Puzzle Pieces & Packing

​Good News! We sold our house! It’s time to down-size, do some major relaxing, enjoying and exploring.  But before all that happens we have to pack and move. As I was wandering, what felt rather aimlessly, around my house yesterday trying to decide what to pack next and what to pack it in when I came to the realization that packing to move is a lot like trying to do a puzzle without a picture.

That’s kind of an anxiety causing thought, at least to me it is. Here’s why:

Let me set the scene. There are all these pieces to the puzzles scattered in different rooms of my house; shoes, tools, toys, clothes, games, books, vases, cups and…you get the picture.

The start of packing reminds me of the start of a 3,000 piece puzzle. You know how you sort out all the edge pieces first?  Then you sort the similar colored pieces into separate piles before you start putting them together? That’s where I am currently. Everything is sorted which is good and I’m starting to gather an idea of what the final picture looks like which is also good, but I still don’t know exactly how everything will fit together.

Fitting things into boxes is the part of the puzzle where you’re looking for the hole on the puzzle piece to fit the tab or vice versa. Sometimes there’s too much space around the tab and sometimes there’s too little space. This is much like packing things in boxes. You get lucky when the contents actually fits snug like two matching puzzle pieces. When the pieces do fit you get a bit excited because that’s progress!

Eventually I will get everything packed and the pieces of the puzzles will all be in place. Then I’ll be able to see the full picture. I imagine my big picture is a new home and saying goodbye to an empty house. With the puzzle complete it means it’s time to go.

You know what happens next. You break apart the puzzle a.k.a. unpack the boxes and put it all away again.

I could go on and on about how much I don’t enjoy packing but who really enjoys packing? Packing for a vacation, maybe, but packing to move? I don’t know a single person who likes that kind of packing.

But, more good news, I kind of like puzzles. So, as long as I keep that in mind as I pack these boxes then I can manage that anxious thought of a picture-less puzzle.

I know the final picture will be grand! After all, life is what you make it.

Keep loving.

Oh Saturday

Oh Saturday, how I wish you would last just a little bit longer.

Anticipating Friday felt like waiting for my birthday or Christmas or a BIG event to come. Ryan and I couldn't wait for it to arrive. And now that it's here I know it will fly by. So, although I have dishes to wash, laundry to fold, boxes to pack, errands to run, I am going to sit with my cup a joe and write.

When I say a million things to do, I really mean 510683082615 things to do. I keep staring at all the necklaces hanging on the seashell pegs in my bathroom, thinking: "I really need to pack those. But I need to clean them first, but before I clean them I need to google how to clean them, and then they need to dry and then I can pack them." They're still hanging there.

Can you tell I'm having a hard time packing this time? I keep looking around at our partially packed apartment wondering how we'll ever fit all of this STUFF into boxes. I can't seem to just start putting it into boxes. I just don't know where to begin again. Maybe I'll just get rid of all of it.

Oh, challenges.

This week Ryan and I were tested again. I was sitting at a stop light, on my way home from having coffee with a friend when the car just stalled. The light turned green and I just sat there kind of giggling to myself as cars just kept driving by without stopping. If it weren't for the fact that I was still smiling about my lovely visit with a friend I might have cried. But, miraculously the car started up again and I finished my drive home.

However, the car kept Ryan stranded on the side of the freeway for a few hours. A couple hundred dollars later we're up and running again. Luckily, the extra shifts I've been working covered the fix.

I am trying so hard to not think that it set us back. The money we had saved was serving as an inspiration. I felt good about the extra work I had done and wasn't too worried about picking up more shifts the rest of the month. I almost feel like it was a waste of time. Ryan said it definitely wasn't because it allowed us to fix our only mode of transportation.

I am still confident about attaining our goal for the month. I know every little bit helps.

I should probably google how to clean jewelry, do some dishes, pack some boxes and spend some of this Saturday with Edee and Ryan. I hope all of you enjoy your Saturday.

Keep loving.

One box at a time.

It's happening again. We're moving.

Just writing those words makes me want to cry. I'm overwhelmed at the thought alone. It is supposed to be a good thing and eventually it will feel like a good thing but right now it feels exhausting.

I want to move. I really, really do. And Ryan does too. But I don't want to pack boxes, load boxes, unload boxes and unpack. I've done it way to many times.

I had this hair brained idea that we would stay organized and get rid of unnecessary junk as we pack. But the donate boxes, the sell boxes, the storage boxes and the unpacked things are piling up all around our tiny apartment and I just can't see the light anymore. Aaaggh!

*Deep breathe*

While in the midst of this mess I know I need to keep our goals in mind.

The new apartment is just that; new. It is 200 sq. feet bigger and more affordable. And we are renting from a single landlord, instead of a company, which already has been great. Ryan has been in good communication with the gentleman and he was friendly and understanding.

All though our dream of owning a home is a little further in our future I'm looking forward to having a fresh, new, different place to live for a year. Then, our last move will be a home. (Keeping my fingers crossed.)

For now, its one box at a time.

It's time to move on.

We are considering moving... Okay, we have to move...

Let me try this again. WE'RE MOVING!! Yippee!

Can you tell I'm so excited. (Yes, that's sarcasm.)

I guess there are so many reasons why I should be excited. But there are just as many reasons not to be excited. Shall I weigh the pros and cons?

Okay, here goes:

The Negatives:

I. Packing. I don't even know where to begin. And I don't just mean how I could go on and on about how I loathe packing but I have not the slightest idea of where to begin in our apartment. Even if we don't move for a couple months I should really start packing NOW.

II. Leaving my favorite place. And having to say good bye to our condo-turned apartment. I want to cry thinking about leaving the place we call home. I just love this place. I know, home is where your heart is and possessions aren't everything. But this place is spacious, clean, beautiful...did I say spacious? And its just so perfect.

III. Finding a new place. Maybe I'll just leave this part up to Ryan.

IV. Address changes. Just thinking about it makes me want to throw my hands up and scream. Here is a list of ALL the places I have to make sure receive our new address: Insurance, Lake Michigan credit union, Lake trust credit union, Fifth Third, Key Jewelers, Gap, Meijer, Sallie Mae, Nelnet, The court system, electric and gas companies...must I go on?

V. Unpacking. The part where I force myself to unpack the 1000 boxes I swear I JUST finished packing because I know the longer I put off the dreaded experience the harder cooking, dressing and continuing life as usual will be.

Can you tell I've done this before?

The Positives

I. We will save money. In several ways. If we find a place with one or some utilities included we will save. Plus, we WILL NOT rent for the same as what we are paying. Our goal is to find a place for less. So there again we will save.

II. I had to think really hard about this one but....we can start, or continue on a more regular basis, paying off debt. We are making the bare minimum payments on everything right now. By saving money on rent and utilities we will have money to put towards credit card debt and then student loans.

III. Downsizing. I want to downsize, I do. But once again where do I start? Chances our the new place we find will be smaller. Especially if we want to rent something cheaper. Unless, we find a really great deal on a house to rent. Then there would be storage space guarenteed. Or atleast a garage. Either way, as I pack I know STUFF has got to go.

IV. Finding a new place. It can be exciting. Like a fresh coat of paint, fresh cut grass, a new slate.

IV. Redecorating. I can think of it as a brand new world, a fresh start. It makes the whole idea of moving seem kind of bright and exciting.

So, there you have it. I'm not sure this little comparison did much to settle my emotions over the whole matter. It did however help me realize we are headed in the right direction. We're moving forward. It's time to move on.

Keep loving. And moving forward.