The moving process

So after a terrible night of no sleep and a restless nap, I started the packing process again only to discover, "Oh my God. This isn't nearly as hard as it used to be."

To explain, my husband and I have moved about 5 times since we've been together. Maybe more. He helped me move out of the dorm twice and into the dorm once. (I returned the favor.) We moved out of the dorm and into a small one bedroom apartment together, and then we moved into a larger apartment in the same complex around a year later. We lived there for awhile, and I got transferred to a bigger store in a bigger town an hour away, meaning another move to a duplex. Now, we are moving from a duplex to a very nice house another hour north of where it all began. So you see, moving has become a bit of a hobby for us. We started out rocky, but we're getting better at it every day. ;)

Our tips:

• Number each box you pack as you pack it. List on the box the contents. You don't have to be too detailed, but if you have a particular item you don't want to lose track of, this will help. I usually write stuff like, "Living room decor - two vases, glass picture frame, lion statue."
• Write this information, box numbers and general contents, in a "moving" notebook. Use the same notebook throughout the move. Keep it with you! When you get ready to drive off to the new house, put this in your purse
• Start with one room and stay with it. By this I don't mean pack EVERY single item in the room, because chances are you'll need some of it before the big day. We pack in themes. In our guest room, we packed all of the books, and now we are packing decorative items. Because the rest of the room was heavy work, I moved on to the decorative items in the living room and our bedroom. When you're done with a theme, stack all of those boxes together by room.
• Put on some music. Packing is about as dull as dirt. We don't have cable at our house, so I put on music to pass the time. I try to keep it to upbeat tunes, so I can get my heart rate up. It keeps me motivated. If you have to stop for frequent breaks, try to last at least two full songs of packing.
• Take water breaks. This sounds silly, I know. It is just packing, but when you get moving around and in a groove, it is hard to remind yourself to take a break. If you don't take small breaks, you'll be dead at the end of the day. No bueno!
• Recruit! For several of our moves, we have had the generous help of David's fraternity, my social club sisters (read: sorority type thing), family members, and even work friends! It doesn't hurt to ask for a little help, but be sure to repay in kind. Or if they don't need your help moving, offer to make a big dinner. Our first big move included a chili dinner with homemade tortillas. :)

Hope these tips help you! If you are frequent movers like we are, remember to weed things out. If you haven't even thought of using an item since your last move or in the last few months, give it away. If it isn't give-able, trash it/recycle it. Seriously. Do NOT cart junk to your new place.