Welcome to my summer of chaos! My husband and I took the children to a quaint town on the coast over Memorial Weekend, as we wanted to see if it would be a good place to live. We planned to move out of the Atlanta suburbs next summer, and this town popped up on Google as one of the top ten coastal places for a family.
We spent a lot of time riding around looking at neighborhoods and schools, and we happened to spot a house for sale by owner. That’s when we spontaneously called the owners, and they welcomed us (even our three children) into their home within an hour of our call.
Well, the rest is history! Within days we were under contract on a new home, and we were dealing with realtors and fixer-upper guys on our Atlanta home. We tirelessly decluttered and packed boxes to store in the garage until after the move. I then left for a week in Vegas for the World Tea Expo. (I now sell loose leaf teas as well!) We welcomed guests into our home WHILE it was on the market. (The house still stayed spotless with four adults, six kids, and two dogs.) Then we left for a ten day vacation to the Northeast, and now we’re back in Atlanta packing and getting ready for the big move. We have a buyer on our current home, so things are going smoothly. We just have a time crunch with the children starting school on August 4, and I still have to work in a visit to see my mother. She’s not happy with me for moving even farther away, and since this is something my husband and I planned ourselves instead of relocating with a job, I’m in even more trouble with her.
Our new home doesn’t have a basement, so we’re losing quite a bit of space. However, it’s still bigger than living on a sailboat, which we considered doing. (Seriously, I was ready to dump everything to hop on a boat!) The stuff I’ve collected throughout my lifetime is starting to mean less to me, and I’m ready to let things go. Now that I use essential oils and don’t believe in candles, all of my sconces and candle holders aren’t needed. All those pretty fake floral arrangements–they’re just dust collectors! I’m ready to fill my home with real herbs and useful living plants. The same goes for large, beautiful rugs. They collect dust and dirt. I don’t have time for all that! Let’s just keep it simple.
The Salvation Army is a great place. You just throw everything into boxes and drop them off at their place. I’m ready to let go of everything we don’t use. No more boxes of junk. I’m actually going through the house loudly singing (the kids say annoyingly), “Let it go! Let it go! Throw it in a box and let it go.” It’s amazing how freeing it is to just let things go.
What about my writing? I know my readers are asking that question. The whole reason behind this move is for a quieter lifestyle. Things have been going way too fast these past two years, and it’s been hard for me to get long hours at my desk. This move should give me a lot more time for my writing and tea passions. So definitely stay tuned, and please be patient with me. I’m fixing the problems–in a drastic move–and my writing should be back on track!
