share post

Moving Day!

by | Aug 21, 2015 | Moving, My Life

This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here

Moving Day!

After a couple of long but fast moving weeks of packing and preparing for the big move from our home on the peninsula over to Seattle, the day finally arrived. We officially moved out of our house! :-( While it was (and is) really hard to say goodbye, we know our next adventure is just beginning so we are hanging on to that. It feels more like a “farewell, friend” than a forever final goodbye because we know we will remember how much we loved it here. Each one of our past homes still feel very much a part of our story and always a part of our fond memories.

(Update: I wrote a two-part series on my top ten tips for preparing for buying a new house and moving and tips for moving!)

Moving Day!

This home will continue to be very special to us. I learned so much here about creating a home I love and finding contentment wherever I am. I will not only keep sharing the lessons learned, my favorite rooms and projects from this house on the blog, but it is the home that is featured in my next book, The Inspired Room, due out in November! I’m SO excited for that book to be released (it’s available for pre-order at Amazon and Barnes and Noble). I wrote a lot about my decorating process and tips for designing a home, and of course took many photos of this house for the book, so I can hardly wait for you to see it and hold it in your hands!

Moving Day!

It does help to know that even though we’ve physically left this house, it isn’t a goodbye, but a see you later.

Moving Day!

It’s a weird feeling, moving out of a house without closing on another prior to the sale. What do you do in that situation? I didn’t know. We’ve always moved from one home to another (always before our old house even sold), which in many ways makes the moving process so much more straightforward. With a more simple move like that, your belongings are at Home A and they need to arrive at Home B. But in our case, we were not going to be able to close on a Home B in time. So we had to go from Home A to . . . what?

      • When I first realized the logistical problems an “in between move to an unknown location” would create, I was lying awake at night, imagining all sorts of less than ideal scenarios.
      • Should we rent a storage room and move to that first? Well, WE wouldn’t actually move into the storage room (that might be weird), but our things would be moved into one :).
      • In that case, is there a storage room big enough? How many storage rooms would we need to rent to hold an entire house of things we love?
      • And then, the next question, how would we get those belongings to said storage room?
      • Would I throw my back out trying to haul stuff in and out of homes and storage?
      • And even if we figured out the storage room situation, how much fun would it be to move to a storage room and then move again, out of the storage room, to a house days or weeks later? Not fun.
      • Should we rent a house? But a house is significantly more expensive to rent in Seattle than a storage room (plus we have dogs, and we didn’t want a long term commitment), so that option was off the table pretty quickly.
      • Or maybe we should just try to sell all of our furniture to the new owner and carry out only what we can fit in our backpacks? This option actually sounded kind of appealing at that point :)

Moving Day!

All of those scenarios seemed like potential options, but none of them were ideal for us for various reasons. And we had a week to get out of our house, so that kind of ramped up the pressure.

So, basically, I panicked. Well, not really. But I did have a long moment of slight anxiety over what to do, so I googled my options. And the answer was right there. PODS. OF COURSE! That is exactly what I needed. I called their offices immediately and described our urgent situation.

I didn’t cry or have a total meltdown, but I might have sounded slightly anxious about our looming deadline. The friendly person who took my call reassured me that PODS was in fact perfect for our situation and I didn’t need to worry. They could handle all the details and get us to where we needed to be when we were ready. I hung up and let out a big sigh of relief! PODS would deliver “containers” (the storage units) to my house the next week. Crisis averted!

The PODS containers are portable storage units that are available in various sizes. There is a handy dandy space calculator on the PODS site that allows you to judge how many containers you need based on the size of your home. They are delivered to your home on a truck and the containers can be set in your driveway or on the side of the street. You can hire help to pack them with furniture and belongings, or you can go the DIY moving and loading route. We did some of the move ourselves, as we had completed most of the packing in the two weeks prior to the PODS containers arriving.

We even rented some plastic moving bins to use for packing, which were awesome! We rented them from EZ Binz in Seattle, a wonderful company that services King County. I’d highly recommend using them if you’re in the area. They came in different sizes and were super easy to pack almost anything in our house. They also included labels to attach to each bin which made it really helpful to identify what was in each one. See the great selection of bins they offer here!

See more of our moving tips in this two-part post!

Moving Day!

