Happy Monday!
At least I hope it is for you. ‘Cause I’ve got to be honest, I’m really not feeling it today. Of course this could be because my weekend–you know, the two days a week you’re supposed to be able to sleep in, relax, maybe indulge in some TV or reading or creative outlet–was filled with packing and lugging heavy boxes until my back was screaming.
Why, you may ask. Because my sister and I are moving out of our apartment and into a house. And not just any house. A spacious three bedroom/three bath with a sun room AND a bonus room over the two car garage. And there’s a pool! And the best part, it comes with a live-in groundskeeper and chef, both of whom I go way back with…like since birth.
Yeah, that’s all basically just an embellished version of saying I’ve moved back in with my parents.
That’s right! I’m an (almost) 30-year-old woman living with her parents again. But in my defense, this is only temporary (please, please God, let it only be temporary) until my sister and I find a house to buy. That was originally our plan when we saw that our apartment would be going up, but it turns out its a lot harder to find a good house in our price range than we thought. Hence the slowly, and painfully, moving all our furniture and belongings into storage for the last several weeks.
Oh yeah, not just this past weekend, but all the weekends and some weekdays for the last month. I’m exhausted!
Yesterday was our official move-in day to the parents’ house, meaning we just spent our first night back in our old childhood rooms, and I can already tell this is going to be a mixed bag.
Upsides:
1) Getting to spend more time with mom and dad. I’m not saying they’re old or anything–they’d probably ground me if I did–but with all this COVID craziness we’re reminded how important time with family is and are looking forward to being around for a little while.
2) Saving money. We’re still planning to pitch in on expenses and help out around the house, but it will still be a lot cheaper than the rent we were paying in Athens.
3) The ole stomping grounds. Since the small southern town in my first book series is based on my hometown, Social Circle, I’m excited to get to be back in that kind of environment. Hopefully it will help inspire me for any possible future books in the series.
4) Sleeping in an actual bed again. Okay, this doesn’t really have anything to do with moving in with my parents so much as moving in general. Because we moved the bulk of our stuff and furniture into storage a week ago, we’ve been living the last several days sitting and sleeping on blankets on the floor. Imagine writing for hours sitting on this…
only to go to bed five nights in a row sleeping on the exact same thing, just in a different room. I’ve never been so happy to have a mattress in my life!
5) The pool. It’s summer. ‘Nough said.
Downsides:
1) Mixing households. It’s hard enough coming back into a house were new routines and spaces have been established. But then when you have to put a grumpy old man (our dog, Zeus, as pictured above) and three cats in the same house with two dogs and four other cats, things are going to get a little tricky. As in my sister has two cats locked up in her bedroom and I have one locked up with me for the time being. Don’t judge.
2) New bed. You remember that bed I was so excited to have back? Turns out no matter how badly my back wants it, the rest of my body is not so excited about the change. It’s because I’ve never been the type to easily sleep in a strange bed or room. And after ten years, it’s most definitely a strange room. Meaning I got about three or four hours of sleep last night. I just hope that one rights itself soon.
3) Alone time. What can I say? I like my alone time. Especially when I’m used to having an apartment to myself all weekend when my sister is working. I can still get that time, but it’s going to have to be up in my bedroom which doesn’t really feel like mine anymore. The cat will appreciate that, at least.
4) Internet. Internet out in the boonies stinks. So I won’t get to binge-watch Netflix like I used to. And I LOVE my Netflix.
Hmm…maybe that last one should be an upside. At least for this week while I’m supposed to be finishing up my latest book before my deadline and probably don’t need the distractions. Yay, new book! But also, Holy crap I feel like there’s still so much more to do!
For those keeping count, the pros clearly outweigh the cons in this situation, but there will be an adjustment period for ALL of us. Fingers crossed my sister and I can find a place soon.
Wow, these things always end up so much longer than I plan them. (For an introvert, I can be quite loquacious.) Bless you if you stuck around this long, and as a reward, here is a picture of Sunny Bunny in a box mid-packing.
All the love,
Shannon
P.S.– Huge shout out to my parents, Bob and Terry Stults, who have agreed to put up with us while we figure out our next step. You guys are the best. Love you!
Shannon Stults 