Selling vs. Moving {Day 3}

When we began making plans to move out here, we decided that we would only be bringing the bare minimum. At first we were going to be ultra crazy and bring only current clothes, shoes and like five other things, but then we decided to scale back the crazy just a bit to the things that we could fit into our van. After the last week of crazy shopping to get life workable again, I'm really glad we decided on the latter.

A month ago, we owned three cars. :) Now we have one. We had purchased a Grand Caravan with Stow n Go seats back in February, which replaced my Buick. The Buick sat in the driveway until August, since we weren't sure that Lover's beloved Saturn would pass inspection. The Saturn passed right around the time we started job hunting, so we agreed to go ahead and sell the Buick. Once we knew we were moving, we also decided to get rid of the Saturn. We didn't want to drive both cars out (that would mean that we would be separate for the entire trip, with one of us driving and responsible for the kids) and the Saturn wasn't worth paying to have it moved out to Denver. We ended up giving the Saturn to Lover's dad since they didn't have a second car, and he couldn't be happier.

So, we had the Grand Caravan with the stow-able seats. Our plan was to stow the last row of seats in the van and use that space to bring everything we needed. Need is such a relative term, isn't it?

We had looked into the cost of moving all of our stuff cross country, and decided that we would either spend the same amount or come out ahead by selling everything in Rochester and purchasing new stuff in Denver. It really appealed to both of us to have that fresh start, with all new stuff, and to really, truly, purge our belongings.

With all of those decisions made I tore into the house with a vengeance. Stuff fell into one of three categories; Going, Selling or Storing. I suppose there was a fourth category which was "this is trash, why hasn't it been thrown away?" We held a three day moving sale the weekend before we left town, sold stuff on Craigslist, gave lots away, stored a few things and brought even fewer.

I'll delve into details of how we got rid of all of our stuff, but here's a look at what we brought and what we left in storage at Wendhurst. About a third of the attic was unfinished, and so we left that section full of our things that we weren't quite ready to let go of. Things like my Spanish china, baby and maternity clothes, books I want the kids to read when they are older, some Christmas and other seasonal decorations and a few other things I wasn't ready to part with. We also kept three pieces of furniture for my mom (or brothers, if they end up wanting them), along with our dining room table, our headboard and a wooden spool that has a long story attached to it. So that's what's left behind at Wendhurst.





As far as what we brought, honestly, the majority was clothes. Clothes for all of us, for all seasons. The next size up for the kids that I had already purchased. Some toiletries, kitchen basics and lots of techno gear like our laser printer, laptops, etc. We purchased a pack n play for Keilana, and brought a queen sized blow up mattress for us and a twin for Javi. We brought my guitar and a small box of tools. A file box with the important paperwork that you can't leave behind, and a box of my photography stuff. Then there were the sentimental things or things that would hopefully help this house to feel like home - the kids' growth chart, a few pictures in frames, some favorite toys, Javi's quilt and Keilana's blankie. This isn't an exhaustive list, but you get the idea. As little as possible.

All in all, I'm happy with how little we brought, and I'm glad we didn't try to bring more. I'm not going to lie, it has been stressful and tiring to shop for furniture and kitchen basics and towels and hangers and EVERYTHING, but it's allowing us the opportunity to be really thoughtful with our purchases and weigh whether or not we truly need it. It's hard to not be surrounded by all of the familiar things of home, but that is a difficult but very needed reminder that we are not truly at home anywhere on this earth. Heaven is home, and when I am there worshipping my Savior, I won't be lamenting the loss of my favorite picture frame.