My husband and I agreed years ago that we would never try to move furniture ourselves again after a few unfortunate situations (one where I was thrown backwards over the side of a wire on a trailer ramp by an unruly mattress and one time where I was pinned under a heavy dresser. Eh hem).

So after securing my move plan with PODS, they referred me to Hire-A-Helper online to hire some strapping young men to move our furniture for us. Miraculously, they found a team from Washington Moving Labor Services to help us out on the day of our move.

The team worked hard all day. Hiring help was my BEST DECISION EVER. I sat and sipped lemonade in the shade while they hoisted furniture down the stairs and out the door into the blazing heat.

Moving Day!Washington Labor Services

By the end of the day, my house was mostly loaded up (I’ll share my tale about what was left to move on our final day in the house, later…that’s the day where my organization fell apart and I even have a few  “moving bruises” to show for it, hahah).

The next day, our belongings were hauled off by PODS to their secure storage center. There was no need for us to move twice, PODS would simply store our containers and deliver them to our new place when we were ready. I don’t think a move like this could have been any easier on us! This has been our smoothest moving experience so far!

Moving Day!

As I write this, at this point we are technically homeless (which puts kind of an interesting twist on blogging about loving the home you have, don’t you think?). But while we are presently without a home of our own, we are hanging out with our girls at their townhouse, awaiting our next move!

But not to worry, we finally found a house that we have an offer on and plan to close on soon, so I will be sharing about that in an upcoming post! :)

Moving Day!

Moving Day!

I’ll have more to tell you about our last day in the house (including the blunders, ha!), some of the helpful tips we have learned for pulling off a smooth move, and details on our new home soon!

Catch up with all of our moving posts here.

Have you had any tricky moving experiences? Tell me your tales!

Thank you to PODS for being willing to partner with me in the moving process and for making this experience so much less stressful!

80 Comments

  1. Dixie Redmond

    Moving can be both super stressful AND invigorating. I love reading your story.

    Reply
  2. Andrea M. Schnapp

    When we moved into a rental home for a year while our house was being built, we only unpacked our necessary things. We rented a large house and just stored boxes in the empty rooms. When we’re finally in our new home, opening each box was just like Christmas! Also, I was buying new things for the house, leaving them in their packages there were more surprises.

    Reply
  3. Lynda Brandly

    Moving is never easy – no matter what you do! We have moved across the country several times and I know how exhausting it can be not to have a home. Praying for you and your family as you make this transition. Excited about your new book!
    love and blessings~
    Lynda @ Gates of Crystal

    Reply
  4. Nicole

    Moving is awful, stressful but I wish you luck with the new place. Hiring a moving company is always the best idea.. saying this after a few times we tried without company. It was awful! POD’s also a great idea. I hope you will move very soon to your new place. We are staying on a stand by to see your new house. Good luck with everything!

    Nicole :)

    Reply
  5. Megan Sanders

    As a matter of fact…we just moved from St. Louis, MO to Beaverton, OR and while our move itself was fairly uneventful, the whole process has been quite stressful. For starters, the week after we put a contract on our new home, my husband had to leave to travel for work for six weeks, which meant that I put the STL house on the market, accepted a contract and went through the inspection/minor repair process solo. When it came time to pack up our belongings, I too had containers delivered which friends helped me pack, but because everything had to travel 2000+ miles, I sent them ahead before leaving STL, This meant that I basically camped out in our old house with an air mattress, paper plates and two big dogs for two weeks. Then, two days before closing and just five days before the big move, our buyer’s funding fell through. Suddenly I had to ready the house and yard to put it back on the market and I no longer had a single tool or cleaning product! It did go back on the market (no offer yet), my husband returned and we drove for three days, with the dogs, and arrived in Oregon two weeks ago. As much of a hassle as it has all been, it’s been totally worth it! We are in LOVE with our new home, are delighted with our new neighborhood, I’m starting a new teaching job and we are now just minutes away from our daughter!

    I can’t wait to see your new house and watch what you do with it. I feel like we’ll be settling into and personalizing our homes together!

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Oh wow, congratulations on your new home! I miss Portland and my family in Oregon. But being here near our girls is so wonderful! How fun to be settling in and sharing the experience with you just up the coast! :) We had buyers walk away on closing day before too, that is the worst! Glad you got to move anyway and are starting a great new life there in Oregon. Enjoy.

