Tag: packing

I’m leaving on a Jet Plane…

September 29, 2014 / Amanda

Tomorrow we leave for Spain. We’ve got most of our bags packed (and weighed), the girls and us are slumbering tonight on the floor in their room and I’ve got a detailed list of what needs to happen tomorrow. I never got around to getting Euro’s but do believe I returned all our library books. I’ll know for sure after it’s too late. I made a late night run to the post office and donation…well, leaving my stuff under the large semi parked outside Value Village is still considered a donation, right?? Our storage is almost all packed and dried! We have a few more boxes to add tomorrow. We have to drop off our little red car. I need to call and see if I can reserve our seats. I had NO idea I was booking a budget airline and had to pay $30 a seat to reserve our seats ahead of time. A bit problematic while traveling with small children. But maybe my loss is my win! Think of the poor person that gets stuck sitting next to Lavender for a 10 hour flight! The kids carry-on bags are all packed with extra clothes, their blankie, their stuffie’s, snacks and their updated (and age-appropriate) tablets. Oh – and with headphones.

At this point, I am much more anxious than excited. I was excited months ago. Long before, the drawn out visa process and the reality of moving out and renting our home. Now, it’s just nervousness and anxiousness. Scarlett & October are nervous about attending school in Spain. They realize that they will spend the day in a place where they don’t speak the language. I was excited long ago when I figured our visa’s would be in hand at least a week before our plane trip….not 2 days before. I was excited long ago when I didn’t know that the visa I was applying for was going to be a student visa valid for 90 days. To which now there will be more paperwork when we arrive (I’m told this is just part of the process). And before the reality of a 10 hour flight to Frankfurt, Germany followed by a 6 hour lay-over and then another 2.5 hour flight to Madrid.

*Sigh*. It will be a grand adventure. I am excited to see the countryside. I am looking forward to not having a car. I am looking forward to sightseeing Castles and Museums in cities that are much older than any we have here in the U.S. I am looking forward to hiking. I am looking forward to many things. I’ve just lost my excitement for the moment while I instead spend my time being anxious and nervous about the nuts and bolts. Wish me luck!

Fall Rainstorm + Moving = Soaked “Stuff”

September 27, 2014 / Amanda

It’s always nice to get a warm rain storm with a little thunder and lightning. Except when you have a fair amount of your belongings sitting out exposed while you try to apply your “bestest” jigsaw capabilities to optimizing the space in your storage unit. The morning started out with a steady, light rain. I asked Jeff if we should re-evaulate our schedule but it was best we just push forward with our plans for renting a moving tuck and moving most of our remaining boxes and big items. It may be raining just the same tomorrow. And by the time we got the moving truck and started loading it was sunny and humid. We stopped for dinner with the senior crowd at Applebee’s (no one had eaten since Breakfast). Even convinced the kids to order from the regular menu! I think the waitress was a little taken aback when I order chicken penne pasta without tomatoes or basil for Lavender.

All was going well for quite some time. I completely underestimated how long it would take for us to load the moving truck and even further underestimated how long it would take us to complete the jigsaw puzzle of our storage unit. It sprinkled. We told October not to say it outloud. Forty-five minutes later the looming dark clouds bust open. Busted. Open. Poured. Lightening. Poured. We got soaked and all puzzle solving went out the window. Instead, it became a game a how much and how quickly could we jam the remaining items into storage. Which by the way, included two bikes and a fish tank. I said it’d never fit; I was told to be positive or go home. (Oopsie, I decided it was only a little rain). Somehow the bikes fit. The fish tank and under-the-bed storage box went into an unlocked unit (which by the way was not empty so there’s some storage shed squatting going on). If it’s gone when we get back; oh well.

Each child got to ride in the moving truck once. Lavender was SO excited!

Finishing touches

September 24, 2014 / Amanda

Every homeowner has that list of repairs and improvements that seem to just sit on the back burner and never actually get done. Until they need to be done. We have been working hard cleaning, repairing, improving, painting and packing over the last few weeks. Most all of our belongings are packed up in storage or are now sitting in opened boxes around the house while we continue to live in a house that we are at the same time packing up. I’ve reached my limit on the mess, the chaos, the cleaning. Oh, the cleaning, how I have reached my limit. I got a high-five from the grocery store cashier today when I replied to her question of how I was doing with “Well, I’m going home and drinking.” It was 1pm. She said she was doing the same. I left out the part where I was also going to be scrubbing toilets and bathrooms….maybe she had something worse to do. And I guess when you add in the reason for the work is that you’ll be moving to Spain any sympathy would likely dissipate.

The trim looks amazing! Jeff has done a great job with it. I wish we were here to enjoy it more. The kids are not enjoying it as much as I keep getting after them about not touching the walls, not walking in the kitchen, touch only the door handles! I have deep cleaned the kitchen floor tile, the bathrooms, the kids room, scrubbed the closet doors, washed the blinds. I have painted all the door trim, the chair rail, and the odd touch-up painting.

Be sure to notice all the nice trim work!