The title of this post sounds like it would make a great show on HGTV, but for me it's just real life. This weekend, we helped my mom move, and we are "wore slap out." Actually my mom and my aunt swapped houses. The houses are less than a quarter-mile apart. I previously lived in both houses before Ken and I got married and moved into this one. As a matter of fact, the house my aunt moved into has been home to me & Kathryn, then my aunt (yes, the same aunt), then my grandparents, then my mom, and now my aunt again--in less than five years! You may be wondering, "How it that possible?" Or perhaps you're just shaking your head at me and my crazy nomadic family. I'll explain, but you'll have to put on your thinking caps, and it might be helpful to take notes. {grin}
First of all, it helps to know that I come from a large family--not in relation to siblings, but I have a whole bunch of cousins. I mean, a bunch. Some are 2nd and 3rd cousins, but we're a close family, so it's easier to just say "cousins." And almost all of them live nearby. Brandon had a hard time keeping up with who was who when he and Ken joined the family, and when I'd explain that whoever-it-was is a cousin, it became quite comical. Now we have a running joke about everybody being my cousin... And that's not far from the truth!
Ok, here we go:
In January 2004, I needed a place to live, and my mom had recently bought a house as an investment. It had been empty for years, and it needed a lot of work. She paid for the big stuff like a new roof. Kathryn and I moved in, and I did as much cleaning up and basic maintenance as I could, and paid rent. We'll call this House A. I don't remember all the specific details, but in August of that year, my mom bought another little house right around the corner (House B), and my aunt wanted to buy House A. So I moved to House B and my aunt moved into House A. We thought I might eventually work out a way to buy this one from my mom, but I was still just renting. My aunt was doing a lease-purchase on House A.
[click drawing to enlarge]
About this time, my grandparents starting having more health issues, and their kids (including my mom) wanted to move them into a better house--no stairs, less upkeep, and so on. They liked the house my aunt was in: House A. So, in what everyone hoped was in their best interest, my aunt agreed to forfeit the house and they began to make arrangements. Soon after this, Ken and I were engaged, and married the following March. We bought House C, just around another corner. So I moved to House C, my aunt moved out of House A and bought House B, and my grandparents moved into House A. Less than a year later, my grandparents decided they wanted to go back to their old house, which was now at least in better shape now than it had been. (Their house isn't very far, but not around the corner.) With House A now vacated again, my mom did a few renovations, rented out her other bigger house (two miles away) and eventually moved into House A, and that's how it's been for a couple of years.
Still following? Ok. My aunt felt that House A was her dream home. Eventually she and my mom worked out the details and decided they'd swap; my aunt will buy House A and my mom is buying House B. That's all fine and good but this was the most confusing move I ever took part in--and that is TRULY saying something! Neither house was empty, of course, so we moved my mom's living room stuff and a some boxes to my aunt's and put all that in the living room; then loaded the truck with my aunt's stuff to take it to mom's house. Back and forth, back and forth it went all day Saturday. All the big stuff is moved now, but there are still some small things they are still transporting to and fro.
When I related this story of house-swapping to a friend recently, he asked if I have gypsy blood. It seems so! I know I come from Cherokee American Indians but they were not nomadic. They did have different types of houses for summer and winter, so maybe that's it. We don't move far, we just move often. (We trade furniture just as often, too.) The circle on the map is only one mile, and it's the route we usually take when we go for our morning walks.
Also around the corner from all of our houses is another house we'll call House X. I lived there during my high school years; it's a lovely place with 8 acres of land, and we had horses and goats. After my parents divorced, my cousin (another cousin!) and her husband bought the place. They lived there about 15 years; this year they moved about a half-hour north of here, but still own the place as a rental property. And of course there is House Y, which is where my mom lived before moving to House A; it's also where I lived from age 12 until we moved to House X when I was 15. Before that, we lived about a mile the other direction (which is nearly around the corner from here, too) in House Z; that was our home from the time I was 5 until we moved to House Y. I have lived within two miles of my current home for twenty of my thirty-five years of life.