      Reply
  6. CynthiaJo

    How exciting! I can’t wait to see your new house and all the fun you will have making it a home! When we moved into our home 11 years ago we used my grandparents cattle trailer. LOL We live in a very rural area, and you use what you have at hand. It was clean, on the inside so no worries. They had to only fill it twice since we were moving from a 900 sq ft home to over 2000 sq ft and didn’t have very much to move. But I still laugh about using that trailer. Such good memories of all the help we got from both sides of our family that day.

    Reply
  7. Heidi

    Last time my husband and I moved, we had to be out of one house before we even knew what STATE we’d be moving to, let alone what house! I completely understand that weird homeless feeling! We left all our stuff in storage on the east coast and went to the west coast to spend summer with family (my husband is a teacher, so we weren’t losing actual job time), and ended up in south Texas not far from the Gulf coast. It was a huge blessing that we didn’t even have to go get our stuff–my husband’s new employer sent a truck, friends on the other end helped load it up out of storage, and we spent three weeks camping out in an empty house before any of our stuff arrived, just so relieved to have a place of our own again!

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Oh wow! That’s crazy. What an adventure! I am sure you were quite relieved to have a home again. :)

      Reply
  8. BritishAlanna

    I’d love to see more pics of the house without the furniture. It’s really helpful from an inspiration perspective to see the walls, ceilings, moldings, floors, etc. in detail without the distraction of furnishings. So, if you have any – please post!
    We just moved in June from our beloved Issaquah, WA to Ridgewood, NJ for my husband’s job. It’s been a tough move for us from an emotional standpoint. I’m so pleased you’re getting to stay in the PNW. I’m jealous! :-)

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Thanks. We might have taken a few empty room shots, I’ll see. It was very stressful trying to get out of the house on time, we intended to do more photos but we just ran out of time! Literally we were scrambling, I’ll share the story in another post. I’m sure moving across the country has been difficult emotionally, I’m so sorry. I hope you’ll find new joy in that side of the country, at least there is so much history there it could be fun to treat it as though you are a tourist. Take care!

      Reply
  9. Jo

    We thought PODS would be our solution for moving and storing the 6 months while we await the building of our new home, but unfortunately it wasn’t our answer as they would not move our items long distance out of state, so….we we opted to hire professional mover to pick-up and then store everything and then bring it to us when the house is ready. Expensive, but when Pods didn’t work out, we didn’t have a choice. Pods would be great for short term tho and for a move within the same state. We also hired guys from Craigslist to move, haul and do all the heavy lifting the items we needed to move into an apartment for the next 6 months. Moving is one of the most stressful things you can do…and to have to do it twice in such a short time is….we’ll you know as you are doing it also! lol. God bless you as you make your transition and prayers athstnyour closing on your new home goes as smoothly as possible. ❤️❤️❤️

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Thank you Jo! It is stressful to make these transitions, so much goes into it all. I will be writing more about it, no matter how many times I move I learn something new about how to do it better and more what “not to dos” :)! Thanks again.

      Reply
    • Natalie W.

      That’s strange Jo. My sis in law and her family are military and have moved several times coast to coast. They always use PODS. My I laws recently moved from OK to CA and used PODS also. I wonder why they wouldn’t move you??

      Reply
  10. LaNelle Schaffhauser

    Thanks once again for a wonderful blog posting! Best wishes in a smooth transition with the new house closing will look forward to hearing and seeing future post…many blessings in the days & weeks ahead as you settle in Seattle.

    Reply
  11. Diane@InMyOwnStyle

    Hi Melissa – I am enjoying reading about your moving adventure since it is parallel to mine. We are going with PODS too. They were the best option for us not only for cost, but also since we have no idea where we are going yet – the ease of storage. We may end up hanging out with one of our daughters, too :-) temporarily sleeping on a blow up mattress in one of their apartments. Only time will tell. It sounds like you are enjoying the journey.

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      What an adventure! It is kind of fun being free of a house for a bit. I had a daydream about not buying a house and just traveling the world, but then I remembered my son is still in school so I have a few years before I can be freely romping around the world. Ha.

