Cross-country moving tips

• Hire some manual labor on at least one end of the move, it will save your back for the other end and be the best $150 spent on the move. Hire them at U-haul.com and make sure to read the reviews before choosing a company.


• Sell as much on craig's list.com beforehand as possible.


• Donate as much to goodwill beforehand as possible. Keep a log of these items, they are tax deductible.


• Keep a file of all moving costs (mileage, hotel, boxes, deposits). Many of these are tax deductible, especially if you're moving for a job transfer.


• Moving supply places (like storage places or U-haul) sell big rolls of green plastic wrap stuff. Get it! We used it to wrap furniture, secure rakes and shovel together, and keep drawers and door closed on furniture.


• If possible, schedule your hook-ups (like cable) for move-in day when you are already there all day.

Do you have any tips?

Great for camping...

So much is wrong with these pictures:

You don't need quiet times when you're sleeping on a futon.

Okay, first, I mean the title as more of a joke, but let me explain.

I set out to learn from this: my sister-in-law and her husband were gracious enough to agree to let me live with them indefinitely. The LEAST I could do was try to be a great house guest and take it as a character building experience (because I already knew I was selfish and could use some character building).

I learned many things when I was living with them for 10 weeks. While some are more serious than others, I'd like to pass them on to you as a sort of community service/book report to show I learned something:

• 2 Bedroom/2 bath apartments are smaller than they sound when 1 married couple and 1 other married adult live there.
• Farts are always funny.
• Even when your hosts say you shouldn't do chores, it's a good measure to do so anyway. See next lesson.
• I learned just how selfish I was, deep inside. I want to clean when I want, watch my t.v. shows, drink my fancy coffee. Thankfully, the good Lord gave me enough sense to be a good house guest. But, my spirit had to fight my flesh sometimes to keep it quiet.
• Books are your friend. Especially when you're missing your spouse, sitting though other people's t.v. shows, or you are bored cause everyone else has gone to bed.
• I don't need all that stuff. I lived without soo much for 10 weeks: my other toiletries (you know, the stockpile), DVDs, old shoes, kitchen gadgets, office supplies, decorations, or a dresser. And I was fine. Just fine.
• Things I missed: slippers, candles, a nightstand, and my "gift box" for spontaneous gifting.
• Group grocery shopping with alternating weeks to pay keeps everyone honest and maintains the sanctity of the community kitchen.
• I want a wii.
• Internet and iPhone are non-negotiable as a nomad.
• Extra-curricular activities (like running) keep you out of their hair before you get in their hair.
• It is impossible to drive them nuts by calling to let them know when you are heading home. When in doubt, call.
• Ask what can go in the dishwasher and if you should turn off the DVR at night. oops.
• Don't set up your hosts camping chair and then leave it outside for 3 rainy nights...oops again.

In conclusion, my hosts were great. They never hinted that it was time for me to go, had compassion for me living apart from my spouse temporarily, and included me in activities and meals. One of the biggest perks of this experience is that the 3 of us reached a whole new comfort level I didn't think we'd have for years.

Today, however, both couples are still happy to have their own places to themselves, and drink their own coffee.

I peed my pants

I told you I have friends from Craig's List that I run with, right? Very early in our running meet ups, I peed my pants. This is how it all went down...


First, you should know that 3 of them are much faster than me, but are good sports and make me finish. I love that part. Early in our running, they were kicking my butt with an 11 minute mile (2.5 of them, actually), and we sprinted up a hill for the last tenth mile. Note: I needed to go to the ladies room since mile 1.


So, here we all are, the competitive nature in me keeping me going, and I realize while I'm sprinting that I must pee, NOW. I start walking about 30 feet before everyone else with the claim "I'm done, we went the 2. 5 miles, you suckers keep running if you want..." It was all a ploy.


I begin to panic. Which is worse? Your very new friends you met on the Internet seeing you let out a big pee in your pants, or squatting in a very nice neighborhood on a stranger's lawn and your very new friends possibly seeing your who-ha? I couldn't decide. Tears began to well up as I froze, standing, twisting my legs around each other, hand in my crotch holding in the pee. As I looked up to heaven, clenching EVERY muscle in my already exhausted body, a miracle happened: Only a little pee came out. But pee, none the less. I said my goodbyes quickly and headed home to shower/change and wash my pee pants.


So, I thank God for that little miracle when I peed my pants by no one could see. I still have my new friends, and they agree that this 3rd option was the way to go.

New craigs list friends

I did it. I posted a personals add on Craig's List for running partners. This is what it said,

I'm looking someone to run with at least once a week (week nights prefered).
Currently, my pace is a 12 min mile, and will get faster training for the
October half marathon. 29 year old female looking for female running partners or
a group.

2 weeks, and lot of emails, phone calls, and facebooking later, and I have 4 solid, friendly, nice, and enjoyable women to run with. They are smart, normal, and best of all, a totally random group. We don't work together, go to school or church together, just random people who use craiglist.

I love it. So far, so good. We are on a rotation running the same day every week, and we rotate who picks the location. The other days of the week, anyone just calls who ever to run together. 2 weeks in, and it's working great. I'm glad I took the risk.

Running Again

I've been picking up running, again, for about 2 months, now. It's still a battle. I want to run. I want to be in shape. I want to go run 3 miles and not try to quit before I finish. The temptation to walk crosses my mind every few minutes. I want to get faster. I want to run farther. I want to be runner. My body doesn't agree.

Why do I fight the battle each and every time, and go, and run, and want to die every time? Good question. I ask myself that everytime my heart pounds so heart I think my heads gonna explode.

