5 Items You'll Forget When Moving

Recently I chatted with a friend who just moved apartments & was reminded of all the headache-inducing items I forgot to plan for when we first moved. Please learn from our mistakes - don't forget to plan for these 5 items when moving:

1) Cleaning Supplies
Brooms, dishwashing gloves and chemicals are easily forgotten when you've spent all week packing and cleaning. While you could potentially leave these items for the next tenant, consult your landlord or leasing agreement first to confirm you won't ironically be charged a clean-up fee.

2) Trash Cans
Related to #1, you've likely forgotten to plan for kitchen and bathroom trash cans and recycling bins. Save the car space - leave these in the alley next to the dumpster with a "FREE" sign for any potential drive-by takers and good karma.

3) Neglected Clutter
That dusty box in the attic containing all your birth and financial records... The living room drawer housing both junk mail and forgotten sentimental items... Clear out the clutter 2 weeks in advance to give yourself enough time to determine what's essential.

4) Opened Food
Don't waste precious car space or risk spills transporting cereal, rice, coffee or any other open foods. Instead, arrange to donate opened food to a close neighbor or friend & treat yourself to a Starbucks breakfast on the day-of.

5) Spares
Keys, light bulbs, garage openers - you name it. Plan for these items ahead of time so you don't lose time on the big day collecting and depositing spares.

Hopefully this post saved you a headache - happy moving!

Moving out

My boyfriend's an asshole. A couple nights ago, he had the bright idea of dumping our bed out while the movers were still here so we wouldn't have to do it later (good idea) but forgot that we still needed it to sleep on that night (bad idea). Cue us lifting, shoving & carrying a mattress 2 blocks away and up 2 flights of stairs at 9:30pm after a full day of cleaning, donating, trashing, and packing our belongings. I love him. 

We officially cleared out last night around 1am. It felt strange walking into a dark, empty apartment which had been full of life only hours before. I stopped at the kitchen counter for the last time and deposited the house keys atop it. Hearing the click of the locked door when I walked out was when it clicked: this is really happening. 

Now all that's left is a number of loose ends to tie up (medical records, former employment, re-packing, etc). We're staying with my boyfriend's parents for the next couple days until we fly out of Los Angeles International airport (LAX) on Friday afternoon. 

Moving out is stressful but I'm trying to shift my attention to what I've learned from the experience: create a strategy, plan accordingly, pack early, and give yourself enough time to do all of the above. Focus on the positives, smile, and give yourself a break. Moving isn't always easy but hopefully our travels will make it worth it. 

20 days

Time is winding down. We have 20 days left before we leave. That means:
- 19 days to get my work visa & residence permit
- 13 days until my current contract ends
- 9 days off school to complete my bucket list (I left out a few items on the first post... oops.)
- 5 class sessions remaining
- 3 exams

K24.

- 2 weekends & 2 papers
- 1 Behavioral Analysis extra credit opportunity & 1 Shabbat
remaining.

And here I am blogging ;) I've managed to cross off most of my foodies from my bucket list (Chipotle, Cheesecake Factory, Kitchen24) as well as a couple non-foodies (Shabbat, seeing my bf's family, hanging out with friends).

+3 for adulthood! (-.5 for duckface)

I've started my position as a PT Social Media Marketer for a medical consulting firm in Dubai (Balsam For Health Promotions JLT) and will be moving into a FT role upon my arrival. Along the way, I learned some much-needed skills on how to write an offer letter, proposal, and contract.




I'm looking forward to the move. Nervous as hell, but excited nonetheless. My bf made a great point about how people generally spend their whole lives inside of a happy 10-mile-wide bubble with occasional vacations, road trips with friends, or visiting relatives; and here we are with the opportunity to burst outside that bubble and travel the world while developing our professional profiles. I'm still not 100% sure what I want to do with my life, or what constitutes a life-well-lived, but I am certain that capitalizing on this opportunity will bring me one step closer.

Bonus shot of my bf capitalizing on eating as much bacon as he can before moving to a halal country

The First Step

It's begun. Or rather, it began back in November when my boyfriend Chris talked about us traveling and leaving the country. Now our flights are booked for August 23rd, literally 30 days from departure. While we'll be back to visit, I have a few to-do items on my LA bucket list:

* Finish Arrested Development
* Play on the swings at Roxbury Park
* Another themed party (wine, cheese, and crackers anyone?!)
* Shabbat
* The Getty
* Shul/temple
* Write a really mean Yelp review ;)
* Play soccer at La Cienega Park
* In n Out
* Diddy Reise in Westwood
* Kitchen 24 (they have the. best. black coffee)
* Jinky's Cafe
* CHIPOTLE
* Cheesecake Factory

What do you think? Is there anything else I forgot that I should add to the list? Reply in comments! I'd like to update my blog regularly as a way of staying connected with everyone but can only really do that if y'all participate. Since this is my first post, I'll end with this Internet image: