The Sale and The Big Move

For three years, off and on,
we had our home on the market.
When we bought the house,
the sellers' market in Florida was booming,
and it was common to look at a house one day,
and it be sold the next.
We ended up buying our house in Winter Haven from someone we knew.
Eleven years later, the market had drastically changed.
This last time, however, things were different.
We put our house back on the market
and had 2 offers within a week.
After a little negotiation,
we ended up getting significantly more than asking price,
and the bonus was that the new owners wrote in the contract, that  
the garden be left undisturbed.
We knew we had the right buyers.

The day dawned bright and cool,

and we began the arduous task of saying goodbye

to our home, neighborhood and dear friends.

This home had served us well and was just the right fit.

The question was,

could we fit everything from our home into this 26-foot truck?

Oh yeah, it looks cavernous when it's empty.

But 11 years of livin' had to fit into that box.

Unbelievably, we made it.

A few of my gardening things were stored in a friend's garage

until we come back in February to retrieve them.

There won't be much gardening going on in the next few weeks,

so we left that stuff behind until we return to the area next month.

Big K has a ham radio event to attend in Orlando,

so we will make the drive down.

History was made after the truck was loaded.

For the first time,

both of our Elements, Kale and Ginger,

fit in the garage at the same time!

We headed out right after lunch,

Big K towing Kale behind the truck

and me driving Ginger.

C was happily nestled in the big cab with his dad.
Hand-held radios kept us in touch for the whole ride.

Along highways and byways we drove,

hour after hour,

making slow but steady progress.

We decided to make the trip in two days,

staying overnight in Georgia before heading up the rest of the way

to Sherrill's Ford, North Carolina.

We were blessed to avoid much traffic,

and one detour even took us on a much more scenic route.

The angels were with us all the way.

All in all,
it wasn't a bad trip.
We were happy to get to the rental house around 5 p.m. on the second day.
That story will be shared tomorrow.
Until then,
thank you for all of your prayers and good wishes.
We felt them on every mile of our travels.


"Life is known only by those who have found a way 
to be comfortable with change and the unknown. 
Given the nature of life, there may be no security, 
but only adventure."
-Rachel Naomi Remen

Also in this series:
We Made It
The House 
The Neighborhood