Keep On Sorting, Keep On Sorting

Still sorting this all in my head so it is good to get it written down.

I made a quick list of what we were doing with the stuff that isn't moving with us in this post over here.  Now for all the stuff that is going with us! 

Category B:  Things That Move With Us

Another 4 piles to sort the rest of the stuff into.

1.  Household Goods  (HHG)

This is the large shipment sent by ship that might take a few months to arrive.  It is the bulk of our belongings.  In addition to furniture, this shipment contains things that we don't necessarily need but would really like to have because they make a house a home.

• furniture

• appliances

• lamps

• bikes/motorcycles (depending on the time of year, bicycles can be a great item to send in your Unaccompanied Baggage)

• clothes: out of season

• linens

• kitchen wares

• Christmas/holiday decorations (unless you plan to run them off of a transformer, leave your lights in storage)

• large rugs

• photos/artwork

• gardening tools

• garage "stuff":  tools, workbench

• books

• board games/kid toys/craft supplies

• DVDs/CDs

2:  Unaccompanied Baggage

This much smaller shipment is sent by plane and will ideally show within a few weeks of our arrival.
This is going to be a "starter kit" to help you move into your house and prep for your HHG to arrive.  I'll pack as much varied stuff as I can into this shipment.   There are some items of furniture that will be available on loan until our large shipment arrives: Beds for everyone, table and chairs to eat at.  We can also request a loaner kitchen kit.  Lighter weight items in this shipment means we can send more things.

• folding table and chairs

• basic kitchen set (I take the one I have set aside for camping, plus a large pot and real knives)

• bathmats/shower curtains

• bikes if the weather will be suitable for them

• a few small lamps

• vacuum cleaner if it is dual voltage.

• simple storage:  large plastic containers and drawers drawers are great to help keep organized. 

• small area rugs

• inflatable mattress

• professional gear that won't be needed right away

• simple curtains 

• old desktop computer/speakers

• dog beds

• laundry hamper/baskets

3:  Suitcases and Carry-ons, for the plane:

If I have room in my luggage, may reallocate some things from Unaccompanied Baggage, but schlepping 2 carry-ons and 4 large pieces of luggage through an airport isn't my idea of ideal.  I'd prefer to travel light even if it means mailing stuff ahead (see point #4) 

• clothes and shoes

• medicines

• paperwork/important files

• passports

• pets.  Don't forget to make arrangements for pets!

• small electronics: ipads, phones (unlocked), laptops, ipods and headphones

• jewelry 

4: USPS
I will take advantage of our new APO address to send ahead a few care packages that will be waiting for us upon arrival. It's nice to think that Unaccompanied Baggage will arrive before HHG or possibly even before us, but this isn't always the case so I'm not counting on it.

• On our last move I packed sheets and blankets in Unaccompanied Baggage.  We will get loaner beds while we are waiting for ours to arrive, but they don't come with bedding.  The problem is that you can get your UB delivered when you have have found a place to live, but it might not have arrived yet.  Or you may have to wait your turn for delivery.  I learned this the hard way on our last overseas move.  I had to run out and buy sheets.  Even though I found the cheapest ones I could, its no fun spending money when the move is already costing a fortune.  This time I am mailing sheets, towels and some light blankets on ahead.  I will save the receipt and get reimbursed.  

• It also happens that the kids get out of school after the shipments will have been sent.  There will inevitably be school related stuff that I don't want to carry around for weeks.  There will also be a child's birthday between the pickup and the move.  Any presents that don't fit into luggage can be mailed.

• We also plan to back up our desktop computer and mail it.  We could take it as excess baggage on the plane.  That is another option.

Let the Sorting Now Begin

Yes, another Harry Potter reference in honor of our move.  The time has come for us to evaluate everything we own and try to decide what to do with it.  And I do mean everything.  Each item will got into either Category A: Things That Do Not Move With Us  or Category B: Things That Move With Us. 

Let's break this down!


