So I was feeling really down about having to move again. I have been in placess only temporarily since I was born. I guess that is what happens when you are born into an Air Force family. I think, now that I am married and have a toddler, I just want to have an herb garden, some chickens and a goat and a garage to send the Mr. Is that too much to ask?
So holding me head in my hands while recounting my sad story and sighing... so we are going to go to Boston for two weeks and then to NYC and then back to Kansas and if we still haven't found work, we'll go back to Mexico and keep looking. My neighbor didn't respond the way I intended and instead she said, "That sounds exciting!" She said it almost in a way that I thought she might be envious. I guess I didn't really think of it like that. I am definately one to seize an opportunity to make mayonaise out of raw egg and have decided to try to see things from her perspective. And things have since felt quite a bit lighter. She also helped me a little bit in my job search by giving me some key words to look up in order to break into a paid well enough gig at entry level that just might accept my "related" skills. It has taken a lot of pressure off the job search because I have found a lot of positions in that field for which I can apply.
And lastly, she brought forward something that I had been thinking of in the back of head. If I want to switch careers- without initially going back for another degree- it will require that I take a job in the field I am interested in making somewhere around $10-14. It would be essential for me to get my foot in the door that way but since I already have a degree and once I start taking classes in the related field I could probably move up pretty quickly- maybe even in only 6 months. That sounds hopeful and I feel confident I could land something like that pretty quickly. What has been frustrating me is that I am trying to find something out of my expertise that pays the same as what I have been making as a teacher. So I like this new way of thinking.
Moving Tips
1. Have a Plan
2. Organize your whole house: Put things where they belong. Tools with the tools in the garage. Odds and ends with the odds and ends in the kitchen junk drawer. Hygiene products with hygiene products in the bathroom.
3. Set up a packing station that has your boxes, tape, permanent marker, and packing material.
4. Buy your boxes and keep them not too big. You can get a mismatched boxes from a local business before they break theirs down, but I am finding it easier to have my boxes all be uniform. Buying smaller boxes are easier to carry.
5. Pack a suitcase like you are going on a weekend trip and your house is going to burn down while you are gone. This will make sure you have all of your essentials and valuables altogether and in the same place. It will also help you to pack EVERYTHING and not say "oh, but I might use that, I better not pack it" and then have random things left over after the move.
6. Pack by room. Mark the contents on the boxes.
7. You will need to designate a "donate" pile and a "trash" pile. There is no better an opportunity to rid yourself of clutter than when moving. A "memory" pile might be a good idea too. I find photos and cards and notes all over the place that I had been meaning to put in my scrapbook box. You might also need a "return" pile-- sometimes I find things that need to be returned to their owner!
8. Spring for a moving van and just try to move everything all at once.
9. Have a couple empty boxes left over because you will undoubtedly have stubborn items leftover that somehow didn't make their way to a box and onto the truck. Just toss it all in the box and mark MISC.
10. Put your marked boxes in their appropriate rooms and after unpacking save the boxes for your next move or save them for a friend.
