A Miraculous Change of Heart

One day almost a year ago, Johnnie told me he wants to move back to Kansas. I was brokenhearted! I love Washington, our friends, our church, my sister and brother in law are here, I love the climate -- everything about living here! I actually cried several times in private over this announcement. I even considered separating from Johnnie and telling him to go ahead and move back to Kansas, but I am staying here. But I knew that wasn't right and he would never do it so instead I began to pray that God would change his heart.

By last Fall, I had gone from devastation to resignation about the move. I came to understand through my prayer time that this is Johnnie's journey and the desire of his heart to go back to his "home". He is amenable to looking at other areas in Kansas besides Wichita as long as we are reasonably close to the family. So while we are there visiting family, we actually start looking at houses and trying to figure out what we want and where we want to be. We almost bought a place in Lyndon but then in the end, it needed so much foundation work that we stepped away.

At that point, we let the whole idea just simmer over the winter months and decided to make a trip in Spring to look again. We continued perusing the listings on the internet and tried to narrow down more of what we want and reconcile our different desires: Johnnie wants acreage in the country and doesn't care much about the house, I want to have a nice house close to the city for services and doctors with a small enough property we are not slaves to maintaining it.

I continued to pray for the right place at the right time and the Lord's leading in both our hearts. As I prayed, over and over my thoughts are drawn back to the Lord's words to his disciples "do you trust me?" Do I trust Him? Whew! While I was praying for the Lord to change Johnnie's heart, he was actually changing mine.

In April we went house hunting. We found our house in one week of looking and it is truly the house of our dreams. We always wanted to live on a lake -- had looked in Arkansas at Beaver Lake many times but couldn't make it work financially -- so when we looked at this house, we both knew it was perfect. Johnnie loves the country setting with lots of wildlife and timber, and of course the lake with fishing at our doorstep. I like the fact that it is 20 min. to Topeka and 30 min. to Lawrence, so I am close to services and doctors and cultural activities.

Am I surprised that the Lord gave us this house of our dreams? No, not really. When we walk trusting him daily, he gives us the desire of our hearts. Now we are both excited about the move and while it is hard to leave WA and all the roots we have here, it is not as hard knowing that we have a new chapter at the Lake House with all the blessings that brings!

The next chapter will bring lots of changes for us and challenges as well which may make us doubt or even regret the move at times. But I will remind myself, do I trust Him? He has brought us this far, and He will take us the rest of the way. And I know with confidence, He has many more blessings in store for us.

More on Packing and Packing Materials

Packing Paper vs. Newspaper

 If you are going on the cheap, then use newspaper. It is readily available and you can ask neighbors to save it for you. You don't want the ads or inserts (the slick glossy stuff). It doesn't mold well. Just the regular newspaper. My recommendation is to use some disposable gloves when you wrap with it because otherwise your hands get black with the ink that rubs off.

Also, do NOT wrap white dishes with newspaper. The ink will rub off on the dishes and you will have hours of scrubbing time to clean them.

Packing paper has more body to it than newspaper and will stand up to more than one use. It also is a little heavier so often one sheet is enough whereas with newspaper I would use two or three sheets.

Packing paper is readily available at all the DIY stores or Moving specialty stores such as U Haul at a reasonable cost. The sheets are a standard size 24 x 30 inch although you can find a larger one also. It can be torn in half lengthwise for wrapping smaller items.

U Haul packing paper

I use lots of this -- probably 2000 - 3000 sheets of this for the entire house. Use it for:

• Wrapping dishes and glasses
• Wrapping knick knacks and collectables
• Cushioning empty spaces in all your boxes so you don't get shifting
• To line tops and bottoms of boxes that don't seal tight to keep out dust

Bubble Wrap
Bubble wrap comes in three sizes of bubbles (although the medium size is a little harder to find) and different width rolls. The narrowed width rolls (12 "K) are usually fine for dishes and small breakables. The wider rolls will be needed for artwork and framed photos.

I use the large bubble for large items, the small bubbles for small items. There is also an anti-static version that is for electronics. I will use that on those items where we don't have the original boxes but I do try to save the original boxes for printers, computers, TVs etc. It all depends on how much storage room you have.

Shop around for bubble wrap, or save it from items you get sent to you. I buy the large rolls of both sizes. I found Staples to have the best price around me for in store pick up.

Staples large bubble 100 ft. roll

When do I use bubble wrap vs. paper?

Paper is fine for everyday dishes and items you can easily replace. I use bubble wrap on my precious china, antique glass and china and silver tea sets, for example (not the flatware).

Foam sleeves, Rolls of Foam, and Styrofoam Peanuts

The foam sleeves can be handy but they are pretty expensive on a per sleeve basis. I do like the pink version for the non-static applications on my electronics. The foam rolls are better for larger or unusually shaped items. Best for electronics are the original boxes and packing material they came in -- especially for printers and scanners. I actually will not ship the electronics with the moving company anyway; those all go in the car with me.

