Top Five Things you Learn when You're Moving

5. The question "So when are you leaving, exactly?" makes you want to run and hide under a couch somewhere and cry.

No, really. I promise I will buy a plane with a big banner that says "M and E are leaving DC on XXXXX" (or some similar announcement) when we finally know. Believe me, I wish we did know. Shoot, I even have our "We've Moved!" cute little notices ready already! We're working on it, people! (And yes, I know you ask because you love us. We love you, too. It just stresses us- ok ME- out.)

4. Apparently the worlds of other people don't revolve around you.

Shocker, right? I'm pretty sure there's not a hiring manager in sight who has the same priority as me of "getting me a job as soon as possible". Haven't quite figured out why yet. OH wait. Probably because I am in no way a priority to them. Good lesson in humbleness, which I'm trying to take in...sort of.

3. Moving requires money.

Boxes cost money. Shipping peanuts cost money. Moving trucks cost money. Gas for said "gas-guzzling moving trucks" costs money. Apartments cost money. New parking stickers cost money. Should I go on?

2. You have a lot of crap.

I'm not talking about emotional baggage (though leaving a place- even for a little while- will make all sorts of emotions come out. Believe me). We're talking STUFF. Left-handed golf clubs that have not been used in probably 5 years (mine). Books from college (mine). Millions of picture frames (mine). Twenty different mixing bowls (mine). Millions of pairs of shoes (mine). Clothes you haven't worn in years (mine). I think there's a pattern developing...

1. You start to realize how much you're loved

Not to pull out the cheese on this one, but we have been overwhelmed by the love and good times we've been able to have with old and new friends alike. Maybe moving does something to you sort of like death (here comes the really bad analogy....) it makes you really value the time that you do have, and makes you want to strengthen bonds so that they are more likely to stay in place in the future (not sure how that works with the death analogy, but whatever). And you find out that people literally all around the country are praying for you, that they are hoping the best for you and, in our case, are hoping that we'll return to this community soon. And that really does make the tough times a little more bearable. Sniff, sniff.