As a child Marianne always used to stop by this charming house in Brooklyn, on her way to and from school. She loved everything about that house the garden with its rows of violets along the walkway, the elegant living room with French bay windows that could be seen from the street, and most especially the girl's bedroom on the second floor with the pink gingham curtains.

Years passed and Marianne moved to college, got married to her longtime boyfriend Mike and went to live in Manhattan. Eventually the charming house in Brooklyn was forgotten.

One day while visiting her parents in Brooklyn, Marianne decided to take a walk in the neighborhood. She saw the house, and the sign on a plank of wood nailed to a stake in front of the door FOR SALE. Her mind raced. Only last night, she and Mike were discussing the idea of moving to a bigger house. Without a second thought, she knocked on the door.

An hour later she still couldn't believe it. The house was hers for the taking! The kind old lady, who remembered the little blonde girl peeking over the fence twenty years ago, even gave her a fifteen percent discount off the selling price, for sentiment's sake. It was her childhood dream, come true.

One other thing Marianne liked about moving to that house was because it was near the Brooklyn Botanic Garden at Prospect Park. Famous for its Annual Cherry Blossom Festival, the garden attracted close to a million visitors each year. She was looking forward to seeing the cherry blossom trees in bloom, and the all-things-Japanese food, theater, dance, music, art, and even manga that she and Mike could enjoy during the festival.

That night Marianne and Mike discussed plans, finances, bank accounts, and moving. They had saved enough in their bank account to afford the house, and could move in a month's time. They would have to check out moving companies and find a good one to transport their belongings and maybe even take care of packing everything.

Looking for moving companies was Mike's assignment. He was familiar with them, having supervised the relocation of his company's office just a few months ago. Mike contacted several moving companies aside from the one his company had hired, checked them out with the BBB, and finally chose one. The movers came to the couple's Manhattan flat, took a look at what had to be moved and gave their estimate, plus tips on how Marianne could make her packing easier.

Then it was time to pack. Marianne and Mike took the easy way out why do the packing themselves when they could pay for the service? Moving companies would do that if you wish; you'd just have to pay extra. Hey, it's stress-free and time-saving just make sure you're there while the moving guys pack your things to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Moving companies good ones like the one Mike had hired really help to take the stress off relocating. Before she knew it, Marianne was installed in her dream house, although of course now she had to do the unpacking herself. Not a problem.

She was too excited to explore and fix the house to worry that the task ahead would be tedious. Hmmm, now which room to do up first the bedroom? the kitchen? or maybe the living room It was like being a little girl again.