One of the most painful things to do is say goodbye. This can be true whether you are moving to a new neighborhood, across town or especially out of state. You probably have become friends with most of your neighbors as well as the check out clerk at the grocery, pharmacist, lawn boy etc. Telling them goodbye can be a tough thing, especially for the kids. You can make saying goodbye to the old neighborhood a fun time by throwing a party! It is always fun planning a party! You may feel overwhelmed with all you have to do with getting ready for the move, but sometimes it is good to just say, "What the heck" and do it. This is not going to be the typical party anyway. You will need to pick a day which is as close to the moving day as possible. Generally a week before is a 
good time. Although many times you will find a moving party can be fun if it is on the day you are moving, if you are just going across town, you have probably already taken care of most of the details of the move. The only thing left to do is pack up and load the truck. Everyone can pitch in and help, then the caravan can follow you to the new house where everyone can help unload and unpack! Afterwards you can all relax in the new house with drinks and sandwiches, talking about the great times you all had at the old house! This gives you a chance to show off the new house and get some decorating ideas as well.
You will want to make sure when you are saying goodbye to have an address book handy. You can write down every one's address, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses so you can stay in touch. There was a time when moving meant saying goodbye forever. Now you are only a few clicks away with the help of the Internet.Note; A great
idea is to have several sheets of blank address sized labels handy. Have your guests write down their name , address and email on a label, from there it is a quick fix to put the labels in your address book and voila you are done! No trying to remember where you put the pieces of paper you wrote them on or time consumed with copying each one into your address book. Simple and easy are the rules of the day!
By establishing safe e-mail accounts for the children, they do not have to give up childhood friends if they are changing schools. They can still stay in contact with their old friends by e-mailing them and sharing the new experiences at school and in the neighborhood. This is a great way of making lasting friends. A long term friendship can offer stability as a child grows up and in this age of technology distance in miles does not have to mean distance in heart! There are some friendships you form which last a lifetime. By staying in contact after the move, you can ensure this will happen. These are the friends you will grow old with. These are the ones who will be more like family as time goes on.
Make sure to take plenty of pictures. You will always want to remember the wonderful things that happened in the old neighborhood and the old house. You can put together a scrap book of these memories so you can look at it later when you are feeling homesick or just missing
someone. A great and easy idea is to buy several "throw away" cameras and give them to guests as they arrive, encouraging them to snap their own "candid" shots, you can then either let them develop the film or develop it yourself and send copies. Either way your friends will love this idea and so will the kids!
Moving does not have to be a hard, painful experience when saying goodbye to your old friends. You can stay in contact much easier now than ever before! You just need to take the time to do it. 
So don't be sad, get the word out that you are having a party
and watch as precious memories are made, perfect to take along
to your new home!
Vanessa Stalets
Brentwood TN Real Estate
RE/MAX Elite
615-957-6333/615-661-4400
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