Alright so here we are at part 2 of us taking the plunge and actually getting down here. So the move was totally magical right?! The stars aligned and everything went according to plan and it was incredibly smooth and just overall a wonderful experience…RIGHT?! UMMMM NO!
It was a move, a big move with 2 kids and a dog and everything you own crammed into a pick up truck and a Budget truck that you should have gotten the bigger size of, so ya know a typical move! Just because we were moving to the most magical place on earth doesn’t mean the move itself was magical!
Best Laid Plans
First off, thinking we could be ready to roll the day after an extremely emotional last recital was really dumb! I was exhausted in pretty much every way you could possibly be exhausted! And even though I was super excited to get down here and start this next chapter, I was also sad and mourning the loss of something I had poured my whole self into for 14 years and had been my dream since I was a child, so there was that!
Literally EVERYTHING took twice as long as we had planned for it to take, nothing went as planned AT ALL! We thought we would be ready to leave so no need to keep the beds from being packed right? So we slept on the floor :/. We won’t need to cook or anything from the kitchen right so I can pack all that up in the truck where we have no access to it right? “Mommy I’m hungry!” And the best….IT’S NOT GOING TO ALL FIT!
Size Matters
We realized about 75% of the way into packing the truck that there was no chance we were getting it all in there! But we still had the pick up right? When I say all we were missing was grandma in a rocking chair on top of what we stacked in the back of that truck to complete the Beverly Hillbilly look, I am not exaggerating! BUT we only lost one thing! Our super nice and comfy mattress pad and cover ! WWWWAAAAAAAAA! It has since been replaced but that one hurt! Hahahaha!
So what has in the past taken us 9.5-10.5 hours to drive is now going to take us FOREVER! Over 12 hours between the speed restriction on the big truck, traffic, stopping to eat and get gas…..FOREVER!
Many Hands Make Light Work
We had friends that were going to meet us when we got there to help us unload into the garage so we could return the truck the next morning (remember we are 2 days late at this point because packing and loading took forever too). We thought we would arrive around 6-7pm…..we got there at around 10:30pm!!! Friends definitely couldn’t come help us, they had to work the next morning!! But here’s where it gets magical!
Our new neighbors, whom we had only met once and had been so sweet and were checking on us over the last couple days to see when we would arrive and how it was going came to the rescue!! They stayed up and were there when we pulled into the driveway and helped us unload everything into the garage in record time so we could return the truck on time the next morning! Seriously the sweetest people! We were so thankful and so blessed by them that night! They have since moved to SC, that’s kind of the nature of living here we’ve found. Lots of people moving in but also moving out!
Now The Real Work Begins
The next days and weeks were filled with unpacking and getting everything situated which we did pretty quickly honestly. Especially considering we kept up and going to the parks because, well, we could! We still have a few boxes in the garage 4 months later but not too bad honestly!
We also got to work on registering vehicles and getting drivers licenses, registering the kids for school and just overall getting plugged into our new community. While unpacking, situating, sneaking off to the parks and making our new house a home.
Conclusion
So that was the move, but how is it going now? Is it the magical life we had hoped for and then some? Well, the honest answer is YES and sometimes no, it is still real life with ups and downs and things to deal with. But as I am sitting here at Dockside Margaritas at Disney Springs writing this before getting the boys from school, I can definitely say it’s more magical than anything else! Next week I’ll talk about what life has been like since the move, school, the parks, jobs, exploring Florida and all the local things! I hope everyone has a Magical Day and comes back next week!!