House for Sale (or is it sell)?

You know when people say things and you have no idea what that means until you go through it?

"Brain freeze." No way to really get that one until the Sonic slush you are drinking to quickly gives you the tingly pain in your forehead.
"I have a newborn." No clue what that means until a baby wakes you every two hours and the absolute exhaustion has been experienced.

I've been doing something like that lately.
I am getting a house ready for sale.
For those of you who have never done this thing, it doesn't seem like much. Make a call? Maybe vacuum the floors? No big deal. Right?

Let me tell you what it means for me.

Getting a house ready for sale means every second of every day is encompassed by a project. All those things you were going to get to have now got to be gotten to. The door-bell that doesn't ring. The sliding glass door that doesn't lock. The day of reckoning has come. Projects of painting, repairing, talking on the phone to realtors, contractors, inspectors. It means every conversation I have every day involves talking about these projects. It means calling in every favor from anyone I know to help me move my refrigerator in and out of my house, watch my children for me, make me dinner, lend me tools. It means the skin on my hands is chapped and cracking because of the whatever in paint that sucks the moisture out of my hands. It means finances are dedicated to this house in hopes that I will make it back. So, it is exhausting on every level. But, it isn't all bad.

Can I tell you what is great about getting my house ready to sell? (This is the spot I realize I don't whether to write "sale" or "sell." Google has given me some suggestions).

The good thing is I realize how wonderful my life is right now. I realize how blessed I am with friends who have watched my children hours every day for two weeks so I have uninterrupted work time, who have let me into their home to sleep and eat while my flooring is being replaced. I realize how much I love my little house, with all its imperfections. I realize how much I have learned with all the projects, dry wall mudding, cutting in the paint with an angled brush, caulking floor boards and trim before painting, and the wonder of a good scraper tool. I am so grateful. Albuquerque has been good to me. It has been good to my family, and I will miss it.

We had friends that let us stay with them for four nights while our laminate flooring was replaced due to a water leak. They had a bird. We sure loved that bird.

Saying goodbye to Ian before he drove off to Nebraska a week ago.

My next post will be from Sidney, Nebraska: Population 6,808. A new adventure awaits.
Ian is already there waiting for us, working away at his new corporate accounting job with Cabela's: World's Foremost Outfitter.


Comments

  1. Karen HJanuary 19, 2014 at 6:44 PM

    Grueling. Selling a house is grueling. Sorry I'm not around to lend a helping hand.

    ReplyDelete
  2. sarahflibJanuary 19, 2014 at 7:27 PM

    You are selling a house and the house is for sale. Ahh! So much work for you to do while Ian is away. I'm glad you've had such wonderful people helping you out. I've had similar experiences where I've known just how sweet my life is when it's about to change . . . it's both wonderful and hard. Good luck with the move, my dear. Nebraska is so beautiful in the summertime and I know you'll grow to love it. I remember attending the branch in Sidney when my family was on a road trip once. The branch members saw two parents and seven daughters walk in and fell all over themselves welcoming us to the branch and trying to convince us to end our road trip right there. They will be delighted to have you and your adorable children. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Evelyn HornbargerJanuary 28, 2014 at 5:02 PM

      Your family would have fit in really well here. I still can't believe Preston doesn't have the Gibby's anymore. I found some tetherball poles at my kindergarten girl's school, but they are unarmed. Somewhere, I am sure they have balls on them.

      Delete
  3. DeborahJanuary 19, 2014 at 9:55 PM

    I read your post and see so many similarities to our exit from ABQ. Elijah had been gone for weeks, I got to pack the house mostly by myself, and prepare it to sell the best I could when he was gone. I was not able to do everything by the deadline, but so much was done (including sanity checks) by the blessings that people in the ward contributed to this effort. What pulled me through was the spiritual conviction that this was the right thing for our family to do. That conviction is still strong, and I am still happy. So, I guess what I'm saying is that it does eventually have an end, and being reunited in Nebraska will be the best (and according to fb posts, it sounds like Ian will still be alive to welcome you with his new coat. :-) )!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnnieJanuary 20, 2014 at 10:03 AM

    In Hell, he devil makes sinners perpetually sell houses. That's how bad it is. Good luck to you! So excited to hear about your adventures in Nebraska.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Evelyn HornbargerJanuary 28, 2014 at 5:00 PM

      This comment has made me laugh for days. Every time I think of it, which is multiple times a day. Thank you Annie.

      Delete

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