Moving Tips and Tricks

Tomorrow is another moving day for me!

Mom and I counted the other day.  I have moved 10 times in the past 9 years of my life.  We counted those 10 as the times I have fully and completely packed up all my things, loaded into a truck or van, and had to unpack in a completely different place.  No wonder my dog started to get super anxious any time I pack for even something as simple as going over to my parents house for the evening. I am really hoping we love this new place and stay put for a little while.  My plan is to stay put until we are ready to buy a house. I also know the saying "the way to make God laugh is to make plans" holds so much truth in my life.

With all of those moves under my belt; I have learned a few things along the way to help make transitions a little easier and run smoothly.

Don't take everything.  I know it sounds crazy but a move is a fresh start. Take some time to really go through your things, organize, and evaluate whether you have used something in a while.  If it doesn't serve a purpose any longer or it has been collecting dust under the bed the whole time you have been in this place - maybe it's time to find a new home.  I always have three piles going during packing; one for goodwill, one for trash, and one that will go with me to my new place.

Trash bags + Clothes = Besties. I learned this trick a while ago and it has saved me so much hassle.  Instead of taking all your clothes off hangers folding them, packing them up, then having to unpack once you get to your new place - cut a hole in the bottom of the trash bag [big black kitchen size with drawstrings] and drape them over the hangers then close the drawstring at the bottom of your clothes.  You can just take the hangers and hang them up in the new closet! Bonus the trash bags will protect your clothes from getting messed up during the move.

Start with things you don't use.  I go around my house and think of it like layers.  I will collect all the decor items or things that don't serve much interaction function first, put them in a central location pack them up.  Then I go to closet spaces.  What season are you moving in?  Summer? Great you don't need your winter stuff.  Pull out everything in storage spaces - organize it - then into boxes it goes! Keep peeling through the layers day by day until you are a few days before your move and you can slim down kitchen items, etc.  Think about it realistically - I mean I love my crockpot as much as anyone but I am not about to slow cook some brisket 2 days before I move - we have been eating whole foods hot bar for a few days instead. So keep one or two plates and utensils out, maybe one pan for cooking, and everything else can get packed up!

Pack an overnight bag or box. This is a life saver!! I used to want to get into a new place unpack everything and have it all decorated perfect the same day.  Then I realized I was projecting my incredible anxiety onto my loved ones who sacrificed their time and energy to help me.  Instead, I am going to pack a weekend bag for myself.  It will include things I use daily like face wash and toothbrush, a few changes of clothes, and of course my beloved coffee pot and coffee because duh.  So now once my furniture is set and the necessities for night one unpacked I will be able to go out and celebrate and treat my friends and family for helping! Plus, now I know it won't all be perfect overnight and I am excited to slowly go through my new place, decorate it, and make it feel truly like home, but that's for me to do.

Have a friend [or your parents] keep your dog day of. Finn hates to be confined. HATES it. As much as I love my pup, he doesn't need to be in the way or locked up while the door needs to stay wide open for moving boxes and furniture. He will spend the day at my parents house relaxing and will come over once we are settled in and he can sniff out the new place in peace. Don't stress your pups out and have them tear up your bathroom floors in the process [true story]

Don't forget to change your address. If you are like me. Amazon is your bestie. You want all your fun packages to get to you when you move. Change your address for the postal service but also all your information. Bank. License. Amazon. BarkBox. etc... You can mail out a cute e-card to friends and family too once you have moved letting them know where you are! Don't want those wedding invitations to get lost either!

Keep healthy snacks accessible.  Moving day is always a huge production.  For some reason I never eat day of. I am always so busy loading boxes and doing heavy lifting, plus everything else has been packed up. It's not healthy.  Moving is hard work for your body and you need fuel.  Keep a bunch of protein bars out on a counter so that anyone can grab them when they feel like they need to re-charge a bit.  Your body and friends will thank you.

What are some moving tips and tricks that have helped you stay sane during moving? 

Monday Motivation

Location: Marco Island, Florida

Happy Monday sweet friends,

Mondays can be hard.  You have to wake up early to head back to work after a weekend of bliss.  But you got this.  Put on your make up,  fix your hair,  pour an extra large cup of coffee, and head out to face the world.

Working isn't the terrible thing that everyone makes it out to be.  You are in a career that you love and feel fufilled in. Some days are long and hard.  You are helping people see that they matter.

Every day is a learning experience.  You will be faced with challenges and choices.  What truly defines who you are is how you respond to them.  Trust in yourself.  Life isn't about thinking what other people will think about your decisions.  It's about trusting in the Lord and fulfilling your purpose. Do what makes you happy.  Sometimes that means going out of your comfort zone and pushing yourself to try new things.

Those experiences always turn out better than you expect.  Same with life.

So let's do this Monday, you got this.

What is your favorite way to start the week on a positive note?