Styrofoam peanuts are great for filling around odd shaped items inside boxes. For example, lamps or breakable art objects, even things like breakable pitchers I will wrap in bubble wrap, then place in a box and backfill with peanuts.

The House Hunt - Search via Internet

Internet Pre-Search
In these days of internet bringing photos and listings of houses for sal to our finger tips, you can do a lot of looking ahead of time before you ever actually go on the physical house hunt.

From the internet you can look at the houses inside and out, the neighborhood (Google earth), the tax records, services and businesses surrounding, the schools, the terrain, the roads, and local government.

Some popular sites for online house hunting are:
Zillow
Trulia
Realtor
Redfin

It does help if you know the general area where you want to search, but with any of those websites you can set up search filters for houses with certain attributes, price range and location. Those automatic searches will allow you to keep track of ones you have already looked at and notify you of new postings.

Some real estate agencies host their own front end searches to MLS listings in their region. These may offer additional features for you to rate the houses you have seen, or to automatically get updates if there are any changes to the listings.

Be aware! If you click the button that says "I want more information about this property" you will get several calls almost immediately from real estate agents. Some will be helpful, some will be pushy. If they find out you are just looking and not in the position to buy just yet, they may not be as helpful. I would suggest doing as much research as you can before you request more information from an agency. You will find the same home listed on different sites and they may have different photos or different information about the home.

Getting information on the houses you like
So much is available on the internet now, that you can get a lot of background information on the homes you like. For example:

• Tax Records - check the county where located. Tax records will show the sales history of the property and ownership, a timeline of property tax assessments, permits for remodeling, possibly even photos if construction is relatively new
• Geospatial maps - part of county website or perhaps state website. These can show the parcel ID, neighborhood and surrounding area including recent home sales, drainage and zoning features, voter districts, school districts, and a host of other types of information.
• Google Earth will allow you to zoom into the area and look at the street level views of the neighborhood as well as getting a birds eye view of the area from above. This is a very valuable tool for identifying traffic and roads in the area, proximity to industry or commercial property, greenbelts or water nearby.

The House Hunt - in person

In Person
At some point you will need to physically go looking at the houses and area you have selected. You will be surprised by the some of the houses that look so good in the photos but so bad in person! The sense of the neighborhood is hard to pick up from photos or internet searches as well. You simply have to go in person!

Buying Direct from the Owner
You will make your own contacts to see houses For Sale by Owner. Many of them have open houses or stipulated viewing times during the week. Some are shown by neighbors or friends if the owners are absentee. The good thing about buying directly from an owner is you are by-passing the intermediary agent, and the price of these homes is less because you are not paying a commission to the real estate agents (6% is customary in WA although that is changing rapidly). The downside of purchasing this way is that you need to be aware of the steps necessary, be your own advocate and be prepared to work with a real estate attorney and a title company directly, as needed, to accomplish a satisfactory deal.

Buying through Agents
When you are ready, you can click the button for more information and start interviewing and sorting through the different agents that call you. Or if you already have a recommendation of an agent in the area, that is even better. If you are looking in more than one MLS region you will need to contact a real estate agent within each MLS region. They know most about their region and have ready access and agreements between agents that allow them to easily schedule showings within their own MLS regions. Outside their regions, it gets trickier because they have to actually call the listing agent and coordinate getting the keys and it just gets more complicated. They also tend to want to stay within the area that they are most familiar, which is better for the buyer.

We looked at several houses for sale by owner, but ultimately we wanted to look at houses represented by agents. So, we chose two different agents to show us houses in two different areas. There are lots of agents and you need to pick someone you feel comfortable working with. Since we were working from a distance, we needed someone willing to stick with us over a period of weeks while we search, then make themselves available when we were able to physically go out of state to look.

Some agents are pushier than others; some are in a hurry and when they find out you aren't looking next week, they aren't interested. Some specialize in high-end housing and some specialize with certain types of housing (senior communities, for example, or condos in the city). At any rate, you will have plenty of agents to choose from, so be picky and interview them to figure out what will work best for you.

Open Houses
Open houses are a great way to overview a lot of houses in one area in a short amount of time. Get the local newspaper on Friday and it will list all the open houses on the weekend. You can pick up paperwork at each house and then go back later for a closer look if you find one you like. Open Houses sponsored by listing agents will be hosted by a real estate agent who is on hand to answer question and you can count on them to follow up with a phone call later in the week.

As the time approached for our house hunting trip we decided to look in the suburbs of Kansas City and around the Topeka area plus the small towns in between. These areas are greener and more hilly than around Wichita, and it is more pasture land rather than farm land, so more favorable for my allergies and asthma.

We lined up appointments for a solid week of looking everyday. Finally on the last day, we found our house! It is just perfect for us. I am still pinching myself that I have come the complete circle to the place where I am so excited about this move and the new house.  In fact, this place is our dreams! We have always wanted to live on a lake. The Lord is saying to me, "See I want to bless you both".