      Reply
  12. Heather Beato

    We did a similar thing our last move–sold house, no new house in sight, which left me, hubby, 2 yr old son, newborn daughter, and puppy basically homeless. I seriously considered the PODS thing–in hindsight, I wish we had gone that route–but since we didn’t know how long (and it was looking like it would be a few months), it seemed financially out of our league. So we did the two moves thing: one into a U-Haul and then into storage (while we lived with family), and then a second from storage into the new house once we’d closed. We (meaning my dad) hired movers for the second move–he said he’d pay for it as long as he didn’t have to move any more furniture. If we’d just done one move with PODS, it would have probably been cheaper than having to pay for the second move. Oh, well :~)

    I think you found the perfect solution and wish you all the best on this new adventure!

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Yay for your dad, I know exactly how he felt, I’d rather sacrifice and pay for help than to move anyone ever again, haha. We’ve done moves before where we tried to do it all ourselves and I’m positive we spent just as much renting trucks, storage and draining our energy for weeks. It’s always hard to know what to do in these situations, but this really worked out best for us…even though we did have a little fail on our part at the last day trying to get out of our house which I will tell you all about in another post. :)

      Reply
  13. Karen

    I wish you all the best with your moving transition. We currently have a daughter & husband and new baby moving back home. However they are moving cross country. Our daughter had a lot of anxiety about how to coordinate everything & especially the baby and how he would make the move. Once their home sold everything has pretty much flowed. They like you do not yet have a more permanent place to move to but will rent first.
    I so enjoyed your decorating style of your home. We lived not far from Lake Michigan & are a family of sailors. So I especially loved your nautical accents. I can’t wait to see how you turn your new house into a home:)

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Thanks Karen! I’m looking forward bringing my style along with me and evolving it into a new place! Thanks so much for following along with me, it’s fun to have friends out there to share the journey with.

      Reply
  14. Celeste

    My husband is a pastor and we live in a parsonage (a home owned and provided for us by the church). In our denomination every pastor who is moving that year in our geographic area moves on the same day – out of the old home in the morning and into the new home that afternoon. Many of the details of our moves are at the mercy of the church who is receiving us. Some pay for movers others send some men and a truck and still others want us to handle the move ourselves. Every move of these 26 years has been an adventure.

    I can’t wait to hear about your new place and appreciate the opportunity to peek in on the process of it becoming your home.

    Reply
  15. Carol@TheRedPaintedCottage

    When we moved 2 years ago, the housing market wasn’t that great in our area. We were moving from a huge house of 43 years to a condo. We hired a moving company, who stored our belongings in a temperature controlled area. We moved into our cottage and not until we closed on our house, did we start looking for a condo. The selection was slim, at best. We finally found one, and after closing, the same moving company moved all our belongings to our new home. Yes, the whole selling, buying, and moving experience can be stressful, but it’s all for the best.

    Reply
  16. Angela

    What an adventure! We were camping in Colorado this spring and the tent next door was a family with 3 young children (the youngest 6 weeks old!) and a semi. They had moved from South Carolina and were not able to find housing before he had to start work. They camped for several weeks while he worked and looked for housing for his family. The day before we left they moved to their new home. We all cheered for them! His wife was such a trooper–it rained every day and even hailed several times.

    Reply
  17. Vee

    Getting very exciting over here! PODS sounds wonderful…

    Reply
  18. Rita Davidson

    I Loved reading this and it really hit a chord with me. two years ago July 2013, we lost our home in a house fire. In an instant our lives were changed and we were homeless! (We had no insurance and lived without running water or indoor toilets for 6 months). It was a learning experience and a real stretch for our faith. I found your blog somewhere after that fire, inspired by your light and airy photo’s and decorating ideas. It took us 18 months to get back into a real home. After our fire, we had many donations of furniture for a new home that had to stay in storage until we knew what kind of home we were getting. All the planning that I spent doing for 18 months in my head finally was there and so we got the keys and had to spend a month picking out furniture in the storage to fit into our new home. It was wierd as it was all new, and unfamiliar so we tried to view it as an adventure, which it was. It has taken many months for us to feel like this is home and I’m always working on ways to create the homey feeling that we need to make it our ‘home’. After losing all your belongings and starting from scratch you really reset your ideas on what is needed vs what is wanted and what makes a real home. Your blog inspires me to think more about that so thank you. :)

    Reply
  19. laney

    …cannot wait for the next chapter…blessings laney

    Reply
  20. Therese Payne

    We used PODS when we moved from Seattle five years ago. We had to be out of our old house a month before the new one closed. They were wonderful. We had absolutely no damage and they were delivered on time and right to our garage door. It was a very positive experience.

