Moving day never gets easier

You'd think that after years of moving back and forth from home to college and to Wadena, I'd be a moving pro. But, it's never an easy task.

A few weeks ago I helped my sister, Nancy, move into her first apartment on her own. She had spent a year living with two other roommates and none of them were the "neatest" people.

When I arrived to Moorhead with my mom to help my sister move, we weren't sure what to expect.

"How much do you think she got packed?" I asked.

"We'll see," my mom said. "I hope she's done something."

We made the trip expecting we'd have to work. Sometimes my sister just needs a bit of motivation. When we got to her apartment, we were pleasantly surprised. My sister had packed up a good portion of her room and had already made a trip with her bed and some boxes to her new apartment.

But, we realized her roommates hadn't been packing or cleaning as much as my sister, which made things a little more difficult. This made packing more of a task than it might have been if the apartment had been neat.

My sister lived on the third floor of an apartment building so every trip carrying a box of books took more effort. And, to make matters even more difficult, it was raining. Also, it was hot.

It was one of those days where it was warm and humid so it seemed appropriate for me to wear shorts and a T-shirt. But, with the rain thrown in, it was necessary for me also to wear a rain coat to keep from being soaking wet, which made me hot and sweaty. I couldn't see a win-win situation in any of it.

After several trips up and down the steps, we loaded boxes into our tiny foreign cars. I love my Honda Civic except when I need to move a dresser or boxes of books. My sister and my mom have tiny European cars, but they are a little bigger than my Civic.

Surprisingly, almost all of my sister's belongings fit into our cars. She only needed to borrow her roommate's minivan for the bed and a chair. I guess we've gotten pretty good at packing things into a Civic after moving back home for the summer between each year of college.

At her new apartment, which only required carrying boxes up one flight of stairs, my mom and I wanted to unpack everything and organize everything right away. That's just how we are.

My sister, on the other hand, likes to take her time doing things. That's just how she is.

After getting most of her clothes, dishes, DVDs and books unpacked, my mom and I decided my sister could finish the rest. We could tell she wanted us to stop meddling and leave her be.

I was reminded of when I first moved into a place of my own here in Wadena. It was exciting to have my own space and no roommates leaving dirty dishes in the sink or dirty clothes on the floor. It was nice to have everything right where I wanted it to be.

But now I'm making room for Curt, my fiance, as he moves to Wadena. He's not as organized as me but has said he will try harder to be neat when he lives with me.

I'll try to be a bit more relaxed as well. Remembering back to college, it wasn't all bad having a roommate who left dirty dishes in the sink or dirty clothes on the floor. It brought some character to the living space. Sure, it will be an adjustment, but it will be good.