Drowning in Boxes!

Operation "Move Out" is officially underway! I started packing boxes on the weekend and just went to Home Depot last night to pick up a few more. How does one person acquire so much stuff in just 16 months?!? I'll tell you how....I have the BEST family and friends who have showered me with cards, postcards, and care packages ever since I moved! I'm such a sentimental mush that I have kept everything (no joke, at least 98%) of what people have sent because I love reading them over again throughout the years. More than anything, the things people write reflect the feelings I had at that time, and those feelings tend to get washed over as time goes on. Sounds funny, but I'm sure some of you know exactly what I'm talking about....everyone has a time in their life when the world becomes so overwhelming and we think there's just no way we will get through it, but we do. Years later, we think back and tend to say that it wasn't so bad and we can't imagine what all the fuss was about. Well, I want to remember that moment for exactly what it was, and having letters and cards that people wrote to me really helps me do that; their words of encouragement or even the sheer volume of correspondences during that particular time validate that time in my life. Even now, I'm thinking about my time in DC and all that comes to mind is what an exciting adventure this has been and I've really loved living here ~ I forget that 1 month into it I was ready to pack up and move back, and that 5 months into it I REALLY was ready to pack up! I tend to gloss over the hard parts, which may be okay for some people to do, but for me, it's the hard part of any situation that keeps me encouraged for harder situations to come in life. And let's face it, as we get stronger, life gets harder!

So, I have 2 photo boxes packed to the brim with cards and letters from my loved ones, 1 large box of sentimental stuff from the kids at the Hogar (I never go anywhere without their smiling faces and beautiful artwork masterpieces!), a couple new pieces of furniture acquired in DC, 1 very large wooden painting from Eastern Market, a wooden art easel with a stool and lots of paints and canvases to go with it, some new kitchen appliances, a washer and dryer....and everything I originally moved here with! Ha! Yeah, this is why dad had to upgrade from a UHaul trailer (perfectly fine 16 months ago) to a 14 foot UHaul truck! :-)