Final Day of Packing! and Inside Tour Finale

I wasn't able to find even 5 minutes to jot out a blog post yesterday, but I'm forcing the world to stop spinning for 15 minutes this morning so that I can get this written.

The moving van is coming tomorrow and we're almost ready for its arrival.... I believe that I'm ready both as far as the packing goes and mentally.

We were up working until 3:00 AM last night (or is that this morning?) boxing up more of the kitchen and then the laundry room.... it had to get done even if it meant a near all-nighter.

The last few days have brought more goodbyes.... Tim and Ada.  Matt and Suzanne.  Larry.  The ladies in book group.  Saying goodbye to the Sunday eating gang was eased by the hope that they'll come and visit.  But still it's hard to imagine not having such dear friends to chat and joke with on Sunday night.   That's about all I can say about that......

Offsetting the goodbyes and the physical wear of packing is the excitement of getting to Virginia. Each night we practically pinch ourselves that we're able to fulfill this dream and shake up our lives a bit.

Here are the last few photos of the house.  I won't go through every room as there are too many.... 5 BR, 3 1/2 bathrooms, a study and a playroom.  The rooms are lovely..... skylights and a cathedral ceiling in the bigger kids upstairs bedroom with a reading loft reached by a wooden ladder, window seats, built in cabinets and cubbies, our awesome tile shower and tub with the view of the pool......but you'll mostly just see furniture in those rooms and so I'll post a few photos of the den and then cut short the stroll down memory lane!

Look closely and you'll see that it's Christmas in the first photo!!

If the boys remember coming up the driveway after school to a welcoming oasis then we achieved our goal of creating a space that would nurture our growing family.

We've always joked that problems are what everyone remembers from a trip or vacation.... the blowout, kid throwing up or the major snafu is vividly etched in our minds and talked about for years while the trip that goes like clockwork is more of a blur.

Most assuredly, we had some "disasters" in this house over the last 25 years.  Would we be human if we could have raised 4 sons without a few problems?  There were the arguments, tears and hurts that every family experiences.

But, oh how I hope that they remember the day in and day out happy times, the joy of waking up in a safe loving home.  Meals together, fires in the fireplace, relaxing on the sofa, playing games......

I want them to remember the feel ..... and I mean that literally..... the feel of this house.  Walking in and being home.  

And now it's time for me to get back to work.  It's becoming less of a home and more of a house with every box that is stacked against the wall, but I still love it and hope that it brings joy to the new owners!