Well, we did it!

We did it!  We pulled it off!  We made it!  The decision we made just over a year ago has come to fruition.  We have moved to northern Michigan.  Our last installment outlined the plan for moving our son into the dorm, closing on the house, and moving us to Michigan.  I can't believe that I'm able to say this, but it all went off pretty much without a hitch.

That's not to say that it was easy.  Oh, no...it most definitely was NOT that.  But, it was more the emotional side that was a strain than the physical.  At every turn, I underestimated how much of an impact all of this would have on my psyche.  Of course, in hindsight I can see it all so very clearly.  In leaving Ohio we left a lot behind...close friends, a son, and our home of 14 years.  The bizarre part was simultaneously feeling excited...for the new opportunity at work, the new surroundings, the space with living on ten+ acres, and the fun of working on a new fixer-upper.

So, we made it and we're all moved in at Shangri La, but we're far from organized.  We can't even see organized from where we're at.  Heck, there are times that I think we can't even get there from here. ;)   You know that old cliche about how you eat an elephant...one bite at a time?  That's the mindset we're trying to maintain right now.  We organized our master bedroom yesterday.  We dismantled the old full sized bed that came with the house and hauled it outside, and Shelly listed it on Freecycle.  We're hoping someone needs it and will haul it off for us.  We changed our bed out to a platform queen, which we had previously built for Kyle.  Shelly found the plans on HGTV for it, and it's a pretty solid design.  We ordered a new mattress for it that should be here in a week or so.  We spoiled ourselves a bit, and ordered a Sleep Number mattress.

We do have some money from the sale of the house, and we're doing our best to make the most of it.  With the wood fired boiler going in we need to gear up for wood cutting and splitting.  We picked up a new log splitter, a 35 ton Huskee from Tractor Supply.  We'll be using it tomorrow.  Today we gave the new chainsaw we bought last month a good workout.  We also pulled quite a few good sized logs from the gully by the power lines, where the utility company had downed the trees to clear their easement, over to an area by where the wood boiler will be placed.  There are quite a few good sized trees still in the woods, and I'm hoping tomorrow to get those cut up and moved to the pile...weather permitting.

One other thing we did today was to check out our very first auction.  It was about an hour from us in Lachine, MI.  We didn't end up buying anything.  There just wasn't anything we just had to have.  It was a cool experience, though, and we'll be checking out more as we find out about them.

We've been talking for some time about walking the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day.  Now that it's here, we're thinking instead of just working around the house.  I know, we need to be having fun as well.  But there's only so much time before the snow flies, and we have so much that we need to get done before then.  Decisions...decisions.

Shelly said that she'll be posting her own update about what she's been doing in the house.  I'll just say this.  Shelly does not like a disorganized house, so you can likely imagine her current state of mind.  ;)

Talk to you all soon!

Plans are set...

...and August is going to be one busy month!

First...

In just two weeks, the weekend of the 12th, we will be moving the remainder of our belongings up to Shangri La. Fortunately we've been able to use our utility trailer to take a good deal of stuff up, so we're left mostly with just the big ticket items. Mike, Peanut and I will drive down from Shangri La on Thursday, and on that Friday we'll pick up the U-Haul truck...which, thanks to Shelly's family's auto repair shop being a U-Haul rental location, we'll be getting at a discount. Got to love family! Before heading to Ohio Mike and I need to make room at Shangri La by clearing out the old furniture. If we can't find someone to take it we'll be hauling it off to the landfill.

And then...

After getting everything up there Shelly and the boys will spend the next week working on getting things situated, while I have to travel most of the week for work.  The next weekend Shelly, Kyle and I will drive back to Ohio. We're moving Kyle into the dorm at Capital University on the 24th, where he'll embark upon his journey towards becoming a music educator.   :)

And then...

Shelly and I will stay in Ohio in our all but empty house, where we'll "camp out" for a few days. Then, on the 31st we'll be closing on the house...and closing this chapter of our lives. We'll have successfully navigated through six months that turned out to be every bit as hectic as we expected it to be, and then some. We're preparing ourselves for an emotionally draining few weeks, as we move away from all of the dear friends we've made, leave our youngest son at college, and leave our wonderful home of 15 years.

But, then...

On September 1st we open the next chapter, embarking upon our entirely new adventure as retread Michiganders and full time residents of Shangri La.

To be continued...

Most excellent news, and a list of completed stuff...

We have finally made some significant progress on the selling of the house in Ohio.  Someone finally made an offer!  This, after countless showings and two price drops.  Fortunately, the couple making the offer did not request yet another price drop, instead offering our asking price.  We countered only with some minor clarifications, and VOILA!, we are in contract!

The closing won't happen until the end of September, as the buyer has a lease that will not expire until then.  This concerns us some, as we'll be taking the house off the market during a crucial time.  Folks that are going to buy are more likely to move on something now than after school starts.  If the buyer should back out for some reason we will miss out on all of this time.  But, there's nothing to be done for it.  It's the first offer we've had since listing, so there's no way we're going to take a pass on it.

On the Shangri La homefront, we're continuing to whittle away at small projects here and there.  

• Cleaned and polished the wood stove, removing the rust that had cropped up because of a minor water leak.  
• Put wood sealer on the door we built for the small barn.
• Set up my temporary home office.
• Further organized the small barn.
• Tested all of the connections in the propane line for leaks, both inside and out.  
• Pulled three stumps. (Two to go.)
• Organized the kitchen cupboards and hall closet.
• Cleared out all unnecessary kitchen utensils and appliances.  These went back to Ohio with Shelly for selling in a garage sale.
• Cleared out a portion of the basement.  We moved about twenty cans of paint outside, opened them and placed them in the covered area next to the small barn.  The landfill will accept them when the paint hardens.
• Mowed the lawn and weed whacked.  (I know it's not a project, but I'm taking credit anyway.)
• Hung the hammock and put up a screen room.  We've got to relax sometime!

Speaking of relaxing, one of our new favorite things to do is to take the quad for a ride in the evening along the many gravel roads all around us.  At the end of a hot summer day with the wind in your face, it's a great way to cool off.  I highly recommend it!  

Shelly came up for a visit last weekend, and with just a few touches she immediately made the place feel more like home.  It was my birthday that weekend, and having Shelly up here was all the gift I needed.  Though, I'm certainly not complaining about the new chainsaw she bought me.  :)

I went down to Ohio this weekend to see Shelly and Kyle, which worked out perfectly with the offer on the house and the signing of the necessary paperwork.  See what I did there, taking you full circle?  ;)  :)

Talk to you all again soon!