Things I have learned from moving

First I will start by telling you all that I am not an expert on anything. Yes, big shock! But alas, it is the truth. But I have learned a few things on my journey through life. One of them is how to move. So here are a few things (OK, everyone knows I can not do just a few of anything) I have learned from moving. Being anal about organizing is NOT and I repeat, NOT a bad thing. It really does help to label your boxes and put a list of the things in the box on top so as you open the boxes in the appropriate room, you know exactly what is in each box. I have also found that buying small white boards and hanging them on the rooms with whose room is whose, can replace that person standing in the middle of the house telling everyone where each box goes. That is usually my job and now I can go into a closet and hide until everything is unpacked and no one sees me crying from frustration and exhaustion. It also helps to down size with every move. Say it with me, "Have I used this in the last six months?" If the answer is yes, box it. If the answer is no, off to the thrift store it goes. Let it go, it is not the memories that go, just that sharp pain in your lower back from having to pack, carry, and unpack things that you do not even use. Moving is an amazing time to go through your children's' things. Also the reason D'Kota packs his own stuff now. Getting rid of anything they will not miss. If they can name what is missing in their new room, they can whine about it for a day without Mom yelling at them to stop. If they can not name what is missing, is it really missing? Hmmm? Moving is a good reason to go thrift store shopping. Not every house is going to have the same space as the last one and so you need to replace or re-organize your things by buying furniture or decorations from yard sales and thrift stores. Eric is glad that I shop so much at thrift stores that I now have coupons from them. I must admit that as a teenager I hated curtains and refused to have them in my room. Maybe they were too girly or something. But I am now girlyer than I was then and even have a time or two worn the color pink. So curtains are a common thing in my house now. I have discovered that aisle in Wal Mart and now wander through it quite often. My curtains may look like silk, but I can THROW them in the washer. No other curtain has been more "Angie" than ones that look like silk but are machine washable. I have also learned the true meaning of the word investment, for me that is. It is not a house or property, it is boxes and owning a U-Haul truck. I have also learned that most stores do not let you have their boxes any more (unless your Eric) and so you must go after dark to dig through their dumpsters for them. I am not ashamed to say that I have been dumpster diving for boxes that have beer names on the sides of them. Dang those are the perfect size! I have also learned not to ever, E V E R, throw away boxes. It is more bad luck than breaking a mirror, letting a black cat cross in front of you, and stepping on a crack all together. Wait, I guess that last one has nothing to do with luck. Only with breaking your Mother's back, which if you think about it can't be good luck now can it? I have learned to stop going grocery shopping for a couple of months before you move, it is not fun to pack boxes upon boxes of food storage. Those boxes get heavy REALLY quick and no one wants to pick up a box that says "food storage" on it. Too many Mormons know what that means and they know they are not going to be light. At least I do not have a piano so come on! Just pick it up and get going, mister!! And glass jars will not move very nicely. You will always open at least one box that has had a jar break and now has what ever was in it all over inside the box and that is what was leaking down the side of the truck and is now on your hands and in your hair because you keep brushing it back out of your eyes. At least now you do not have to brush your hair out of your eyes now because you have something sticky in it to hold it in place until you can take a shower. Good things right? Boxes of glass jars also do not move very well because jars that you have slaved over a hot stove in the middle of the hottest days of the summer time to can, do not like a change in temperature, let alone the movement. So you are lucky if only one box of your food storage is ruined in the move. Moving is also a really good time to tell your neighbors what you really think of their dog and their kids. Your moving right? My old wards have learned a lesson about me with all our moves as well. I think they put it in my church records because I have not been asked to speak in church again when we are about to move. This is also I good time to tell them what you really think about them as well. But I still get asked to speak as the new member of a ward. You would think that I would learn to keep all those talks and recycle them. I have also learned that once you put it in a box, to let it go. If you try to protect it, just like at the post office, FedEx, UPS, or the airport, if it has the words "fragile" on it, it will end up on the floor of the truck with your food storage boxes on top of it. And once you open it, it will be crushed and covered in whatever was in the broken jar from your food storage boxes. I have also learned that this is probably the only time that Eric does not give me that look for shopping for pictures at Desert Book. Not sure if it is because he is so tired or because he feels bad for me that I have to move again. Like I have said many times before, I don't do change very well. This time I got a BEAUTIFUL picture of the Boise Temple. My home has needed a new one of those for a while now. Of course of all the things I have learned from moving, the one thing I have not learned is how to not let it effect me so much. I still hate it with every cell in my body and you would think after all this time and so many moves that I would be use to it by now. One of these days I may just follow the advice that Vince gave me and sell everything that does not fit in my car and start over again in the new town. Maybe next time.