betsy, pete & henry's big move

this weekend we ventured to the chicago suburbs to help betsy, pete and henry move from their condo into their adorable new house. i hope i'm not breaching blogging etiquette by writing about this before betsy does, but i'm sure she'll be spending at least the next few days or so unpacking boxes and feathering the nest with nary a moment to spare on blogger's slow photo uploading speeds. keep an eye on her blog for more moving news--for now, here's a taste of saturday's excitement...
when we planned the trip, we anticipated lots of lugging and heavy lifting, but since they hired a hilarious band of professional movers, we mostly just hung out with henry (see photo of rob, henry and rob's toasted coconut donut--the breakfast of champions), spent the afternoon being fed sloppy joes and chocolate cake by pete's mom and chilling out in the new digs.
the pros were well under way with the hoisting and hauling by the time we arrived and soon, rob and i were saying our last goodbyes to the orange living room and the rest of the condo (they don't close till the end of the month, so they'll continue to empy the cupboards and make way for the new owners) and making our way to the new neighborhood. the house is within walking distance of a big park, waterslides and a velodrome (aka bike racing track)--how many homeowners can say that? we love the floor plan, big windows, screen porch, and backyard. there are beautiful hyacinths blooming outside the kitchen windows right now--a nice spring touch.
betsy and pete are already choosing paint colors and deciding how to make the space their own. like any decades-old home, this one has plenty of quirky features that inspired a good deal of laughter on saturday--the unique wicker fixtures in the bathroom, the beeping ceiling fan that mysteriously builds speed seemingly of its own will, and the medieval-inspired murals in the third bedroom which we will refer to as "prince kyle's room" long after it's painted.
it was really fun to see pete and betsy's dream of a more spacious, family-friendly place of their own come to fruition and to be a part of the big day!