Ramble On

Today is moving day.  After a crazy week of packing, completing projects and figuring logistics, it’s time to load it all into a moving van and take it …. five blocks west – until about six months from now, when we up and do it again.

That means last night was our last spent on Harvard Street.  Sad.  And weird.  Everything has happened so fast that we feel like we haven’t had a chance to really digest it.  Nat is at work, and tonight she will come home to Ontario Place (after a much shorter commute!). Just like that.

The big news of the week struck last night, when, after a few whirlwind days of painting and cleaning, we finalized the lease agreement with our new tenants.  Despite our fears the search for renters to fill our apartment was utterly painless.  Within 48 hours of posting our Craigslist ad, we are done.  Just like that.  No open house, no meeting countless tenants.  Two days ago we met with two sets of prospective tenants over the course of 45 minutes.  Five minutes after the second visit we got the call: “we’ll take it!”

Sweet relief.

Showing off the apartment felt weird.  We’ve really poured our guts into fixing this place up, so walking through and pointing out special features and conveniences to the eye of the indifferent – check out the chalkboard back splash here, or that storage nook above the fridge, how about this big hallway closet, what about this awesome office-in-a-closet there, or this newly renovated bathroom – it all makes you feel really insecure.

But the ol’ gal showed well.  Her stainless steel bling was sparkling, her freshly sealed butcher block counter tops were truly intoxicating (no really – the fumes were brutal), and her bedrooms were so inviting, despite you knowing that she’s slept around over the years.

What are we talking about again?

We’ll miss it here.  No doubt.  Yesterday was injection day.  As I sat down on the couch, eager to reminisce about all the good times we’ve had here, Nat offered a merciful warning: “You just shot me full of a bunch of hormones this morning.  I don’t think we can talk about this right now.”

I have a tendency to ignore reasonable warnings.  Fortunately, last night, my better sense prevailed.  ”Looks like we’ll have good weather for the move tomorrow.  Thank goodness your brother is willing to help out – that is going to be a huge help!”

Tragedy avoided.

Aunt Q will watch Loren today (it’s fair to assume we might lose him amid all the moving today – and despite much brainstorming, I couldn’t figure out a way to use his car seat in the moving truck), so like the last two days I’ll get to continue to see how much I can accomplish without my attention divided between task-at-hand and raising a toddler.  So far the results have been amazing.  It makes me feel almost superhuman.  Doing one thing at a time is suddenly this amazing advantage.  Like the runner first released from the training parachute, everything just seems so easy when I only have to account for myself.

Wish us luck.  And may the parking angel be on our side.  I plan to parallel park the moving van today, mostly just to boost my city-driving street-cred (which is already teetering on epic).  And pray that our couch can somehow fit through the new apartment door (I have my doubts).  Otherwise, keep an eye out for our next Craigslist ad.