On Moving and Movies

More on Catching Up...

So, I told you that we moved, right? We "bought a house" (yes, those quotation marks are used correctly. I'll explain more later, if I feel like it, maybe) in Minneapolis.

First a couple of things on moving and then on the house.

On Moving:

It sucks. The actual process of it really, really sucks. Blogger Matt Walsh recently moved during the Christmas season as well, and this is what he had to say about it:

Maybe, if I could find a lesson in all of this, it would be the following: 

If you are thinking about moving, remember to carefully gather together all of the items in your house — and burn them. 

Burn them all. Just throw them into a pile and burn them. 

Travel to your new location with only lint in your pocket and a dream in your heart. 

Burn everything you own and dance around the fire like wild Indians. 

I can’t promise that this will be safe, or sane, but it will certainly be easier, more enjoyable, and possibly more psychologically healthy than packing up all of that junk, hauling it across the country, and clumsily unpacking it, making sure to leave dents and damages on all of your most cherished items. 

I think this country would be a better place if there were less moving trucks, and more crazed, anti-materialism backyard bonfires. 

This is my advice. I did not take it, because I am a hypocrite, and I also have a wife who has long held fast to a strict “don’t set the furniture on fire” policy. But it’s not too late for you. Godspeed.


I couldn't relate more. Go ahead and read his whole post, because it also includes this hilarious part about getting kicked out of a hotel because he was trying to smuggle in his cats.

So, anyway, yeah, that part sucked. We didn't hire movers, so it was just me and Vern and the kids carrying all of our stuff to the U-Haul. And I had to move this very heavy couch and carry it down a bunch of stairs. This couch was so heavy, you guys, so very, very heavy...

When we got to the Minneapolis house, we had to call in reinforcements (Vern's brother), because I physically could not lift another thing. And then I had to go back and deep-clean the St. Paul place for 6 hours and that really, really sucked and made my hands super sore.

But enough about that.

I should also mention that we "bought the house" in November, and Vern spent the majority of December going over there almost every day and fixing stuff up and painting. He worked so hard you guys. So very, very hard. (That's why he grew the beard. Too busy to shave.)

Anyway...

About the New Place

The good news about all this is at the new house is awesome. I really do love it. It's in a great neighborhood. We have fixed it up and it is everything I want it to be. It is winsome and magical and perfect for us. I will post pictures sometime, but I want to have a "housewarming party" (yes, those quotation marks are used correctly. More on that later, if I feel like it, maybe) first.

But, for as much as I love the house, moving somewhere different is still a change and an adjustment. I don't feel completely settled yet.

I think that is why I keep watching 80's movies. There is something about the familiarity of 80's movies that reminds me of home. Watching a movie that I haven't seen in 25 years and still knowing the words, or seeing a familiar outfit that I had long ago forgotten about, or a favorite musical montage... there is comfort in that for me.

So far, Vern and I have watched:

The Outsiders
The Legend of Billie Jean
Top Gun
Midnight Madness
Dirty Dancing
Heavenly Bodies
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
The Money Pit
Strange Brew
Meatballs (although, technically a late-70's movie)
Meatballs II
Zapped

This was Vern's first time watching all of these movies (except for Top Gun and The Outsiders). For some reason, these were some of my favorites as a youth.

Our life is a simple one right now. We hang out with the kids. Vern goes to the office. We make meals and eat. We put the kids to sleep and watch an 80's movie. It's nice.

I guess that's it for today. I'm going to watch Porky's with my husband now.