Monday, April 26, 2010

Lofty Peaks

After months, and weeks, and days, and many, many hours preparing, planning and working, I reached the summit of my own personal Mount Everest. I crossed the finish line of that long grueling marathon to the top of the world. Well, at least that is what it felt like to me.

I seriously should be really tired tonight after my long trek, and yet I can't sleep. Rich is far away in New Jersey and I think I'm still running on a bit of adrenaline and a tiny bit of caffeine. I guess that is what happens when you go and go and go. Sometimes it can be hard to just stop and remember that it really is over. At least for now.

Today, I finally put my home up for sale.

It was a long time coming, and yet we were so indecisive about the move and change, that it kind of snuck up on me too.

Rich's life is currently consumed with preparing for his oral board exam on May 26. This is his 8,000 meter peak he must climb.

My path to the top of the mountain was taken mainly alone, in small, relatively painless steps over the course of a few months. I started by slowly decluttering closets, weeding through old clothes, cleaning carpets and organizing shelves.

But my two main hurdles were: our closet and the storage room. Both were, well, unspeakably horrible. These were my two reasons for dreading selling the house. Both required me to acclimatize for a few days, creating a mess that lasted longer than I care to admit, so I could finally tackle all the loose ends and see it through to the end.

It wasn't like I physically couldn't get it done. It was finding the time to get it done. Every day was filled with appointments, school lunch dates, baseball and soccer games or scouts. My free time is really never my own. And then there was a baby. Who now crawls and can pull himself up to things and hardly sleeps during the day. I thought I was doomed.

Then Kristi called last week and reminded me of the soon ending buyer tax credit. My mom gave me words of encouragement. A friend told me about her great Realtors (husband/wife team). Rich gave me EIGHT HOURS on Saturday night (7 PM- 3 AM) lugging boxes and decorations and toys from the storage room, boxing them up and stacking them up neatly in the garage.

Early Sunday morning, I knew I was finally going to see the view from the top. I just had to make that final push to realize my dream- getting the house listed.

I know this all sounds a bit dramatic. But it's been a LONG few weeks. Intense. Tiring. Stressful. There were moments when I would turn to Rich and tell him there was no way I could get it all done.

But together, we did it. Only with his help could I complete this journey of getting the house together.

Thanks Rich. I should have realized along time ago I needed a climbing partner. You were exactly what I needed.
Family roomMaster bedroomMaster bedroom closet (I always thought this would make a perfect little playhouse for the girls)Boys room Girls room (yes, my four year old girls are still in the cribs. I never bought twin beds, since they will be sleeping in the queen bed that is currently downstairs when me move to Cincinnati).Laundry roomBasement family roomBasement storage roomStorage unit, oh wait, I mean our garage.
Whew!

I hope I don't have to make too many more box runs to Liquor N' Party Superstore in the coming weeks. They know me there, and yet, I'm not an actual purchasing customer!

I hope we can find a buyer soon so I don't have to keep it perfectly spotless for an extended period of time and hang out often driving around in the car during a showing.

But my main motivation to sell is so we can move forward in finding a rental house in Cincy.

And we will be one step closer to DONE!

Crazy how fast our FOUR YEARS here went.

I have no words to adequately express how much I love and will miss beautiful Lexington and the gorgeous, lovely state of Kentucky (even though I'll still be next to it, just over the Ohio River). It makes me sad even now.

I'll be saying goodbye to My Old Kentucky Home, but part of me will never really leave.

1 comment:

Marcie said...

Good luck!

Only you will be able to do this with double the kids that I have.....I can't even imagine.

This post reminds me I need to post the pictures I took of our house. I've taken room by room photos of every place Jim and I have lived. It is so fun to look back and remember.

I'm thinking of you......every day, actually, as I vacuum my way out of the house :)