The Big Move!

In which the Good Typist gets schooled in the ways of the moving-industrial complex

As you may or may not have noticed, I’ve been on a hiatus from this blog for the last month or so because, drum roll please...We Have Been Moving. This was not the run-of-the-mill apartment move of my youth, when I could fit all of my possessions into two carloads. This was a full-on, grown up move involving professional movers (more on that later), furniture that wasn’t assembled from a flat pack, and the twenty years worth of accumulation that results from the inertia of long-term dwelling in an apartment with a healthy amount of square footage. It has been physically and emotionally exhausting and stressful beyond measure. I can’t look at a cardboard box now without tensing up, and I’ve lifted more weight in two weeks than I have in four years of training at the gym. I am covered in bruises and scratches of unknown origin, and I have a severe case of decision fatigue. I am mourning the loss of my bookshelf, which we don’t have room for in the new place, and I every time I pass the hallway, I am confronted with a monstrous tower of cardboard that there will be no room for in the recycling bin for two more weeks.

All of that having been said, this move has been looming large in my mind for almost nine months, and it’s a massive relief to have it done with it and to at last be settling into the new place, which, while a little bit smaller than the old place, is vastly superior in many ways. It has sky-rich views from all of the windows, it’s in a highly secure building, and the master bedroom is gigantic compared to the bedroom in the old place, which barely fit a bed. It’s clean and well-kept, with new carpets and a fresh coat of paint, the building manager lives on-site and is very reachable, and the landscaping around the building is stunning. Oh, and we have a deck! An honest-to-goodness functional deck, that is just begging for garden pots to grow herbs and vegetables in, and some cute wicker chairs for morning coffee-sipping or evening wine-sipping.

Aside from the physical space, the move has settled some large, looming questions that have been weighing on me, like, can I stay at the same parish where I’ve just begun making friends and building community? Will I have to purchase a car and start commuting to work again? Can I finally sign up to volunteer with the organization that I’ve been putting off for months? Fortunately, New Place is less than a mile from Old Place, and, for better or for worse, I can see the hospital I work at from our living room window, so my commute involves walking across the street. It’s a close walk to my church, and I tear up with gratitude to God, because I prayed that I could stay in proximity of the parish and continue to build relationships there and deepen my involvement in the community. I praise God for giving us the strength and fortitude to get through this truly harrowing move and to bless us with a new, beautiful place that we both love. For the first time in many months, I feel settled enough to start planning and dreaming again, without a giant cloud of unknowns obscuring everything.

I have much more to tell you about, including my awesome new crafting and diamond painting space, (no more rickety card table), but that will come next week. Before I sign off, I truly must give a huge shout-out to our movers. Be forewarned: I don’t know what kind of vast underground intelligence network moving companies have, but the second that you contact one, somehow they all get wind of the fact that you’re moving, and you are bombarded with constant texts, calls, and emails from every sketchy moving and junk-removal company on the West Coast, all wanting to give you nebulous “quotes” over the phone and collect a giant deposit from you. I have learned through this process how intensely predatory the moving industry is. They know it’s massively stressful, they know you need them, and they are happy to take full advantage of the situation. One of the most major decisions that had to be made was the selection of the moving company. I talked to many, and I finally chose a small, family-owned business called Easy Moving Company. They are locally based, and out of all of the companies, they gave me the most clear, transparent quote and only asked for a small deposit. The owner communicated with me personally over email and promptly addressed all of my concerns. All the same, I heard so many horror stories about movers that I was biting my nails right up until the day of the move.

They were amazing! Friendly, respectful, flexible, on time, fast, and efficient. They really watched out for us. They cheerfully took a lot of last-minute junk removal items, they had a good sense of humor, they listened closely to what we wanted and asked questions if they weren’t sure of something. They made a grueling day a hundred times easier, and I could not recommend them enough. Easy Moving Company, folks. If you are in Seattle, don’t bother calling anyone else for your move. Link:

https://www.easycompanymoving.com/

I have a lot more to talk about, but this post is getting long and I have some view-gazing to do out of our new windows, so I am signing off here. Home at last!

—Kristen McHenry