Partly Cloudy...
I'm going with current weather statuses this month, I guess. Well, it's been a beautiful week in Chesapeake, my home town out on the prairie...I mean, the coast. I've been listening to "A Prairie Home Companion. Garrsion Keillor never fails to make me smile. Can't stand the man's political stance, but man do I love the sound of his voice. When Hans was in Newport last year, I would end each day by turning off the lamp and playing that day's "The Writer's Almanac" podcast.
Anyway...this was not intended to be a post about Garrison Keillor. Funny, the strange tunnels and convolutions the brain takes sometimes.
We have a home come June. Well, I hope we have a home come June. Let's just say we have a verbal that we have a home come June. We are (somewhat patiently) waiting for the lease to arrive in the mail. Once that gets here and we get it all signed, I will feel a lot more at ease. I ordered a POD this week--it's like a big container that a truck drops off in our driveway. I'll have from May 15-31st to pack the POD and then a truck will come and take the POD up to Norfolk and drop it off at the new place, where I'll have from June 1-14th to empty it. I will be doing all the packing, which I actually like. We have been lucky enough, for the most part, to have good movers throughout the years, but the truth of the matter is that NO one cares about my stuff the way that I care about my stuff. It's a quick move, so a super-solid pack is not as important too. I love the idea that I can take my time and pack the POD a room at a time, leaving out the big furniture and our daily used stuff until very last. And I love that when I arrive in Norfolk, I can unpack it with the most important stuff coming off first. I also won't have a house full of boxes...since they can sit in the POD until I'm ready for the next one.
Oh, and did I mention that it's going to cost around $400? We are doing this on our own, with no help from the Navy since we are already stationed here. They move us one time on orders. This move comes completely out of our pockets.
So, the new house is in Larchmont, which is the neighborhood that we wanted, due to the excellent school and the very close proximity to the base. I am so excited that Josiah and Annika are going to be going to the best school in Norfolk next year. It's a small elementary school--only serving the Larchmont neighborhood, which isn't terribly large. There aren't even school buses, everyone walks the kids to and from school every day. It sounds like it's a very close-knit school, with parents having heavy involvement. There are a host of after school clubs and activities, like robotics and LEGO clubs, that sound great for the kids. The neighborhood itself is very pretty--lots of older homes, full-grown trees, sidewalks. Our new house is a little smaller than our current house, a 1924 Craftsman-style bungalow with a little fenced-in backyard. There are three bedrooms so the boys will share as they are now doing. There's a blue bedroom for them and a pink one for Annika--and most exciting of all for them--there's a door that connects the two bedrooms, so they can have one BIG bedroom.
Oh, and the rent was VERY reasonable, one might even call it a "steal" in that neighborhood, which makes me even happier! Hans will have a very quick commute to the base (gas is $4.02/gallon here for premium) and I'll be able to go to the commissary, NEX and onbase functions a lot more easily.
I'm excited for this new chapter in our lives to start. I've already started cleaning house and dropping dead weight. Sold a few things on Craigslist, went through the garage again and culled a few more things to go the Salvation Army. Spent a few hours pulling old papers and shredding them. I hope to get into the house in Larchmont when the current tenants move out and measure the rooms and figure out how much storage space we'll need.
OK, not exactly crazy-exciting, but that's our life right at this moment! Hope you are all well and enjoying the heat wave in Minnesota...
Anyway...this was not intended to be a post about Garrison Keillor. Funny, the strange tunnels and convolutions the brain takes sometimes.
We have a home come June. Well, I hope we have a home come June. Let's just say we have a verbal that we have a home come June. We are (somewhat patiently) waiting for the lease to arrive in the mail. Once that gets here and we get it all signed, I will feel a lot more at ease. I ordered a POD this week--it's like a big container that a truck drops off in our driveway. I'll have from May 15-31st to pack the POD and then a truck will come and take the POD up to Norfolk and drop it off at the new place, where I'll have from June 1-14th to empty it. I will be doing all the packing, which I actually like. We have been lucky enough, for the most part, to have good movers throughout the years, but the truth of the matter is that NO one cares about my stuff the way that I care about my stuff. It's a quick move, so a super-solid pack is not as important too. I love the idea that I can take my time and pack the POD a room at a time, leaving out the big furniture and our daily used stuff until very last. And I love that when I arrive in Norfolk, I can unpack it with the most important stuff coming off first. I also won't have a house full of boxes...since they can sit in the POD until I'm ready for the next one.
Oh, and did I mention that it's going to cost around $400? We are doing this on our own, with no help from the Navy since we are already stationed here. They move us one time on orders. This move comes completely out of our pockets.
So, the new house is in Larchmont, which is the neighborhood that we wanted, due to the excellent school and the very close proximity to the base. I am so excited that Josiah and Annika are going to be going to the best school in Norfolk next year. It's a small elementary school--only serving the Larchmont neighborhood, which isn't terribly large. There aren't even school buses, everyone walks the kids to and from school every day. It sounds like it's a very close-knit school, with parents having heavy involvement. There are a host of after school clubs and activities, like robotics and LEGO clubs, that sound great for the kids. The neighborhood itself is very pretty--lots of older homes, full-grown trees, sidewalks. Our new house is a little smaller than our current house, a 1924 Craftsman-style bungalow with a little fenced-in backyard. There are three bedrooms so the boys will share as they are now doing. There's a blue bedroom for them and a pink one for Annika--and most exciting of all for them--there's a door that connects the two bedrooms, so they can have one BIG bedroom.
Oh, and the rent was VERY reasonable, one might even call it a "steal" in that neighborhood, which makes me even happier! Hans will have a very quick commute to the base (gas is $4.02/gallon here for premium) and I'll be able to go to the commissary, NEX and onbase functions a lot more easily.
I'm excited for this new chapter in our lives to start. I've already started cleaning house and dropping dead weight. Sold a few things on Craigslist, went through the garage again and culled a few more things to go the Salvation Army. Spent a few hours pulling old papers and shredding them. I hope to get into the house in Larchmont when the current tenants move out and measure the rooms and figure out how much storage space we'll need.
OK, not exactly crazy-exciting, but that's our life right at this moment! Hope you are all well and enjoying the heat wave in Minnesota...
Comments
I'm excited about the school for Josiah and Annika as well. And since it's close to the base, perhaps Hans will get to come to some of their programs or events.
I liked your happy post, Rachel!