Lenten Reflections | Week 5

This is the last week of lent.  Next week is holy week.  We have been preparing for this upcoming week for five whole weeks.  Doing this series has made me be a little more intentional in my devotions and streamlined my journaling process as well.  Writing helps me really understand what is going on in my head.  Plus, bloggers have an incredible platform to take risks, be brave, and share our faith.

This week has been an interesting week in the readings.  Jesus is continuing to make waves in his travels and miracles.  One thing I have noticed though is that the people that are against him already have faith.  They have faith in the Jewish tradition.  They are clinging to their truth in the old testament.  Their belief for so long has been that this radical king was coming to save him.  Then when he is right in front of their eyes - they can't see - they don't believe.

The people though whose lives are changed, who believe, who are going out and spreading the word about what they heard and saw; these people had no faith before or believed in something completely different than the Jews.

This got me thinking about the church today.  I have always cried such ugly tears when people share their amazing testimony.  The greatest testimonies and most evangelical believers seem to be those who have gone through the most intense hardship and struggle in their lives.  Their stories are moving, completely 100% life changing, heart stopping, full of love, devotion, transformation, and worship.  Then I pause.  My testimony looks nothing like that.

I am a cradle catholic, raised in the faith from birth by the most incredible, faithful, loving parents.  I grew up memorizing prayers, reading the bible, saying the rosary, lighting advent candles, going to church every Sunday + holy days.  My family in NC is made up of people my parents met through church, since our blood family all reside such great distances away.  Most friends I know who grew up in the church have since drifted away too.  A sad reality in our current world.

I question if Jesus were right in front of me like he was to the Jews would I be willing to surrender all my history to follow him? The people in the bible who dropped everything, those who share their stories and alter their course of their life - they did and do every single day.

Just because I was raised in faith doesn't mean that Jesus hasn't done his fair share of molding and changing me within but thinking about the Pharisees has me thinking.  I want to choose Jesus over everything else. I want to believe when I see him right in front of me.  I want to be willing to surrender it all for His transformation of my life.

How has surrendering altered the course of your life?

Lenten Reflections | Week 2

Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. -Matthew 20:28

We are in the midst of week 2 in lent.  The readings this week are all about preparing us for what Jesus' true purpose is on this earth.  He is preparing us for the suffering that we have to endure - that He has to endure in order to truly fulfill what He was sent on this earth to accomplish.  We don't always know His plan for our life but surrendering is so much better than our own plan.  

Surrendering doesn't come without pain though.  Lent is hard.  The reminder of suffering and service is hard.  Giving up things is hard. But we can be comforted by the fact that Jesus truly knows what it means to serve, to give, and to sacrifice.  He has been there too.  He prepared us for this fact. 

I decided to give up a few things for lent which you can read about in this post: here.  I have to say this week has been one of my best weeks yet.  I find myself being more productive because I am not mindlessly using social media.  I also am more mindful of how I speak to myself.  I have to admit I catch myself being negative but then instantly reframe what I am conveying.  It has seriously made all the difference.  The subtle changes within me has lead to better days in general.  

So, all that to say.  Giving up during lent isn't just about breaking a bad habit or not drinking soda [but by all means if those things are toxic to your life; do it!] Lent is about putting us on a walk with Jesus.  The walk of his very last words to us before he was placed on the cross.  He is teaching us something every single day during this 40 day season - we just need to be open to it.  

How is your lenten season going so far? What is this journey teaching you? 

Lenten Reflections | Week 1

If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 

- Luke 9:23 

Surrendering means letting go of self in favor of something so much better.  Sometimes we get so caught up in control and crossing things off of our to-do lists to find a sense of purpose. Trusting him even in the hard times.  Trusting that God's plan is better than our own.  

Even if we cognitively believe that, maybe even have lived through a couple of wonderful experiences where you just felt and knew God's sovereignty, every day life clouds that and causes us to follow our own wants and wishes instead of His. 

Lent is a time where we take a good hard look at ourselves and whatever that crutch is that we keep holding on to which prevents us from fully surrendering and following Jesus.  It took me a lot of journaling and prayer time to figure out what my thing was.  Typically the tradition is you give up something for lent.  You give up what is holding you back from surrendering.  I wanted to use this season to stray true to my blogs name and live my life in surrender. 

This lent I am giving up negative self talk.  In it's place I am trying to focus on the positive and do something small every day for me. I need to listen to my body and give it what it needs.  Instead of beating myself up for taking time to rest when there is still so much to do- changing my language and telling myself it's okay taking care of myself means resting when I am tired and everything will still get done.

I also want to be more intentional with my time spent on social media.  I have noticed that I use it as a time killer or just a crutch in a situation where I am waiting for someone.  It is so unnecessary and I can't help but wonder what am I missing by doing this.  For example; let's say I am waiting for a yoga class to start - instead of scrolling through instagram - I can put my phone away, strike up a conversation, make a new friend, prepare myself for the class and notice the world around me.

Be Kind.  Be Present.  See what happens. 

What are you doing this lenten season?