The other day I got that same feeling you get as a kid that is just a few days away from going to a new school. You’re looking forward to it because everything will be new and different, but at the same time there’s some anticipation because well… everything will be new and different.
We’re now a couple of days from our move, and our place is filled with boxes, labels, and things are just a bit chaotic right now. Erica and the cats have been noticing the escalating change, and the past few mornings e has woken up and not been happy. All her familiar things are now in boxes. Her room is filled with boxes and garbage bags. The cats are also needing extra attention and reassurance. I’m guessing the move will be hard on them as well- I read that cats get attached to places whereas dogs are fine as long as their humans are around.
As for the move itself, we severly underestimated the number of boxes. In the end, E went online, at Jennifer’s suggestion to Frogbox. They are a company that drops off these green, stackable, sturdy plastic boxes (similar to ones we used to move at the office) and pick them up again when you are done. No need to go out and buy cardboard boxes (they are expensive!), tape them together, collapse, or recycle them. I imagine they are a lot more environmentally friendly. We very much recommend them.
I think back to when we moved here almost 8 years ago, and how much has changed since then. We weren’t married, we had hand-me-down furniture including a used futon and sawed off love seat for the living room. We had E’s double bed on an ikea frame… and a foosball table with a cover and 4 bar stools for a dining room table. We were one of the original owners here at Madison, I think 4th or 5th to move in. We’ve seen neighbors come and go, and neighbors turn into really good friends. As with any strata, we’ve also seen our share of drama, but also a strong sense of community.
Tomorrow is Erica’s last day at Cecelia’s daycare, and if we’re emotional about missing daycare, then I’m sure the same goes for Erica and all of her friends (Fay-fay, Cah-is, Di-da, Annabelle, etc). We know she likes going there and playing with her friends. It’s definitely one of the reasons why she’s so well socialized.
For us, the location has been great. E works nearby, and for a few years I worked about a mile away from Madison. Family lives nearby, good restaurants and grocery stores, Brentwood’s an ok mall, Metrotown is close by, the Heights is a 10 min walk, my local fishstore is on Hastings, Making Memories (the place where E should work!) is by Safeway, lots of nice parks nearby, Eileen Daily pool, Burnaby mountain golf course, 8 rinks, skytrain, North Van, etc.
Don’t get me wrong, we’re looking forward to the new place, finding new amenties and friends… and I think we’ve found a good place for our kids to grow up. Many milestones in our lives happened while we lived at Madison… a lot of really good memories. But in a few days, we’ll be starting out in a new environment, and part of the fun will be discovering all the things that will turn into more good memories in time.
Yeah, tomorrow’s going to be a tough day.