Movin' on Up

This past weekend had me down in Southern Utah to help Mom and Chuck get ready for their big move in a few weeks.  They've been in their home for 25 years so you can imagine all the nooks and crannies full of stuff.  They successfully sold their cute home in Toquerville and are buying a condo in St George.  The new place is closer to resources they will need in the future and they are driving to St George a few times a week anyway.  Plus you can't discount the carefree living of a condo with an HOA!

Friday night, I packed up Bella and John (complete with Nadine) and headed down.  Luckily we got away early enough to beat much of the UEA traffic.  Not even a slow down in Provo which is almost unheard of.

I was ready to help in any way I could but one ask was to help sell some furniture they didn't want to move and see if we could make some cash.  I took a few photos and put the items on Facebook Marketplace.  This is a newer service that Facebook offers.  It is completely free.  And it was insane. Within 30 minutes of posting on Friday night, my phone started buzzing.  It buzzed throughout the night.  I got up early in the morning to let Mom and Chuck know it was going to be a busy day selling their stuff.  We sold 2 recliners, a table and chairs, various tools, a silver teapot, a dresser, and hopefully Grandma Nell's treadle sewing machine (still pending payment and pick up).

We packed up and sorted items Mom was ready to sort and pack including the cedar chest of keepsakes Grandma had kept for years.  There were things dating back to the late 1800s.  And there was Grandma's purse, glasses, and hearing aids.  I wasn't quite ready for that and got a little teary but we made it through.  We will work on a project to better store the items in the near future.  We sorted decorations and some keepsakes Mom wanted to share with the family.  We took a huge load to charity and have another ready to go.

Overall, we cleared some space for boxes, got supplies for packing, sold stuff, made a little money, and enjoyed hanging out together.  Bella got time with Nadine (she loved it) and I got a good physical work out.  Sunday came before we knew it and I had to make the long drive home.  Can I say how good Bella is about traveling??  She really is a good travel kitty.  Barely a meow the whole way home.  I didn't have as good of luck with traffic coming home as I had driving down.  I passed 6 accidents on the freeway.  Lots of complete stops or going 20 mph on I-15.  But we made it home safe.

I wish I could help Mom more but I have to work and get ready for my big trip.  So hopefully she feels like it is doable and has a plan to get it finished.