Last-ing impressions…

Well, it’s done.  Movers came and packed up our belongings on Monday, loaded it on a truck on Tuesday, and Wednesday night we handed over our keys to the buyer, taking a few minutes before she arrived to say goodbye to our house.  The house that kept us safe and warm and dry and cozy for the past six years.  

In the week or so before we moved out, it felt like we tried to cram in as many “lasts” of things that we could.  For starters, we had our last Lemonade Stand.  While we weren’t treated to a fleet of firefighters like last year, it was still successful.  And a bit bittersweet, as we finally got to meet some of our neighbors.  The conversations were a bit awkward, as the parents of kids our kids’ ages seemed eager to get to know us, and we’d have to answer with “yeah, we’re outta here in a week.”  Still, it felt like a great sendoff to the ‘hood.

Mr. B, being the kind soul he is, agreed to use the proceeds from his hard-earned selling to donate to our local firefighters.  We walked over to the firehouse a few days later, $22.70 swaying in an envelope, and B mustered up the courage to walk over to a very sturdy fireman and say “I raised this money for you.”  The firefighter looked down at Mr. B, a little touched by the gesture, and said” Ah, buddy, that’s sweet, but we can’t take your money.”  I guess they can’t directly take a donation, so we’re going to bring it over to the Denver Firefighter’s Museum and donate it to restore their antique fire engine that caught fire in early May.  Still, the guys were pretty nice, talked to the kids a little, and even gave them some plastic hats.  I’m always amazed at the level of patience, compassion, and generosity these firefighters have. 

We also got in one last picnic in our nearby park, spending the day with good friends, finally letting Miss P and Mr B take a ride in the paddle boats they’d been drooling over all spring, and even letting them fling themselves in to the creek that I swore I’d never let them touch.  Thankfully, we escaped without a case of giardia…

Monday and Tuesday were a blur of boxes and fast food, and it only feels like in the last day or so, we’ve settled in to our temporary apartment.  It’s not too shabby of a place, a 3-bedroom, 3-bath town home that has enough space to sprawl out for the next month.  I took a bit of time on Wednesday rearranging the furniture in the kids’ bedrooms to give them space to pull out their toys and play, and it feels a bit more comfortable now.  The complex has a pool, a pool!  Surely we’ll be spending most of the next month there.  Still, I miss being able to send the kids out to the back yard when they need to burn off some energy and I need to be removed from screaming.  I know this next month is going to fly by before I know it, and it’s all I can do at this point to hold on to keep from falling off the ride.