Getting Ready to Move

Today feels different. There is an energy in the air because we are officially getting ready to move, and it no longer feels like a distant possibility. It feels real.

Tomorrow is move-in day.

After months in this basement and all the tension that has come with it, the idea of leaving feels like breathing again. I did not realize exactly how heavy this space has felt until we started packing it up.

Meeting the Facebook Marketplace Lady

Part of getting ready to move today includes meeting the woman from Facebook Marketplace who offered to donate a bunch of items to us. We are going to inventory everything and figure out whether we need to rent a U Haul.

We know she is offering kitchen items for sure. An air fryer. A coffee maker. Silverware. Dishes. Pans. Things that make a kitchen feel normal. Functional. Like a place you actually cook in instead of just survive in.

She also mentioned a large sectional couch, a coffee table, two solid wood dressers for the kids, the TV I asked about, and the TV stand that goes with it.

If this turns out to be legitimate, it will help us more than I can even explain. Starting over after losing nearly everything means even the most basic household items feel like a gift.

At the same time, I am still skeptical. Facebook Marketplace posts about someone “moving out of the country” can be red flags. I am hopeful, but cautious. I am trying not to let my expectations get too far ahead of reality.

The Kids and the Countdown

The kids are surprisingly energized by getting ready to move.

My teenager has been cleaning and packing her small space without being asked. No reminders. No nagging. Just quietly taking care of it. That alone tells me she is ready for this change.

The four year old cannot stop talking about her new room. Because the apartment has hardwood floors and she is not exactly a quiet child, I went looking for a rug for her bedroom. I found the softest, cutest colorful rug, mostly pink because she has been begging for a pink room ever since I built her one on The Sims 4.

It was forty seven dollars originally, but somehow his mom found it for about twelve. I still do not know how she pulls off deals like that, but I am grateful. I can already picture that rug on the floor with her toys scattered across it.

Growing Into the Next Stage

We also decided to move her from a toddler bed into a twin mattress on the floor for now. Eventually we will get her a frame, but she is growing so fast that the toddler bed just feels too small. This feels like the right next step.

If everything with the Marketplace donation works out, we may also be getting a new queen mattress that has never been used. If that happens, we will give ours to the teenager so she can finally get off her very old twin mattress.

These may sound like ordinary things, but when you are rebuilding your life piece by piece, they feel huge.

Letting It Sink In

I am still kind of stunned that we are actually getting ready to move into something better. The official move-in date being on my birthday makes it feel almost symbolic.

The end of 2025 was brutal. The start of 2026 was not much softer. But standing here packing boxes and planning U Hauls feels like proof that forward movement is possible.

I am tired. I am cautious. I am still skeptical about some pieces.

But I am also hopeful.

And right now, that hope feels steady.

Question:

What helps you stay hopeful when you are in the middle of a big life transition?