For now, the motivation of turning 30 in September, a half marathon in October, and knowing I can run keeps me going. I love the feeling of breaking into the start of the run, when it's cool out, and your feet and legs aren't warmed up yet. They are starting to get stretched out and warmed up, and you push to get them there. Then, once your muscles are warm, your heart and lungs start to challenge you to slow down, but you push through it. Then, comes the part where you settle in, and think that maybe you could do this forever, at this pace, and just run across the world.

Then I hit the 2.5 mile mark and collapse. For now, this is my distance. Each week gets a little faster or further, or both. Just when I think I'm crazy, and I should quit, I have another good run, and I get the running high, and can't wait for next time.

Casinos

In the last year, I stayed in a Casino for 3 nights on a business trip. And I realized I don't like them. In fact, I hate them. Let me count the ways:

1. Our room was all zebra print and dark purple with plenty of teak.
2. High cheese factor with padded walls everywhere, mirrored ceilings, staff members in ridiculous neon uniforms.
3. I got slammed in the elevator doors. That's right. The first night, I'm going for the elevator, the doors are starting to close. I implemented a strategy that has always worked for me: I threw my body between the closing doors expecting them to bounce open. Instead, they slammed on my shoulder, cut my other arm, and I had a baseball size bruise on the other arm to show for it.
4. Neon lights do not a good morning make. The first morning, I went down to the cafe', bleary eyed, and ready for my early morning caffeine. I was not prepared, however, to be greeted by the same endless neon lights, mirrors, fuscia velvet upholstery, bars open, and slot machines ringing just like the night before. It was a rude way to wake up.

I hear new casinos are not like this. I have my doubts.

Confessions of a Bride, Part IV

Wedding planning brings out ALL previous family issues, baggage, your fears, and any possible and impossible drama.

I have great, understanding parents. Three of whom said to me, early in engagement,"No, you should plan exactly the kind of wedding you both want." Even my very caring, patient, parents and I had our rough moments in the planning process.

Tip for future brides: No matter how simple, low-key, or cooperative you are, drama will find you! It doesn't matter how little or much your parents contribute, how much your friends help out, how considerate you are to out of town guests, how low stress you try to keep it, how little your budget is, or how much you communicate why you both chose the kind of wedding you did. Conflict will come anyway.


The truth of the matter is that anyone who cares about you will have an opinion, won't be afraid to share it, or may get their feelings hurt. Get over it. The sooner you learn to, politely but confidently say,"Thank you for sharing that idea. We have decided, however, that what both of us want most is x." The better.

Just a friendly tip :)

Confessions of a Bride, Part III

At one point, I started wondering what would happen with my friends. How do I tell my fellow, career-oriented, independent, traveling girlfriends that I truly desire to "settle down"?

Other friends that have married in the past have dropped of the face of the planet. With no explanation. Then, when a chance rendezvous occurs, the only talk is about coupons and laundry. There also seemed to be an air of a slower, more quiet life.

I didn't want to become this person. I was, however, aware that there must be something going on with marriage that required significantly more time than singleness. Time that was already hard to come by.

Regardless, I didn't want to loose my long time friends or for them to drop me because our lives grew apart. I still don't know the answer to this yet. I do know I have several good friends. I also know that simply work, money, schedules, home, family, etc keep a couple in constant communication and take more time.

On one hand, this is somewhat overly dramatic since several sets of married friends do stay in touch and open their lives to others. At the same time, as a couple, we will have the same amount of time, but twice the social contacts and opportunities. You do the math.

Confessions of a Bride, Part II

First, I had one of my best friends ask, "I just need to know that you aren't simply giving up all your dreams just to get married." Her direct voice and loving candidness still ring in my ears.

She knows me well. We had spent hours over the previous years talking about my desire to live overseas or mentor younger women. She knew this new relationship would change things. What she didn't know was that I had been struggling with that same question myself for weeks.

I was afraid of being a pushover. Afraid of becoming one of "those girls" that give up everything for cooking and laundry. Not that those are without honor, but I was afraid, nonetheless.

I did not believe in the fairytale of marriage. Instead, I believed it must be one of the worst, scariest, most crippling situations to put yourself in. Especially because another person can so dramatically have an impact on so much of your life, including filing for divorce.

I was afraid I had been believing a lie. How could both single life and marriage life be good for me? Was I fooling myself while single, just to get by? Maybe marriage wouldn't be as fulfilling as my single life, regardless of who I married.

I am afraid of becoming boring, to my husband and to myself. I had so many adventures single: moving across the country, international missions, road trips, working in dorms, trips downtown, spontaneous travel, concerts, pranks, the list goes on...What if my husband didn't want to do these things? What if other, outside impacts made it more difficult for both of us to do these things? What if we never leave the house?

I was afraid of what others, who knew my dreams, would think or say. Or, that they would think badly of my fiance' for "keeping me from" those God-given dreams.


The truth is, my dreams were actually changing. My desires were changing. My old dreams still sounded like fun, but there were new, exciting ones forming.

Back in the saddle - err - sneaker...again.

I used to run. Well, 2 years ago, I started running for the first time, got 3/4 of the way trained for a half marathon, and quit. For lots of reasons: my running partner left the country for 2 months and broke his leg upon return, I met James, I decided I liked James more than running.

This year, things have changed. I still like James more than running. But, I turn 30 this year, and I have an offensive attack: running. If I don't do that pesky half marathon the year I turn 30, when will I? And another thing, we're in the process of getting moved and settled in a new state/town/region. Trying new running routes is a great way to learn a new town and parks and neighborhoods where one might like to buy a home.

Goal: Louisville half marathon, October, 2009. 2ND goal: Kentucky Derby half marathon, April, 2010.

So far, so good. I'll keep you posted.