Readying For a Move (not ours)

Synopsis of Our El Dorado Hills Visit

~November 12th thru November 30th, 2022~

Days 881 to 899

It’s sad to know that it will be a while before we’re back in Napa being that it’s finally the year to get serious about our house hunting. Lots of changes brewing in 2023. So stay tuned. However, as long as Shane and our friends are there, we’ll always have a reason to come back. Thank you Skyline Park for being our haven for a few weeks. It was so nice to be in one spot for a good chunk of time which allowed us to take care of many to do’s….meetings, appointments, fix-it items, etc. seeing friends (though not enough on that one). Now on to El Dorado Hills to store Billie Jean (the trailer) for the next 9 weeks while we help my mom get ready for her big move to Oregon.

Our main purpose of being in California was to help get the ball rolling for my mom in terms of sifting through years and years of family heirlooms and the stuff that we all tend to accumulate year after year. I suppose it’s a way of letting go of the past and looking forward to the future, hopefully with optimism. My mom has definitely had her share of moving over the years, so you might want to call her an expert. But at this time in her life, we thought it best to help out as much as possible. Did you know that moving is one of the top 5 most stressful life events, not to mention that the process always takes longer than one would anticipate. My sister and I had strategized early on, who would take care of what and decided that I would work on mom’s exit and Tracy would work on the entrance. It’s working out perfectly, so far.

We hoped that by making ourselves available to help as much as possible before the Spring, that my mom would seize the opportunity to sift through every item, including the garage, items big and small, to see if it was worth transporting to Oregon. Now was the time to simplify, and not unnecessarily haul a bunch of stuff that wasn’t being used, especially out of state.

And who wants to pay unwanted storage costs, just because it doesn’t fit in your new space? Generally speaking, my philosophy for everything was how you look at a closet full of clothes; if it hasn’t been used in a year, say goodbye!!

Everyday required anywhere between 10 and 12 hour days to ensure we’d get everything done before Jeff and I had to hit the road again. And I’m so proud of my mom, for being willing to say goodbye to so many things. Trust me, it wasn’t always easy and there were times we didn’t see eye to eye. But in the end, I’m so proud of what we achieved to get her to her next chapter. We accomplished so much…..getting things ready for auction, donating and selling things, packing what wasn’t an immediate need and thinning out furniture that might clutter the house for staging. It’s certainly my thing and I was so happy to help. Kudos to my hubby Jeff for all he did as well. From yard work to repairing things, he rocked! And somewhere in there, we managed to celebrate Thanksgiving at the Hansen’s (in-laws of my sister’s) in Fair Oaks. Thank you Marcy and Terry for a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration.

And I was able to finally finish my stitching project that I’ve been telling you all about…….2-½ years in the making and one of the most difficult stitching projects I've done. Here it is...