Hello all – I know I am really procrastinating on the Greece posts. I promise, they’re coming! It was an incredible time and I’m phenomenally gratefully to Niki for opening up her life to Sunny and I in that way… we got to learn about her family’s history and culture on Ios island, visit the beach nearly every day, rekindle a lot of my marine biology life, have a momentous joyful parent moment in seeing Sunny learn how to swim, and have WEEKS to feel like a normal human who just has nearly unlimited time to talk to her friend while also doing minor chores and tasks, cooking, hanging out, and generally just deciding what to do each day. Joyful. 

But… before we get to that – 

Here we are again! I’m moving! (Sarcastic YAYYYYYY!) But despite it marking my 12th move in 10 years (and plenty before that – read about them all in an upcoming post!), it does feel exciting as well. My sister Marlie and I are renting a house together. A really nice house, with a sunroom! I’ll get to live the dream of having a gorgeous, plant-filled interior jungle where I can lounge around and watch my tortoise slowly walk around his giant tank. (It’s pretty sweet as far as tortoise setups go, bested only by landscaped and water-featured zoo exhibits. It’s coming one day, Dozey!) Marlie will no longer have to worry about a long work or family-visit commute, I’ll have some extra hands on deck with Sunny, and we’ll both get to have the fun (and weird, maybe?) experience of living with an adult sibling. And due to Denver’s insane real estate market, it’s generally a better option than buying right now, and she and I together can essentially pay what we’ve been paying for 2, 1-br apartments, and instead have a private residence, giant yard, and a karaoke room. It’s going to be a fun year! 

The timing should be decent as far as moves go. We sign and have the ability to move into the new house on Sept 15, and I have until Sept 30 to get my apartment cleaned out. Since it’s only a 10 minute drive away, I imagine myself doing a load or two each day after work in my own truck, and more on the weekends. Still… I’ve done enough moving to know that it always takes far longer and is far more annoying than you expect it to be. But this time… I am coming with a plan. I have a system! 

In the last few moves, I have come to believe that HDX Tough Totes (or whatever Brand’s equivalent) are a girl’s best friend. I don’t love the hassle of cardboard. Though the cost is low or free, you have to find it and then do something with it afterwards. It’s not great for heavy things like books and kitchen wares. It’s awkward to carry the boxes, if you’re like me and not yet at the stage in life to hire movers. Other less expensive storage totes are also not ideal. Nearly every clear, plastic tote I’ve found eventually ends up breaking, with the plastic becoming brittle when it’s too hot or too cold. They’re not always stackable, lids seem hard to stay on, etc. 

And I thought to myself, the only thing that would make Tough Totes better would be if they came in a clear variety. So I searched the interwebs and found that in fact, they now come in clear! I dragged Sunny out to the store to see if they actually seemed as sturdy as the originals, and they did. I ended up purchasing 10 of them, plus two sturdy metal racks on great casters, and will attempt to pack most of my life into them. I’ll be able to roll them right out of my apartment, onto the elevator, and into the truck when the time comes.  

So wish me luck on another “untethering”… sorting through all of my things, and deciding what stays behind in the BEFORE NOW part of my life, and what comes with my into the next phase. It’s uncharted territory in many ways, though I like to think that I’m much older and wiser this time. I’ll report back in a few weeks when we’re all through!