    Reply
  21. Debbie

    Like you, I have sworn I will never move myself again. While I have no plans to move right now, I am happy to find out about the online site to find helpful movers. I look forward to hearing how the PODS experience works out for your family.

    Definitely looking forward to reading The Inspired Room as you set up a new home. It is always interesting to discover how you are going to take your current furniture and accessories and incorporate them into a new house…soon to be home.

    Reply
  22. Deb

    I so get where you are! My husband and I are renovating a cottage. Actually only the floor joists haven’t been touched! We have even had home movers to raise the cottage 4 feet in the air and and put a new foundation under it and then lower it back down! We sold the house we had been in and the cottage wasn’t ready, so we packed our belonging and every is stored somewhere. We are in my mother-in-law’s basement! So ready to be settled! It’s exciting to come to cottage every day and work on it…hubs is doing most himself with help from friends.

    Reply
  23. Leah

    These are such great stories! Mine is that I basically packed up and moved (I packed the boxes, then supervised the movers, did final clean-up, etc) at 8 months pregnant while my husband drove to our new out-of-state destination with our 7 year old and a minivan full of stuff!! Of all places, we were relocating to Las Vegas…I had never even been there before and now I had to get off a plane, get set up in a new house (bought sight unseen – only pictures that my husband took) and get immediately established with a new doctor since my due date was quickly approaching! Looking back, I’m not sure how we did it..but we’re living to tell the tale.: )
    Best of luck to you as you make more memories!
    Leah

    Reply
  24. Barbara (WA)

    I couldn’t even read all this because it makes me SO sad – You just got the final Swine eradicated! I keep picturing you living in your daughter’s townhouse, the whole family together again plus the three dogs, heheh!!

    Reply
    • Barbara (WA)

      Well, shoot, I just now read you ARE living with your daughters – I was joking!!! Have a wonderful time with the family all together!

      Reply
      • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

        We have enjoyed it, and our girls have been gracious hostesses (and our son-in-law a patient host). :) But I’m sure they all will be pleased when we are back to living on our own again, haha, especially because now they have to put up with THREE dogs in their little townhouse!

        Reply
  25. Brenda Nicholson

    We used Pods when we moved from Michigan to Indiana. They were a lifesaver and made a difficult and stressful situation so much better! I hope you get into your new home soon.

    Reply
  26. KATHYSUE

    Since we just moved from our home of 37 years, I had some of the very same thought processes you had and at one point I did have a meltdown when I realized the movers got water all over the carpet when they moved the washer and I had to hire a carpet cleaner throwing off our schedule by 3 days, but it all ended well and we are in an apartment awaiting our new home to be built and finished mid- October. We have a storage unit full of boxes and now I am wondering what could be in those boxes, since I have everything I need here in the apartment, OH MY!! more purging in my future, for sure!!! Fun following along with your move.

    Reply
  27. Diane Cummings

    Hi Melissa; I am so excited for you! Boy, do we know what moving is all about, moving 3 times in the last 3 years! We have now built our “forever home” and are all moved in and settled. I had sent you a email about a week ago (understanding now that you were packing!) I have a niece who has written a book, has a agent, but the agent has told her she needs a “platform.” Would you have any suggestions? And, or would you be willing to talk with her or maybe recommend her book on your website? I know this is asking alot, but she is a great gal and it is a Christian book. Thanks Melissa-happy moving! Hope your closing happens soon so we can all see your new home and see you start with the decorating!

    Reply
  28. Lorie

    I can relate we used PODS for our last move. We sold our house in 4 days in Colorado. We moved to CA. We moved into an apartment it was only going to be for like 3 months well it turned into 11/2 years in the apartment. We just could not find the right house. We finally found a house that I hope is my forever home. We have been in it for one year. I am getting the yard together. The inside not so much.

    Reply
  29. Jenn

    Congrats on finding a home! It can be so stressful to be in between houses. We had four weeks between when I sold my condo and when we could move into our new house. We moved in with my parents for the weeks in between and then moved into our new house two weeks before our wedding – which I do not recommend! I may or may not have had a breakdown the day I got to the new house with the movers and the contractors weren’t done removing the popcorn ceilings yet. Dry wall dust and pollen (April in GA) everywhere. Agree that hiring help is the best thing you can do for yourself. Our movers ended up giving us a good deal since they moved us twice (once from the condo to the storage unit and then from storage to the house). Good luck in the new home! Can’t wait to see it!