Confused yet? If you made it this far, thanks for being such a trooper and sticking with me through this convoluted story! Now, go take an Advil for the headache this has probably given you. {grin} My next post will be less confusing--I promise!
First of all, it helps to know that I come from a large family--not in relation to siblings, but I have a whole bunch of cousins. I mean, a bunch. Some are 2nd and 3rd cousins, but we're a close family, so it's easier to just say "cousins." And almost all of them live nearby. Brandon had a hard time keeping up with who was who when he and Ken joined the family, and when I'd explain that whoever-it-was is a cousin, it became quite comical. Now we have a running joke about everybody being my cousin... And that's not far from the truth!
Ok, here we go:
In January 2004, I needed a place to live, and my mom had recently bought a house as an investment. It had been empty for years, and it needed a lot of work. She paid for the big stuff like a new roof. Kathryn and I moved in, and I did as much cleaning up and basic maintenance as I could, and paid rent. We'll call this House A. I don't remember all the specific details, but in August of that year, my mom bought another little house right around the corner (House B), and my aunt wanted to buy House A. So I moved to House B and my aunt moved into House A. We thought I might eventually work out a way to buy this one from my mom, but I was still just renting. My aunt was doing a lease-purchase on House A.
[click drawing to enlarge]
About this time, my grandparents starting having more health issues, and their kids (including my mom) wanted to move them into a better house--no stairs, less upkeep, and so on. They liked the house my aunt was in: House A. So, in what everyone hoped was in their best interest, my aunt agreed to forfeit the house and they began to make arrangements. Soon after this, Ken and I were engaged, and married the following March. We bought House C, just around another corner. So I moved to House C, my aunt moved out of House A and bought House B, and my grandparents moved into House A. Less than a year later, my grandparents decided they wanted to go back to their old house, which was now at least in better shape now than it had been. (Their house isn't very far, but not around the corner.) With House A now vacated again, my mom did a few renovations, rented out her other bigger house (two miles away) and eventually moved into House A, and that's how it's been for a couple of years.Still following? Ok. My aunt felt that House A was her dream home. Eventually she and my mom worked out the details and decided they'd swap; my aunt will buy House A and my mom is buying House B. That's all fine and good but this was the most confusing move I ever took part in--and that is TRULY saying something! Neither house was empty, of course, so we moved my mom's living room stuff and a some boxes to my aunt's and put all that in the living room; then loaded the truck with my aunt's stuff to take it to mom's house. Back and forth, back and forth it went all day Saturday. All the big stuff is moved now, but there are still some small things they are still transporting to and fro.
When I related this story of house-swapping to a friend recently, he asked if I have gypsy blood. It seems so! I know I come from Cherokee American Indians but they were not nomadic. They did have different types of houses for summer and winter, so maybe that's it. We don't move far, we just move often. (We trade furniture just as often, too.) The circle on the map is only one mile, and it's the route we usually take when we go for our morning walks.
Also around the corner from all of our houses is another house we'll call House X. I lived there during my high school years; it's a lovely place with 8 acres of land, and we had horses and goats. After my parents divorced, my cousin (another cousin!) and her husband bought the place. They lived there about 15 years; this year they moved about a half-hour north of here, but still own the place as a rental property. And of course there is House Y, which is where my mom lived before moving to House A; it's also where I lived from age 12 until we moved to House X when I was 15. Before that, we lived about a mile the other direction (which is nearly around the corner from here, too) in House Z; that was our home from the time I was 5 until we moved to House Y. I have lived within two miles of my current home for twenty of my thirty-five years of life.Confused yet? If you made it this far, thanks for being such a trooper and sticking with me through this convoluted story! Now, go take an Advil for the headache this has probably given you. {grin} My next post will be less confusing--I promise!
