miss them already

So, we made the big move on Saturday, February 19th. The week prior, we were busy packing and making arrangements so that things would go smoothly. Friday night, the 18th, my sister Kimberly and parents flew in. What originally was planned as "a fun visit in the new house", turned into a "move/fun visit" due to the fact that the house wasn't done when it was originally planned for (February 4th). All I can say is that I am lucky my family is so easy going and willing to help because it would have been insane without them. I think I was under a lot of stress with work, the move, girl's camp, etc. because my face was a mess with zits. My family was amazing, and the zits cleared while they were here :)

Let's start with Friday night (for my records). Kimberly flew into the Miami airport around 6:30 pm. I picked her up and we met up with Kevin back at the apartment. We decided to head up to Fort Lauderdale for dinner because my parents were flying into that airport around 10:45 pm. We enjoyed a yummy dinner at Cantina Laredo, one of my favorite places. You have to try the brisket tacos! They are only on the lunch menu, but they will make them for you for dinner if you ask nice. (Note: for some reason, they are a little better when you go for lunch) Anyway, the manager thought we had to sit there too long before we ordered, so he sent for guacamole to be made for us tableside. It was amazing, but hilarious because we had already ordered a big bowl of queso. I was full after chips and salsa/queso/quacamole.

This was the first time we had been to The Village at Gulfstream Park, which is kind of like an outdoor mall, but behind the shops and restaurants they do horse racing and other such things. The whole place looks like a colosseum, it was beautiful. Needless to say, we took a few pictures. (Note: I actually hate the Simpsons and we were never allowed to watch it growing up, but it made for a funny picture.)

The shops were all boutique-y/miami style. You have to see the clothes to understand, or walk around South Beach at night to get an idea.

After picking up Mom and Dad, we headed home and got tucked in a little after midnight. The movers were supposed to be there at 9 the next morning, and they were almost on time :) Around 8 am, Home Depot called me to let me know that they would be delivering our wood for the floors in 30 minutes, so I jumped in the car and raced up to the house to be there to sign. We pulled in the gate right after each other, so that worked well. After receiving two huge pallets of wood flooring, I rushed back home to be there for the movers. We had one little hiccup when the guys showed up and tried to tell us that in addition to the price of the movers, they tacked on an additional hour for "travel time", and a $50 gas surcharge. This was news to us, because although most other companies Kevin talked to told us of such charges, the one we chose told us that there were no hidden fees...it was just the price per hour, nothing more. WHICH IS WHY WE CHOSE THEM!! Anyway, after going round and round and stalling for 30 minutes (and the guys grumbling and complaining that they shouldn't have to deal with this), we ended up having them do it anyway because we weren't about to haul all our belongings down from the 3rd floor, and the local U-Haul didn't have any big trucks-we called.

I was a little nervous that they would do a bad job because they were now disgruntled employees, but they were awesome and did the job in no time. I only panicked once when I saw all 3 guys coming up the stairs with hand-trucks. They would load 3-4 boxes, and start down the stairs, with a thump-thump as they went down each stair. I was sure everything was going to break, even though they were taking it slow. Kimberly assured me that this is what they did when she moved from New York, but I couldn't be assured until I unpacked and found all my kitchen stuff safe and sound! (The amazing thing: not one item was broken, chipped, or damaged.)

As the movers were doing their thing (we were carrying down smaller boxes/random stuff), my Mom was cleaning my whole apartment. I told her not to stress about it because we technically didn't have to be out of the apartment until March 8th, but let me tell you, it is such a relief that I didn't have to go back and clean. My mom is so selfless and didn't stop moving.

Once the truck was loaded, we headed up to the new house. Oh, Andre and Daleth were there as well :) The movers hauled all the big furniture up the stairs, which was a feat in and of itself due to the heavy entertainment center. We weren't sure it would make the turn at the stairs, but ta-da, they did it. Everything else went into the living room. Kimberly immediately starting taking kitchen boxes to the kitchen and unloaded my pantry and all sorts of boxes. We took a break for Chipotle, then the girls headed over to Costco so I could get a new vaccuum, hangers, and a few random supplies. When we arrived back at the house, Kevin and Andre had all the boxes in their respective rooms, upstairs included :) I was a happy camper. After Andre and Daleth left, the girls finished the kitchen while Kevin watched you-tube tutorials on how to do the floor, hahaha. Mom and Kimberly went up to take a cat nap and Kevin and I ran to the hardware store to get a few supplies. They girls obviously didn't sleep long, because when we got home, both our closets were almost unpacked with all my clothes color-coordinated just like I like them. I am getting emotional just thinking about the amazing service that they did on my behalf. From unpacking, to cleaning, to helping me organize.

I thought I would be in boxes for a while, but by the time they left, really the only things in boxes were the decorations and the boxes for the office (which are currently in the garage until the floors are done). I couldn't have been more grateful and I hope they realize that they saved me and my sanity. So, Saturday was busy, but then we had some fun. More posts to follow :)