Make your next move go as smoothly as possible

Whether moving across town, another city, even another state, moving is never easy. Over the years, my husband and I have moved several times, the most recent being last July from San Antonio to Los Fresnos, and with each move, I learn a new trick that makes the next one easier. Planning and organizing goes a long way, but always make contingency plans because if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong. Allow me to pass along some of these ideas to make your next move go smoother.

Create a checklist. Even before you pack your first box, make a checklist of everything you need, from packing materials to boxes. Once you know what you need, make an inventory list of what you have so when you go shopping for these materials, you do not buy duplicates or buy unnecessary items, therefore saving you time and money. Decide on a plan of action for each room and the equipment you will need, for example, how many dollies, if you need a moving van, how big, etc. Writing everything down will not only organize your thoughts but will bring you peace of mind.

Begin packing as soon as possible. This one may be a no-brainer but countless times I kept telling myself that I had plenty of time only to be rushing at the last minute. Packing up your belongings takes time so start off with off season clothing, seldom used appliances, and rooms that are not used daily. Procrastination is your biggest enemy and will only result in hastily packed boxes which will lead to confusion once you get to your destination.

Photograph room setup and computer/electronic setups. Now that we are finally organizing each room in our new home, it occurred to me that I do not remember exactly how the living room was set up. If you are like me and prefer to have everything the same, take a picture of each room so that you will have a visual to work with. Another tip I picked up when moving my computer equipment from the office to our home office when transitioning to remote working due to COVID – take a picture of the back of your computer so you will know how all the cables should be connected.

Do not take clutter with you. Very often you hear about this tip when spring cleaning or decluttering your home but it also works when preparing to move. Start off by labeling boxes or bags as keep/throw/donate and filling them accordingly. It is easy to just throw everything in boxes and wait to tackle the clutter later, but this will save you time in the long run as well as money when you realize you do not need as many boxes or a bigger moving van.

Moving boxes. It is important to have different sizes of boxes because they each serve a purpose. Use the small boxes for heavy items such as books and big boxes for lighter items like bedding, towels, and pillows. Remember not to over pack them; instead, put lighter items between heavier items to make sure they do not rattle around and possibly break. Most of all, always label boxes according to room, this will make it easier to unload, especially if others will be helping.

Keep important items handy. Once you are on the move, store important items such as moving documents, keys, receipts, phone chargers, and snacks together in one box or bag. Keep that box/bag with you so they will be handy when you need them.

If you decide that doing the move on your own is too much, consider hiring movers. One moving company to consider is Our Truck Moving. In business since 2015, Our Truck Moving provides top-notch apartment and home moving in the Dallas/Ft Worth metroplex and surrounding areas. A family owned and operated business, they guarantee fair prices, superior quality, and exceptional customer service. As a full-service moving company, they are professional, timely, and always make sure you are satisfied with their services, which include local and long distance moving, full service (labor and delivery), labor only, delivery only, and packing.

They are Labor movers Garland TX & Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and surrounding area, and they will take extreme caution when handling your belongings. While other companies just do the heavy lifting, their movers are available to help with any packing and unpacking during your move. They also provide a truck, boxes, and tape if needed, and will label and organize boxes and deliver items safely to your new location.

Without a doubt, moving is never easy and can be stressful, time consuming and overwhelming. These tips worked for me and made my last move easier and despite some setbacks, it went smoothly. Not all of them will work for you and like everything else, it is a matter of trial and error and finding out what works. Whether you decide to do it yourself or hire movers, it is all worth it in the end.

Photo: Our Truck Moving, used with permission.

