So, today is my first day since the end of the lease on my apartment. It's been a stressful, work-filled few days. My good friends Kris and Kristen along with the ginormous help of my mother were what made it all possible. I'm truly grateful for my mom especially. She has a fractured and sprained tail bone and drove an hour to come to my place Thursday because I was feeling overwhelmed and unsure where to begin. She called out for work Friday and stayed the whole weekend... through this morning, calling out from work again today. Her dedication and motivation was remarkable. I didn't feel like quitting, I just wanted to get it done, but she was wonderful in keeping me going. I "yelled" at her several times for doing too much... told her she needed to take brakes and drink water, manage her pain. She kept telling me she just couldn't leave me to have to deal with all of it by myself. Talk about the love of a mother, no? We made a great team. I admittedly grossly underestimated how much there was to do and how long it would take to accomplish all of it. But, it was overall a success and we were able to finish up grabbing the last of the things from my place early this morning before the leasing office opened to find that I wasn't quite finished with everything yesterday when I was supposed to be.
Kristen spent Saturday with me, moving the heavy furniture, with the exception of my bed, which my uncle bought and picked up on Sunday. Kristen and I anticipated that Saturday was going to be a quick morning project, moving some things, and maybe needing to make a couple trips from north end of Denver to the south end, but it turned out to be more than anticipated. I would have been lost without her help. She was home sick after staying Friday night at my house and then out all day Saturday, but she stuck it out like a trooper when she didn't have to. Also, truly grateful for her husband, Bobby, for getting the truck running and thinking to volunteer it for our Saturday adventure.
So, here's a shout out to my girls (and Bobby, of course). Thank you all so tremendously. I couldn't be more appreciative and grateful for your hard work and showing how much they care.
I cried a little after slipping my apartment keys in the drop box (while the maintenance man showed up for work, by the way). As my mother so aptly put it, I was closing a chapter of my life. I'm going to miss that apartment. Though it was only a year there, it was such a wonderful experience to be truly on my own for the first time, to make new memories, to start a new life for myself. I cried because I will miss the place, but there was another element to it. I had a thought pop into my head that I wanted to just go home. I was exhausted and probably a bit dilerious, and when I said aloud to myself, "I want to go home," I realized that I didn't have a home for the time being. I know I'll be making a home with my Charlie so soon, but for the next 10 days, I'm essentially homeless... couch surfing with friends and family. I've never felt this uprooted before in my life. A truly humbling experience, and more "humbling" to commence as I finish sorting and donating/giving away/selling whatever was left from the original attempts, pre-move. After I'd napped, (finally) and was actually seeing and thinking a bit clearer, I drove to Boulder to see my uncle play with his band for their first live performance and a grin grew on my face. I realized that the ending of the lease wasn't a loss of something, it means I'm free! I'm on my way to being with my love in South America and for that, I'm so unbelievable excited. I guess it all comes back to perspective, right?
Anywho... I'm "home" at my best friend's house while she and her family are in Disney World. For the interim, I can't imagine having a better temporary home than Rho's place. Afterall, she's my sister from another mister!
The cats have their immunizations and exams finished for their international health certificates, so we're another step closer to being ex-pats. What next? Advice for anyone who is thinking about an international move... PLAN AHEAD and keep plucking away at each little thing and give yourself plenty of time. It's a lot to take on, can be overwhelming at times, but small goals add up to the big prize!
Signing out to get some much needed sleep and snuggle time with the international kittens of mystery :D Night all!
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