Moving Part 2 - The Load Up

Once we got everything packed into boxes and ready to go (see Part 1 about the packing here), it was time to put everything on the truck.  The truck pulled in, bringing with it half of the lower limbs in the neighborhood.

Jimmy, our master inventory and control manager, made sure everything was running smoothly from the get go.  (And no, that wasn't his official title or anything...but he earned it)  He kept calling himself 'the model'...meaning a model of how loading was supposed to happen.  That earned him this photo:

The big showoff!

So Jimmy, our driver Arthur, and 2 other loaders had stuff flying past me all day.  I couldn't really see the rhyme or reason to what they picked up, they didn't do 1 room at a time or anything like that (which drove Vinny nuts).  Then I headed out to the truck during one of their breaks and realized that while I may not have seen the rationale...they certainly did.  It was like moving box tetris:

We got derailed on day 1 of loading by a monster thunderstorm that sent the loaders scrambling to get items that were outside into the garage.  Because of the low hanging limbs, that were even lower after rain, the driver wanted to leave the trailer in place so he wouldn't have to maneuver back in the next day.  Hint: Call your local police department and let them know what is up and get permission to leave it parked overnight.

So we went about 4 hours into day 2 as well.  And we managed to get the house cleaned in time for a showing an hour after everything was out.  Whew!

Other tips we've heard of and taken advantage of (particularly in military moves but many apply in all move situations):
     Get your driver's cell number so you can be in touch.
     Call them to ask what your initial weight was. (all of our stuff was a bit over 11,000, well under our 14,500 lb limit...yay)
     Touch base every few days to make sure you know when your delivery is coming.
     Request a reweigh on the delivery end.  You end up getting the lower of the 2 weights, so there is no harm in having your stuff reweighed
     Provide lunch for your loaders and packers, preferably not always pizza.  I made pasta the first day when I still had pots, did pizza the second, and the third day I ordered Subway.  I can't tell you how appreciative the guys were to not be eating junk for once
     Make sure to have bottled water or cups and water on hand, especially on hot days
     Learn your guys' names and use them.  Smile at them.  They're carrying all your stuff and it's easier for them to care about their job if they aren't ticked off at you.
     Pray for good weather
     Make an inventory beforehand of everything if possible, including serial and model numbers of electronics
     Make sure you can read your copy of the inventory they do of your items and ask if you have questions about notations they've made about existing damage
     If something drops or falls, ask them to note it on the paperwork so you can double check for damage on the receiving end
     Keep your cool
     Cross your fingers

Do you guys have other moving tips?

LOL.21

And y'all know I love me some photoshop (see the post about that here).  All I'll say (for now) is the sofa isn't photoshopped and neither am I.  This project made me very happy. :D

Moving Part 1 - The Pack Out

Apparently in the military, the lingo for packing is 'packing out.'  We got 2 packers, and they were scheduled to pack us for 3 days.  These guys were fast.  And I don't mean, wow they packed up ALL of our stuff in 3 days.  I mean...holy crap I can't even see their hands and they managed to finish in 2 days!  So I'm going to show you our total wreck.

I thought they would work together and I'd be able to sort of follow what they were doing.  I was also hoping that I'd have some time to work through some of our things I hadn't had time to do.  Instead, they worked in 2 different places, on different floors, both at lightning speed.  So I spent 2 days running up and down the stairs, trying to make sure they weren't packing stuff I didn't want packed (which totally didn't work), and that certain things got extra padding.

Not that extra padding was much of a problem.  I think each item that got wrapped was wrapped in 3 HUGE sheets of paper.  I'm even more glad now that people on the other side have to unpack everything.  And I understand why they won't transport matches too...the whole load is a massive combustion risk.

Huge irony on the first day: I took Bella in to daycare so she wouldn't be under our feet while we were packing and one of the packers showed up with his 4 year old daughter.  It would have been alright if she had stayed with him, but instead she followed me around all day.  And my mommy brain was checked out...so I wasn't quite emotionally prepared for it.  The second day Bella was there too.  And the little girl refused to play with her.  So I spent more time that day interacting with Bella instead, which was way better.  I guess there really is something different about your own child.

Anyway, by the end of all the packing we were living in a city of boxes.  We're short...so this is a problem.  I lost the dog more than once and the cat was in heaven.  I got up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water...forgot about the packing thing, and was in the middle of the dining room in the pitch black before I remembered that I was surrounded in boxes and my memory of how to get to the kitchen without running into stuff was completely useless.

(ugh, and how hideous is that paneling in the basement?  If we ever move back to this house, that so has to go!)

Luckily they moved our loading up a day so the boxes didn't stay long.  More on that soon.

Have you ever had a packing debacle?  I need people to commiserate with!

The hair has left the building...for locks of love

Since Bella was born, I've been growing out my hair in an attempt to make a donation to Locks of Love, a non profit organization that makes wigs for childhood cancer patients (their website is here).  Hair has to be 10 inches long at it's greatest length (though they can sell hair that is shorter) and it can be dyed darker than its natural shade, but not bleached lighter.

So it took me about 6 months to grow out the hair that was highlighted, then another two and a half to get enough length. Getting my hair cut (finally!) was on my list of 'Things to do before the BIG MOVE.'

I got my hair trimmed every 3-6 months to keep the ends nice and healthy.  And I was determined to make the big leap with my trusty hairstylist, Mallory, at Coiffurium in Providence (their website is here).  Not just because I trust her, but because the length was driving me crazy.  So without further ado, here is the before:

Can you tell how nervous I was?  I was totally freaking out.  Check out my knuckles on the side of the chair.  You'd think I was going to be executed.

Making the measurement to see if I was going to be bald or not.

There it goes...the big cut!

The ponytail gets sent off to Locks of Love.

The final smoothed cut.  I like a little bit of a tousled look, but this nice smooth bob was nice too.  I was going for Dianna Agron's cut from Glee, I just don't know if I have enough any stylists to make it happen. I jut cut Bella's hair too.  With my cut, we became the bobsy twins:

So that's it...3 years of work growing hair ends in a matter of minutes.  Like it?

Playing for Change

I recently caught a news story about this music project called Playing for Change, that takes street musicians from around the world and combines their music into an incredibly powerful performance.  

This idea really feeds into one of the reasons why I was so drawn to the Montessori method.  It speaks so strongly to our shared experiences as humans and the respect that we should have for all cultures and lifestyles.  I was thrilled to share these videos with Bella and to be able to talk about the different cultures in each of the places in the songs.  I'm working on teaching her the refrains to these songs so she can add her voice to theirs and feel like she is part of something bigger.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do:

Stand by Me

Redemption Song

Imagine

Gimme Shelter

Overheard.Big Words - Z

January 8th, 2011

Z is for Zygomatic

LOL.20