It’s crazy to think that I’ve lived in New Orleans for six months! It feels like just yesterday I was walking to the Chicago Lakefront outside of my apartment to shoot my announcement photos that I was moving.
So much has changed. I’ve never felt more at home than I do in New Orleans. And although I miss my mom and my family, I know I made the right decision. I’ve done a lot of work on myself, and I’ve been able to hone in on what really matters.
A lot of that started when I had to decide what I could and couldn’t move with me across the country. In hindsight, I wish I had used movers because packing up your whole life can be so stressful! I had been holding onto a lot of stuff from my dad and it was both physically and mentally exhausting to go through.
If you’re also someone who has dealt with parent loss and is now making a big move, I recommend getting a head start! Set aside pockets of time to go through what you’ve saved. Not everything has been too hard and sad. It can also bring back fond memories and laughs.
Using movers can help with packing and transportation of your items, unpacking, and time! We drove a minivan of my necessities across the country which was a bonding experience but was pretty stressful at times. No matter where you are, you can locate affordable moving options on MoversBoost. They have exclusive moving leaders and share them with their clients who have moving needs.
So, whether you’re moving across town or across the country they can help you find the movers that best fit your needs.
Cutting out any time and labor you have to do yourself can also help on the other side of the move – unpacking. It took me a long time to unpack what I had moved because I was so exhausted setting up my new home, putting together new furniture, and picking up used furniture. It was hard to think clearly because I was exhausted!
In the end, I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything and it allowed me to really push myself and realize my full potential – but trying to balance that with working full time, blogging, a busy social calendar, trying to work out and get enough sleep has been tricky! So my biggest piece of advice would be to look into movers and give yourself some grace.
I had built up my new life in New Orleans a lot leading up to the big move and when I got here and it wasn’t everything I thought it would be right away I ran myself into the ground. It was a huge life change and instead of working through that, I kept pretending like I was fine but having a lot of conversations with loved ones in my life wondering if I made a huge mistake. If I could go back, I would let myself feel my feelings, rest up and remember that all good things take time.
There are still a lot of things that I want to do here in my home and as a New Orleanian, but in my six months here I’ve learned who I am again, made amazing memories with people I love, and ended up places in my life I’ve always dreamed of but wasn’t sure would happen for me.
Take the risk, dream the dream, and live your life.
