We’re Moving: 2021 A Year of Life Changes

We’re moving.  The house that we called home for the last almost 17 years is going to get new owners later this month.  What a whirlwind it has been.  You think you’re ready for it and then bam.  Needless to say the last few weeks have been emotional and stressful.  When I looked up the topic there were so many articles about it which made me feel much less alone in this process.  Instead of downsizing, I am now thinking of this move as rightsizing.  This article talks about how to deal with all of these emotions and stress.

2021 is going to be full of things for the Fergusons

• Moving across country to a different climate
• Downsizing/Rightsizing
• Renting/Living in temporary quarters with lots of stuff in storage
• Buying/Renovating a Home
• Making new friends and connections

Why and  Where We’re Moving

For the last few years, we have talked about moving to a smaller city.  Somewhere that we can plan more things in our personal lives and not have to allow sooooo much extra time for traffic.  As we all know, Atlanta has some of the worst traffic and congestion in the nation.  When an opportunity came up for Mark in Scottsdale, AZ we decided to go for it.  Yes, we are moving to the dessert.  Instead of lush green spaces to manicure and look at we will look out to rocks and mountains.

What We Are Looking Forward To

One of the best things about moving to Scottsdale is that we are going to be living near family for the first time in our almost 30 years of marriage.  Both of our nieces and their spouses live there.  We even have a great niece who is almost two that we can’t wait to meet.  I am already planning to cook Easter dinner.  Don’t know that the table will be beautifully set or if we will be eating off of patio furniture, but we will have our first holiday out there with our niece Anna and her husband Chris.

What Beth is Looking Forward To Most

• Good hair days.  My straight, fine hair will finally stay curled all day long since there’s no humidity.
• Reuinting with my best friend from high school.  We haven’t seen one another for 20+ years.
• Many months of the year being able to be active outside versus always going to the gym to get my workout in.
• Being able to grill outside year round without freezing.  Watch for more grilling posts this year.  You can read about my favorite grilling dessert in this post.  I’m sure I will be coming with many more of these options.

What Mark is Looking Forward To Most

• No grass.  After having a huge yard for the last 17 years, he can’t wait to have landscapers tend to rocks for us.
• No pine pollen.  His seasonal allergies and sinus issues have been so much better since he has been out there for a few weeks.  Time will tell if he is allergic to cactus or something else out there.
• Smaller home with fewer things to upkeep and repair so there is more free time to enjoy other activities.

What Fluff and Wally and Looking Forward To

• No flea treatments.  Since there’s no grass it means no fleas.  Monthly flea treatment time is a struggle.
• Fluff said that we can no longer use the excuse that it’s too humid to leave the door open to the porch so he can saunter in and out.
• Wally is a sunbather so he can’t wait for all of the sunshine.  The only thing is that he will have to adjust to less nap time because of it.

Downsizing/Rightsizing – Choosing What to Take and What to Leave Behind

After 17 years, this has been a real challenge.  Some things I have not had to thing 2 seconds about donating, consigning, or even throwing away.  When you realize that you are going to have half the square footage you have been used to you really have to make some tough decisions.  The last few weeks have been full of these.  I am sure that we have packed many things that we will pay for storage and when we finally unbox them I will have to find a way for someone else to love them.  After we get settled I will write more about this experience and the process that I have been going thru because it is not an easy one.

I have had 2 things that have really helped me

• I order and have all of my boxes shipped to the house versus going to buy them at the store.  There are so many specialty items out there that you can buy to make this process so much easier and they are truly worth the money.  I will write about them after we get settled….promise.

• I hired someone to come in and help me pack.  This has truly been a godsend for me.  She keeps me on task, we are able to work in tandem so that it goes smoothly and I am able to write good descriptions on ALL of the boxes.  Cannot recommend www.care.com enough for helping me identify a person with good packing skills.

Now we all know that I can’t not recommend a couple of things that keep me looking good during this time.  There are three products that I have been using on repeat during this packing process.  Trust me your feet, arms and legs will thank you for having these things on hand when you begin the purging and packing process.  You will get bruises in strange places and your hands will be so dry from all of the packing paper.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read about this time in my life.  It’s something that so many of us face in our 50s and beyond.  It is not easy, but I know that in the end it is going to be a beautiful thing in oh so many ways.  Remember to always have a little SASs in your day.

Hugs,