This post is Part 3 of Our Long Way Home.
You can find the prologue, and Part 1 & 2, here:http://homesteademporium.wordpress.com/category/our-long-way-home/
Our Long Way Home – Part 3
In the mean time, we had to rip up carpets and take down the closet doors, bedroom doors, and heaters off the walls by that same night because the carpet installer would arrive early Saturday morning. The carpets HAD to be put in before we left on Sunday, to give Graydon time to put the closet and inside doors, plus the baseboard heaters, back into place before we left the Island on Sunday. Plus, we had help from our church coming on Saturday afternoon at 2 to help finish the deep cleaning of the home and cabin. It had been such a busy week of packing, and taking care of all the reno details etc. that the deep cleaning still had not been done.
The carpet installer showed up late on Saturday, and I let him know we were on a time crunch because the carpet had to be installed that day. Home Depot had assured us that this wasn’t going to be a problem. However, the installer wasn’t aware of the time crunch but assured me he’d do his best and got started on things right away.
About 45 minutes into working, he called us over to show us there was a problem with the carpet. A big run right through the largest piece that was to be laid. He got on the phone with Home Depot and they told him there was more of the same carpet at another store the next city over. He would have to go pick it up.
Sooo… he went and picked that up and brought it back a few hours later. By this time the help to clean had arrived and we did our best to work around things and just get everything done that we could get done, regardless of the carpet being half done and the mess of the upstairs due to all this.
While washing walls in the midst of all the cleaning with our twins, Shaylah and Julia helping, I had the misfortune of standing straight up, right underneath a LOW built in loft bed. A very solid wood bed that my husband had built. My husband builds things well, and solid. Very well, and very solid. Ouch.
The solid wood bed did not ‘give’ as I stood straight up under it, and I gave myself a good solid “whack”. It was heard in the next room over and the girls asked if I was ok! As I stood there, doubled over, holding my head, pondering what an a$$ I can be at times, I realized there wasn’t any time to ponder any longer and I got back to work washing the walls.
A few minutes later the phone rang. It was the dog groomers letting me know I had to come pick up our two shelties. They were all done and HAD to be picked up right now because the shop was closing for the weekend.
From there, things just went from busy, to crazy.
The cleaning kept going as I went and picked up the dogs, and when I got back we finished cleaning the house & cabin with help from our church friends.
Joshua and his friend Steven, loaded up Joshua’s suburban and we said our goodbye’s and see you later on the prairies, and they were on their way down the road ahead of us. We planned it this way, just in case the suburban ran into any troubles along the way. It’s an old vehicle, and this was Joshua’s first long distance trip. We figured at least if they ran into any problems they would be 24 hours ahead of us, and worst case scenario, we could pick the ‘boys’ up along our way through but hoped of course it wouldn’t come to that!
In the meantime, the carpet installer returned with the new roll of carpet and got back to work, only to call us over to inspect the new piece just a few minutes later, yet again, to point out FOUR black marks on the carpet AND yet another run.
By this time it was late Saturday afternoon. We spent some time haggling on the phone with Home Depot about how to fix this problem, and FAST, because we would be leaving the very next day and this carpet HAD to be put in! After being assured by Home Depot that they would find us more carpet to be put in, and after striking up a deal with the carpet installer to also install the closet doors once he was done AND paying him to do so, we left it in their hands and hoped and prayed that it would all be taken care of even if we were not there to oversee it getting done.
Later that evening, we headed to my parents to have dessert together to celebrate my mom’s birthday before we left the next day. My sister was also there. We had a nice time visiting, and said our goodbye’s, I love you’s, and hugs. It was hard. We had known the time we’d have to say goodbye had been coming for quite some time, and had made the best of our time together the last few years since we had planned to move away, but it’s still always difficult no matter how ‘prepared’ you think you may be.
We went back home after saying our goodbyes to do some more cleaning. Time was starting to tick away VERY quickly, and the very next day we would be leaving.
Goodness Peggy! The story is nowhere near finished and I’m already awed by what you’ve made it through. You’re a very strong woman! I would have dissolved into tears by now and would have been a complete monster to be around. Somehow I know you handled these trials with far more grace than most would have. I hope your family’s happy ending is coming soon!
I love how you preface the story in the prologue with “Negativity in life does not equal = life is negative”. Our home/property search has felt much like yours with the delays, wait, wait, stop and wait from God.
My girls and I are reading through a kids’ Old Testament book and we have been reading the last few nights about Israel and Joseph/Moses in Egypt. Four hundred years they waited for God to save them. I am impatient with 6 months (or even less sometimes). How convicting and humbling to read and realize that God’s time table is not centered on or dependent on me. I will continue to pray for your family and a safe and healthy place for y’all and your animals.
Very interesting, we enjoyed read all three…?
I remember when we first move into our new house. We hired a home cleaning and renovation service and we were very disappointed. Instead of finishing the work within 5 days, they took 7 days due to their equipment problems and materials. and from that on, i never call them again.