Saturday, July 12, 2008

Moving...again




My family and I lived in the house I grew up in for 20+ years. When I met John, I only had memories of 2 moves - both of which took place when I was an adult. John, on the other hand, has moved over 10 times in the last 3 years. In the almost 2 years that we have been married, we have moved two and a half times (trust me - it was two and a half!) While he sees moving as just a part of life, I see it as a MAJOR event.

Our lease will soon be up in our bug-ridden, leak-prone, overweight-stomping-neighbors-upstairs, management-couldn't-care-less apartment. Honestly, it hasn't been all that bad, but we are ready to be done with apartment living and get back into a real house. Even though we are not sure where we will be going (the theme of our lives!) we are sure that we need to start packing up and preparing for another change of address.

There are a few things about moving that I love and a few that I could live without...let's start with the cons...

CONS
  • Re-learning what switch goes to what light
  • Packing the kitchen without Peggy Nations!! She is the best kitchen-packer ever!!
  • The packing tape - it sticks to everything (including itself) but refuses to adhere to the box!
  • Not being able to find anything for a week - no mater how well you label the boxes
  • Filling out those change of address forms
  • Losing things in the moving process - John lost a pair of Abercrombie jeans when we moved to GA...it happens with the strangest items!

And now for the positive side!

PROS

  • A change of environment - I love new places - whether it is a hotel room or a shopping plaza I have never explored - I love going somewhere I have never been before!
  • Cleaning out! John can tell you that I am constantly throwing things away - I hate clutter! A move gives you the incentive you need to finally throw out that old prom "wine" glass from 1992!
  • Every house has something really cool in it - it could be a huge tree in the backyard, an amazing kitchen, a balcony, courtyard, or in our case...A GARAGE!!!!!! There's always one thing that you are really excited to show people when they come to see your new place!
  • Finding things you thought were lost from the last time you moved! Maybe we will find those jeans...
  • And now, for the #1 thing I love most about moving...finding things that the previous owner left behind!! So far, the best thing I have ever found was a coffee mug that says (in really fancy letters) "Way to Go, Sh**head!" I found it in the townhouse I rented from a couple in our church - priceless. To this day, John and I take turns hiding it in different spots where the other one will find it. It has brought us endless joy!

What do you love/despise about moving???

6 comments:

Jamie {See Jamie blog} said...

The worst for me is just having to pack and then unpack everything. Ugh.

Christy Music said...

I love being able to "set up house" in a new house, but apparently my kid is stuck on the first house she has memory of in Utah. I just about have to like moving since we move every 2-3 years, but after about a year, I'm ready to move on.:) Best of luck with whatever move you make!

bugs mom said...

so that's where Bryan's Abercrombie capri's came from!

Anonymous said...

When I moved to Florida, I packed a water hose for some reason. I'll never forget when we were unpacking, Garland said..."It's a good thing you brought that water hose because we don't have those down here!"

SmilingSally said...

How wonderful to FIND you again! And, I have a terrific moving tip for you. Don't label boxes! Number them and keep a legal pad with a fresh page for each box's contents. Then, when you want to find those jeans, all you need do is look through the legal pad pages--much easier than opening twenty-five hundred boxes. : )
With your attitude, however, I have no doubt you'll be fine. Love ya!

Heather Orr said...

Christy - You are an amazing woman - I am not sure I could move every 2-3 years!

Michele - The visual of Bryan wearing John's pants is hilarious!!!

Charlton - I just have one question...did you already own the hose or did you buy it specifically for the move?? You kill me...

Sally - LOVE your blog! So glad you found me :) And thanks for the advice and the compliment!