Great news…this has been an incredibly productive week in our adventures in moving!

ICYMI, the ridiculous comedy of errors that ensued trying to move my parents into their new home can be found HERE.

My Dad’s valve replacement went incredibly well and with the amazing new(ish) minimally invasive TAVR (transcatherter aortic valve replacement) procedure, he was sprung from the hospital within 2 days and we were headed back to CT to see what state the apartment was in this week!

We had a clue from some pics from our crew chief that things were moving along. Painting was all done, trim work was finished, blinds had arrived and were installed, electrical was almost all in, plumbing and appliances were all hooked up and functional, tiling was underway, and at least the beds would be set up and in the right places.

I knew there had been an army of workers in there on Friday feverishly working to get all that done so they could move in as soon as possible.

I took a separate car and arrived a bit ahead of my sister who was ferrying the parents back. I found the promised maintenance staff member in the apartment assembling the IKEA bookshelves we had ordered. One of the incredible perks of this place is that the maintenance staff will assemble any stuff that comes KD or install anything for you!

He had already bought in their chairs and dining table that had been languishing in the hall and reassembled it. The floor and furniture that had been in the apartment was all still covered with construction dust, but it was finally starting to look habitable!

My parents opted to stay in the guest suite on the first night back since we would need to clean and find the sheets and towels before it would be practical to actually move in.

We sent them off and worked on moving the remaining furniture in from the hall and stairway.

For the next 24 hours we cleaned floors, unrolled rugs, dragged around and unpacked boxes effectively clearing the rest of the stuff out of the hallway and replacing it with the mountain of packing materials.

By Sunday afternoon we had closets loaded, beds made, and my dad’s computer transferred to his desk and hooked up in its new home.

They spent their very first night in their new apartment on Sunday. Finally! The major LR pieces were still in the basement awaiting Monday and the return of the facilities department.

Monday brought back the parade of staff and tradesmen. They all could not be nicer or more helpful. The remaining furniture from the basement was brought up and put in place, the new TV was procured from the mailroom and hooked up to the cable box, the tile installation continued and various plumbers and electricians came by to introduce themselves, answer any questions, and show them how to operate everything,

After a marathon day Sunday and Monday, it was starting to look more like a livable place. Moving has its roller coaster of emotions - mourning the treasures that inevitably get damaged in any move, and excitement about new beginnings and the beautiful new space they will be living when it finally is complete.

Tuesday, with everything finally unpacked we loaded and styled bookshelves and started hanging their artwork and finally, even though there are many things we are waiting on…the last pieces of the kitchen, some shelving and tilework, the shower doors, wall brackets for the tv’s, and a few other things, it finally felt like home.

Their furnitures looks wonderful in its new home - and so do my parents! It is so much fun to see them so excited for their beautiful new space.

It has been an exhausting and incredibly rewarding and fun week. Our little family of origin has had a blast laughing and eating and working together to make this move happen. My sister and I have logged 14 hr days, untold pounds of heavy lifting and climbing and bending, and an average of 14000 steps a day…we SHOULD be losing a ton of weight, but alas, the food at this place is REALLY good…and there is fabulous homemade ice cream available 11-6 most days at a shop in the atrium downstairs.

We have been honorary residents for the past couple of weeks and will miss the people and staff we’ve been privileged to get to know, but I expect to see them often in the months and years ahead.

Driving away last night to my parents giving the “royal wave” as newly minted CT residents from their balcony was bittersweet. It reminded me of leaving my kids at college…except I’ll be back this weekend to celebrate Father’s Day and install a bit more of the finishing touches.

Once the last of the construction is complete in the kitchen and the balcony furniture, I’ll be back to take pictures to share!