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movin’ out of nyc
Everyone says moving is so stressful.
And yeah, you have to find somewhere new to live (we’re still looking), pack up all your stuff, spend an entire day yelling at movers who force you to buy 60 jumbo rolls of bubble wrap to protect your belongings, unpack all that stuff again and then try to find a new liquor store, nail salon and friends – all before sundown and the start of an emotional breakdown.
But still, everyone ignores the upside of moving.
You finally get to uncover all the crap you’ve lost in your very own home.
Personally, I’ve been searching for the letter “P” from Dylan’s alphabet puzzle for a good two years. And a search and rescue mission continues to this day for a missing princess puzzle piece. And a Barbie doll leg is also floating around here somewhere.
But even with the obvious plus of reuniting Barbie with her leg, I’m still a little nervous about this moving thing.
I mean, all that quiet and solitude outside the city. No rowdy bachelorette parties at the bar across the street to lull me to sleep. No more honking cabbies and car alarms and dump trucks groaning by in the middle of the night.
No more predictable, slightly uncomfortable small talk with my doorman as I go in and out of the building with my stroller all day. And even though I ran out of fresh ways to say, “Hi Joe. How’s it going?” long ago, it’s still nice to know he’s there.
I hear in the burbs, people actually open their own doors. All by themselves.
It’s going to be quiet. And different. And strange.
Maybe I should bring my doorman with me.
mama bird notes:
Were you thinking you deserved something really fresh and pretty for Mother’s Day? You do! Because you’re a mama superstar!!
I’m giving away the Butterfly Boquet by Teleflora. Isn’t it lovely? To enter to win, just leave a comment and mention the first guy who ever gave you flowers. Good luck ladies.
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I would love to find out if you find the “P”.
I HATE moving but it doers give you a chance for a de-clutter and re-organisation. I can’t believe I just said that!
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OMG it’s funny I never really think how difficult it would be to move from city to burbs. It’s gonna be hard I won’t lie. Moving from the bubble of Utah to Germany has thrown me into well I don’t want to scare you but…Good Luck! Gear up for book clubs and bunco!! You will have lots of friends don’t worry!
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We are about to move too. You never really know how much stuff you have until you have to pack it all.
I’m am looking forward to getting rid of a lot of things though and simplifying.
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i can’t imagine! i’m looking forward to going on this journey this you tho kelcey!
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The image of a doorman standing on a front porch in the suburbs is pretty funny. I love it. You’d have the only one, you know. (Take him…)
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it is really weird emptying out a place that’s been home.
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I’m having moving envy for one reason- you get to clean the clutter and purge! I love that! Somewhere under there is the letter P!
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the best is the clean and purge and the worst…well, i’ll leave that conversation for when you’re finally ensconced in your new digs and we can compare notes!
people laugh at me out here because NO one locks their freaking doors and i had medico locks installed.
at least the next time we move i’ll be able to find all the things missing, instead of filling out a stolen goods report because of unlocked doors!!
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My parents (and I) left the city 20 years ago. I felt so much safer there at night than I do here. I still worry that the Boogeyman is still lurking behind every bush, tree and parked car. I found the sounds of the streets so soothing… the horns, garbage trucks, Doormen swearing down below. I should have made a CD of those sounds before I left. Maybe it would have helped my insomnia. I should have bottled the water too. There is no water like NYC water! I’ve tried ‘em all.
Now I hear birds and crickets and peepers, lovely but not the same. Now I have an alarm system. But I am not very confident. I think
I’d rather not have one. I mean, if someone breaks in in the middle of the night out here in the middle of nowhere (not really, but sounds good!) I’d be more scared if the piercing alarm woke me than had I slept through the intruder’s intrusion!
I think my Dad was the first guy to ever give me flowers… but if that doesn’t count I am going to have to tell you I have no clue as to whom I received my first flowers from!
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I’ve always lived in a city so the burbs kinda scare me… But good luck!
Oh, and the first guy to give me flowers was my high school prom date – he bought me an orchid
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I grew up in the country – the next neighbor to the left was a pasture away and the there wasn’t one on the right until the next small town. So living in the “burbs” here in Baton Rouge is crowded to me and city enough. I love to visit NYC though.
First flowers came from first high school boyfriend who would send them to me at school when he skipped class. The office would know to mark him absent when the flowers came. Isn’t that sweet??
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I have to agree.. the image of a doorman on your suburban porch is quite humorous.
Im sure you will meet loads of moms there that might the same migration. It will take some getting used to. I still remember moving from Chicago to the suburbs of Cleveland and was frightened at all the land and lack of people. At night the silence was strange. Now, there is nothing better then a good night sleep with the windows open. Seriously, it rocks.
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I am soooo excited for Barbie that she may have a reunion with her leg! I hope you didn’t mention it to her lest the afore mentioned leg is not, in fact, secured.
