When we started planning this crazy little excursion to Costa Rica oh-so-many months ago, there was always the need for me to leave in advance of my family, and then come back to get them. The logistics of making everything happen were basically impossible to handle any other way. That month away wasn’t easy, which you already know. Issues of living in Costa Rica aside, the reality of being that far from my family was far more harsh than I had ever imagined.
Needless to say, when I arrived last night, I was overjoyed to see that Mi Pequeña Niña (I think I’m going to use “MI Niñita” from now on, by the way — that seems to be the prefered version of “little girl”) recognised me. You have no idea how good that felt.
Today was packing day. And also my 36th birthday.
Unlike the previous 39 moves in my life (that’s a rough estimate, I’ve seriously lost count), we didn’t draft our friends or abuse ourselves on this. We hired a company to handle this. And I am never asking a friend to lift a finger ever again. Cheapskate or not, this is such a better experience.
Two women arrived at our door to put things together. We had already done a fair amount of work to gather things together, but we hadn’t put things in boxes. That was the pros job. And Amy (I think that’s her name) was a true pro — she’s been packing houses for 14 years. Yes, 14. She’s only 33, and looks barely 26. And packs like a demon.
I kid you not — they started at about 9:00, and even with two breaks were done by 13:00. All packed. No problem. Beautiful job. Nothing will be damaged, I’m sure. It was amazing to watch, but I had to stay out of their way. I was sure that if I stood still too long, I’d be packed, too.
Today the Jetta sold, and we are now car-less. Well, except for the Nissan Versa we rented. But we own nothing. And I can’t be happier about that. One less thing to worry about. Tomorrow, the boxes leave the house for the storage locker. That should be an easy day, and we can relax a little, I hope.
But today, no relaxing for me. Not even on my birthday. It was a quiet birthday — the only present I got was a chocolate bar from Alex. Believe me, I much prefer being with my family for my birthday than I could imagine anything else. Being with Mi Niñita is more present than I could ask for. Dinner was at Chili’s (not my favourite place, but it has Creemore Springs on tap!), followed by a lacklustre bumbleberry pie slice at the Quality Inn we’re staying at (we have no bed to sleep in at home anymore).
Tomorrow is our last full day in Calgary. I hope it’s an easier one than today.
