy your birthday. Your move will become a funny story, I promise.
WOW! But *you did it*! And you threw a wonderful dinner and you were all together. You will have a good laugh when you celebrate Christmas next year.
You all made it! This is classic all is well that ends well. Thanks for thinking of us and The Story but Just sit and Breathe. We can wait a bit. CONGRATULATIONS!!
WooHoo ? you made it! What a story! Enjoy making the new house your home.
What was it that Roman said after the bridge battle? “All is well”!
Holy cow this is just so overwhelming sounding!! But so glad you were all able to spend the holiday together, in the end everything seemed to come together! You guys are so brave moving right before a major holiday!! Congrats on the new house and good luck with the unpacking and organizing!
Oh my word, what a rollercoaster! So glad you got your tree and the presents worked out! I truly hope your birthday is fantastic – you deserve it!
Wow! What an ordeal! I’m glad everyone had a good Christmas despite the chaos.
Your kids sound awesome. Happy New Home, Happy New Year!
I kinda wish there was a”like” button on the comments, because so many of them say just what I was thinking.
Thank you for sharing this epic Christmas/New Year saga. This is one of the reasons I love your stories. Emotion, craziness, panic, and resolution. I’m so glad the kids got their wishes, and I loved hearing about Sgt. Gordon, but I don’t think you should have let the flooring guys get away with that!
I’m so glad you finally had a Merry Christmas ?Glad to know you’re at least in the new house even if you aren’t settled in yet.
Another note we apparently share a birthday if I read that right. So Happy New Year’s & Happy Birthday❣️❣️❣️❣️
This is a another testament to your writing skills (not that there was ever any doubt) – my heart was racing reading all of the ups and downs and all the stress you were facing! So glad everything worked out in the end and hope you settle into your new home soon! 🙂
Very Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all of you. It will soon be 2018, and you will be unpacked and in your new home, with a poignant and funny memory of your 2017 Christmas “almost” fiasco. Thank you for spending the time to share your story with us. Namaste.
I feel for you, this sounds like a lot of stress. But at the end you ate well and
everyone got their gifts. I hope next year will be happy and healthy for
everyone of you.
What an exhausting experience! You need a break. Treat yourself to a professional organizer to help unpack. Closets get organized so you can find everything in a second, small bathroom items and kitchen things like bottles and cans of cleaning products, get sorted and grouped with like things together and containerized to stay neat, functional, and easily accessed. You’ll be amazed at how much easier it will make your daily life (and the sheer volume of stuff you can get rid of, now that you see all the repeats sitting together).
Best of all, since your life is really All About US, Your Readers, is that you will have So Much More Time To Write. Wish the innkeeper really existed and could make a house call to make everything all better with a single wave of her magic broom.
Hope You all have a happy, healthy and stress-free new year.
Moving at Christmas was either epically brave or the most insane thing you’ve ever done. And I thought that I was mental for recarpeting the whole house two weeks before Christmas. I’m so glad that it all worked out for you! Get some rest, if you can, and have a happy New Year!
Oh my goodness! What an experience! I hope you don’t mind but I was reading your post to my kid 2 and we were laughing at the parts with your pets! We have pets too and could just imagine the drama! Bless your hearts and welcome home!
Wow, just wow. Oh, been there with the adjustable bed not working after being moved around too hard.
Hope you get to take a breth for your birthday. Happy New Year, Happy Birthday and Welcome Home.
Amazing, appalling, and suspenseful. Thank God I didn’t have to live through it. Good luck to you with the rest and have a Happy Birthday!
I always say, a successful move is one that does not include an emergency room visit. Congrats on your move.
Wowza! Merry Christmas! Thank you for the story and the reminder that, if everything goes smoothly, there is no [dramatic] story… 🙂
So your day job is spent dreaming up problems and then dreaming up the solutions to them. Does this problem-solving carry over to real-life problems too?
I know you write fiction, but you cannot make that stuff up. I’m glad it all worked out (mostly)! Happy birthday and new year!
Wishing your whole family a wonderful new year. It is a Christmas you will always remember and the most important part was that you were together. Things can only get better from here. We moved into our house and our first son was born that night, didn’t even get to sleep through the first night, came home from hospital and couldn’t find lots of things for months as our family had put things away. I still remember it so clearly 31 years later.
Man, your kids are awesome. And you guys are pretty terrific too. My first thought was, “the movers stole the Switch.” But you guys were obviously above that. Good people.
After this? You will never, ever stress about Christmas again….lol
Epic Christmas saga! Glad you had a good Christmas in the end with a very handsome tree.
WOW. God bless you ?.
I hope you and your family enjoy New Year’s day/your birthday before continuing to unpack, and easing back into your work schedule. Sorry about the moving experience. ;(
May the gods of Christmas Chaos bless you and keep you. Sounds like you nailed it. And thank you for the Innkeeper – best Christmas present.
Journeys concluded
every one accounted for AND OOOhh look
Happy, after all is done
Joy to know the parent trap works ( with glitches)
Joy to family and friends
Hope that all will continue to fall in place
God bless, God speed may you find what you need for this new year.
Sounds like it all worked out in the end but you could have done with the excitement. Just one caution point re GFI’s. Don’t have more than one on a circuit as they’ll trip each other and nothing works. Ask me how I know ;{ Have a Great New Years!
