Things I've learned, experienced, or observed when moving last weekend.
1) I fit an extraordinary amount of possessions into my Ferndale apartment. I really do own a lot of things even though I've only rented apartments since I've lived in Ames.
2)I had no problem donating and giving away some of my possessions to ensure we fit comfortably into our new place. Our church is having a benefit garage sale for a sick person so hopefully my computer desks, entertainment center, and other random items will raise a lot of money for that individual.
3) Spiders suck. I've always had an agreement with the millipedes in my old apartment but apparently the spiders weren't on board. I got a nasty bite on my upper arm by my arm pit while cleaning my walk-in closet at Ferndale.
4) I'm grateful I have so many friends and family in the area. They helped me get a great deal on a moving truck, helped me physically move my stuff into the truck or into the new apartment, and let me store stuff in their garage. This transition would have been a major pain or much more expensive if I had not had so much help.
5) I am not moving until I either buy a house or absolutely have to leave Ames for some reason. As much as I love having a nicer, more modern place it was really tough getting things out of the old place. It was also horrendous trying to clean the Ferndale place because even though it's pretty clean it looks so run down and old.
6) It's great to know people that can get you free boxes for packing. I'm passing my 50+ boxes onto a family from church. Box karma! You give what you got.
7) Unpacking is fun but really tough this week. I'm coming home each night from 10-12 hour work days so I'm very pooped and unable to concentrate very long on unpacking. We have slightly less space too so it can be frustrating. I've been making "I don't know where to put these things" piles and basically moving the piles from one room to another. Thank goodness Gavin has an extra closet I can use for storage.
8) Moving really provided some good workouts. Manual labor (also known as functional fitness) really works for me. Too bad I wasn't more stringent about my diet, I could have lost some major weight last week.
9) The battle of avoiding junk food at Hy-Vee and breadsticks at Pizza Hut has reared it's ugly head. It's been so tempting to bop over to those places to grab quick convenient food but I've been strong so far and still making meals at home. I was wise and bought some cherries and grapes so it's nice having those around for a quick snack.
10) It's become more apparent that my treadmill will fit nicely in my living room and not be such an obstacle like it was at Ferndale. It has it's own little space along a wall in my living room instead of sitting right in the middle of everything. I just need to get it delivered and put into my apartment. It was accidently locked in my friend's garage this week (they don't have a key to unlock the garage) so I had to wait for them to find another unlocking strategy. One broken window later and I now have access to my treadmill but probably can't get it moved until Tuesday due to my schedule and the mover's schedule.
I just finished a great book titled "Handle with Care" by Jodi Picoult. She is the author that wrote the book that sparked the movie "My Sister's Keeper" that hit the theaters this summer. I didn't want to read "My Sister's Keeper" yet so I tried a different book and LOVED IT. She is a great author. The story is about a family that is struggling due to the youngest child having a brittle bone disease. They decide to sue their OB doctor for not discovering the issue in utero earlier in the pregnancy. The cool thing about her writing in this book is that each chapter is from the perspective of a different character in the book: the mother, the father, the older sister, the doctor being sued, the lawyer, etc. It's really neat. Now that I've basically read all the Nicholas Spark books, I can move onto this author. I'm also still reading the "Left Behind" series that is focused on an end to the world scenario that is bible based yet very modern because it all takes place in this day and age. Reading for pleasure rules.
2 comments:
Well moving can certainly give you insight and inspiration. Sorry to hear of your spider battle. I have those almost daily but I've been lucky not to get bitten. Although I'd much rather have spiders than millipedes. The horror! It's good you had something to donate to rather than throwing away and plus it's a good cause - double win and a boost in karma. It was nice that the moving part worked so nicely. Some people helped with the loading and others helped with the unloading. Having plenty of boxes and a person to take them off your hands AND being able to drop off the moving truck in Ames all points to good karma. Having moved a buttload of times I have learned not to acquire too much stuff. I'm sure that will get harder and harder as I age and acquire. It's too bad your work has kept you from finishing unpacking but now the weekend is here so you can take a bigger crack at it. I just got done cleaning before my friend and her boyfriend get here. I'm pooped. I still need to do some last minute finishing up so I must say ciao for now!
1)I hear you on the moving bit. I decided that I'm not moving out of my apartment here unless I absolutely have too. I am, however, that it all worked out so well for you.
2) Spiders and all creepy crawlies can GO TO HELL!!
3) Resist temptation. Having Hy-vee so close is going to be a benefit and temptation, be strong!
4)MMMM...grapes and cherries!
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