Category A: Things That Do Not Move

This stuff gets divided up into 4 piles  -  some piles are more like lists at this point

1.  Long Term Storage 
This is stuff that I don't plan on needing for at least 3 years.  It will go into a storage facility for the duration of our time overseas.  Our long term storage will be Non Temporary Storage (NTS) provided by the military.  This list includes appliances with 110v that are fairly inexpensive and easy to replace and/or won't function properly or aren't worth running through a transformer.  Also store things you can't bear to get rid of but don't really need, like the stuff that has been sitting in the attic untouched for years.  Don't forget to consider that extra large American furniture might not fit into a smaller house.

• saved baby clothes 

• a library of books

• alarm clocks:  won't keep correct time

• standing fans:  inexpensive and easy to find

• curling irons/hair dryers:  leave them behind if they are 110V but double check to be sure, they may be dual voltage.

2.  Sell
Anything you are ready to get rid of that you can make money from.  If you are torn between putting it into Long Term Storage or selling it, sell it now unless you think the value with appreciate while sitting in a storage facility.  Make a bit of moving $ from garage sales, neighborhood websites, Craigslist, eBay, etc.

3:  Donate/Give Away
Anything that is difficult to sell but not garbage worthy

• Everything left over from your attempts to sell 

• Hazardous materials: gasoline, open cans of paint, propane tanks

• Houseplants

• Shhhh, we haven't told the fish yet.

4:  Garbage/Recycling
Because if you don't throw out your garbage, the movers will pack it for you.  They are very accommodating that way.  This is funny but no joke.  Whether it is coffee grounds that you left in the machine or an unemptied bathroom garbage pail, you will find yourself unpacking it on the other side of your move.


Next time I'll sort through Category B: Things That Move With Us.

Keep Calm And Carry On

It is time to steel myself for several months of unexpected surprises but I truly feel that it is soooo worth it in the end.

There are so many details to get right when planning any move.  A move overseas has added checklists.  A move with the military seems to have so many extra hoops to jump through and forms to fill out and briefings to attend.  Things that are set in stone seem to change overnight.  Everybody is telling you something different but they all emphasize that it must be done correctly.  When we moved to Italy, I held my breath and didn't believe that it was actually happening until our plane finally touched down on Italian soil.  If, at any point of that flight, the plane had turned around and taken us back to the US, I don't know that I would have been surprised.  What I would have been is utterly disappointed.

Not everybody wants to relocate thousands and thousands of miles from their family.  To a country where people might speak a foreign language.  To somewhere with different customs and strange food.  Personally, I think it is an amazing opportunity!  I love the idea of living in a country where the language is foreign.  I love learning about the different customs.  Trying strange food.

So, I shall adopt the recently popular but historically obscure slogan from the British Ministry of Magic Information during the time of Second World War:

                                                           

Perhaps even more appropriate is the slogan from the first issued poster:

 

Chin up!  This will happen!  I feel a bit like Dory, "Just keep swimming.  Just keep swimming."

Destination Known!

Life is about to go from a relative calm to frenzied.  And I'm doing a happy dance!!

Just moved to the top of my to-do list:  Prepare to Move Overseas 

(Short pause for another Happy Dance!)

"Moving abroad" is a term that sounds pretentious to me.  Anyway, it is more than just "abroad" (into another country), we are going over seas to another continent.  And, if you type abroad too many time it just starts to look weird:  abroad abroad abroad a-bro-ad...

(Happy Dance moment!)

Even more accurately, I am preparing to PCS OCONUS.  There's a collection of incomprehensible jumbled capital letters for ya.  The phrase "moving overseas" sounds like it consists of much less paperwork and red tape than a military move.

(Still Happy Dancing!  Reams of paperwork, you can not get me down!) 

A few other things on the To-Do List, which at this point should really just be called my List of Lists:

Official Paperwork:
Passports
Powers of Attorney
Medical and dental records
Forwarding address

The House:
Get an inspection
Hire a realtor
Put the house on the market
SELL HOUSE!!! 

The Cars:
Arrange for shipment of car
Sell second car

Pets:
Give away fish (That doesn't mean flush.  Honest!)
Vet appointments for dogs/shots/paperwork
Travel arrangements for dogs

The Stuff:
Sort All Belongings.  ALL belongings.  Everything!

Misc stuff:
Find a new place to live
Schools for the kids
Study for the driving test
International Drivers Permit so I can get lots of use out of this:

(Happy Dance!  Happy Dance!  Happy Dance!)