Next month my mom is moving from Seattle to Florida and she will be living in our apartment complex just 2 buildings (1 minute walk?) away. I couldn't be happier. 
This will be the first time in 30 years I won't have to get on an airplane to visit her. My sister currently lives 6 houses up the street from mom and she is not thrilled but it's my turn to live close to mom! Unfortunately, I think my sister took my mom for granted and assumed she would always be close.
One day about 4 months ago we were talking on the phone when she surprised me by saying she felt like she was just hanging around waiting to die (she is 76) and wanted to move to FL. Time to change things up a bit! She doesn't say something unless she means it so I figured she had already thought about it a lot and made up her mind. She doesn't move very often, unlike me. She has lived in Seattle for the last 60 years and in only 2 different houses in the last 45 years.
She decided to get checked out by a doc prior to moving and thank goodness she did because the doc found her bp medicine was ruining her kidneys. She's on new bp medicine and her kidneys are virtually back to normal. Just need to get her to quit smoking now. She's been talking about doing that too for the first time in my life.
She's mailing a few boxes but mostly she is buying new stuff. I hit the latest Kohl's sale with my 30% off coupon to get her some kitchen and bath stuff. She went to JCPenney today to buy furniture that will be delivered to her apartment here in FL. She will give her car (9 years old with 30k miles) to my sister and buy another one out here.
Initially she wanted to drive out (doesn't like flying) but she changed her mind after mulling over the very long drive. My husband would have flown out and driven back with her. She agreed to fly but wanted to go first class. No problem. I will fly back to Seattle on the 22nd and my mom, sister and I will fly to FL on the 26th. My sister will stay for a week and then return to Seattle. I bought first class seats for me and mom and coach for my sister. I'll trade out with sis during the long first leg of the flight from Seattle to Atlanta.
Her new apartment is on the first floor with a nice screened lanai and will face east so she won't get the hot afternoon sun. The previous renter had lived there for many, many years so the apartment is scheduled for a complete upgrade. New kitchen cabinets and countertops, new bathroom vanity and walk-in shower, new carpet and vinyl flooring and new paint.
She says she is getting very excited about moving. She is really mad at her current landlord as he just finished a 3 month remodel of the tiny little bathroom in her rental house. It's the first time in 3 months she has been able to take as shower in her own bathroom. He thought he could save money by doing a bunch of the work himself. He's a jerk and she can hardly wait to be away from him. A normal person would have hired pros go get the job done ASAP to minimize the disruption to the life of a 76-year old tenant who hasn't missed a rent payment in 20 years. He's loaded but a cheap b*****d.
I'm still holding my breath that it all happens. Living closer to my mom has been my #1 wish for years but I never pictured her moving to FL to be my nearly next door neighbor! I am blessed.
This will be the first time in 30 years I won't have to get on an airplane to visit her. My sister currently lives 6 houses up the street from mom and she is not thrilled but it's my turn to live close to mom! Unfortunately, I think my sister took my mom for granted and assumed she would always be close. One day about 4 months ago we were talking on the phone when she surprised me by saying she felt like she was just hanging around waiting to die (she is 76) and wanted to move to FL. Time to change things up a bit! She doesn't say something unless she means it so I figured she had already thought about it a lot and made up her mind. She doesn't move very often, unlike me. She has lived in Seattle for the last 60 years and in only 2 different houses in the last 45 years.
She decided to get checked out by a doc prior to moving and thank goodness she did because the doc found her bp medicine was ruining her kidneys. She's on new bp medicine and her kidneys are virtually back to normal. Just need to get her to quit smoking now. She's been talking about doing that too for the first time in my life.
She's mailing a few boxes but mostly she is buying new stuff. I hit the latest Kohl's sale with my 30% off coupon to get her some kitchen and bath stuff. She went to JCPenney today to buy furniture that will be delivered to her apartment here in FL. She will give her car (9 years old with 30k miles) to my sister and buy another one out here.
Initially she wanted to drive out (doesn't like flying) but she changed her mind after mulling over the very long drive. My husband would have flown out and driven back with her. She agreed to fly but wanted to go first class. No problem. I will fly back to Seattle on the 22nd and my mom, sister and I will fly to FL on the 26th. My sister will stay for a week and then return to Seattle. I bought first class seats for me and mom and coach for my sister. I'll trade out with sis during the long first leg of the flight from Seattle to Atlanta.
Her new apartment is on the first floor with a nice screened lanai and will face east so she won't get the hot afternoon sun. The previous renter had lived there for many, many years so the apartment is scheduled for a complete upgrade. New kitchen cabinets and countertops, new bathroom vanity and walk-in shower, new carpet and vinyl flooring and new paint.
She says she is getting very excited about moving. She is really mad at her current landlord as he just finished a 3 month remodel of the tiny little bathroom in her rental house. It's the first time in 3 months she has been able to take as shower in her own bathroom. He thought he could save money by doing a bunch of the work himself. He's a jerk and she can hardly wait to be away from him. A normal person would have hired pros go get the job done ASAP to minimize the disruption to the life of a 76-year old tenant who hasn't missed a rent payment in 20 years. He's loaded but a cheap b*****d.
I'm still holding my breath that it all happens. Living closer to my mom has been my #1 wish for years but I never pictured her moving to FL to be my nearly next door neighbor! I am blessed.
