About a month before we moved I realized that we would not have the same email server at the new house. This didn't seem to be a concern until the internet provider enlightened me that when we closed our account with them, there was no way to access any of my folders or files.
I had hundreds of files saved from 20 years in business. It was crucial that these were saved. I also had photos and warm fuzzy files in my personal folders. Hence, I began the task of going over each and EVERY email, determining if I wanted to save it and then transferring it to a new Gmail account. Not only a huge task but I did not like the folder option layout available on Gmail.
I dedicated three hours a day, every single day for almost a full month, to complete this task. Then two days before moving I called the cable company to see if there was any other way to keep my old account open. "Yes, of course. You could put your account on vacation hold indefinitely." WHY didn't they tell me that a month earlier? I had already deleted everything from my old account but decided it couldn't hurt to keep it open to save all my contacts -- for at least another month.
After finally getting settled and ready to get back to work, I opened my new Gmail account to gain access to a few files and almost suffered heart failure. All of my folders were there BUT most of them were empty. I checked trash and spam. NADA. Empty.
Talked to computer guys but noone seemed to be able to help me. I finally had to succumb to the fact that everything was gone. All those years of files for our businesses and the businesses I managed for others were gone!
After much stress and investigation, I discovered that in Gmail, if you have several files in a folder and delete one of the files - it deletes them all. I never heard of anything so ridiculous. It didn't compute. But it was true.
After allerting some of my business connections, my accountant and other associates that I no longer had access to old files, I resolved to find anything I could from other sources. The move had set me back and my desk was covered with unfinished tasks. Now, this!
The last time we moved was 12 years earlier and I didn't realize that those years had taken a toll on my stamina when it came to packing, unpacking, and carrying over 100 boxes up and down the stairs. But mission accomplished, I was now ready to get back to work.
Five weeks later, I had one of those thoughts that gave me a head rush. I knew all my files in my old account had been deleted but I never emptied my 'sent' file. I was shaking when I opened that file and THERE THEY WERE. Each and every single one of them was nicely compacted into folders I had sent to Gmail. I shouted and got far too excited about this but it meant years of work had been found. For the $15 it cost per month to keep my old account on vacation hold, it was worth every penny.
Moral of the story -- I'll leave that to you in the comment section. Would love to hear your take away on this scenario.
It feels wonderful to be settled and enjoying our new home. It's been fun entertaining and having access to so many things that had been in storage for years.
The highlight of the month was having my daughter and kiddos visit for a few days. This kitchen has a huge pantry and the kids loved 'going shopping' several times a day. It was a delight to watch them.
This has been a Fly on the Wall post where bloggers share what went on in their lives during the past month. Stop by and read these stories by other bloggers you know and love:
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