10 Things I Learned on Moving Day

Exactly 1 week ago today, we unloaded the U-Haul and started life in our new rental home. Since then, we’ve been away for 3 days at a conference, so we’ve really only been in our new home for 4 days. We’re loving it!

I thought it might be fun to do a little recap of the moving process for further reference, and will also give a small glimpse of what it looked like for us. Here’s 10 things I learned from moving day:

1. Brace yourself for chaos. Melissa from the Inspired Room stated that no matter how organized you mean to be, moving is a crazy time. It was. I reminded myself often to take a deep breath and roll with the unexpected.

2. Weather is a factor. Funny enough, I spent no time considering this during the whole packing up process. Thankfully, the rain showers stopped at perfectly the right times when we were loading in and out. (Whew!)

3. Lay big pieces of cardboard on the floor if the yard resembles a mud bog. Since I failed to think of the weather issue, I had a trail of mud to clean up in our former home. So in the new house, we pulled out a big ol’ hunk of cardboard for the movers to walk on, and “clean-footed” helpers took the items to the appropriate places.

4. Many hands make light work. Oh, mercy, having so many people helping made it go so quickly! Loading in took longer, but unloading only took about 1 hour!

5.  Never ever, under any circumstances pack boxes without lids. It’s just a pain. (Totes, however, are wonderful inventions.)

6.  Although you think you’ve purged and don’t have much stuff, you might need to have a garage sale in the near future!

7.  Having a binder that you keep with you in the car with vital information of your new home is very helpful. Being able to find our new phone number and postal code was very helpful. (Now I have a card by our telephone, and hopefully soon I’ll have it memorized…)

8.  Friends are a vital part of sanity and joy in the moving process. They helped with cleaning, driving, and of course, loading and unloading. Some of my favorite memories of the process involves them. They packed up my last kitchen things, vacuumed floors, scrubbed showers, and wiped out every. single. cupboard. in the new kitchen. During the process, they made me laugh and have fun, and taught me helpful tips on moving and our new “city life’!

9.  House warming gifts and visits are the best! Fresh flowers, a delicious lunch, pizza delivery, yummy cookies, and unexpected visits were all part of our very first day in our new home. We felt very welcomed and loved.

10.  Once the U-haul pulls away, the house may appear as if it threw up boxes & furniture… (See number 1 and carry on…)

We’re slowly getting things unpacked and organized around here. I’m working on a new house tour for you… (Well, at least of the rooms you can walk in!;))