Sunday, July 31, 2016

I'm In! Well, Sort of....

Ohhh, so much to do in my new house! My office is full of boxes, papers, more boxes and files, and that’s just the top level. Two side tables just arrived, and I need to put them together. And I can’t even get through all the address changes, new bill pays, new everything! So, because I’m Andee, I’ll write a blog post instead!

I am seriously shaking my head at myself as I write this. But here’s the thing. I was so focused on moving out of my Mahomet house. I downsized so much … furniture to ReStore, smaller things to Goodwill, trash in a rented dumpster and things recycled when I could. I loaded up tubs … ok, this is even putting me to sleep. My point is I really worked hard to get ready for my move. I totally forgot that once I did move, I’d have to actually move in. All of a sudden the movers were gone, and I had boxes EVERYWHERE. And I swear they multiply when I’m sleeping!

So I’ll tell you about my new neighborhood. As was pointed out to me after my last post, I didn’t actually say where I was moving. I knew where it was, so I figured everyone did. Or I just forgot. It could have been that. Anyway, I am in Huntley, Illinois, in a Del Webb community, which is a development built specifically for people over 55 (yes, I was carded). It has 5500 homes, two pools, gym facilities, an indoor track and outdoor trails, a golf course, a restaurant, clubs for every interest and then some, day trips, classes, recreation and exercise activities … I could go on. Let’s just say I’m going to do some serious damage to my bucket list … just as soon as I finish unpacking.

I’ve met some neighbors, and more importantly, I’ve liked them. One of the first nights I was here, I was actually unpacking, when my doorbell rang. It was a neighbor telling me I needed to stop working and come over to the bi-weekly neighborhood happy hour. I said I would go to the next one, but he was not going to accept that. So what was I to do? I made a cocktail and walked across the street to meet my new neighbors. I apologized for being gross and sweaty, and the arm-twister who had invited me said, “We’re all retired. We don’t give a rat’s ass what you look like!” And I knew I was home.

Not long after that, my next door neighbor came over to introduce herself, and she brought me a box of Frango Mints. Cue happy music. One of the great moments of any trip to Marshall Field’s in Chicago was a bite into a Frango Mint. It was as if she knew me! I think we’ll be good neighbors, and not just because of my sweet tooth. We actually had a fair amount in common.

This is my biggest move since our move from Springfield to Champaign almost 30 years ago. This is definitely a happier one. I am just down the road from my grandbabies, and it also helps to not be suffering from depression. One of these days I’ll post about that, but not today. Today the sun is shining, and I’m happy and full of energy. And now that I’ve said that, seriously, I really need to go unpack.