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Wow, that sounds like a crazy move, just before your wedding! Thanks, Jenn, I can’t wait to share this next adventure with you all.

      Reply
  30. Maggie

    So happy you found a home.. Yes moving is stressful. The more organized you are the better.. When I packed our movers said I used to many boxes.. Labeling is sooooo important. Also carrying full insurance helps. Trying to work out a settlement without it is very hard. If you can record your weight when they leave and when they deliver. We have found many times the weight was off and we had to pay more. Definetely ask people about what movers they have used. Bad packers can be a nightmare. Hope fully soon you can relax and enjoy that new house.

    Reply
  31. Gretchen

    You make a difficult situation seem doable…so nice to read. My husband and I lived in 2 houses over a period of 40 years in the same town. When he retired we accepted the invitation to move into a home with our daughter and son-in-law’s military family near Savannah (Ft. Stewart). Since then we have lived in northern Virginia (Pentagon) and have just recently moved into a home in Clarksville, TN (Ft. Campbell). What an adventure…often bittersweet…it has been! We never live on post…not enough room for the 7 of us, plus 2 golden retrievers. This last house my daughter chose by taking a Facetime tour with a friend walking through the house! Never dreamed we would be living this military lifestyle, but it has been a huge blessing for us! We love being part of the household with our grandchildren, and we have the freedom to explore great areas of our country. Moving is never easy, but so much of it is attitude. Your attitude is happy and positive and logical…that’s very inspiring. I’m looking forward to making this new home feel like us…I know you are going to love making your new house your family home. I can’t wait to see how you do it!

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Thank you, Gretchen. You are so right, it is about the attitude. Things can and will go wrong but I guess you just have to look for the adventure in it all. Enjoy your new home!

      Reply
  32. Christine

    I hate moving. Ugh! I’ve moved so many times that I should just get a gypsy wagon and a horse! But I am wishing you so many wonderful blessings in your new home and I am quite excited to see pictures of it when you finally move. No doubt you will be working hard at making it your own once you’ve moved in and settled.

    Reply
  33. Nancy

    Oh Melissa! I was so excited to see this post. My son bought a PODS franchise a few years ago. I still get excited every time I see a POD around Nova Scotia! I hope everything falls into place for you and you are nestled in your new home soon.

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Oh, how cool is that? What a great business, I’m sure he will help many people through crazy transitions. Thanks so much, Nancy!

      Reply
  34. Joanna

    Hi, this is my first time on your blog although I’ve been following you on fb for a month or so. I am also reading your book and absolutely love it. Can I be honest and say I feel a bit let down? I’m not quite halfway done and have believed when you say you are feeling more content with staying in one house and now here you are moving again and with no home to move to-may I ask what I’ve missed where you’ve said why you are moving again? I want to finish your book and don’t want what I’ve read here to taint the rest of your story. I struggle with my home and need to believe that I can learn contentment if you have-thanks in advance for bringing me up to date with what’s currently going on in your life. :)

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Oh, absolutely Joanna! You definitely missed the backstory and I’m happy to bring more clarity to this move. We are not moving because of our house or because of a new house or because I’m discontent with what I have at all. I’m moving because of our family.

      We are moving to a new city so our children can live closer to each other. Our son is starting high school and we moved him away from his sisters when we moved here six and a half years ago. He was only in second grade. It’s broken my heart that my family wasn’t in the same city, even though it was only about 1.5 hours of travel time to get to them, with school and jobs it just wasn’t possible to be as close as often as we needed and wanted to be.

      Now that my son is going into high school it was our one opportunity to bring everyone closer together. This will also help my daughters to be able to be more a part of my business. So it’s all about family! We have just four years of school left for my son and it was a now or never thing. We took the leap of faith, even though it meant leaving our home. That was the hardest part, leaving our house. But we aren’t moving to get a new or better home we are moving to be with our family.

      If I could stay in this house forever I really would. I came to such a place of contentment in it. You’ll see where we are going and the story will evolve even more, but rest assured this is not a move to find something better in a house, it’s a move for what’s best for our family. I hope you’ll enjoy finishing the book and knowing that my feelings about contentment remain, and even through this move as it unfolds you’ll see how I really do believe that contentment is a matter of perspective.

