Moving Friday Five

Mother Laura at RevGals writes: We are right in the middle of a move--only twenty minutes away, but we're still a mix of busy, excited, nervous and surprisingly full of grief about what we're leaving, for me at least. So this week's Friday Five asks about your experience of the marvels and madness of moving...

1. How many times have you moved? When was the last time?
First move was when I was about a year old--across town. Does that count? The next moves were the annual moves to and from college. After that, it was a move to big city for seminary, a temporary summer move to live with my sister for CPE between my two years on campus. Then I got married and moved in with my husband. We lived in one place for about two years and them moved to our current town. We rented for about two months before purchasing our current home. My mom moved from my childhood home about three years ago. I haven't really moved a lot and the last move was about five years ago.

2. What do you love and hate about moving?
I hate packing and unpacking. I admit that I'm a 'sentimental saver.' Doesn't that sound better than 'packrat'? I'm working on that. I love getting to arrange a new space and make it home.

3. Do you do it yourself or hire movers?
When we moved to this town, the congregation paid for movers, otherwise it'd be on our own. I still did my own packing. And there were certain things that we moved ourselves, partly for 'security.' The hundred year old (or more) dishes that have been in my family for generations went in my car. Also, we did live in two cities for a month, so for half the month, each of us had the bulk of the furniture and the other had an air mattress and bare necessities.

4. Advice for surviving and thriving during a move?
No.

5. Are you in the middle of any inner moves, if not outer ones?
See...last week I said that I could make any post or Friday Five about my baby...Here we go again. Moving inside me is a new life, a little person that I love so much. And that brings with it the move into motherhood. I've been a stepmom, but not custodial, and not for an infant, so it's a new territory. And I'm aching for an outer move too--or at least some sort of inner move that will allow me to thrive in this place once again.

Bonus: Share a piece of music/poetry/film/book that expresses something about what moving means to you.
I'll have to think longer and harder about this one!