We’re in Florida and have plenty to share about our moving day and the first weeks in our new home. This post covers how we made the 13-hour drive feel shorter, which of our previous moving predictions came true, and our honest thoughts on the travel pee bags we used. Unpacking into a smaller house brought a few unexpected challenges, so we describe what those were and why they changed our perspective on downsizing. We also recap the items we still overpacked (despite leaving roughly half our belongings behind) and explain why some extras aren’t working in the new space.
You can also find this episode on your favorite podcast app on platforms like Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher, and Spotify.
What’s New
- See our live Instagram updates from moving day in the “Moving Out” highlight on our IG profile (moving day starts about halfway through the highlights).
- While you’re there, check the “Make Change” highlight for slides inspired by the murder of George Floyd that outline concrete ways to help.
- The photo above was our final look back at the Richmond house as we pulled out on moving day.
- The drive to our new home in Florida was about 850 miles and 13.5 hours. It felt surprisingly quick thanks to small celebrations we used along the way—marking each hour, every 50 miles, and every state line we crossed.
- We also played a magnetic license plate game a neighbor gave us, and a sticker-based version with road-trip activities worked well for the kids.
- The Travel John portable “pee bags” were a big success on the trip. They helped us avoid public restrooms during the pandemic and reduced travel time by limiting stops.
Updates: Astrocartography
- If you missed our original astrocartography conversation, you can find it in our episode “That Time A Psychic Came To Our House” (Episode #174).
- We’ll update once Sherry’s astrocartography analysis is complete.
- We also discussed a celebrity astrologer’s piece about where each star sign should live; Sherry’s result lined up well for her.
The Unexpected Side Of Downsizing
- Even after significantly paring down in Virginia, unpacking into a smaller Florida home was challenging. For about the first ten days the house looked much like the photo above as we found places for everything.
- Unpacking storage furniture like dressers and bookshelves helped, but improving closet functionality made the biggest difference. Adding a simple twin-rail shelving system to our hall linen closet immediately increased usable space and flexibility while we decide on permanent shelving.
- Our laundry closet arrived empty apart from the washer and dryer, so we built a floating countertop above them and added deep shelves using plywood and simple trim—essentially a quick version of our pantry shelves. The counter floats on wall braces and can be lifted if we need to access plugs and hoses.
- The countertop and shelves are still raw wood for now; we may seal rather than paint them to better match the hardwood floors.
- After intense unpacking, it feels great to have our POD empty and ready for pickup this week—exactly as we predicted.
We’re Digging
- One of the Mother’s Day mail-order plants we bought for Sherry arrived as a welcome addition to the new home. We ordered both plants from The Sill. While not the cheapest option, it’s comparable to sending flowers and gives a longer-lasting gift that comes in a nice pot.
- We ordered a Bird’s Nest Fern in a mint Prospect pot and a Marble Queen Pothos in a cream Balboa pot. The quality and presentation were excellent.
- We also installed a simple, affordable tub in the Florida bathroom similar to the tubs we used in the duplex—spacious enough to stretch out fully.
If you’re trying to find something we mentioned in a past episode but don’t remember which show notes to check, we keep a master list of everything we’ve “been digging” from past episodes, plus a Book Club page with books we’ve recommended.
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