Are You Even Ready To Move ?

If you've never been asked to help someone move then you're either very young, don't have a truck or vehicle big enough to assist, or ... you need to get out more.

Most often when I am asked to help someone with a move, it is at church.  I would suspect Mormons move just as often as any other religious group, but I have no point of reference to compare it against.  Generally these moves involve either loading or unloading a moving truck at a location within the ward's (congregation) geographic boundaries.  On a few occasions these moves have involved loading and unloading the same family (most often they are staying in the ward in these situations).  You would think that would be the most frustrating part of helping someone move, but for me it isn't.  Not even close.

I am quite content to load and unload a moving truck.  I'll drive the whole thing to and from the old and new locations multiple times if that's what it takes.  I don't even mind loading someone's smaller or more fragile items in my own car to drive them to the new location.

But I HATE helping people actually pack for their move.

I'm not talking about packing "the truck" with boxes and totes and assorted pieces of furniture.  I'm talking about actually "packing" their stuff into boxes or totes or dismantling assorted pieces of furniture.

Packing a truck is like a big jigsaw puzzle or Tetris game.  It's kind of fun and rewarding to see how much you can fit in such a comparatively small space.  But there is NOTHING fun about touching other people's stuff and putting it in boxes that then need to be moved to the truck.  It's actually just flat out rude to expect others to be willing to help with that.  So much so that it is the only time I will leave before the job is done.  In fact, the last move I helped with was like that.  So I offered assistance with a washer and dryer, a fridge and couches and beds ... and then I quietly walked away while others began loading boxes with the family's stuff.


Song Of The Day:
Made popular in the Madagascar franchise of movies, the song "Move It" comes to mind as I write this post.  I do indeed like to move it move it when it comes to loading a truck.  I am physically fit, physically fit and will exhaust almost all of my energy to help you move ... but I ain't packing your stuff for you!

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How do you know when you've "made it" ?

This afternevening (say it a few times and you'll be hooked I swear!) my beautiful wife and I went to visit 6 more houses on the 2010 Parade of Homes list. They ranged in size from 1300+ square feet up to over 4000 square feet ... and in price from the mid $150s up to over $500,000 (that's "half a mill" for my boyz N da hood).

Two words: Yawn fest.

I was so disappointed at what I saw. Sure each house had some cool decorations and room designs that are nice to see and steal ideas from, but what a waste of money and space across the board!

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This has left me with only two possible conclusions:
#1. I am getting old and crotchety, longing for the good ol' days when "we lived in a one-bedroom log cabin with dirt floors and holes in the walls that always let the bitter wind and summer bugs come whipping through ... and we LIKED it! "

#2. I have actually fallen completely in love with our current home and it may, in fact, be about the closest to my real life dream home I could ever imagine (or at least the price was right and it's very functional and spacious ... until the kids are teenagers and then I'll have to pray for missions and college and marriage to drag them away from my little blue heaven).

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The evening was far from a total waste though as I was able to spend several hours with just Karen (thanks Grandma Julie for watching ALL 6 kids!) and that is always such a pleasure. I still wonder more often than anything else that puzzles me ... why on earth did she fall so hard for li'l ol' me?! No matter ... I married her for time and all eternity and now she can't back out! Sweet! :)
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**Oh and to answer my blog post title question: I think you know you have made it when you are so satisfied with everything you have that you could not possibly imagine wanting anything more ... because you already have it ALL! If that is true then I surely have "made it" because between Karen (I love you Pretty Lady!), my kids, the Gospel, etc. etc. I have everything I ever could possibly need in this life or the life to come!