4 Trips To The DMV Later And We're Leaving The State

My husband swears the two aren't related, but at the end of the month, we're leaving Connecticut. We have this thing, he and I, where we like to get our major life changes planned and executed in about four weeks.

There are many things I'm excited about - I love big cities, the excitement of moving to a new locale and learning a new neighborhood. On the minus side, I've lived near family and friends for almost four years and I'm sad to leave them. My mom just moved back to town, too! Well, maybe I'd do the same thing if all of a sudden I lived ten minutes from my mother-in-law. As my friend Nina puts it, "mother-in-laws are a gift." Which is true, and nobody should have too much of a good thing because then it would be less special. Actually, my M-I-L is pretty great, except for that time last year when she sat me in front of a computer for two hours and made me pick a bunch of stuff I didn't want from Uncle Crate and Colonel Barrel for a wedding registry that I now have to pack and schlep to another State.

Who will police New Haven's sidewalks for illegal bicyclists? The frozen yogurt wars have only just begun in this city and I won't be here to pick a side! The local newspaper reported on the frozen yogurt wars a few days ago because there will now be 5 establishments serving the build-your-own froyo, so that is totally a valid regret. This does give me an opportunity to "gift" my '89 Honda Accord to a less fortunate family member, although I use the word gift loosely since giant plumes of white smoke have been billowing out of the hood recently. I asked my friend if that was normal and he said yes, that's how cars work when you're poor. Hah!

I'm trying to stay positive while still feeling very sorry for myself. People keep asking me what I'm going to do in my new location, since we're moving because of a job opportunity for my husband, and I've come up with a stock answer that nobody has laughed at yet: volunteer interpretive dance.

One thing I struggle with in marriage is no longer being the star of the show. It's times like this when I am relegated to the role of sidekick and maybe even a stereotype. I'll be doing some solo apartment hunting and I feel like I should be finding a place with a spare cubby where I can iron his ties.