Guest Blogger: Brittany

Today's blogger is the gorgeous Brittany!

Hi GWC readers!  My name is Brittany, and I'm so happy to be guest posting for Jess today.  As the wife of an Army Veteran, I've done plenty of moving (I've actually lived in 3 separate states within a 6 month period- crazy!), the details of which you could read about on my blog Delightfully Awkward.   

One of the most important things you can do to adjust to a big move actually needs to happen BEFORE you ever hit the road- RESEARCH!  Find out absolutely everything you can about the area that you are moving to.  My husband and I knew for quite a while that we were headed to Colorado Springs, Colorado and spent months getting our hands on as much information as possible about that part of the country.  There are several different ways to do this- one obvious one is the internet.   

There are websites dedicated specifically to military moves which I utilized, but I have found several civilian equivalents since separating from the military.  Utilize Google to the best of your ability and find message boards, Facebook pages, etc surrounding the new city or region for candid personal recommendations.  I'm not suggesting to ignore state/city tourism pages- those are GREAT resources for major events and places to visit.  But you need to pad out those special and unique events with day to day information such as school systems, common traffic patterns, the best local restaurants, tattoo parlors- whatever it is that is that you consider a necessity.  Also, be sure to take in to consideration the more mundane, but incredibly important, factors like...climate!  Moving from North Carolina to Texas wasn't much of a shock- maybe slightly dryer but not noticeably so.  Colorado, however, was a complete culture shock.  North Carolina is very hot and humid, with a low elevation (my hometown was around 500 feet above sea level).  While Colorado does get quite hot in the summer, it's much drier and it's elevation tops 5,000 feet.  Not to mention the winters can be brutally cold (-16 not counting wind chill) and include several feet of snow.  These differences have a huge impact on your life- it should affect your choice in vehicles, clothes, etc.  Prepare yourself in ALL ways possible.

Next, spread the word about your move!  Make sure that EVERYONE you know is aware of where you're headed- you'd be surprised who might be able to give you tips about your new location.  Two unexpected sources of information for the move to Colorado- a former pastor and former high school teacher, who had both visited the region!  Along with warnings about how the elevation (which basically translates to lower oxygen levels in the air) can have such drastic effects, we were pointed in the direction of Garden of the Gods- a great park that is one of my favorite places to spend time to this day. 

Once you're settled in the new place, it's time for step two- getting out of your comfort zone to experience new things and meet new people!  I am the textbook example of an introvert, so this is the difficult part for me.  I mean, my blog title is Delightfully Awkward so clearly I realize how odd I can come off...and I worry that not everyone will find it delightful!  However, sometimes you just have to push yourself out of that comfortable little box we can sometimes put ourselves in.  Don't just rush into a situation that won't make you happy, though.  Sit down and think about what your interests are, and then find out what your new town has to offer within that genre.  Do you have/like pets?  Check out the local dog park or volunteer at the local shelter.  Are you into crafts/DIY?  Take a class offered at a store like Michael's or Jo-Ann's.  Huge sports fan?  Head to a local Buffalo Wild Wings or sports bar and strike up a conversation with whoever is cheering for the same team!  This way, you are still getting an enjoyable experience while maximizing the opportunity to meet people who share a common interest.  The most important part of this step, though, is the FOLLOW-THROUGH.  If you meet someone at that class, exchange numbers or twitter handles.  While it's a weird way to put it, I think sometimes people (and by people I really mean myself) expect friendship to just happen and sometimes we need to put effort into it the same way we would put effort into dating.  Make people aware that you're interested in getting to know them and being their friend- do some platonic flirting!  Be your most appealing and friendly self- the adjustment to your new location will be so much easier if you have a support system in place.