Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The Process of Moving, Part 1

We're moving. It's really happening. I'm surrounded by boxes filled with the 'stuff' of living and am still coming to grips that Michigan, my home since six years old...home for 42 years...a Michigander for over 4 decades...will no longer be my home. *big sigh*

Since we got the news, I've been busy, busy, busy with packing and making arrangements. Of course, there was a side trip last week to Florida, but it's back to reality now :)

Ever face a move and realize there's going to be a lot of boxes in the immediate future? Take a look at this:





After three full days of packing, it now looks a little more like this:


There's still some work to do in there, but I'm running out of room for boxes. The storage unit is to be delivered tomorrow morning, which will help with the overcrowding going on.

Here are the 'befores' of my living room:



dirty dishes and all - June Cleaver I'm not

Yes, it's a strange arrangement but this arrangement works for us. The room is basically just a tiny rectangle with a walkway through it. All my neighbors with this same floorplan have issues with where to orient furniture and tv. That's where staging will come in handy. I've got some plans to fix the layout, but right now it looks like this:

there's a story behind one of these boxes...but that's for another day


It's like an episode of Hoarders! *bigger sigh* More to come on the other rooms and on the staging...


7 comments:

  1. Jill,
    The best tip I can give you for moving is this: Go to McDonalds talk to the manager and ask him/her about getting their boxes. I've moved 6 times in 7years :-) I always get McD's boxes for my breakables. They're thicker because they're a little bit more insulated for the frozen McPatties or McFries or whatever :-) So, I've only had 2 things break in 6 moves. Not bad.

    Oh- and another tip: I almost forgot this one. Mark a 1 or a 2 on your boxes. 1=unpack right away. 2=can wait to be unpacked. I started doing that after move 4. SO nice. You know which boxes to do first and then you dont have to live with 20 million opened unpacked boxes because you couldnt remember which one you needed to open first. :-)

    Hope this helps. Have fun moving :-)

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  2. Oh, I don't envy you! Moving is such a chore! Sounds like you have a lot to look forward to though! Congrats and good luck!!

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  3. I had no idea that you had always lived in MI. This is a BIG move for you! I take it for granted because I've moved sooooooo much. I am the queen of packing...wish I could help!

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  4. I really despise moving. I was really lucky in my last move where we only moved one light down. So we didn't pack up anything just threw it in the car and placed it exactly where it needed to be. Good luck Jill!

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  5. I have moved more times than I can count. Good luck. Here's hoping it all goes smoothly!

    Holly

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  6. four decades in michigan??? wow??? do you think you'll even miss the snow?

    so exciting, so overwhelming... i've moved a few times in the last five years and have learned to take packing "one room at a time" to prevent me from curling up in a ball behind the neighbor's sofa.

    best of luck!

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  7. ugh! I don't like moving. We moved to much in my lifetime. ANd it is just like you are never prepared: I look at my study and I go, oh 5 boxes will do, maybe 7. After the first 2 boxes I up the number to 10, and then we end up with 15 boxes. WTH!! Anyway, the only good thing about any move that I had ever partaken in, was the fact that it was a great decluttering exercise for me. Of course we always ended up in a bigger home so there was even more space than anticipated, but that never got my human spirit down - within a month we would have stuff coming out of every nook again.

    SO - you have all my most heartfelt sympathy. If we stayed closer, i.e. on the same continent, I might've been there to help you pack, although you probably would've thrown me out because I would've started to question the stuff you are packing... Sorry, that's just me. I am sending you many hugs, tons of love and heaps of understanding.

    ;p

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