Let the Moving Begin!

Today was the first official day of my parents' move from their "old" house into Dad's-old-office-turned-residence.  We refer to the two buildings in grand terms:  The East House is their old one, and The West House is what they're moving into.  In the West House...

There were beautiful empty spaces, just begging for something to fill them. (And we did.)

New hardwood floors waiting to be scratched...er...I mean...um...carefully walked on and furniture set gently upon.  ;-)

Jeff and my brother David moved the beds over to the new house.

David also wielded a mean feather duster while Lori showed off her muscles by carrying dresser drawers.  :)

My mother, who LIKES detail work (bless her heart!), focused on cleaning the ancient refrigerator that they moved over from their shed.  I'm not sure, but I think the frig might be older than I am.  But being the penny-pinchers that they are (that's a compliment!), they chose to continue to use it, rather than buy a new one.

Mother was fueled by her ever-present companion, her iced tea cup.  If we were somehow able to count the number of gallons of tea that have been drunk by her from this cup, it's likely to be more than the amount of water in the Shenandoah River!  :)

Two of our neighbor girls came over to help out by watching Tobin and Shav at our house while I was helping my parents.  All the other kids (Josiah and David and their cousins) did a great job of helping; they truly contributed to all that was accomplished today.  When their energy and spirits were lagging, all I had to do was say, "I'll race you back to the old house," and they perked up right away.  I think they beat me at every single race, too.  ;-)

My strong brother held up a bookshelf while the whole earth titled.  Oh, wait, that was just the camera tilting. ;-)

His lovely wife started organizing the kitchen.  And the worst part is -- she left before she finished the job!  We should have demanded that she stay with us for a few more days/weeks/months, so that she could complete what she started.  ;-)

All in all, it was a GREAT day; and we really got a lot accomplished.  There is much more to be done, however.  ;-)

I'm really proud of my parents.  When they decided to sell this house to us, they went through a considerable period of downsizing as they moved into a much smaller house.  Then when Dad retired, he sorted through and got rid of an immense amount of medical stuff as he prepared to change his office into a house.  Now, as they go through this move, I'm reminded of how they've handled these transitions with grace, holding their possessions with a light grasp, and keeping their eyes focused on their home to come.  Their real home.  Their permanent home.

Thank You, God, that when we move there, we get to travel light...and You do all the moving for us!  ;-)