Last week we spent what seemed like an infinite amount of hours working on our house to get it ready for our renter (and new friend). We had countless amounts of family and friends helping us, with Frank leading the pack. Every room has been painted, every baseboard cleaned, every bookshelf scrubbed, every screw tightened, and every floorboard shined.
We have also sold most of our worldly possessions. I know it sounds dramatic. It was.
Again, we had many people helping us both physically and emotionally (I became mute when the garage sale junkies came swarming into my house and yard). Some of our furniture has been loaned out to good friends where they will be put to good use. The kids' school work and all of our photo albums have been stored in a 5X10 storage unit in Santa Ynez. Along with 4 big boxes of special books.
We also gave away 39 boxes, 10 big trash bags, and other household items. We're down to our ten 50-lb bags and five carry-ons. And it feels quite free. I still believe we live simply, but regardless, we had a lot of stuff.
We have always known we have amazing friends and family and it has become more and more apparent the closer we get to our departure. It has also become more and more difficult to say good-bye.
A very good friend asked Andrew how he was feeling last night. Not a leading question like, "Aren't you excited for your big adventure?" but simply, "Andrew, how are you feeling about moving to Argentina?" His response sums up how we all feel:
"Excited, nervous, and sad. Sad because I'm leaving my friends. Nervous because I don't know the language. And excited because I'm going to make new friends and learn a new language."
