DC Transplantation

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Mark and I have decided we don't want to do another cross-country move. Or, if that's not possible, we'd prefer to have less stuff.
Penguin supervision
Right now we are in Packing Box Gridlock: we can't move thing A because thing B is in the way, and we can't move thing B because thing A is taking up the space.
Also, I think moving presents a hazard to my health. So far, I have given myself a blood blister, a paper cut, various bruises, nasty scratches, a swollen nail-finger junction (more scientifically known as a nail fold), and low back pain; all of which are directly due to dealing with boxes.

It's not all stress and pain, though. We have experienced major blessings in the moving process.
 +Mark's parents flew down to help us move.
 +We had safety in our long drive up, despite discovering that one of the tires had dry rot and needed to be replaced.
 +My plants survived the trip, and didn't get the cars dirty.
 +The timing of things seemed near perfect: our stuff that we shipped arrived before we did; we were able to see the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi and visit the WWII museum in New Orleans without any major schedule conflict issues; and best of all, we were able to unload stuff from the ABF
moving truck in EXACTLY the time we were allotted to use the loading dock at our new apartment.
 +I was able to call the bishop of our new church congregation, and against his modus operandi, he picked up the phone on an unknown [aka mine] number. Better yet, he was able to find two young (and STRONG) missionaries that could help us unload our stuff in our new apartment. I cannot emphasize how very amazing that is; we were able to arrange for help THE DAY OF THE MOVE.
 +Although we lost 4 bookcases in the move (they fell apart. not good, because we have so many books), Mark found two very nice bookcases for absolutely free. I mean, they're better than the ones we lost. It's amazing.

Found this in my new workplace
And then there's the funny stuff. Like the lady in our hotel who told my father-in-law that she saw some "young kids" stealing his plants. Or that our completely-non-alcoholic household used mostly booze boxes to pack and move our stuff. Or that Mark's mom tried using a Maine map to navigate in Tennessee. Or the fact that Mark wanted to go to New Orleans for a museum, not for the cultural or gastronomic scene. Or that I spent the first half of my birthday getting tested for drug use [pre-employment stuff]. Or that we're finding penguins everywhere [Mark is obsessed. I take it as a sign that we're supposed to be here].
At a Metro Station in the DC area
There's still so much to do, and many more stories to share, but at least I can offer a window into my new life.
For a more accurate view, just imagine lots of boxes and a little disorganization and disorientation :)

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