Moving In

On Saturday I got a call that Katie was coming, as in she was about to leave for the airport. I knew she had Caesar with her. When I picked them up at the airport, I found out she actually had Liz, Owen, and long-time friend Becky with her. Surprise!

When we got to the house, they kicked things right into gear. In just a couple hours, we finished up my bedroom and closet. They rewarded themselves by going to the "Taste of Chicago." Owen and I made a miserable, failed attempt to go to the Lego store, but due to the level of activity downtown, we couldn't buy ourselves a parking space. It had taken 45 minutes to drive the mile from "Taste of Chicago" to near the Lego store, but then the very expensive parking lots were full. I offered Owen $20 for us to just go, but he wouldn't take it. So we searched for a parking spot (moving at the pace of traffic, which was very slow) until I was at my wits end and the Lego store was about to close. Eventually we went to Target, where he selected a Lego item costing $20. He doesn't know I was prepared to pay more.

Sunday we did a little more around the house. Becky is amazing. She is a rare person with planning and organization skills, great work ethic, the ability to direct others, and an eye for decoration. With her help, the office is totally done. All of those boxes that were stashed in the closet have been unpacked and organized! Sunday night Katie made chicken tacos for our special guest: Kent. He is a friend of Liz and Harry's who is in Chicago for an internship with the railroad.

Monday morning Liz flew home and the rest returned to work. Becky installed a set of blinds, single-handed (which I found very impressive.) She hung pictures, arranged my artwork, and helped me do some planning for future decorations. We've removed the most hideous of the window treatments in the house, but more will come down soon.

Owen was an important member of the crew because he entertained Henry. Owen loved Rody, the bouncing house, and bounced on him from one end of the house to the other. It was very cute to watch.

So by visiting, not only did Katie, Becky, and Liz do work I would have taken a long time to do, they did a better job than I ever would have. Becky made sure everything was organized and thought out, so we can actually find and use our stuff. What a novel idea! With so many of my friends moving right now, I wish these ladies could go full-time as professionals, but I don't think anyone can afford to pay them what they're worth- priceless!