We’ve arrived in Florida and have plenty to share about our moving day and the first weeks in our new home. In this update we cover how we made a long 13-hour drive feel shorter, which of our moving predictions proved true, and our honest thoughts about using travel pee bags. Settling into a smaller house brought unexpected challenges, so we explain what surprised us and why these small problems gave us a fresh appreciation for the downsizing process. We also recap what items we overpacked—despite leaving roughly half our things behind—and why those extras aren’t working in our new space.
You can also find this episode on major podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, TuneIn Radio, Stitcher, and Spotify.
What’s New
- See our live Instagram updates from moving day saved to the “Moving Out” story highlight on our Instagram profile (moving day coverage starts about halfway through the highlights).
- On our Instagram profile you can also find a “Make Change” highlight that was inspired by the murder of George Floyd and includes specific ways to get involved and help.
- The photo above was our last look at our Richmond house as we pulled out of the driveway on moving morning.
- The drive to Florida ended up being about 850 miles and 13.5 hours. It felt surprisingly fast because we celebrated little milestones along the way—every hour, every 50 miles and each state line made the trip feel like progress.
- We also tried a magnetic license-plate game from a neighbor, which was a big hit, and used a sticker activity sheet for more road-trip fun.
- The Travel John portable “pee bags” were surprisingly useful on the trip. They allowed us to avoid public restrooms during the pandemic and cut down on stops, which helped us keep a steady pace.
- If we see wildlife along the way that returns for a picture, we’ll try to capture it for future updates.
Updates: Astrocartography
- If you missed our earlier chat about astrocartography, we covered it in an episode titled “That Time A Psychic Came To Our House.”
- We’ll update readers once Sherry’s astrocartography analysis is complete and share any interesting takeaways from that map of place-based influences.
- We also discussed a celebrity astrologer’s take on where different star signs might best thrive; Sherry found it surprisingly accurate for her sign.
The Unexpected Side of Downsizing
- Although we significantly reduced our belongings before leaving Virginia, unpacking everything into a smaller Florida house was still more difficult than expected. The photo above sums up the first ten days as we found homes for our things.
- Unpacking storage furniture—dressers, bookshelves and the like—helped, but installing better organizing systems made an even bigger difference. We added a simple twin-rail shelving system to the hall linen closet so the narrow space could hold more and be more useful.
- The laundry closet arrived empty except for the washer and dryer, so one of our first projects was building a floating countertop above the machines and installing deep shelves above it. We used simple plywood and 1x2s to create sturdy storage—basically a quick version of our pantry shelving approach.
- The countertop and shelves are currently raw wood; we may seal rather than paint them so they coordinate with the hardwood floors. The counter floats on wall braces (not resting on the machines) and can be lifted easily to access plugs and hoses if needed.
- Unpacking has been intense, but it’s a relief to have our POD emptied and scheduled for pickup this week, just as we expected when recording earlier.
We’re Digging
- To add greenery to the new house, we ordered a couple of mail-order plants as a Mother’s Day gift. While pricier than buying a starter plant locally, the service includes a nice pot and delivers healthy plants that last much longer than cut flowers.
- The two plants we chose were a Bird’s Nest Fern in a mint Prospect pot and a Marble Queen Pothos in a cream Balboa pot. We were impressed with the quality and how well they arrived.
- We also installed a simple and affordable tub in our Florida bathroom that allows full leg stretch—an underrated luxury after a busy move.
If you want to revisit topics we’ve covered in past episodes, we maintain a master list of everything we’ve been digging and a Book Club page with all recommended reads.
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