Now we are really home

It's official. Today Happy Apple's Farm is our only home. The Shawnee house has a new owner and all our possessions are here - well, kinda.

We have spent nearly every day for the last month packing, deciding, selling, packing some more and moving an enormous amount of stuff. It is the stuff collected by a family full of children and fun. It is the stuff that makes up a life. And every box and bin, drawer and closet held history. It was hard and slow and seemed as though it would never end.

literally car full after car full of things were donated

Thankfully, there are many places like Goodwill and Savers that welcomed the donation of our extra things. And we visited at least one of those places in Shawnee nearly every time we went to the house to pack - sometimes more than once a day. What a wonderful service they do! And it feels good to know that most of those donations will be used.

And there is our modern version of the classified ad: Craigslist. We sold and gave away a couple of couches, beds, desks, entertainment centers and fish tanks. And we even made a little bit of extra money.

In spite of all that , we still have two rather large storage units of stuff that we aren't sure what to do about. And there are boxes and bags of things all over our new home that have yet to find their spot.

And to top all of that off, the water heater stopped working Monday night - and won't be fixed until Friday. Ugh.

But, today, none of that mattered much. We had a wonderful bottle of wine and pasta at a nearby restaurant. We did it. We no longer live in a suburban neighborhood. We now live at Happy Apple's Farm :-)

And all my plants came with us, too!
Yep, it's really cozy in here.

Legacy

Lisa's 2015 cake

This week was mostly about moving out of a home with a lot of memories. And, rightly, it was about recognizing the legacy left to us by loved ones. So on Wednesday, Feb. 4, we celebrated Lisa Ragsdale's birthday, as we do each year, with a cake. I know, it's rather crudely decorated, but I didn't have my decorating supplies. This was a "salad dressing" cake which Brent tells me Lisa also had made.

It was only Brent and Jeremy (and, of course, me) who celebrated with some words about what we give thanks for. We smiled and enjoyed the time together considering this woman and her life. There is a lot to say "thank you" to Lisa for - not the least being the 3 wonderful young men Brent and I call ours.

Vivian's cupcakes

Saturday we took a few moments out of our moving day to recognize Vivian Ragsdale's birthday. This "celebration" was very different. As in previous years, I purchased a variety of fancy cupcakes to recognize the day. But we did not say words because, well, there still are none. And, yet, I feel it is good to give this little girl and her memory a day. She is terribly missed by all those who were fortunate to know her.

The Ragsdale sign

We ended our week by placing the Ragsdale marker near the end of the driveway at the farm. Brent and I have dreamed and planned the placing of this sign for, literally, years. It was given to Brent and Lisa by Lisa's parents. Brent, Jeremy and I feel lucky to have it at the farm and lucky to have Rex and Margaret in our lives. Their support is invaluable.

There is also a lot of work happening and some wonderful people who are finding time to help. My parents, Mary and Pete, are a couple of hard-working people. Packing is just no fun at all. The last two weekends they have been packing right along with us. We couldn't get this done without them. (Thanks again Mom and Pete!)

We are thankful for all we are given. In our own ways this week we found time to recognize the wonderful people who are still living with us - even (and especially) those whose time is done. Their legacy is all around us here - at Happy Apple's Farm.