      Take care and thanks for writing! xo

      Reply
  35. Michelle

    I had a similar experience two years ago when I moved to Seattle. The people who bought my house wanted it right away, and would not negotiate the closing date. I found a house in Seattle, and had to close on it in 17 days! It was crazy! I considered the storage unit/Pods option also. Fortunately, everything worked out. I am now enjoying life in a sweet brick rambler in Seattle. Good luck on closing and moving into your new home. And, Welcome to Seattle!

    Reply
  36. debbi s.

    We have moved more than we expected; opportunities seemed to present themselves which required a move. If I was in an emergency storage situation, I would totally do the PODS thing. I investigated that option, but we had time enough to move our things ourselves into two storage units and moved only the necessities to the new house. I then had time over the next few months to sort, keep, toss, or donate what was in the storage units. It allowed me to move only what I truly wanted into the new house.

    How exciting now to have a house on the radar. My comfort in moving was knowing that someone else loved the house we had created and it was in good hands. Keep us posted!

    Reply
  37. Anne

    I enjoy your blog so much! We have moved using a POD too. We stored out stuff for a month and lived with our family until our new place was ready. PODs are great! Best wishes!

    Reply
  38. Shannon

    Just found your blog just in time for moving day :) I think that no matter how organized one tries to be for moving there will be little glitches and we try to just go with the flow. It looks like in one of the pictures a view of Lake Washington, could it be? I grew up around there and now over on the east coast. In 5 years we will be back to my beloved Pacific Northwest. I try to go back 1 to 2 times a year:)

    Dont worry a new home and move will be over before you know it :)

    Reply
  39. Jessie

    We finally are getting a Homegoods in Silverdale and you decide to move?! ;) Good luck and I am excited for your new house even if you did leave good ol’ Kitsap county.

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Right? I drove by the sign the other day and it almost made me change my mind. HA! Jealous of that, so cool…I would have been a regular in there for sure :). Well, that and the OAK TABLE for brunch. So many great things coming to the area!

      Thanks, Jessie.

      Reply
  40. Kris Billings

    Thanks for sharing your journey! The best of luck to you!

    Reply
  41. Rachel

    I am so excited for you and can’t wait to read more about your last day and new home. God bless x

    Reply
  42. tara

    I was WAY behind on blog reading. I had no idea you guys were moving. I can’t wait to see your next adventure unfold.

    Reply
  43. Wicorel Koning

    Good Luck!!

    Reply
  44. Jannean

    There’s not enough space to detail all our moving misadventures (including the time we tried to move during a blizzard) but our last one was in two parts like yours. Where we went wrong in part one was hiring two inexperienced helpers and with my husband assisting he proceeded to cut himself on our giant armoire requiring stitches and a trip to the emergency room. This left me to supervise (in 90+ degree heat) the well meaning but clearly “in over their heads” helpers who left a trail of chipped furniture and dinged up walls in their wake. With part two of the move I insisted on professionals and what a difference! Not a scratch or ding anywhere including the giant armoire which was carried in on the mover’s back and put in place w/o a cut or bruise. Congratulations to you for pulling off a quick and efficient move and I look forward to reading about all your new home adventures!

    Reply
  45. Nina D

    We got help from our realtors on either end of our move. The agent who sold our house for us in NJ put us in touch with some strapping high school football players who loaded up our rental truck for us (we sold/donated a lot of stuff, and had moved things little car load by little car load, since we bought our new house a few months before putting our old one on the market, so we weren’t moving a filled-up, whole house) and the NH realtor through whom we bought our new house hooked us up with some equally capable college kids on the other end.

    I guess what I’m saying is, don’t let yourself be overwhelmed. Ask your realtor(s): they have lots of experience with many people in your same situation and probably have plenty of suggestions and connections.

    Good luck with your offer!

    Reply
  46. Fawn

    I love your home makeover! Good luck with your move and new adventures! I have a quick question–we went to get the Glidden color you have listed as Polished Grey, a lighter version of Wood Smoke, but there was no record of it at the Glidden counter at Home Depot. Is there a certain mix I should be asking for?

    Reply
  47. Carolyn

    We used a POD when we had a bad mold problem. It sat in the driveway for almost a year while we repaired and renovated the house, then cleaned every inch of the interior and everything salvageable that had been in it. THEN moved back in. Good luck with Stage 2 of your move. I’m looking forward to seeing what you do with the new place!