First boy to give me flowers… his nickname was Beef-O (!) and he took me to the homecoming dance in 9th grade.
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My daddy gave me flowers for the first time. All daddies should be the first, I think! (Need to tell my husband that!)
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Never fear, now you’ll get to have awkward small talk with the lawn guy and garbage guy. Oh, also the organic pest control guy and the Fedex guy. And the pool cleaning guy. And don’t forget the painter guy.
You won’t even remember Joe after a week.
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I dread the prospect of moving enough that I may just stay in this house until I die.
And the first guy to give me flowers was a high school boyfriend I had broken up with because he was a jerk. So in an effort to win me back, he brought me flowers. But instead of giving them to me in person, he left them on top of my mom’s car in the garage. He didn’t even ring the doorbell or knock – just left them int he garage. Needless to say, his efforts didn’t work.
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Just don’t pack that puzzle with the missing “p” hoping that you will find it when you unpack. You won’t! I have a basement full of crap I moved under that bad reasoning.
Now that I look back, the guy, I mean man, who first gave me flowers was inappropriately old. Holy cow my folks should have called the cops–he was like 20 years older than me. My folks were always asleep at the wheel….
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My dad gave me my first flowers too!
Best of luck with the move!
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Yep. You heard right on that door thing. Also, we do this crazy thing called “sitting on our lawns.” It’s wild and wacky fun, I tell you!
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My Dad was the first guy to give me flowers. My birthday is 2 days after Valentines Day. Even my husband is too cheap for that.
Good luck on your move!
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I think Scott was the first one to send me (a) flower. It was one of those things where the boys pay $1 and someone from student council delivers it to your class with a note. (or not)
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Definitely bring your doorman with you!
As for the things that are lost, be careful… we lost more in the move (THAT WAS IN JANUARY) then we ever have. Still can’t find half the stuff. Good luck in finding the P. Pink is just Ink without that P.
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Just think of all the purging of random stuff you can do and restart freshly organized! Good luck. My dad first got me flowers and is still the only one that does (along with a little help from my mom)!
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I’m moving this summer- no looking forward to it either! It was so much easier before kids.
I think that the first guy to give me flowers was my husband (not counting prom dates).
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I grew up on a ranch in Southern California so I never had to sleep with the noise…until I went to NYC for my anniversary – but I LOVED the noise!
The first guy to give me flowers? My husband after our daughter was born.
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I think Barbie will be quite pleased to be reunited with her leg! And my son would NOT have let the lost “P” from the alphabet puzzle go. Too type A for that.
First guy to give me flowers, I think was John Julian. I went to the winter formal with him when I was a frosh. A long, long, time ago! I hope the move goes well. Take Joe with you!
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You are overlooking one of the top experiences in moving. Children and bubble wrap. It is one of the highlights of their day. C,mom, you have uprooted the little ones, taken them awway from everything they know. Can you really deny them 30 minutes of stomping around doing the bubble wrap popping dance? If you realy do have 60 rolls of bubble wrap, you can keep them occupied for many a rainy day. Hint: If you find ear plugs while you are packing, stick them in your purse. That bubble wrap can be loud.
Since your place in the burbs will probably be larger than your apartment. Dont forget to save the boxes. Who needs living room furnitute when you can create a box city for the kids in the LR instead?
Have fun with your move.
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Hmmm…the first guy to give me flowers technically was my dad. The second was my junior prom date.
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About the post – my friend moved to Indy from New York and actually had to keep the tv on at regular volume when she tried to sleep because it was so quiet she couldn’t handle it. So, there’s a tip if you have the same problem.
For the flowers – the first dude to give me roses was Martin. I knew he was gay. He didn’t. He and his husband have since figured it out.
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Every year for my birthday, my father sends me flowers.
The suburbs are okay. Get an electric garage door opener – then you don’t need a doorman.
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I hate moving! Before we bought our house last summer, hubby and I moved three times in a year-and-a-half. The worst part was when my goodie drawer got tipped over on the front porch of our new place IN FRONT OF OUR NEW NEIGHBORS! Yeah, fun!
Oh, and the first dude to give me flowers was a boy in high school. His name was Craig.
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I LOVE the purging that comes with moving. Its the best part!! and KK don’t freak- there is plenty of noise here…trash pickup trucks, commuter buses, screeching tires from teenages who cant drive and plenty of people who need their radio at top volume with the windows down…and lots of motercycles, lawn mowers, hedge trimmers and people yelling their childrens names as they run down the street chasing them…quieter than the city but its all good. you’re going to be ok!!
first guy to bring me flowers? I dont even know- is that sad? does a prom corsage count?
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You will thrive in your new locale because that’s who you are and that’s what you do. Seriously!
The first guy to ever give me flowers–I can’t remember his name, but he was friendly and nerdy and gave me the flowers along with a love poem that included lines like “I am the lock and you are the key; I am the candle and you are the flame.” And on and on and on. AND there were pictures, such as a candle and a flame.
