This spring my husband accepted a job teaching English at a high school in a suburb of Charleston. After teaching several years in Philadelphia and working near a coal factory, his asthma really started to act up. This winter my husband coughed from about November to March. Then my 3 year old son Jonathan started to have similar symptoms and was also diagnosed with asthma.
And so we began to look for a new place to live, a place that would be easier on asthmatic lungs and warmer then Philadelphia -- especially after the crazy winter we had. We weren't really interested in Arizona, so we researched small cities along the East Coast that were within 30 minutes driving distance from the ocean. After much research, deliberation and prayer, we narrowed it down to two cities and received a job offer from a high school in a suburb of Charleston.
And so begins our epic journey...
Ok, so maybe it's not so epic, but to us and our family it is. How many people pick a place on a map, where they have no family, friends or even acquaintances and just uproot the family and move (and aren't military)? I'm not sure, but we decided to do just that.
Once we received the offer, I started to pack. Imagine this... Two adults and two preschoolers in a two bedroom CRAMMED with stuff. Then try to figure out where boxes would go once they are packed. You can't have stacks in the living room because a curious 3 year-old could always decide to climb Mount Cardboard and then the tower (3 year old and all) would end up crashing on top of an unsuspecting 1 1/2 year old walking by. With this on my mind, I realized I had to be strategic. I packed our closets from floor to ceiling so our living space remained open and the clutter started to disappear. Working part-time from home and being a mom of two little ones did not afford me much time to pack. So, I did a little each day. By the time our move out date came and my in-laws arrived to help out I had completed a substantial amount.
Packing and moving with kids is a totally different ball game than moving single or as a young married couple. I mean, what do you do with your kids while you are packing? If they are asleep you can't make much noise and if they are awake they will climb in the box or "help" you by putting things in boxes as well. I know I have crayons in the box filled with my winter clothes. They knew I was distracted and would quickly get into all kinds of trouble unless I incorporated them into my task at hand. I learned a few things about keeping preschoolers busy during a move and will write a post about that soon.
Here they are helping me roll up an area rug. We had fun trying to stand on it as it rolled from side to side. :) It's the little things in life...
The day before we moved I left with the kids to visit family in D.C. so as to remove them from the chaos. We said goodbye to our little apartment and drove away, leaving my husband and in-laws behind.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all our friends who helped us load the truck. We couldn't have done it without you! Even after our amazing helpers left, Brent and his parents stayed up late packing and repacking the truck. They finally finished the next day at 10pm, turned the keys in the mail slot at our apartment complex and got on the road. They arrived in D.C. at 3am!
I wasn't involved in packing the truck, but got to see it when Brent and his parents met me in VA where we stayed a few days before making our way to Charleston. There it is below. Yes, it's 26 feet and we used every bit of space (even our Honda Civic was stuffed)!!
We are so thankful for the friends we have made over the years and to our communities at Church of the Saviour and Eastern University. Brent and I came to Philadelphia 14 and 15 years ago. We received our BA degrees from Eastern University (in St. Davids, PA), went on our first date together at a restaurant on the Main Line, got engaged at Valley Forge park, got married in Wayne, entered into the working world (me at Eastern in the President's Office and Brent at Esperanza Academy Charter High School), received our M.Ed. degrees from Eastern University, and delivered our two beautiful babies at a local hospital.
We are leaving Philadelphia after having made life-long friends and memories.
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