It is out in the country on Lake Perry with .8 acres of wooded property. Yet it is in a subdivision with a golf course, clubhouse, pool, restaurant, park, playground, and cohesive homeowner's association, and, just 20 miles easy drive to Topeka or Lawrence for doctors and shopping. The house has an awesome view of the lake from the large deck and a full walk out basement for grandchildren, parties and hobby space.

Front of house with lake in the background

Living room looking west onto deck and lake view

Twin master suites access the deck

Basement rec room with kitchenette

Gathering space or media center

Back of the house from the road

Packing and wrapping tips

Framed photos or artwork

Smaller pieces can go in a box but wrap each piece with glass first in bubble wrap then place in a well-cushioned box (using wadded up paper on the bottom is ok. If not glass, then wrap each piece in good parchment paper and lay in your box.

For larger pieces, I like the boxes made for this purpose. I bubble wrap each piece.

Then I can usually put at least two in a single box.

Place the companion piece over the box and seal securely with packing tape.

Add your label and number as well as the Fragile Sign

See how they stand out

Buy the big ones

 Unless you are moving all your own boxes, you want Fragile signs that really stand out. Movers or even friends helping out may not see the markings on the box but the bright orange and black stickers are well worth a few dollars to save your stuff from breaking.

CD's, DVD's and Cassettes

For CD's/DVD's in Jewel cases, I put two at a time in a wrapping of parchment paper then layer in a box. DVD's that are in the larger format plastic cases don't need the same protection so I bundle a bunch of them in a wrap of paper.

Two CDs; then two more stacked and wrapped together

These tidy bundles will nest into a box nicely

#36 Move of My Lifetime

It occurs to me that with so much moving experience under my belt, I should blog my experience and perhaps others will find nuggets they can use for a future move in their lives. So, here goes!

You really moved 35 times before in your life?

Yes, its true and I might have even missed a few small ones from one apartment to another. I have a dizzying list of former addresses and phone numbers (from the days when we only had landlines). When I had to apply for a security clearance with Boeing some years ago (about a dozen moves ago) I had to add extra pages to their list of prior addresses. Ha! Bet those Security guys had a heyday with that one!

Were you in the military, or was your dad in the military?

No, I wasn't and he wasn't, at least not while I was growing up. My dad worked for the State of California for many years, first as a Building Inspector, then later as a Superintendent in the Department of Water Resources. So we moved where California had construction jobs going on. This included the World's Fair in Sacramento in 1968, the Oroville Dam, the Snake River Aqueduct which took us from Northern California all the way south as the project progressed, the Chino Women's Minimum Security Prison, and a host of other projects I have forgotten about now.

We didn't start moving until I was between 3rd and 4th grade and from then through my Senior year of High School I attended 14 schools in 10 years My family always had the wanderlust and I continued in that tradition after I left home. Maybe in one post I'll list all the places I have lived, but for now suffice it to say that I have "I've been everywhere Man".

What were your moves like?

Well, when I still lived with my parents, they were full household moves including the kids, pets and tons of junk. Believe me, it doesn't take too long of moving that you get tired of packing and unpacking stuff and you start to get rid of stuff quickly. When you have boxes from the last move you never unpacked, that is a sign you need to get rid of some stuff!

Some of our moves the State of California paid for, but even with that they had weight limits and guidelines on what they would move. Sometimes we had packers, sometimes Mom and I did it all. Usually Dad had to start at the new job right away, and we stayed behind to pack and move.

Some of my moves during the University years were small where all I had fit in my Opal or my Fiat but that always included my faithful Siamese cat and at least a radio and a file cabinet and some clothes and books. If I was lucky my friends let me overflow into their vehicles as well.

Later as I graduated and acquired more stuff, the moves got bigger and bigger. Mostly I moved myself with the help of friends. A case of beer and some burgers usually was the only pay required and we got it done. I helped plenty of them move as well. Some of those experiences are for another post later!

I always did my own packing as I am the best packer I know. Not bragging, just fact. I have lots of experience! We never had fancy dollies or moving boxes, usually leftover boxes from the grocery store and newspaper were my only packing materials. That changed over time as well and I was able to purchase better specialized moving supplies.

Later in life when I moved with Boeing, they paid for the movers and packers so I was back to having someone else do it for me. Those were full blown household moves as well. I had one international move as well; that is a topic for its own post later.

Now where are you going?

Move #36 is from Everett, Washington to somewhere in Kansas or Missouri or maybe even Arkansas. Who knows? That place is to be determined. The main key is to get my "country boy" husband back closer to the country and to our kinfolk but to a place I can breathe without aggravating my allergies and asthma.

Our second house hunting expedition will commence in a couple weeks. I haven't known where I was going many times in the past. You find temporary housing in the general vicinity of where you want to be, then look around for a while before you settle. This is really the best way to do it but my husband feels uncomfortable about not having a place to go, so this time we'll try to find a place a head of time. More later about the house hunting experience do's and don't's.