A chapter comes to an end....

And a new one begins!

We are finally finished moving. It was a long and painful process, but it's over. We leased our new apartment over a week in advance to the end of our lease in order to have plenty of time to move. Over the first weekend we got the big furniture out and moved all the necessities to the new place. Over the next week we would go back to the old place and pack a little more, usually things we needed that hadn't made it over yet. Last Saturday we had planned to get more packing and moving done, and we could finish up on Sunday and have some time to clean. When I finally woke up at 7 pm Sat evening, I knew that plan was shot. We got started as soon as we could on Sunday. Mom helped and we worked our tails off until we couldn't move anymore. I posted requests for help on Facebook throughout the day trying to find help, but all my calls went unanswered. I took off work Monday to keep packing in the hopes that we would finish without having to pay for another day. We didn't finish. So we paid for another day, I got a few hours in at work, then hitched a ride home with a coworker that volunteered to help out for a few hours. We also finally got help from Hubs' little brother Tuesday evening and his stepsister after midnight. We moved the last boxes out of the house 15 minutes before the office opened Wednesday. We didn't get to vacuum. I tried but it was so clogged with dog hair that it had no suction. I didn't have the time to clean it out, so we left without cleaning. I'm expecting a large bill for damage, but I'll deal with it when it comes.

As Mom and I attempt to leave with the last load, the truck refuses to start. We've had issues like this before, with the battery dying. My grandfather would just take it to Auto Zone and get it recharged. Our first thought was to jump start the truck with our car. Then we remembered that our car has a side-terminal battery and the truck is top-terminal. They are not compatible for a jump start. We called up AAA and had them send a guy out for assistance. 20 minutes later, Mike from Armada Towing was there to help us out. He ran a test and found that the battery was deader than dead. He dropped in a new battery and we were good to go.

We got everything unloaded at our new place by 10:30 am. Then Hubs had to take his stepsister back home so she could get some sleep before she had to get to work. We were all so exhausted and in pain. I ended up having to take Wednesday off to sleep. But it was over. The storage units were packed full and the floor in our new place is covered with boxes, but it was finished. And the thought felt great.

After I woke up from a long nap Wednesday, I was still in a lot of pain and painkillers weren't doing anything. I decided to try an Epsom salt bath. I've been told by lots of people that they are great. My grandmother takes one after every massage, my massage therapist suggested that I do it as well, and over the years it's been a popular suggestion for pain. I've taken them before but have never seen the benefits. After doing a little research to make sure I was using enough, I discovered my problem. We've always had a 1/4 cup scoop in the container. I used to put one or two scoops in. The actual recommended amount was 2 cups! I had never used enough. After using the right amount, I was amazed that my pain eased, and I didn't stay in as long as I would have liked. So when Hubs and I went grocery shopping, I picked up a couple of bags. I'll take all the pain relief I can get! Today I read a post on Barre3's blog about my dear friend Annie, and I was surprised to learn that she does an Epsom salt bath every night!

I was right about the weight being lifted from my shoulders after we turned the keys in. I don't dread going home anymore. I realize that because of the lack of sleep I've had this week, I could be headed for a manic episode. I might get depressed again. But for now, I'm living in the moment. I'm going to take each day as it comes. No assumptions about the future, no worries about the past. I'm going against everything my dad taught me by not focusing on the big picture. But I've been stressed out about that to such a degree that I wasn't living at all. I'm not saying that I'm never going to focus on the big picture again. I just need a break and a chance to overhaul my reality.


I'll keep you updated about my physical and mental health as the weeks go by.