I Almost Forgot About This Photo

 

From 2012 through 2019 I posted this photo on my personal social media pages. Every year. On July 12th. I even published a few blog columns about this day. That was the day we moved into our home in 2012. In a lovely neighborhood. We were beyond excited. Stressed. Overwhelmed. 

July 12th of 2012 was a day that we will never forget. At the time, we were living in a guest house that belonged to a dear friend of ours. She was Lisa's best bud. 

Earlier that month, we reached out to a realtor to find us a home. Our list of criteria was extensive. We expected it to take a couple of months. And. That was okay because our wedding was on July 27th of that year. Between work and putting the final touches on our wedding, we didn't have much time or energy to move.

Well...

Within a week, our realtor found us a home that met all of our criteria. Yes, we were excited. But. The thought of packing and moving and unpacking was almost too much to take on. However, we knew this was the home for us and didn't hesitate. 

We only had a few days to pack and move. Lisa was able to get July 12th off. I had to work. I was a remote (work at home) employee for a company based out of Dallas, Texas. 

I spent July 10th and 11th running from my desk to our few rooms packing. Pack. Desk. Pack. Desk. When Lisa got home from work on both days, she packed up our belongings as well. 

That year, we were in the middle of a miserable heatwave. The heat index on July 12th was over 100. Hazy. Hot. Humid. There was a pathway between the parking area and the guest house. In other words, we couldn't pull the U-Haul Truck to the doorway. 

Between working at my desk, I assisted Lisa with carrying boxes and heavy furniture. It sucked. We had no help. It was just us. 

By noon, we were spent. Hot. Sweaty. Dirty. In dire need of food and iced coffees. The items in my makeshift office were the last to be packed. A little over an hour later, we were done. U-Haul loaded. Before heading to our new home, our mission was to grab food, iced coffees, and Gatorade. 

Less than 15 minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of Nuccio's Pizzeria and Cumberland Farms. Lisa went to order pizza. I headed into Cumberland Farms to make 4 iced coffees and grab a few Gatorades. 

We sat in the parking lot for almost an hour. Eating pizza. Sucking down iced coffees. Sipping Gatorade. We were soaked with sweat from head to toe. We stunk. We were dirty. But. None of that mattered. That was one of the best meals we have ever had. 

The rest of the day?

We were able to pull up to the front porch stairs at our new home to unload. Our home office was the first room to be set up because I was still working. Once again, I juggled between unloading and working. 

By the time the U-Haul truck was unloaded, my work day was winding down. We returned the U-Haul truck together. Picked up a few items at the grocery store, including ice cream. We unpacked a few necessities. Ate leftover pizza. Showered. Ate ice cream on the front porch. 

It is a day we will never forget for so many reasons. Yet. This year, the date passed. It kind of did last year too. And, there is a reason for that. 

We bought a house back on February 19th of 2020. A new special date etched in granite. That was our closing date. We celebrated by eating a cheese pizza in the dining room. On our camp table. Sitting on lawn chairs. 

You can read about that here. 

We will never forget July 12th of 2012. Ever. In fact, this year, we talked about it a lot because it would have been 10 years had we not bought a house.

An entire decade...