I went out of state last week to check out an area for possible relocation of our family. I came back on Wednesday to find out that indeed, we will be moving out there as soon as we find a house and hubby's transfer goes through. This is exciting news because we have been looking consistently for the last 2 years.

However, it looks like I'm going to be moving our entire family in as little as 6 weeks. I'm beginning to feel a lot of panic in finding a house, putting the deposits down on it as well as the utilities (we're going to be renting for the first couple of years), getting a U-haul, going through our things and deciding what we're moving as well as what we're selling or donating, getting the house packed and ready to go, transferring school records and the like, and then finally beginning the grueling 12 hour drive with the kids, moving truck, pets, and hubby that will more than likely become a 24-hour drive before all is said and done.

Just thinking about everything that needs to be done I'm having a really hard time not panicking. There are moments where I just want to set everything that will not fit in the van out in the yard with a sign that says, "Make an offer" and load everyone up and just take off. It would be easier in the short-term, but a real irresponsible way to deal with the stress.

This is a cross-country move. We are moving from Missouri to Tennessee/Virginia (Virginia is only 15 minutes from the town we are wanting to move to). It's almost 800 miles one way and the thought of driving every one of those miles is daunting, to say the least. I'm wondering if anyone has ever picked up and completely transplanted their entire family from one part of the country to another? Where did you start getting things ready? How did you decide on what to take? How did you handle the transactions of setting up a new place to live without actually going out there to see for yourself? Any suggestions and experience would be so greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Tari

Good luck Tari, I don't envy you the packing but it should be a grand adventure. Take one day at a time, Make lists of what you need to do and just keep checking them off. Enlist the family in helping where ever they can. Have the kids go through all their clothes and toys and put them in boxes that they can no longer wear or don't want to wear and the toys that they no longer need, want or have outgrown. Start with one room, the room least used and pack it up and then use that room to start putting others things from other rooms in. If you pack room by room it makes it easier to load it into the U haul and to unload and unpack later. Make sure you mark all the boxes as to what rooms they go in.

All your important papers, birth certificates etc should be packed in a box and put in the trunk of your car so you will know exactly where they are and can easily be gotten to.

Good luck.

Tari,
I am a "Pro" at moving locally and cross country and Not really by choice. I have known a lot of people that have just sold literally everything and used the proceeds to buy new things at the other place. I have never done that because I didn't think I could ever get enough out of my furniture to replace it.
Definitely do what Andie's Mom said, start packing a room that you don't use much, then do the kitchen. The kitchen has the most stuff and takes the longest as far as wrapping and such. Only pack things that you are not or will not need in the next 6 weeks, everything else in your house should go smoothly without having to worry about the kitchen. As far as finding a place, check Craigslist in the area you want to move to. That is what we did when we moved to Oregon last year. We started calling people and crossed things off of our list. We did have to make a couple of trips to look at houses. If you had the money you could stay in a Motel for a couple of days and look around but I know that isn't feasible and especially when you have a time limit on the Uhaul. Another thing is check the newspapers in the area that you are moving to, you can find them online and go thru the ads.

Well congratulations on the move...I know you've been wanting to...

Years ago we moved from SC back to MI in one weekend! I was 5 months pregnant at the time withour second daughter!

We had come home for a 'visit' from Charleston, SC, to Michigan for a 5 yr High School class reunion. My hubby (ex now) had been in the Navy and that's how we ended up in SC. Well after he got out of the Navy, we stayed in Charleston as he found a job and there really wasn't much up here then.

Anyway, we came home for a week to visit ... and I had been soooooo homesick for family and such that I told him at the end of the week, he could go back to SC if he wanted, but I WAS STAYING IN MICHIGAN!!! If he stayed fine, if he wanted to go back to SC, fine!

I was adamant that I did NOT want to go back down to live. Soooooooooooooo he decided he would stay here as well. On a weekend, we drove down to Charleston, left on Wednesday evening, with his mom as a helper and extra driver. Drove all night to get there (took about 20 hours straight thru - with a couple hour stop for a nap), packed everything we owned in a rented U-Haul (which really wasn't all THAT much, even tho we had been married 5 yrs and had one girl) in about 15 hours, and drove straight back home to Michigan (another 18 hour drive)!! (Mom had to be back at work on Monday - and we made it!)

We had done NO packing in SC before we left (we thought we were on vacation, not picking up and moving) and had NO place rented when we got home, NO job, nothing. We DID have family to stay with for a couple weeks, but it really didn't take us long to find an apartment to rent, and find a job for the hubs.

