Settling in

[Mvn2nc]

Originally Posted by Markh

We scheduled all our hookups before we moved, for the day after we got here. Electric and gas are kinda automatic, just make sure you change them to your name. Schedule cable and telephone now for the date you want them there otherwise you may have to wait a week or more. 2nd day we were here, we registered the kids for school as you need to have something with your address and closing papers work just fine.

Unpacking is individual based. We were totally unpacked and stocked with groceries within 3 days but that's just us as we hate having stuff hanging around.

With all that stuff out of the way, I'd say we were mostly settled within 1 week. The rest of the real settling took a while and to be honest after 9 months we're not fully settled yet. A routine yes, settled in totally, no.

You'll end up with months worth of projects, like painting, landscaping, getting new furniture, finding which stores you like shopping at best and favorite places to eat. The list can be never ending if you want it to be.

Biggest challenge is the list of firsts: First Dr visit, first pet sitter, first dentist visit etc.. You don't know where to go and unless you get recommendations you have to blindly pick who has the best looking ad. Reliabilty down here is about the same as up north, some is good, some is bad and finding who is within each category can be difficult and time consuming.

Moving away from family and friends is difficult and although we love it here and we're very comfortable there's always a little something that makes you feel like there's something missing that you can't quite put your finger on. For us it feels like we are on vacation and should be leaving at some point but that point in time is undefined.

Ditto, ditto,ditto!! I too *feel* like i have been on this never ending long vacation. I went back *home* to Calif. for the first time a few weeks ago, never felt like i left my home town but by the time i got off the plane i was happy to return *home* for whatever that may be! it truly does feel like a never ending vacation.

[miklaur]

How does registering kids to school come into play? I know up here, you have to have proof of residency (electric bill, etc), do you have to have that down there as well? What if you are building and haven't closed, etc....

[Mr.Sippi]

6 months.........

Originally Posted by cinderobyn

I know there was a thread on how long it took to move to Charlotte, but for those of you who did move to Charlotte, or outlying areas, how long did it take to, lets say, mini settle? To get your job together if you didn't already have one, to get everything you really needed unpacked. (not the boxes that your dh says I don't know why you are keeping that stuff ) To get the kids registered in school. To get stocked w groceries. You know, just to get to a point where you are in your house and comfortable, not feeling like, I can't just be sitting here, I need to be doing this or this!

I want us to have our jobs lined up of course, and not to start at least until a few days after we have "mini settled" at least. Gotten stuff put where it goes, groceries, everything hooked up...

I do have the info of the different areas of where I need to go to get hooked up to what; phone, elec;gas.

Just a little insight would be much appreciated because time does fly, and even if we end up in a rental first, I would like to know how much time I need for these things.

And for my cyber-stalker.... I would like to know how much time I will need for these things IN THE CHARLOTTE AREA

Thanks so much!!!

Robyn

[ellemaew]

We shipped our stuff from California - once it arrived my daughter and I unpacked it in 4 1/2 hours. 4 days later we had everything unpacked and put away - but that's for a 3 bedroom apartment!! As far as the job, I was hired 3 weeks after we got here - sooner than I had anticipated, and there is still some stuff we had planned on doing before I started working that we didn't get to do.

As far as settling in, I still have moments when it's a shock to me to realize that I am now across the country from where I'd spent my whole life - and right now I'm a bit homesick!!! But, the move was good for us and I'm sure soon it will feel like home.

[niknaxx]

Originally Posted by cookiedoe

It does take time to really settle, but if you are organized (pack away everything you can live without for a while first, then mark the stuff you use to the last minute so that you can unpack it first) you should be ok pretty quickly. It does take time and some trial and error. It can be hard at times, frustrating, and make you look homesickly back through rose-colored glasses. However, it can also be fresh, renewing, and exciting beginning a new life with your family.

We never have a choice. Movers pack us with corporate moves. Kind of end up with weird rooms combined in boxes that way, but oh well! At least I didn't have to do it...

[lilybell]

These posts have been very interesting to me. When my dad was alive he gave me many things, that had sentimental value, belonging to him and my mom. He also gave me many things from my childhood. I tend to hold onto things from my growing up years, from my High School, etc. I still have my daughters mobile that was over her crib when she was a baby. It's so hard to let go, but I don't want to pack all that stuff up and take it out of state with me. What should I do? I'm the only one of my siblings that really care about all of this so I can't give it to them. I read recently, it's not the things so much as the memories we attach to them. I think that's true. Today we are having a nor'easter, here in NY, so I think It will be a good day to look through all my "stuff" and give myself a chance to reminisce then only keep a few things I can't live without. The rest I will have to say good-bye to and keep only the memories. I guess all of these things that represent our life bring us comfort, like chocolate.

[Pikantari]

Originally Posted by lilybell

These posts have been very interesting to me. When my dad was alive he gave me many things, that had sentimental value, belonging to him and my mom. He also gave me many things from my childhood. I tend to hold onto things from my growing up years, from my High School, etc. I still have my daughters mobile that was over her crib when she was a baby. It's so hard to let go, but I don't want to pack all that stuff up and take it out of state with me. What should I do? I'm the only one of my siblings that really care about all of this so I can't give it to them. I read recently, it's not the things so much as the memories we attach to them. I think that's true. Today we are having a nor'easter, here in NY, so I think It will be a good day to look through all my "stuff" and give myself a chance to reminisce then only keep a few things I can't live without. The rest I will have to say good-bye to and keep only the memories. I guess all of these things that represent our life bring us comfort, like chocolate.

I was doing the same thing this weekend. I have things from when the kids were babies and things from both of my parents who have both passed. We, myself included, MIL was here all weekend threw away a whole truckload of things. I am glad we dont have to move it. Right now the things we threw away are old toys that the kids dont play with and are broken, old clothes. Alot of things went to goodwill, toys and clothing. I found the sweet little pink blanket dd came home from the hospital in...mice had gotten to it. I had no idea there was a mouse. We also found a BASKET FULL OF EASTER CANDY FROM LAST YEAR sorry bout that.. had to get it out... LOL . I have conins from all over the world, and very old coins from here. I know they are worth alot, but they were my Dads. When he was here, we used to look at them together when I was a little girl, I can just look at the coins and see us together, Robyn, this one is from... and when I was in WW2 I got this one...so much of the things you cant put money on. Ceramics my mother made when I was a little girl. The things we sat around the night she passed...I'll never forget it, all 5 of of us, 12/24/00, my sister took her bedroom set and wanted a bust my mom made, I insisted on having it. She crafted it with her hands and in my eyes its beautiful. My oldest brother got alot of her things, and my middle brother was just in a daze. I have her checkbook cover, an old leather check book cover. Who would want that, right? Well, me of course! I have my Dads too... I know they are just things, and I have his glasses fr when he was in the War, just things to another, treasure to me. My dh thinks its all junk but the coins. Wants me to trade them for paper money. Right now I go through the coins with my kids and tell them the stories my Dad told me