    Reply
  48. Kari

    Good luck with all of this!

    Reply
  49. M Brenner

    You don’t talk about the cost of using the PODS. It is really expensive! How fortunate for you to be able to afford that system as well as hire movers so you could sip lemonade all day. My moves have been in a U-Haul with friends volunteering.

    Reply
  50. Lisa Mothersead

    You are a thinking person and I love that and hope your hubby appreciates your get ‘er done manner! (I’m kinda like that and am kinda great at the moving stuff, too.). Pods sounds fantastic! I’m so excited for you! A new home to love. ?

    Reply
  51. Roz

    I will miss seeing your beautiful floors. Hope the new house is better than ever!! Be blessed on the new journey. :-)

    Reply
  52. Eileen

    Sad to see the old house emptied. It was lovely! The new folks are getting a gem! I’m looking forward to seeing what you do with the new house. Congrats!

    Reply
  53. Bristol Sunset

    Oh my goodness, I’m late to this “comments” party! In any case, I wanted to give a BIG THUMBS UP to our experience with PODS. We utilized a storage POD on our property during a major house renovation. We remained in our home throughout the renovation and needed periodic access to our belongings; PODS was the ideal solution. The entire process of working with PODS was as smooth as could be: sign-up, delivery of unit, cleanliness of POD, ease of use, call for pick-up, removal of POD and billing. We did NOT find them to be expensive at all for the duration of my our project.
    I pre-ordered your book ages ago; how nice that so many projects and memories will be documented in this new book for all posterity. Many blessings for your life in your new home!

    Reply
  54. teresa

    When we sold our last home (so we could build closer to work) same kind of thing,….we needed to sale to the house in order to build….crazy….here it’s been over a year since that date and our home is still not ready…maybe sometime in March.
    But a couple blessings…the people who bought our home wanted all the furniture, art etc….we just walked out with personal items and a few treasured pieces of art and furniture.
    second blessing we own a mini storage so any items that need to be stored when there.
    Third blessing…we own a tiny home close to work…so we are living in that until our home is finished! Hopefully in March.
    Looking forward to see where your next home is and how you make it your own. Happy Day! (I hope you will be in your home before us =)

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Wow, that is a long wait! But what a relief to have had several blessings along the way to make the transition easier. How exciting to be building, though! Can’t wait to see your new place. :)

      Reply
  55. Jenny@EvolutionofStyle

    Congrats! I *love* PODS – and wish I had invented them myself! With our last move, we had three weeks of living like gypsies, since we closed on our house, but couldn’t get into our new one yet. Put everything in storage and lived with my parents for three weeks. Worth it in the end, but highly stressful at the time! Good luck!

    Reply
  56. Karen on Bainbridge Island

    Oh, this is almost exactly what happened to us in this crazy real estate market in the northwest. We sold fast, and couldn’t find a house. We were prepared to rent a storage unit, do the PODS, then rent/lease a house….got lucky and found a house before we had to take action on storing a lifetime of furniture and belongings.

    It’s the uncertainty that will totally stress you to the max and drive you crazy. The packing and moving part was breathtakingly exhausting and stressful. But, I am happy to report that 11 days after our move all boxes are unpacked, beds are set up, closets are organized and we are 75% done with arranging things and hanging pictures on the walls. It’s starting to feel like home.

    I wish you all the best on the move. I hope it goes smoothly and you are organized and functioning in your new home quickly. I am very excited to see the wonderful house you have chosen.

    Reply
  57. TNG

    We did one move ourselves – military, but always seem to end up doing an in-town move during a tour – and decided we were hiring people from then on out. Not just not having to do the heavy (HEAVY!) lifting, but also the insurance coverage that comes with hiring a professional to move your stuff. :) So excited to find this blog and start following.

    One question: the wire (?) desk being carried down the stairs – WHERE IS THAT FROM? It’s gorgeous!

    Reply
  58. Ms. Maggie

    I can see us using one of those Pods when we remodel the kitchen in the Seahurst home- thanks for sharing on it! I wondered how we would do it since we have a lot of kitchen fun stuff. And great appliances that have to fit into the new one.

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

Decor Finds:

browse categories:

browse archives:

let’s stay connected!

Follow for daily
Home Inspiration:

get my free decorating guide

home decor inspiration, free downloads,
and more, straight to your inbox

css.php