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It’s going to be such a different world, maybe you should just have the doorman come by on weekends!
Oh and first guy to give me flowers, an older man that was trying to swoon my teenage heart. Isn’t that terrible! Maybe the flowers will help me forget about that incident.
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You are right – it IS “quiet and different and strange.” Moving from teh city to the suburbs is a huge adjustment. But it has its perks. No one asks you for money in front of your house. Parking appears to be unlimited and rarely parallel. And if you forget to bring a bicycle in for the night (or leave your keys in the front door – what? it could happen to anyone!), 9 times out of 10, nothing gets stolen.
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Moving is great! You’ll be amazed at how much crap you’ve accumulated and then try to figure out why you still can’t part with it and pack it up!!
The first guy to give me flowers to remember, was a guy I had a crush on when we were working at a day camp over the summer. I was the tennis instructor and he left me roses at my door with a note that said “The ball is now in your court”…..cute huh!
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Here is one thing to look forward to in the burbs: the barbecue. And if you can get your hubs into grilling, then that’s a good two meals a week taken care of for you, friend.
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The first guy who ever gave me flowers had to be my date for Homecoming. We were both freshman (first social faux pas).
It was a HUGE WHITE CARNATION corsage that weighted down my red satin blouse (paired with a black tafetta skirt, so shiny it looked like leather). It had a tiny white rose at the top. I think it was meant for a viewing.
Thanks for the memory.
Perhaps I should do a barbie-prosthetic give away.
I’ll stop now. Stopping. now.
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moving is fun especially when your spouse is a packrat.
my first “real” bouquet of flowers came from my bestest best friend Dan! they were red roses
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I hate to move because the unpacking can be so tedious. Good luck!!
The first guy who gave me flowers was a secret admirer in high school. I never found out who it was.
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The thing about moving…it’s all about the purge. Purge baby purge!
First guy who gave me flowers…Daddy:)
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Good luck with the move! My favorite part- figuring out the origin of funny colored carpet stain.
I am 23 years old and have never gotten flowers. I’m gonna change that one day
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Forget about bringing the doorman. You’ll need to bring drugs to stay comatose instead.
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I can’t believe you are moving!!
My husband was the first to get me flowers
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I’m moving too and it is so stressful! My daughter keeps finding all sorts of treasures that she hasn’t seen in two years and now wants to keep. Oh joy!
The first guy to send me flowers was my husband. He shocked me at work with a dozen roses. He followed it up a month later with two dozen roses. I haven’t seen any flowers since
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suburban door men– best idea i’ve heard in years….
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The best part is when you are nearly done packing. That’s when the ratio of things that get tossed to things that get moved goes way up!
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I think we’re going to have to move again just to uncover all the crap we packed and have yet to unpack from when we bought and moved into this place, two years ago!
Oh and I totally agree with Heather..bring drugs. You’ll need them. And if you can’t get your hands on some drugs, wine will work just as well…lots and lots of wine!
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I can’t believe you are getting ready to move. I know you’ll be fine but it will be different for sure and you can always come back if you don’t like it- tons of empty condos around the city!!
As for the first flowers I just can’t remember (must not have been meaningful) but I remember the last ones: Jont and Tengo came home from an errands few weeks ago with a “bouquet” of tulipes and a cactus!!!
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During my younger, renting days, I would move pretty much every year or two. And the one thing I loved was the opportunity to purge my belongings. Donate clothes and other belongings I no longer used. Keep my owned stuff to a manageable amount. This last move? After living for 5 years in the same place? Was painful. Ugh.
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Its great you’re moving to the burbs. I love NYC, was there for New Years.
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When I moved out of Manhattan after living in NYC 33 years (born there); I took photos of the Homeless/Bag Ladies…I figured when I moved to Marin County, Calif. I’d never see another one, and the Californians wouldn’t believe me when I told them about the scene in NYC. However, what a surprise for me. Just over the Golden Gate Bridge in S.F. were the Homeless/Bag Ladies….and now NYC is all cleaned up. Take some photos Kelcey of Crazed Taxi drivers/doormen/a can of over-flowing garbage….just in case you miss Manhattan.
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I think they train them to overuse bubble wrap and boxes so they can charge more. Seriously. I have never seen such ineffecient packing as the packing that was done by the pros who packed up an office where I worked
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Reading thru your comments is like reading a post!
I feel your ambivalence, I totally do. I used to live in NYC with a doorman and I never liked the small talk even though he was the nicest guy – then I think you’re supposed to get them presents for the holidays and stuff and if you don’t will they still talk to you and pet your dog and …
I like to get up and go.
But the burbs scare me.
We have a small place and it sucks sometimes, but I don’t know how I would handle the burbs.
I totally understand your ambivalence.
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When we move I just know we’re going to uncover every hair band and pen I’ve ever bought and then lost. They all have to have collected in one mysterious spot behind some piece of furniture.
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