Something I would NOT want to ever do again, a cross country move in a weekend, being 5 months pregnant and exhausted, but it worked out.

Having some time to plan is MUCH better. Sandi has a good idea - check Craigslist in the area you are moving to and you may find some info about rentals BEFORE you move and can make some phone calls getting ready for the move. Cull out what you can do without, those 'someday' things (if someday isn't NOW, get rid of it!), sentiment is usually HEAVY and BULKY and takes up room, so choose carefully on the sentiment-kept things

It is a great adventure for you all ... we will know why we don't see you online for the next couple months as you prepare to dig up roots and put them down elsewhere ... good luck ... yall will survive ... DON'T FORGET TO TAKE THE SCOOTER!!! You will be able to ride in TN and VA and probably find some other Scooter Divas in the area!!

GOOD LUCK TARI!!!!

You got some good suggestions from above so I will just add make sure you map out your route and do not cross thu places that do not allow quakers.
And welcome to this end of the country, you are getting closer to me LOL.

Oh my, how exciting!!!! Can't offer any advice, except what has already been given. Lists are your friend!!

my MIL moved from seattle to our town just over a year ago. i know it was a pretty big deal to her, admitting defeat possibly being the biggest part of it, but to me it would be a huge adventure that i would welcome. she sold everything that did not fit in her car. there was NO way i was trying to haul a trailer for the first time thru the mountains. she did the "sell my stuff and use the money to get new stuff" thing, and she, i think, is happy with her decision to move closer to her only son for her last days. should she decide to move out of town, she is on her own lol.

as well as packing important documents together for easy access, don't forget to pack a box with essentials for your first few days. toilet paper, towels, shampoo, etc. seems silly because it's readily available in the store, but after traveling so far the last thing you want to do is shop.

good luck on your trip! i am so jealous. i like my stability, but yearn to move again. i like stability, but i also love new surroundings.

kris

Tari, my ex daughter-in-law just moved back here (thank God, because I hadn't seen my grandson in 2 years) and it was a 15 hour drive.
They chose the few things they wanted to keep, had an auction, sold all the rest, donated what didn't sell and had a large u-haul truck full to move. The money from the auction bought the new furniture they needed and that was it. Not a big bad move for them at all (and they had 8 kids between them...3 hers and 5 his...all living with them). Does that make you feel better?

well when i was 19 we moved Uhaul method from NC to RI. 800+ miles. we did stay overnight in jersey only because of weather. it was long but we had made that trip for vacations before. oh and we didn't have any pets just our 9 month old daughter and the inlaws who helped drive.

this past december we moved from RI to TX. about 2000 miles. we paid a moving company to move our stuff. we packed it all just paid the loading, travel and unload. i was in VA visiting my fam for 4 months so i drove from VA to TX with my 5 yr old and 18 mo old. no pets then either.
i did all my moving into apartments, schools and everything online, fax and phone. it worked out and everything was right on time. hubby joined us 4 days later after we moved in from his academy training. so yeah i am 24 and 2 kids all alone then.

Tari youll be just fine! I too have done this with my X numerous times.
Packing I find goes fast and you take care of each task and yes keep
lists! Best of Luck and God Bless I dont know where exactly youre moving
but some parts of the VA TN border are so very beautiful! Yall will be
just fine, take one day at a time and relax its a new Adventure! Huggs Tari

Yes, Weeza, that makes me feel SO much better! I went through yesterday and started getting the kids' room cleaned out. I tore down their bunkbeds and set them aside to be sold. We are going to be selling off everything that we don't have to have and donating the rest. Yard sales are huge in this area and we should do pretty good. If we can get just the cost of the deposits on the new place and utilities, it will make things that much smoother. If there's more, then we can apply it toward the U-haul.

I just can't believe it's finally happening. I'm not as overwhelmed as I was the other day and I think it's mainly because I finally got started. I am going to do a room a day in taking down furniture and going through the clothes. After that I'm going to tear into the attic at what we have had stored. Most of that stuff will also go since we haven't used it in over 4 years...there's no sense in moving it again when someone else can use it.

Thank you everyone for your replies and suggestions. I know that as it gets closer I'm going to get more stressed, but the end result will be more than worth it.

Tari

Welcome to my area!!! We live about 2 hours from the border of TN!! I am in Roanoke, but Bristol is in the area that you are moving to! We love Southern VA and I would HATE to move any where else!! I hope you are moving to VA and not TN as Quakers arent legal in TN (someone correct me if I am wrong)

Today has been productive. I have found out that, yes, quakers are illegal in Tennessee. However, where we will be at we can vet Pooder in VA. It's only 15 minutes from the area we are moving to...so problem solved.

