No, not yet. About 9 more days before we even leave; seems like a lifetime, seems like 5 minutes. The packing is going, the cleaning is going, the wringing of hands (chapped, ripped, torn hands, I might add. Grampa says it’s worth it to learn to clean with gloves on; he might be right, but it’s too late now) is going. Now we (and when I say we, I mean Dick, because I thought we (as in I) had decided on the U-Haul method) are shipping our clothes, books, toys and plastic or otherwise non-breakable household goods via Amtrak. And the rest, well, stay posted if you are in the area and in need of random things that do not sell on Craigslist. We are going to have a plethora of random things that St. Vincent’s will receive if other homes cannot be found.
Makes you want to not ever buy anything ever again. At least not non-consumable items. Instead, we should go for easily consumed or expended gifts. Like a pass to a favorite amusement park, say. I’m feeling like a really bad mother as I sort Sally’s games and activity books. Is it bad that I haven’t touched most of the “fun” stuff in her closet for the past two years? It sure was organized in there pretty well, I tell you.
In other news, not to belabor the point or make my addictions seem as heart-wrenching as other, more serious ones, but I have been craving the Mountain Dew like you wouldn’t believe. Honestly (and I try to be honest, you know), I don’t know when I have ever felt so stressed out in my entire life — there’s the whole house-not-sold-yet-and-soon-to-be-uninsured-because-vacant thing too. So, I find myself thinking of all these reasons (excuses/justifications) why it would be okay for me to drink some Mountain Dew. And I wonder if they are the same types of things other addicts think of in regards to their blue ruin.
- I just want a little bit
- It’s only for a couple weeks
- Just until my life gets back to normal
- I just need a little pick-me-up/comfort
- Who is it going to hurt, really?
- It’s not that bad
- If it makes me not kill the kids, really, isn’t this just the lesser of two evils?
And then I read this article. Really, it’s just about protecting my brain, after all.
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Good luck with the sorting – how’d you get pushed into this?
I was just thinking today, “I wonder if the stress of moving will cause Shannon to go back to caffeine.” I think you’ll be really glad if you stay strong!
I wish I could help you. Moving is the biggest pain. Yes, you really start to hate everything you have been keeping. Alison’s birthday is Monday and Mom just gave me her old train set and big legos (I was going to give Alison that Ikea train set!) and with those toys scattered downstairs I was seriously thinking of getting rid of some toys instead of give her even one new one for her birthday. I settled for getting something out of the prize stash and wrapping it. I don’t care if my girls ever receive another toy again!
I know it won’t make me popular, but I say go ahead and Do the Dew! When we were moving cross country I was so stressed out, I know exactly what you are going through. And I’ve done it twice! If something as simple as a little crack cocaine- err… Mountain Dew- can make you deal with it more happily, do ot! If I hadn’t had coffee and chocolate to get me through both times, I would have ended up in the hospital, and I’m not exaggerating. It will actually be easier to quit it the second time, esp. in Utah of all places!
Tara–we are now doing the uhaul method, again, and this time i mean it!! i just can’t even contemplate replacing every single thing (like strollers, appliances, furniture, etc).
Marcy–thanks for trying to save me from myself.
Marie–it makes you popular with me!!! i think mountain dew tastes a little like lemon meringue pie, esp when it’s warm (the dew, not the pie). and how do i know that? because i opened a can and started swigging out in the parking lot of walmart about 30 minutes ago.
i also dumped avery and callie at grampa’s house for a couple hours this morning. they can walk to the park (i know, it’s awful hot out there, but i gave ‘em water and slathered the sunscreen). now, if i could just fix my computer speakers so i can listen to some good angry music while i get something done during lucy’s nap…
I’m posting this just for you: http://marcyadam.blogspot.com/2007/08/frozen-hot-chocolate.html
btw Shannon, I was saving it for MMSM, but I HIGHLY recommend using U-Pack to move. It cost us about 1/5 the price of a truck rental when we moved, and didn’t have to actually worry about driving all our crap along wth 2 kids cross-country, and they will store your stuff until you are ready for it, at which time they will bring it to your door! It cost us total $1500 to have them ship our crap and then store it for a month. Google it!
If only you were in the Air Force. Then you would have all your stuff packed and moved for you. But then of course, you’d have to move every two to three years.
are you kidding me? moving every 2 to 3 years would be a dream! in the 9 years we have been married, we have moved 9 times, not counting 2 month stays overseas, etc. the longest i’ve ever lived anywhere was 5 years, and that was when i was in high school.
don’t get me wrong. i like moving as in going to a new, different place. i’m just having a hard time with all the stressors of our particular situation compounded by pathological indecisiveness.
Marie–upack does seem like a good deal. we (over-)examined every (and when i say every, i’m sure that’s not correct, but we did look at at least 5 different versions of at least 4 different moving methods) option. one of our constraints is that we have two cars to get to utah. esp. with tom working in a place that is in the middle of absolutely no where, we need two cars. his car was a free gift from his sister that is worth a lot to us and would be expensive to replace, but that we wouldn’t be able to sell for much.
We have moved a lot too. We have moved four times in less than four years (not including the temp move to Maryland for me and Will, and Alabama for Mike when he did OTS). I love it and I hate it. Sometimes I just wish we could stay in one place for awhile. But I also really love going to new places and meeting new friends. I have so many friends I otherwise wouldn’t have met. Hopefully you will get to stay in Utah for awhile, if not permanently. We would love to be able to go back to Utah.
wow.. I was going to see if maybe we could visit with you guys one more time before you move… but it sounds like you have a lot on your plate right now! Let me know if there’s anything I can help with.
[...] kicked the Mountain Dew habit a few months ago, and then, in a time of duress (do you have to be under duress, or can you just experience duress?), I went on a [...]