Step 1: Packing

In addition to packing up at our current residence, we have the overwhelming task of cleaning out my parents back room (where Alisa and I will be sleeping for the next 10-12 months). The below picture is the view if looking southward. Among all this "stuff" is, in my eyes, a pretty nice space for a bedroom. The first task will be clearing out the room (which my mother has already began, god bless that woman... for all her faults the lady knows how to clean out a room). I will then attempt to pull out the carpet, leaving a concrete floor which I think will be giving the place a nice industrial look.

I'm looking forward to the entire process and I think the act of turning this room into a livable space will be something that not only takes up all my sparetime but will also be the preoccupation needed to ignore the idea of my family now living with my parents. I keep reminding myself that if we were in Italy this move would be very commonplace. Unfortunately, we are not in Italy (I'm not even Italian but we are Mexican and I hear this is very popular among my peeps as well) and I've really gotten used to living under my own family rules. Obviously it's time to suck it up, get used to the fact that my law ain't the law and remind myself that we are doing this in order to have a house of our own. I'm grateful for my parents being so accomodating, grateful that my wife has been supportive of this decision and grateful that my boys are the rugged little dudes that they are and are able to live just about anywhere (seriously, they're like the brothers in Slumdog Millionaire in looks and in resourcefulness). Now back to the task at hand.

The above picture is a northward view of the other half of the room (yes, that is a chimney in the upper-right hand corner... and those are moose-horns left by the prior owner of this house - my parents bought this place in 1986). We have a lot of work ahead of us and only 20 days left to complete the moving process. As a natural procastinator, I welcome the challenge.