Week 122: Moving, Week 3
Acknowleding the incredible support of family and friends…
Each Sunday, my wife and I cook and eat a meal together — intentionally. Every Friday, I’ll be sharing our experience here in this space. I want to see the growth that will come in our marriage because of this. I hope you enjoy our story. You can find last week’s post here.
The painting was done. Great. It was such a big project, one that you’d assume would bring feelings of accomplishment once completed. But the thing I found out about a move is that there are many “big” projects.
We still needed flooring.
We still needed internet.
We still needed to physically move our belongings from our apartment to our new home.
We still needed to clean our apartment.
We still needed to setup our utilities and gas and such.
And on and on and on…
It was enough to make our heads spin. But we soon realized that there was something else happening too. It wasn’t all stress and chaos. This was an opportunity to cherish our family and friends, because we have some absolutely incredible people around us.
Little by Little
After the flooring debacle from the week before, we were a little bit hesitant about how things would turn out. Finally, the installers came to put in our carpet, and — to our surprise — everything went off without a hitch. Now that we actually had flooring in part of the house, it was starting to feel more like our home.
Even after this, it still felt like we had a mountain of tasks left to do. It was another reminder for me of something I’ve had to learn often in my adult years.
Life isn’t going to slow down for you.
That’s simply a fact. There’s always going to be a ton of things to do. Sure, some seasons are busier than others, but we’re never going to feel like everything is taken care of. So, instead of focusing on the mountain, I’ve tried to put my focus on taking the best next step. Little by little. Moment by moment. I’m not perfect at it, but I’m doing my best. This moving process was a major test. I certainly felt tempted to explode amid all the tension and anxiety. But thanks to some incredible help, we did in fact get it all done.
Thankfulness
Time for me to gush about my mother-in-law. This entire week, she came down and stayed with us at our apartment to help us pack up boxes and clean the apartment. There’s simply no way we could have gotten everything done without her.
Thank you, Dale Susan Schoettle!
Then there’s my Dad. What can I say about him that I haven’t said already? He’s incredible. I love him so much, and he proved yet again why he’s such a fantastic Father. He and I moved all the furniture from our apartment to our house in the matter of a couple hours. We had some great father-son time along the say.
Thank you, David Charles!
We had so many friends wish us well and lend their hand in help. We’re thankful for each and every one of them. And we’re so thankful for you all who are reading this who have joined into this experience with us.
Thank you!
Our New Home
By the time Sunday, July 1 rolled around, we had moved out of our apartment and we were staying at our house. It all happened so quickly that there wasn’t much time for reflection — something that was hard for me. But I did have the chance to go back to our apartment one last time before we left. It was a little bittersweet — leaving this place that had been home for so long. So many memories. So much growth.
But then I came home, and I saw my wife. I saw the walls that I painted with some of the most important men in my life. I saw the flowers that my Mom helped us plant. I saw the foundation for new memories and continued growth.
A new home.
That’s when a big smile came to my face, and Sarah and I settled down on the couch to relish the fact that we had made it. We were here. It was all done. Now comes the living. And the learning. Oh, and the cooking!
Definitely the cooking!
