Moving

Oh. My. Goodness.

Just when I had forgotten how much I truly, honestly, really detested moving, we moved. So, to save you the trouble and the back/shoulder/leg/feet/head/arm/stomach/fingernail pain that I am presently enduring, here are a few tips:

*Take some time off when you move. Don't go directly from job A to orientation at job B within one week. Especially if you aren't finished packing. Double especially if job B is 144 miles away and you will have to actually begin job B while still living in city A. Follow?

*When debating whether or not to either find money to hire movers vs having a group of drug addicted homeless men pack load your truck, go with the paid workers. Get it?

*Refill your Xanax prior to leaving your town. Seriously. I can guarantee you'll need it.

*Ask for adult help. Don't ask a 6 and 8 year old to help. I put way too much responsibility on them because I needed the help and now I feel a lot of guilt for it. I totally suck at asking for help, but really am realizing that I need it.

*When the nervous breakdown comes -- and it will -- call a friend. Don't take it out on your husband. It just really sort of screws up the whole mood of the move experience.

*When packing clothing, make sure you keep track of where your good stuff is. It is not easy to finally get moved in on Monday evening and have to be at work Tuesday at 7:00 a.m. and have absolutely no clue where anything remotely "business casual" is located.

*And along those same lines, make sure you know where the blow dryer and flat iron are. Otherwise, you'll show up at your new job and sit for your ID badge that will look something like this:

*Prepare to spend way too much money on takeout food and hotel rooms. This will be necessary if you arrive at your destination (in south Louisiana, in June, for goodness sake) and find the a/c in your house is broken and it's 95 degrees inside the house.

*Don't move until baseball season is completely over. This will save everyone angst. Especially when it appears that one of your child's teams is likely going into the playoffs.

*Keep in touch with your friends, your family, and God. When you are already suffering from loneliness, nothing hurts worse than moving 144 miles from familiarity.

*Above all, know that time will make it all easier.

Right?