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We’ve officially been in our new home a week

It feels like we’ve been moving forever as there’s been a month between getting possession of the new home and handing over the keys of our old home. As a result the move has been less stressful from a time pressure perspective, but much more drawn out and complex from a logistical perspective.

This is also the first time that I’ve moved without trying to juggle a full-time job - I highly recommend it! I spent a few hours a day packing boxes and sorting through things - it was supposed to be the big declutter/purge, but ironically we found things packed away that we haven’t had out for some time and then I got excited thinking of the perfect spot for it in the new home - ok I’m terrible at downsizing!

We had a plan…..

When we made the decision to move and staggered the closing dates by a month, it was with the intention of having time and space to move more slowly and to get things set up rather than the chaos of doing it in a compressed timeframe. How did we do? Well I think that I got caught up in the packing mode and I ended up packing up most of the house before the possession date which meant that we moved more of our things earlier than planned. The plan was for the furniture and big stuff to be moved by movers 2 weeks after possession, so this part of the move ended up being much smaller scope than intended.

I think in the end this was a good thing and it enabled me to get a lot of things set up at the new house (e.g., kitchen, master bedroom etc.) before the furniture arrived and it also allowed us time to figure out where furniture should be placed.

One thing that I noticed was how easy it was for me to let my thoughts start racing and feelings of overwhelm quickly followed. We were both quite good at helping each other to reground by reminding ourselves that we have time - it’s amazing how quickly we can get ourselves into a time pressure place.

Speaking of overwhelm….

When we were looking at homes one of our key requirements was not to take on a big project……yeah ….. right…..sure……I should have seen this coming. Apart from painting there is no big project work in the main living area, but the lower level has turned into a huge project involving, HVAC, electricians, plumbers and flooring installers. It’s nice that it is concentrated in the one area, however there is the logistics of where does all of the lower level “stuff” go while the work is progressing. I just keep repeating to myself that it will be amazing when it’s all done and that we will be able to just live in the space and enjoy.

I cannot tell you how many times I had to reground myself when I thought of all the simultaneous work going on and trying to jockey possessions between two houses, do a final clean on the old house and set up our belongings in the new house. Kory and I are really good at dividing tasks and responsibilities (Kory is the most awesome project manager, so overseeing the contractors was his natural mode) and I am really good at organizing and setting up - so we really played to our strengths and worked together well.

We both also agreed that eating healthy was an important goal for this transition, so I took on the role of planning meals and taking the time required to prepare them for us. This is something that is new for me as I’ve always done moves from a “just power through” perspective and come out of the experience exhausted and feeling yucky from eating junk/fast food. I really appreciated being able to properly fuel our bodies and we both feel good coming out of this move.

Staging from the camper van

With there being several weeks until our furniture was moved we decided to bring our camper van to the new house so we’d have a place to sleep if we needed to stay overnight.

Things changed rapidly and it turned out to be advantageous for us to be able to have a home base at both locations.

This turned out to be a great idea for a number of reasons:

1. we had a comfy place to sleep at night in both houses, as well as a nice place to shower and eat during the days

2. Roxy is so used to camping in the camper van that it enabled us to get her used to the new house gradually while having a familiar space to return to in the evening - she did great!

3. we were able to be at whichever house we needed to be at for the day and we always had somewhere comfortable to sleep (I felt that sleep and healthy eating were really important for this move).

The first night after we took possession we had our first BBQ at the new house and it was like a real campout. Even the rain didn’t dampen our spirits.

I love the way Kory plans these amazing spontaneous, but fun activities and now when I think of this move I will definitely be identifying it with the fun of the first campout.

What we love

Being surrounded by nature and not being able to see any other houses when we look out our windows is a real treat. We wake up in the morning to the sight of deer grazing in our backyard and we occasionally see grouse scurrying along the edge of the forest. These are the things that remind us of why we made this move - being closer to nature and leaving the noise and bustle of the inner city behind.

While we enjoyed our old home it was very modern and open - this new home is very traditional and feels incredibly cozy. Our furniture, antiques, accessories and paintings really work well with the new space.

The view from my photography studio is also incredibly inspiring with peek a boo views of the mountains.

I really enjoy spending time in this space and other spaces within the house.

The morning and evening light makes spending time in the rooms so comfortable.

What we miss

We always knew that this move would be about compromises and that there would be things we’d miss about our current location. For example the proximity to grocery stores and coffee shops (within walking distance) and let’s not forget about Village Ice Cream shop! Although we cannot walk to these amenities anymore, we are just a 5 - 10 minute drive from similar locations and there is the adventure of exploring and finding new favourite stores nearby.

We are also moving further away from some of our friends which makes me sad, however I just need to be more intentional about maintaining connection and we are making plans for them to come visit and stay in our amazing guest suite - we will have to watch out as some may not want to leave!

Have you made a significant transition lately - either a new job, house, relationship or retirement? How has the transition been? Are there things that you would do differently or are there things that have worked really well - I’d love if you’d share in the comments below or drop me a note by clicking on “Connect with Me”.

I hope you’ll come back soon, share a cuppa, relax and enjoy more of my musings.