Lesson Learned

Even though I like our "transient" lifestyle, every now and then I think of how nice it would be to buy a house and live there for more than 4 years. I think how it would be to have the same neighbors for more than 4 years, and how nice it would be if they didn't live right above me or if their front door wasn't 5 feet away from my front door. Wouldn't it be kind of fun to buy furniture or choose a new wall color? To know all the people in the neighborhood and start traditions with them and have our (non-existent) children grow up with theirs and be carpooling pals and have those same (non-existent) children move away and bring their children to our house to sleep in their old bedrooms and marvel over the growth-chart marks in the pantry? (Too many ABC Family movies, I know). And of course, wouldn't it be nice to live somewhere and not have to go through the hassle of moving?

Moving from here has definitely an experience (and we haven't really even started yet!)... we still aren't sure WHEN we'll be leaving, but it could be in 11 days. Or, I suppose it could be in 4 days, because we haven't actually heard whether our request for the 11-days-away departure has been approved. I'm hoping for 11. David, it seems, is bracing himself for 4. Last night he cleaned out the fridge (which, I swear, I had *just* done before Thanksgiving!). Today he cleaned the oven. Next up: the freezer. It makes me sick to think of how much money we're throwing away. Here's the thing about moving across an ocean rather than across a county: there's a lot that you can't take with you! I sold half-burned Yankee Candles at the flea market because you can't move with candles that have already been lit. I considered not showering for 2 weeks, because what's the point of buying a whole new shower gel? No liquids allowed in the move. Spices might confuse the drug dogs, so those have got to go too (that's why I have 3 of each spice, because doubles have been "willed" down to us by friends that have moved). Obviously the fridge/freezer things shouldn't be packed up and put into temporary storage. But cabinet things aren't really supposed to go either (maybe because of agricultural reasons...bugs in rice, flour, etc. Gross!) and it's really difficult to plan a meal that David will eat just out of the items that remain in our cabinets: mandarin oranges, rice a roni, potato pancake mix, a large can of whole tomatoes, 4 varieties of hot chocolate mixes, Craisins, a can of beets, Ritz crackers, graham cracker crumbs, maple syrup and peanut butter--2 jars. Any recipe ideas? Please keep in mind that David has put a moratorium on dirtying more than 3 dishes (including those we'll eat off of) for any meal.

I suppose that the good thing about being required to move is that we'll have a good chance at a fresh start at our next place. At our next place, I hope to NOT find a package of ground beef in the back of the freezer and wonder if I might have bought it in one of my very first trips to the commissary 3 and a half years ago. Today I needed to unplug something from the surge protector our computer is on so I could plug in the external hard drive & back up some files...that was a disaster, so I know that at my next place, I should get those little cord label things so I know if I am unplugging the computer, printer, or cable box without following a bunch of cord trails! And I hope to do my hand wash/no dryer laundry more often so that I'm not stuck in a time crunch wondering if my clothes would be dry enough to pack by the time the movers get here!