It’s the title of my – our – life these days. Organized chaos.
Here’s the thing, we actually closed escrow on the sale of Abigail’s on March 31. Yep. It’s true. And let no one have any doubt that I can keep a secret. Ha!
It was all a bit surreal as we signed on the proverbial dotted line and closed escrow, because the next day the new owners left the U.S. and returned to Zimbabwe to pack up their lives. Having agreed to stay on and manage the inn, for 6 months, we felt a little cheated as we were left standing at the door with a closed sale in hand, but no closure to this chapter of our lives. Living and working, for the past 5 months, with 1 foot out the door has been challenging interesting to say the least, probably definitely more so for me because I am the uber-emotional 1/2 of what makes Abi and I a whole person. He’s the sound logic, I’m the creative emotion – that’s the yin and the yang of us.
A B&B is a highly personal business. It is, after all, your home, your guests, your style, your mannerisms and your hospitality. For a B&B, it would be just short of business suicide to post a FOR SALE sale in the front lawn of your B&B. Trust me, I’ve seen it, it’s not pretty. We wanted to give the new owners the best possible turn over we could, so to ensure the continued success/reputation of Abigail’s, we kept the sale to ourselves, along with only a few near and dear people in our lives who were sworn to secrecy. The new owners will return to Ashland in 12 days from now, so the cat will soon be out of the bag, so-to-speak.
But back to the organized chaos of our lives. Once we closed escrow, I began to pack with a vengeance. I knew, by the time we reached September, we would be exhausted and packing up our lives would be the last thing we’d want to take on. So while I was still high from the sale and full of energy I packed as many boxes as I could and started stacking them around the walls of our private apartment, never giving hint to anyone. Our two housekeepers didn’t even figure it out until we revealed the news a few days ago.
So while the inn looks like this…
Abigail’s parlor
Abigail’s dining room
Our apartment looks like this…
It’s the latest interior design – box chic
Organized chaos. It’s the name of the game right now. Living and working with 1 foot out the door. 42 days and counting.
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Wow Patti, now I know why you were saying you didn’t think you would do the B&B forever (or something like that) that left me wondering how long you intended to stay. If you are moving to Washington D.C, you will enjoy so much history. That’s the center of it all. Here’s to a great future. I hope you keep up your posts so we can follow you as you continue your lives. Hello to Abi. Sandy Sims
Thanks so much Sandy, yes, I will continue to write the blog. Thanks for reading!
Well, I assume this means that DC is the final resting place….son…daughter in law and maybe some little grandchildren somewhere in the picture eh? The west will miss you…wish you would stop by if you go through Colorado and say Hi…
Always wishing you the best of everything life has to offer. You are a special person and I am sure life isn’t through using your eternal creativity.
Keep in touch!
Ah… Thanks, Gail! 🙂
Oh, I am familiar with that scene! When we left on our first extended RTW in 2007 we expected to have a month, or several, to get the house sold, get packed, etc. Instead, we put the house on the market on a Friday, and that afternoon Jim got laid off. Stressful, right? But a huge blessing in disguise because the house sold the next day! Since I had committed to work 2 more months we needed to find a storage unit, a short term apartment, a place to board our horse and goat and determine what we needed for our RTW (very little), what we needed for a couple months of apartment living (not much more) and what needed to go right into the storage unit. If we had both been working full time I have no doubt blood would have been shed! Hang in there, it’s almost over, and then you can truly relax!
Rhonda recently posted…Happy Birthday Porter!
Oh my, Rhonda, that was a big change. The one good thing about having six months to “get ready” is that we’ve had the time to really dig deep and figure out what stays, what goes, what gets sold, recycled or repurposed, etc., This is the ultimate (and hopefully last) downsize for us.
I am in a constant state of organised chaos! At least it’s organised though, couldn’t cope with just chaos!
Catherine recently posted…And The Winner Is…
Ha! Ha! That’s a great way to look at it, Catherine! If I could just stop tripping over things, I’d be golden! 😉
Organized chaos could be the title of the movie of my life. Just find ways to keep getting everything done and make it work 🙂
Scott – Quirky Travel Guy recently posted…Seeing Indianapolis via the Cultural Trail
Yep, one day at a time is what we’re taking these days. We are planning to pass through Indianapolis on our way east and I’m hoping we have some time to check out the Cultural Trail – great timing for your post!
You are seriously tight lipped. When do you hit the road? Do you have a first stop picked out?
Suzanne Fluhr recently posted…My Boomer Baby: Meet Mr. Excitement
We are scheduled to leave on October 15, but I am hoping for an earlier departure date. How far we get on the first day will depend on what time we leave Ashland and which route we take. If we can leave early enough, we might marathon it all the way to Salt Lake City because driving across Nevada is just short of torture and we’ve done it too many times already. We will be on a tight schedule as we have 11 days to load the truck, drive across country, unload and return the truck. So, we’re planning a straight shot right across the middle of the country. Salt Lake, Kansas City, Indianapolis, D.C. something along that route.
You really are good at keeping a secret. Yet it must have been hard to keep working Abigail’s with business as usual. I’d be bursting with excitement and definitely counting down the days. But I understand that could be bad for the business. Got the RV packed yet?
Gaelyn recently posted…I’m thinking fall road trip
It’s definitely been a challenge, Gaelyn, hard to keep your eye on the ball. No RV in our future, just a rented yellow moving truck!
Congratulations Abbi and Patti! Thank you for stopping by today to say hello. I’ll miss seeing you out on your walks and your post-Ace Hardware visits with popcorn.
Will Volpert recently posted…Beyond Whitewater and Dollars: Experiences that Change Our Lives
Thanks, Will! We will miss you and Groover, as well. You are one of the gifts given to us by Ashland!