Saying goodbye and moving day!

Well, it's official. We have moved back to Greenville.

Leaving Birmingham was bittersweet. We made some wonderful friends and sweet memories. But it is also nice to be back home and so close to family.

Monday I got to say good bye to "my little kids" again. I wanted to give them some going away gifts, take pictures, and final hugs and kisses. And as one of the little boys says - kisses for on the road, kisses for the middle of the day, kisses for the middle of the house....so cute! :)

Ju-Ju got her own baby-doll diaper bag. Now that's she's a big sister, she likes to help change diapers on her baby-dolls. It's too cute. 

These are Eny, Meny, Miny, and Mo. Four kids ages 5-1 - and more than a handful, but sweet kids. They certainly challenged me, but they also made me laugh. The little boy in the green shirt is the one who loves to give extra kisses. :) 

Saying good bye to my apartment. It was a great place to live for a year!

Before the movers came, Paul and I had arranged everything strategically for efficiency.

All of the big furniture was in the living room.
Dressers, bookcases, tables, etc. on one wall.

The couches were stacked, the rug rolled up, and the mattresses standing up with the bed frames in between the mattress and the box-spring on another wall.

And the washer, dryer, recliner, and rocking chairs on the other wall.

ALL the boxes, tubs, and baskets were in the guest room, stacked and arranged like a puzzle.

Of course, the efficiency would have been so much better if the movers had showed up on time and not 2 hours late. But, some things are just out of your control.

At the end of the day, after moving every thing down three flights of stairs in over 100 degree weather, we were packed up and loaded on the truck, and able to drive away by 3:30. Not bad for a day's work!

One last picture outside our apartment before driving off.

My dad was a blessing! He drove over to help, and helped me move all the boxes downstairs since the movers were late. If we hadn't moved the boxes ourselves, I doubt the movers would have finished in the three hours we had them for. Plus, he drove the 26 foot box truck to Greenville! Thank you Dad!

This morning Mr. and Mrs. Reid helped us move everything from the truck to the storage units. We were worried about having enough room in the two 10x10 units we reserved. But, like all good puzzles, we figured it out, and got every thing to fit. Thank you for getting up early and helping!

Next week we are heading to Charleston for a vacation! No internet, no cable, no problem! Bring on the books, sleeping by the pool, and evening walks around the neighborhood.

God Bless