Like Mother Like Daughter…or Somewhere in Between : on Moving

Hi guys! It’s been a little radio silent on the blog these past couple weeks, huh? My work has been so extremely fulfilling and all encompassing lately that I feel like all my creative juices are going in that direction, which leaves my little blog hanging in the wings. As I’ve said before, I’ll always have a blog, and it does bring me so much happiness, but some days and weeks it’ll be a bit lighter on content than others. Cool? Cool.

Now, let’s get to today’s post, shall we? We’re back with another installment in our “Like Mother Like Daughter” series. You all seemed to love our first one, and my mom and I are so thrilled. As of now, the plan is to post every other week, but it very well may become more frequent as time goes on. It’s been so much fun to work on, and we’re so happy it’s resonating with so many of you.

Today we’re talking about a topic that my mom and I know all too well, a topic we touched upon last time and in previous posts on my blog : moving. From when I was two years old, we were moving, on average, every few years. Sounds crazy, right? In retrospect, it kind of was! 

It’s funny, as the moves were happening, I honestly don’t think I thought too much about it. After all, I was rather young for most of them, and probably didn’t wrap my head around the situation all that much. To me, it was exciting. It was an adventure. It was something new.

Of course, I was extremely sad to leave my friends each time. I vividly remember on multiple occasions hysterically crying when saying goodbye, and I then vaguely remember the days immediately following the move being a bit hard. Though, soon enough, it seemed like things fell into place. Once I started meeting people and the school year began, things sorted themselves out. I feel lucky that each move worked out well, and the tougher times were only temporary. 

Because of all the moves, I do think it taught me a shitload about adaptability. Whether that’s referring to people, situations, work environments, or anything else, I feel that because of my experiences, I became an extremely adaptable person. 

Furthermore, because the constant in my life was, in fact, change, I got used to that. And I still love change. I thrive on change. 

Yes, of course, there were plenty hard days; it was not always a cake walk, but I got through it. I made it work; in large part due to my mom, the one who steered the ship, and got our little family settled and happy as fast as humanly possible. 

Take it away, mom! 

If someone asked me what one word comes to mind when you think of the Bortnick family, it would undoubtedly be moving! And to think that activity is always at the top of life’s most stressful event list! With each move I felt like I went through stages, similar to what we all go through during any life changing events. 

5 Stages of Moving

1. Excitement – At first I was in a state of euphoria. The thought of a new home and a new life was so exciting! I couldn’t wait to find and decorate a new home. And then there were all those trips back and forth to Bed Bath and Beyond, and all my other favorite go-to stores. At this point, I couldn’t wait to move.  
2. Realization –  Then realty hit that we were moving. I was about to leave good friends and a happy settled life. I knew there was so much to do to prepare for the big change. I had to interview movers, and then find a realtor. I had to find people who knew people in the town we were moving. Hopefully those people would suggest the right neighborhood for our family. It became quite the process, but a very necessary one.
3. Acceptance – I then started feeling so many different emotions that I wasn’t really sure how I felt. There were many good days, but then many not so good days. I felt like I was riding a rollercoaster. I knew, though, that this was the real deal and I couldn’t turn back.
4. Action – There was a comfort in becoming so busy that I didn’t have much time to think about what was ahead. Once we knew we were moving, life became very busy. I had to prepare for the move, get ready for packing, cancel all our home services and stop the mail. The door was being closed to what was now our old life.
5. Enjoyment – And finally the best stage of all – enjoying the new life that we created! 

As the matriarch of the family, I felt my life was the most challenging. My husband Chuck went to work, Julie and our son Danny went to school and activities, and I had to start from ground zero! I needed to find my new team. In addition to making new friends (and I went on a lot of first dates only!), I had to find the right doctors, dry cleaners, grocery, drug store, handyman, landscaper, snow plower, housekeeper, babysitter and on and on. But once they were all in place life was good again. 

Throughout all the chaos, there were some extremely memorable times; good, bad, funny, and ugly! We’ve highlighted some below for you.

Have you ever moved? Any plans to move? What do you feel about it all? Would love to hear in the comments below. And next LMLD post will be on a lighter topic, having to do with summer, and we think you’re going to like it. See you back here soon!