We did it! (Aug 26-Sept 1)

Holy moly.

By noon on Sept 1, we had two houses reasonably ready for new tenants, all of our stuff was sold, shipped, or stored, and we were on a plane. But WOW was it a wild ride to get to that point.

The captions on the pictures below tell most of the story. But the pictures don’t include:

• The crazy Facebook marketplace sale we did on Sunday. We needed to sell our car, couch, mattress, and bikes, but wanted to use them until the last possible minute. I put those items up for sale at 8:30 am on Sunday, and did nothing but monitor texts and messages for the next two hours! Our rust bucket Jeep Cherokee was a particularly hot item – there was actually a bidding war for it, and we ended up getting $75 more than we asked for!
• Neither house met our high standards for being 100% clean and put together. The newly-remodeled house still had a few unfinished odds and ends – like, the curtains we purchased as closet doors didn’t get hung, the electrician needed to come back and finish a few small bits, and the bathroom mirror and towel racks didn’t get hung. And in our house, we didn’t have time to touch up the paint and I’m pretty sure we missed the upper kitchen cabinets in our cleaning frenzy (although I’m pleased to report that we did a good job with the most important places, e.g. toilet, tub, sinks, fridge, and stove!) . But we’re fortunate to have understanding new tenants (and the ability to reduce their rent a bit this month in appreciation for their flexibility).
• The AMAZING help of our friends is somewhat captured in the photos, but not to the degree that demonstrates the depth of our appreciation for them. Everyone who loaned tools and pickup trucks, helped with projects, took away our garbage and recycling, brought us dinners and snacks — THANK YOU!! This truly would not have been accomplished without your help.
• The lovely porch party we had on a beautiful Monday evening – it was so nice to see many of our Sitka friends, and have a little celebratory send-off.
• Impossible to capture in photos is the complex mix of feelings we have as we reach the end of this insane effort and transition into a new chapter and adventures unknown. Tears were shed as we said “see ya later” to our friends and houses and sweet community of Sitka, but there’s also so much excitement and anticipation for what lies ahead. Oh, and we’re deliriously exhausted, also.

After two days of travel – including a perfect evening in Seattle with some dear friends, followed by a less-than-perfect snafu with baggage storage at SEATAC – we arrived in Michigan on Thursday night. We’re spending Friday very slowly and quietly taking care of a few bits of business and settling into my sister’s house on the lake. This weekend we plan to help her harvest her massive crop of tomatoes, raspberries, and peppers, and preserve vast quantities of produce.

Thanks for following along with our crazy journey this month. We’ll keep you posted on new adventures as they develop. Hugs and love all around!