I also found out that we are getting a new van for the move. This is good because we have been working really hard to get my credit score to the point where we can get a loan and whittling down bills so that we can afford the loan. So, all in all, I will be picking it up at the beginning of the month!

Tonight I crank out my homework that is due by midnight tomorrow night and then I will have a week off to pack the house and get the yard sale put together. I talked to hubby tonight and he said that he couldn't believe how much we have to do before our move...and then he asked me if I was serious about the October 3rd move date...I said, "Yep...I don't want to move in the winter and the summer is not an option due to the traffic." He doesn't know if it's possible, but I can assure him that not only is it possible, if it's meant to be, it's gonna happen!

I had a minor meltdown yesterday due to the stress of everything going on, but it seems to have cleared the way for getting things done today as well as some energy to do them with. It's a good thing too because I'm going to be up all night working on some projects.

Tari

Hope everything works out for ya. What happens if your qp is discovered? How strict are the laws there in TN?

I did the uhal trailer and moved from Sacramento California to Memphis with my husband. It was a long road trip over 2,000 miles with parrots in the back of my car we managed the move. Luckly I onl y had to move my bedroom for at that time I still lived with my parents. I had two traveling cages for my amazon and pionus. They faired much better than mama. they had normal routine of getting up in the am and going to sleep at the hotel. we stayed at hotels where pets were accepted. i made sure that i cleaned up after my parrots so that i left nothing behind. It was long drive but we did it.

Good Luck in the move.

The laws do not state that they euthanize, so I'm figuring a fine is in order. I will be vetting him in Virginia and if asked what he is, we will be using the "Monk Parakeet" response.




We're going to be traveling in our van, with the fids in the back of it in travel cages. I haven't got the arrangement all figured out yet, but we are going to make sure they are as comfortable as possible. I may have to buy another travel cage, but that's not a problem.

We're going to be getting rid of all of our furniture and starting from scratch. The less we have to move, the more my back will thank me at the other end. So far, the only things that are making the move with us is the brand new entertainment system we purchased in February of this year, hubby's collectibles, a couple of guitars, computers, clothes (even those will be whittled down), and maybe 2 dressers (hubby's and mine). It may turn out that we're moving the scooter, which I will not be upset about (I love that baby), but it will take up room in the trailer, so we will see. I have to keep costs down as well as gas usage. Even though it's not a HUGE move, it is far enough away that we aren't making multiple trips. Because we are moving before the end of the year, I'm not even sure we will be coming back this year for the holidays.

What's getting me is that I'm preparing for this move because I'm the stay-at-home momma, hubby's working, and kids are getting ready to start school next week...all the while I'm still working on school! I had a test I had to turn in by midnight last night and I hadn't started on it until night before last. The scary part is that I know I did better on it than any of the others that I turned in early. I guess I do seem to focus better under pressure. It's a good thing that my schooling is something I can do from anywhere in the country as long as I have a computer and internet access.

Again, thank you everyone for the wonderful advice and sharing of experiences. I am taking note and will keep you all informed as the big day approaches.

Tari

I can compare to the packing what would fit in my car and move.....only I didnt know where I was going when I did it.....I had gotten divorced from a very abusive man and even tho the divorce was final he wouldnt leave me alone it was a move or more than likely die situation..........I had had enough, quit my job, packed my car the same day and told everyone I ever knew goodbye...Had $400 in my pocket..I drove 26 hours before I stopped I had no clue where I was going, had never driven on interstate in my life and had never been out of the state of Iowa.....It can be done I stopped in Spartanburg and have been in the Upstate for almost 10 yrs now good luck and May GOD bless you while you travel!

Good luck! We are also moving when Ray's SSN comes through we are having a action and going back to Ohio and start over. We plan on building a house and live in a camper awhile it's being built. My Daddy built his house pretty much all by himself so he'll help and so will my brother!


So I know kind of what your going through, but We are not taken anything except my pets! I can not wait to get out of the CRAZY state of Arkansas and see my family and nephews and nieces grow up!

Tari, You've already gotten some great advise. Things will work out just try not to sweat the small stuff. Stay calm, it will be fine.

Your move sounds so exciting Tari! Im so very excited for you!
Youre moving to a really Beautiful part of the country

Good luck with the move Tari!
I've never made a move that big so I don't have any advice... as long as you have a plan of action things should go well!

Hugs and Good luck!