Red, Yellow, Green.

This is really happening. We are really moving. I don't think the reality of this has set and probably won't for a long while. Here's the latest if you want mundane details.

We bought the (insanely expensive) plane tickets for Eli and I. Greg has reserved the (decently priced) moving truck. We will all depart July 30, barring any difficulties. After consulting with my doctor, he said flying or driving would be fine but that I'd need to get out every hour or so and walk around. With a 32-hour drive plus a two-year old, driving didn't seem the ideal choice. So a short, direct Charlotte to MN flight will do and Greg will pick us up in MN for the last leg of the trip to our new hometown.

Our house is officially on the market. We met with a realtor Wednesday and he was taking photos and putting it on MLS by Friday. Let's just say without the help of our friends on Thursday, that couldn't have happened! We will try keep the house in show-ready mode for the next weeks, but any prospective buyer will need to be warned we are in the process of moving. I hope our house sells quickly but the market here is far from great. It's much better than a few years ago but it's still not thriving. I think once it's sold, we will do a happy dance. It's a buyer's market here. Bismarck is definitely a seller's market. Guess we are opposite. Good thing we don't feel that life is all about piling up loads of money or having an extravagant house. And yay for some great in-laws!

Our spare room is the catch-all room, half full of furniture and boxes already. I'll also start one wall of our living room with completed boxes which will pile up slowly but surely. I will not lift more than Eli's weight, don't worry. Since we are moving into Greg's parents basement for the time being (hopefully just for a few months), packing is slightly complicated.  I have a three-part labeling system. I am packing for long-term storage, plus items we may need after baby arrives or in a few months (ie, winter clothes) plus the obvious items we'll need right away. Red, Yellow, Green (thanks for the color suggestion, Sidni!). Red for long-term storage (won't need until we get our new place), Yellow for in-between items to keep accessible, Green for needing now. Plus I added a little Green-Yellow category for baby items I for sure will need but not until we see this sweet girl.

Sidenote: the labeling part is by far my favorite. It feels so good to make labels and color code them and have all the boxes stacked up, labeled and organized by category. Happy sigh. It may be overkill but I'm convinced it'll help lessen the stress at some point.

All three of us have taken long naps yesterday and today, either the stress or the lack of sleep the week prior is hitting us. I have also started taking loads of photos for the "South Carolina" book I want to make soon. I know Eli is too young to get to remember much of his time here but I know if he has a book, he'll remember people and places better. 

Besides house and packing, we are going to try accomplish a few things on our bucket list. Yesterday we ate the best pimento cheese around (super yummy, thanks DiPrato's) and tried local grits (made in Columbia since 1902, but not super yummy). Hopefully we can check a few more things off our list in the next weeks as we try say good-bye. I caught Eli saying "uff-da" a few times last week. That about sums it up!

-Heather