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Marc Scibilia releases new single from Seed of Joy deluxe reissue

Marc Scibilia’s Seed of Joy album’s deluxe reissue is set for April 9. Rivals is the first single from that album. Photo: google

Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, chart-topping singer/songwriter Marc Scibilia has been on a steady rise ever since the 2012 release of his breakout single, “How Bad We Need Each Other.” In the last several years alone, he has racked up more than 125 million streams across platforms, garnered praise from the likes of pop star Demi Lovato and Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas, and toured with James Bay, Zac Brown Band, Butch Walker, and Nick Jonas, among others. (IV-PR, 2021)

Since its release last year, Marc Scibilia’s album Seed of Joy has been streamed more than 130 million times across digital platforms, garnered 700,000+ monthly listeners on Spotify, and physical copies of the album sold out on the day they were announced. His fans—new and old—cannot get enough of his ability to observe profound moments in his personal life and craft them into universal anthems and ballads for others to love or grieve with. With Seed of Joy, Scibilia’s calling card is the purity found in simultaneously caring for his father during a hard-fought bout with brain cancer and watching life bloom in his young family. It is his simple reassurances of love that are equally felt when whispered to one or sung out to millions. On Friday April 9, Scibilia will share an expanded, deluxe edition of Seed of Joy with his fans, and its first single, “Rivals” is available right now at this link. 

A love song custom-made to reverberate from the rafters (just as soon as live music is back), “Rivals” exemplifies Scibilia’s mastery of the whispered verse turned soaring chorus; equally at home in sold out venues and on road trips with the windows down. “I wrote ‘Rivals’ at a hotel Munich, Germany, while on tour with Robin Schulz,” Marc says. “We were playing these massive arena shows. It was a career highlight but it reminded me of the things that are most important to me. I always had my friends, family…the things that have no rivals.” His stomping, brassy ode to those friends and family is a perfect fit for the same arenas from where it came.  He recently performed the song live via SPIN’s Instagram—watch the performance here. 

Posthumous Tony Joe White album Smoke from the Chimney

Tony Joe White’s Smoke from the Chimney is set for May 7 release. Photo: google

Across five decades as a performer and storyteller, Tony Joe White—a.k.a. “The Swamp Fox”—left an indelible mark on American music. His catalog offers indisputable classics such as “Polk Salad Annie” and “Rainy Night in Georgia” and his songs have been recorded by Ray Charles, Kenny Chesney, Waylon Jennings, Tim McGraw, Willie Nelson, Elvis Presley, Dusty Springfield, and Tina Turner. On Friday, May 7, Smoke from the Chimney, a nine-song album of never-before-heard Tony Joe White tunes, will be released on Easy Eye Sound. Produced by Dan Auerbach and rounded out by Nashville’s most seasoned studio musicians, Smoke from the Chimney started out as several unadorned voice and guitar demos from White’s home studio before being transformed into full band arrangements harkening back to the albums he recorded in the late 60s and early 70s in Nashville and Muscle Shoals—just as he was emerging as an internationally recognized songwriter and recording artist. (IV-PR, 2021)

On Friday, NPR/World Cafe gave fans their first listen of “Boot Money,” a gritty, thumping ode to keeping a little bit of extra scratch hidden away. “Boot Money” comes accompanied by an animated video from director Robert Schober which colorfully places White and Auerbach in the recording studio to kick off the tune before following along while White lives out the song’s storyline. Fans can see the video for “Boot Money” at this link and pre-order or pre-save Smoke from the Chimney here.

After his father’s death in 2018, Jody White, White’s son and manager, started transferring his father’s multitrack home recordings to digital files. Looking back on the moment he unearthed the demo of “Smoke from the Chimney,” he recalls a mix of happiness, gratification, and shock. As he continued to find other songs that did not make an album, he moved the material into a separate folder. Within a year, those select recordings would evolve into Smoke from the Chimney. Jody says that even in those basic tracks, that definitive Tony Joe White groove instantly stood out. “He always finds a tempo and a pocket that is exactly right. And it’s a little bit different than anybody else would choose themselves,” he says. Jody believes that his father would love the way Smoke from the Chimney turned out.

Smoke from the Chimney Track list:
Smoke from the Chimney
Boot Money
Del Rio, You’re Making Me Cry
Listen to Your Song
Over You
Scary Stories
Bubba Jones
Someone Is Crying
Billy

“Smoke From The Chimney” is more than a faithful tribute to one of the great Americana musicians and national treasures, performed by an ensemble who capture the DNA of Tony Joe White’s songs with beauty, warmth, and reverence.” – NPR’s Bruce Warren