Dear Reader,

I know that there is usually a book review here but today there are some reflections on our recent move. I hope that you find them interesting/humorous/not boring…

In case somehow you missed it, my husband and I moved from Evanston, IL to Mequon, WI four months ago. We had lived in our house in Evanston for 31 years. Yes, that was 31 years.  I am not sure how that could have happened but somehow it did.

Reflection #1

You cannot clean out enough.

I thought that I had done a great job getting rid of stuff. We started at least a year before we moved. (I started cleaning out before I knew we were going to move.) Once we got past the “How do I get rid of that?” and the embarrassment of getting rid of things that had never been used, we did what I thought was a pretty good job. My husband estimates that we got rid of almost HALF the stuff we owned. That was a lot of stuff!

It was not enough. Due to timing issues, we had to store most of our possessions for a month. We were told that we stored 10,000 pounds of stuff.

WHAT?

Yep, 10,000 pounds.

My only suggestion to anyone about to move is to just get rid of everything and start over. Really, I am serious.  You will keep too much stuff.  Now I have to find out how to get rid of stuff in a new location.

Reflection #2

Don’t underestimate the love of local sports teams.

This might not be as big an influence in other places but WOW we seem to have walked into it.

I don’t meet anyone that doesn’t utter the words “Bears or Packers?” Truly, it is the first thing my husband and I hear when someone finds out we are from the Chicago area. (Even the examiner at the DMV!)

I am sure that I probably didn’t even notice it the influence of the Bears in Chicago. The Bears were a big team in Chicago but there were other teams.  (Have you heard about a team called the Blackhawks?  Or those Cubs?  Or my poor White Sox?)

Here there is only one team. (Apparently the Brewers and the Bucks don’t count but I am not exactly sure why.) I think it might be a religion. The Packers are incredibly important.  Maybe is it that they actually win (in contrast to you know who) or that they provide social activities during the cold winter months.

When Brett Farve was inducted into the Hall of Fame a few weeks ago, the local news station had two reporters in Canton, OH for a week before the induction. And they both reported every night.  Brett Farve was a great football player. No doubt. But really, there was not that much to say about the activities in Canton, OH. It is a good thing he played so long so there were lots of old news clips.

Reflection #3

It is harder to meet people when you don’t have kids.

We moved into our new house and two weeks later I went back to Evanston and had knee replacement surgery. I was not very mobile those first two weeks and then I was gone for three weeks for surgery and rehab. I am going to blame this for the fact that I have met exactly ONE neighbor so far.

The people I have met so far have been incredibly nice. I had rides to PT for the first six weeks. The drivers and the people at PT were so nice and friendly. There was always lots of conversations and laughter.

I guess I just have to work up the nerve to walk across the street and introduce myself. I have gotten my local library card and am hoping to go to some book clubs there. There is also a quilt store and I thought that once I get the sewing stuff set up I would take some classes. I need to take some action to meet people.

Reflection #4

It is good to shake up your world.

 
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Yes, even though things are harder because I don’t know anyone or how to find places, I think it is good.  (GPS on my cell phone means more than ever before…) Change is hard and I whine about parts of it but overall, it is good to have to start over and have to find things out.  I look at things around here because it is all new.  We have to find new restaurants and shops because we no longer have old favorites. I miss the life we had but I look forward to finding out more about this area.

Now, if only someone would tell me who to call to fix/paint/repair stuff….

Thanks for reading!