This week has been characterized by some nice relaxing-with-friends time, and spinning in circles.
We’ve just completed the third week in our countdown toward our Panama move, and the week was a pretty mixed bag of getting stuff done, relaxing, and frustration. You can see previous Countdown! posts here. I hope that sharing what we’re doing will help you as you prepare for your own overseas adventure.
Week of November 20
House Repair
Bathroom tile still not done. As with many construction projects, it’s taken on a life of its own. We had planned to have it completed by the end of the weekend. (This was after we had to revise our initial estimate because of conditions we discovered when we removed the old tile.)
On Saturday, my husband was working away when the power tool he needs to complete the job just up and died. One minute it was working, the next minute it wasn’t. So there was a delay while he checked it over, cleaned it, fussed and cursed. Then a trip to Home Depot to replace it. . .
He was able to get some of the new tile installed before he went to work this morning, so it should go pretty quickly now. I hope.
Packing and Organizing
This was the spinning in circles I mentioned earlier. To get that minimalist look for showing the house to prospective tenants, I need to pack up the art that’s on the walls and other decorative items. At the same time, I need to keep it all accessible for the final sale just before we move. I haven’t quite figured out how to do that.
I did receive the title on the car we’ll be selling, so I can check that off my list now. Also researched its value on BlueBook.com.
Found another stash of clothes lurking in under-bed storage containers, which I sorted through and disposed of.
Selling Stuff
Listed a couple of items on eBay, but at this point I’m refocusing my efforts into finding a good estate sales agent to sell all the contents of the house at the end of January. I’ve got a list of five agents to start calling.
Moving the Pets
We’re starting to get the dogs used to the new kennels they’ll be traveling in. After a few days of just having them in the house, we’ve started placing treats and toys in them a few times a day and letting the dogs go in and out at will. In a few more days, we’ll take out the wire crate they’re used to sharing and have them start sleeping in their new digs.
Maintaining our Lives
This was our first Thanksgiving ever without any of our kids, but we had a lovely day with friends. On Friday we had dinner with another couple we’ve not seen much of recently, and learned their exciting news — she’s just accepted a new job in another state, so they’ll be moving in January!
My husband is starting to get that “I’m ready to get out of here” feeling about his work. Originally he planned to stick it out until mid-January. We’ll see. . .
We have a lot of friends to catch up with before we go, as well as a lot to get done. I have the feeling that things are going to start happening fast now.
During busy, stressful times, getting enough sleep is very important. That’s a problem I struggle with. My mind gets to racing, and I either don’t fall asleep or wake up earlier than I want to. I’m working on staying relaxed and rested, because I know this will all work much better if I can do that. Do you have some relaxation strategies that work for you during busy times?
I’m following your Countdown and I think the fact that you are chronicling what needs to be done and the status of doing puts you way ahead of the game. In our situation Husband accepted the job in the Netherlands and left 6 months ahead of us, leaving me to get the house repaired and ready for sale, two cars to sell, 3 pets to deal with and all of the other prep work while being a single mom of 2 and keeping the homefront on an even keel. I still shudder about that time! (He did return for the house pack-up, yard sale and move out.) We were fortunate to be able to sell fairly quickly, but that meant the complication of our having to rent a place for the last 2 months before we joined him.
I knew the ONLY way I’d survive was by keeping a sacred master list of necessary activities (sorted by whether they were back home or for the Netherlands) from which I created running ‘to do’ lists in order of what needed to be accomplished when. It seems you’re already doing that, so you might consider putting a pen and pad by your bed and writing down any stray thoughts or reminders before going to sleep, if you wake up in the middle of the night, and first thing in the morning. When your subconscious realizes that your conscious mind will capture that info, it may help you to relax and sleep. It sure helped me stay sane!
Wow, I can’t imagine being on my own with small children to handle all the details of moving! I think you probably deserve a medal, canonization or both 🙂
I also keep running to-do lists, I use a wonderful digital tool called Wunderlist which lets me track multiple lists across multiple platforms. It syncs automatically, so I have it on my computers and my phone. If I’m out running around and I think of something I can add it on the phone. Ditto if I think of something in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning. Being able to do that really helps in the peace of mind department!
Don’t worry. If you forget anything, odds are you’ll find it there or adapt. Wish you my best!
Thanks! Not so much worried about forgetting stuff back in Florida, as we’re not planning on taking much besides clothing with us anyway. I’m more concerned about getting rid of stuff! 🙂
I’m moving in the next few weeks and still haven’t sorted everything, the one thing I feel i’m not gonna have time to sort overseas medical insurance, is this something that can be done once i’ve moved do you think?