Packing and Perplexities
Moving as often as I have has made me an accomplished packer. A trans-Atlantic transfer makes the process a bit more challenging. Everything has to go into a 20 foot container. There are no second trips, no trailers attached to the back, no vehicles filled to the brim following the moving van, no storage buildings for what does not fit. It all must go into the container or into our 10 pieces of luggage for the airplane. I actually find it challenging to fill up a box with just the right items. There are few holes or empty spaces left when I am finished with a box. Small toys go inside games. Pencils and rulers fill any empty crevices that I happen to find.
Up until this time, I have never bought anything more than packaging tape for a move. Boxes have been found at stores or from a friend that had recently moved. Breakables were wrapped gently in towels, sheets, blankets, etc. This time we splurged on bubble wrap. We found a good deal at a resale store. My dilemma is that I do not really know how to pack with bubble wrap. I know towels. I know what feels right and how thick it needs to be for each item. Bubble wrap has been a new experience for me. Another thing that has been difficult is the amount of time that we have been here. Believe it or not, I have never packed five years worth of stuff before. These are my new perplexities. I am learning to deal with bubble wrap and I am wading through all of our paraphernalia one box at a time.
What about you? When was the last time you moved?
posted by KarenW at
2:22 PM
9 Comments:
Ahh. The packing saga. We moved from MD to FL about 3 years ago. We actual did it in 2 shifts since DH had to be here before we could get down. Then we built our new house and had to move again.
I've learned to label well. I think if you played with lego's a lot (which I never did) that helps in the making the best of packing.
I was praying for you specifically this morning. I will add the packing saga to my prayers.
Ha ha! We moved in May - and the only thing that we bubble wrapped was my china - that was my parents' from when they were married. My friend Lizbeth went completely overboard with the wrapping and taping that stuff - and we had to extract it with the jaws of life.
Our trip was with a rental truck and our van. Thankfully the truck was slightly bigger than we needed - but we didn't move any furniture.
How does the container work - do you have to transport things TO the container or do they bring it to you?
How are things going with saying goodbye to Romanian friends, etc.?
We are keeping you in our prayers!
The move into our current apartment was our 19th move in only 14 years of marriage. I should be a professional mover by now... but alas, it always seems to sneak up on me. Moving isn't something you can do without preperations (at least not well).
Here are a few posts that I wrote when I moved last time:
We moved from Texas to Arkansas this last time. I have a lot of stories on my blog from the early stages of the trails we went through trying to sell our (dream) house before we ended up loosing it (try June 05-August 05 if you are really interested)! I wrote a spoof on Lamentations that is talking about realtors and buyers coming to look at the house and how much we wanted to sell it during June! Then I wrote a fake moving list (only partly funny since some of the things on the list actually happened to us – the toenail incident happened to my husband while he was moving a washing machine with sandals on).
God bless you in this busy, trying time! May your toenails stay intact and your fridge not grow mold!
Oh, my! I haven't moved in almost 20 years and when I did, the company Louis was working for moved us. I can not imagine how difficult it must be to move across the ocean. When are y'all moving and where will you be going?
We've been in the same neighborhood for 25 years and my husband tells the kids that we have so much stuff that we're never moving and that they will have to haul our dead bodies out of here along with all the stuff one day. Guess that means no bubble wrap for me!
Gosh Karen I do not like moving. We've been in our current house for eight years and I never plan on moving. Ever. My kids will have to empty it all out after I die. That will be my final farewell!
We moved 11 times in the first 11 years we were married. We made short moves across town, we moved about 500 miles away, twice, and our last move was around 2000 miles from the West to the East. We have lived in our current house for nearly 7 years and I have lost the moving touch and don't really want to get it back. I told my husband when we moved in that I was burning all of the moving boxes that had been permanent fixtures in my life for the "next move". I did.
Fun question! Well, I've lived in 17 places (not including college & a 4 mo. stay at inlaws while we built) - not sure why quite so many places. I kinda like moving and am, like you, a pro packer. But we built 10 1/2 yrs ago now and since Bookworm doesn't like change and wants to live here forever, we will probably be here until rapture -- and just add on once our daughters marry. lol
About the only experience I have with bubble wrap is with Christmas ornaments, and I never do too well with it. It's fun to pop though. Sorry, you're on your own :).
Can't wait to hear when and where you are going - I suppose you can't either. lol
Prayers & Hugs, Jane
The more I move, the fewer people I can find to help me. When I moved into my own house almost four years ago I declared it would be my last move. I hate moving. I still have things in boxes today. But I will go to U-HAUL and get "official" moving boxes and tape and still use boxes from grocery stores and such. Befor I moved here I stayed with my sister. We moved into her house in 1997. I still have things in boxes over there! I guess I don't need them If I haven't missed them in 10 years!
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