(Pre) Moving is Hard

Confession: I was (am) a pack rat. In under eight years I have lived in nine different apartment/houses in four different cities (plus a month+ stint of couch crashing circa 2006). Despite these frequent moves, I still have Rubbermaid containers of random stuff (including things I had in high school) that I've hauled across that state of Virginia for the past decade. But I am determined NOT to transport it to the other side of the country. I'm turning brutal. I'm sucking it up and tossing/donating things. I will not let our next guest bedroom turn into a room filled with useless junk.

This weekend, we embarked on the task of getting rid of the stuff we never use. Though I remember making a large deposit at the neighborhood Goodwill at least thrice in the past year, we have entirely too much crap to sort through, including: a notebook of doodles dating back to pre-2004, an overflowing binder of college papers and blue books, multiple 80's prom dresses from college costume parties, a giant pile of ultra scratched up cds, old magazines, books that I haven't read since I was a teenager, countless bits of concert paraphernalia (ticket stubs, posters, shirts), and more. And that's not even counting the husband's own assorted collection of gizmos, doodads, and more power, A/V, and ethernet cords/cables than any one person will ever need in a lifetime. We made two trips to Goodwill, filled multiple garbage bags, took a grocery bag of books to the book swap shelf at the base library, and fed so much paper into the shredder that it filled up twice and overheated.

No, we still aren't done. I still need to talk myself into letting go of my (vintage!) My Little Pony and Strawberry Shortcake sleeping bags. I should probably part with a few more pairs of shoes and more clothes. And we need to find a container big enough to hold all of the husband's Legos...I can't tell you how guilty I felt when I asked him to break down all of his giant Star Wars Legos to try to fit them into an 18 gallon container that turned out to be too small to hold them all. It's going to take forever to put those back together again.

Road Trip Deux

The pre-PCS busy season has officially begun. Last weekend, we went with the husband's family (parents, two brothers, a girlfriend) for the husband, brother-in-law #1, and mother-in-law's birthdays (which are all within a week of each other). While we didn't get as crazy as the other people on our floor, who were "Woooooo!!!!!"-ing in the hallways at 5am, it was a good time. At one point I was up $15 (I pretty much only play the penny/nickel slots) and then I had another drink and was broke in under 5 minutes. We squeezed in a lunch visit with the husband's uncle and an IKEA stop on the way home, and, most importantly, I drove a grand total of 4 hours over the entire trip. I love that my husband is afraid of my driving :)

Here is the most important thing I learned during this trip: for the love of God, never see the movie Sucker Punch. Brother-in-law #2 is still in high school, so we tried to do some suitable (aka non-gambling) activities with him. This movie was quite possibly the worst two hours of my life. I've never walked out of a theater before, but I was seriously considering it. I think I'd rather have teeth pulled than have to see it again. The only redeeming qualities were the approximately 3.5 minutes featuring Jon Hamm and the fact that we were able to discuss the horrible qualities of the movie for HOURS on the ride back down south.

So now, just when I think I've finally recovered from Atlantic City (those hotel beds did a number on my back), it's time for another out of town trip. When the husband gets off work this afternoon, we're heading to my hometown for a family reunion, which is probably the last time I'll be able to visit for a good long while. We halfway packed the car yesterday with boxes of my grandma's silver and china. When my mom gave it to me a few years ago, she claimed she didn't have space for it. I asked her not to give me in the first place because I didn't want to have to haul it all over the country/have it shattered by movers. Then she got this weird look and asked what I meant. That was when I had to explain to her that the husband wouldn't be stationed in Virginia forever, most likely no longer than 4 years. She had to have known this deep-down, but I think she was in denial prior to that. But she made me take it anyway, it's been under our bed for two years, and now we have to lug it back.

Today we still have to pack our clothes/toiletries/gadgets. I still have to prep deviled eggs for 40, shower, try to tidy up (there is nothing worse than coming home to a mess) and dose up Sicily with her holistic kitty valium. We bought a new, larger carrier for her this week and set it up in the living room. She seems to like sitting in it/on top of it, there are screens on all four sides that she can see out of, and there is room for a tiny litter box. We can only hope she still likes it when she realizes it's her new traveling home that she will be spending nearly two weeks in come July.

Speaking of, the husband officially got his orders yesterday (woo!). We have to stop by the office before we leave town to see what else we have to give them to get out of the lease. Next Wednesday we have a short PCS briefing to attend, then it's on to deciding when we're actually moving out of the apartment and setting up movers. And a few days ago, I prepared our official 11 day travel itinerary, complete with pet friendly hotels, sightseeing, and Man v. Food approved dining choices. I felt so accomplished. Does anyone know if the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame worth stopping at?