GFIs sound like a do-it-yourselfer gone amuck. I live in a home where none of the wall studs -NONE – are at the same distance from center. Molly bolts and I are really good friends. Don’t get me started on the shower plumbing whose pipes weren’t connected to the drain. Honestly, who’d expect to have to double check for that? Both we and our inspector missed it.
Sounds like a made for Hallmark Xmas movie! Cue the Xmas music! You did much better than us. We survived the Houston Flood but had to move everything to storage. Still we did pretty good, we went to Lubbys for Xmas dinner. Plus, I didn’t have to cook, Minus I didn’t cook.
Hoping you & yours have a Happy & joyous New Year!
Thanks for the new Innkeeper!
Congratulations on the move and it seemed to be reasonably successful. Your dinner sounded wonderful and I loved reading about Sgt. Gordon who sounded a lot like Nevada’s mom Sgt. Baylor. Have a fun birthday!!
If I promise great presents for everyone, including the furry kids, can I come to dinner next Christmas?
Oh heck, who am I kidding. I haven’t had a Christmas off in more than 30 years.
When you say post the Innkeeper, will that be an installment on blog or a novella on Amazon?
Joe
Installment, then novella.
Great! thanks
I’m tired just reading that!
I moved a lot as a kid. Sometimes every few months. My mom had six kids. We were level expert movers. I could pack an entire house and clean it plus load a truck of whatever I could lift by age 8.
My expert opinion: This was one TIGHT move.
Oh my God! Thankfully everything seems to be working out, but what an ordeal! Glad the kids got their gifts, and that the dinner went well – it sounded delicious. Here’s hoping 2018 will be a banner ( and more restful, less stressful) year!
This is why when asked if we’d be hosting Christmas this year I took a pass. Getting the house ready after the move with just the two of us and all the work needing to be done just wasn’t going to happen. The hectic-ness aside, sounds like you still had a lovely holiday 🙂
Omg. That is so epic. I’m so sorry.
And I’m a bad person for being glad to know that I’m not the only one that this crap happens to. That would totally happen to me. I’m so sorry tho that it happened to you.
Thank you for sharing, we’re glad you guys made it come together and wish you a Happy Birthday, Happy New Year and fantastic year ahead in your new home
Hugs and fist-bumps for awesome family teamwork. And an extra high-five for Kid 1 for maturity.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a contractor in possession of a deadline, must be in want of more time.” ?
So true I’ve yet to ever have one complete a task as anticipated. Something is always either delayed, priced diffrently (never less than quoted) or no longer available. lol
My sister in law had to have her contracter re-do her restroom floors three times! Once it was layed in the wrong pattern (diagnol instead of herringbone) & the second time they layed the correct pattern but with the wrong tile (ceramic white instead of the marble mosiac tile ) finally the third time they layed the correct material & pattern. This was three years ago & it was such a fuss i still compliment my sister in lar on her “Calacatta Cressa Herringbone Honed Marble Mosaic Tile in White” anytime i use the guest restroom while i visit.
Reminds me of the ups and downs of moving my Mom cross country, had movers not show up and had to scramble to find a new long distance moving company at the last minute. Glad everything worked out OK.
Mom wisdom wins again. My son and family moved right before Thanksgiving and told me they’d fly me up for Christmas. I told him I’d rather wait until Easter or spring when they’d be more organized and ready for company. I called this morning and they’re going to be working on the “company” bedroom, putting bed together and shelving for storage, so I asked him,”Are you happy I didn’t come for Christmas?” I got a very heartfelt and empathic “Yes!” from him, been giggling ever since.
Oof. I recommend low-flow accessibility toilets. If I could have gotten the kind that hang from the wall, I would’ve. My son’s rusty, nasty toilet drives me crazy, and we can’t find anything that will clean it. It’s gross enough that if it were mine, it would be replaced, but I refuse to buy my 37 year old a new toilet for his man-bathroom.
I HATE Spectrum. We moved in September and have had more problems with them than I can even list. We’ve just gotten our 3rd modem since we’ve moved because the other two have had problems, and our phone is often staticky.
Never had this problem before Spectrum.
Whew! Glad things worked out (mainly). Best wishes to all of you, and happy new year!
Wow, oh boy, I had to catch by breath several times….Amazing moving story, one of the best….Someday you sit around and laugh, laugh, laugh over all the set backs…
Glad you guys got to move in before christmas. Sgt gordon reminds me the difference between Rogan and Conor.
I was in tears of sympathy reading this having moved this year as well. I am so glad there is a happy ending but don’t envy you the work to settle in. The pain is real.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ILONA
I wish you the best health and the happiest year
I wish you all the best for your New Year and a very mellow and relaxed Happy Birthday.
Pls. May I say I think a spring break for would be a great idea.
The drama and stress of moving and remodeling! And the holidays. God bless you! Our cats got quite sick after our last move, the upper respiratory thing, probably brought on by the stress of being in a new place. It was mid July, though, and not Christmas, thank God. By the way, thanks for the description of your method of making stuffing in your pre-Thanksgiving post. I made my own version and it was amazing. My family asked for it again for Christmas.
I have done lots of moving in my life and hated it every time. You guys deserve some kind of prize for coming through a move at this hectic time of year with your sanity. I’m sorry for all your troubles and want you to know that you did an awesome job, especially given your circumstances.
And I hope you never have to move again.