A house in transition...

townhome in a truck

We are officially a family on the go. Everything has been packed, shipped and routed to Stockholm.  We are now in the period of flux and separation, but I don't really want to dwell on that. Instead...

On M's last day we did talk about what things we would miss most about Seattle, I was trying to give him one last treat, (we ended up at Hello Robin Cookies, not necessarily an old favorite but if you know my husband you know he wouldn't pass up ice cream and cookies.)  We talked about the glorious bowl of pasta from Spinasse, going to Chucks, all the coffee Seattle has to offer, and many more delicious places that we frequent. All of these things are loved but we look forward to the exploration and discovery of our new home. I am not saying we won't miss Seattle. Seattle will always be home;  it was where we meet, bought our first house, got married, and started a family. But I am taking this ambivalence of our places as a sign that we are ready for what lies ahead.

g enjoying her own company

With that in mind, M has landed safely in Stockholm without too much complication.  G and I have been safely transported to Kennewick where we will stay for the next few weeks visiting friends and family till the timer says 0 and we get on the plane to join M.

5 years all packed up

A little over 5 years ago, we moved into our beautiful house and started the processes of filling it up. And now it is all getting packed into boxes. 

I have to admit to am a little afraid of what we are going to find on the other side. Luckily the diapers are all clean. 

Going, Going...GONE!

Back in 2008-2009, M and I use to live down the street from Sun Liquor Lounge, and every year they would make eggnog from scratch for 24 and 25 of December.  It is one of the best things ever.  In 2012 the Seattle Times posted a similar recipe for aged eggnog and since I was a couple months pregnant I filed it away to be made later.  Well later was this past winter.  AND IT WAS GOOD!

Now I know what you are thinking right now...What does this have to do with you moving?  Well after a lengthy discussion with my brother about making and aging eggnog, M and I kept some to be consumed in December 2014.   Because we can't bring it with so why not try it now.  It was even better than back in December.  It was smooth and creamy; and if you didn't know better you'd thought you were drinking a non alcoholic beverage.

The 7 month aged eggnog was one of many things that is no longer with us anymore.  After tomorrow for the most part everything that we aren't taking to Sweden personally or shipping will be out of our house.  And what will be left at our house will be packed into boxes to meet us on the other side.

In some way it has been quite liberating to watch our stuff go, in other cases it feels odd and sad to finally be rid of it.

Tick Tock

Today is 2 weeks from movers day. The day when our stuff will get magically packed up and whisk off to the north.  On the front end of the journey this seems like a good time to mark the end of all things and have the movers come. BUT this morning I woke up in a bit of a panic.  What about the other side of the trip?  We have been informed that the shipment will take 6-8 weeks to get to us. Which if everything arrives early, our stuff will get to us just as temporary housing expires.  BUT what if it takes the full 8 weeks.  What are we going to sleep on?

Here we are 16 days from M getting on a plane and effectively leaving G and I homeless, OK not that dramatic, but we need to be sorted, packed and out of our house by then, and I feel like we have time to spare. AND I am freaking out about the middle of August, and what if our bed hasn't arrived.

I know that in the long run everything will work out both here and there.  The moment of anxiety this morning is probably my way of not worrying about the now but allowing me to buckle down and get stuff done. But won't it be nice to just not PANIC!

On a positive note, M and I have hired out the selling of our media to a friend's daughter and that stuff is no longer in the house.  Slowly we are chipping away at our items, and there is actual visual impact. So that is at least good. :)

CD sorting

DON'T PANIC

So...Sweden, really..

Here is a video about Stockholm in general. It is Charlie Caper's explanation on why Stockholm, why now.
If by the end of this video you don't want to move to Stockholm with us, I don't know what is wrong with you and maybe you should have it looked at. :)

So... What are you doing with all your stuff?

Now that you know the WWWH of this whole thing you are probably asking yourself...What are you doing with your house...your car...your stuff?

House

We are renting it out.  (Know of anyone that is looking?)

Car

Selling it! I don't drive much now but M is really excited about taking public transit.

the ugly chair

Stuff

Well this is a little more of a complicated situation. As part of the relocation package we get 16 cubic meters packed, shipped and unpacked.  'What is 16 cubic meters?' you ask.  Well it is roughly half of a 20 foot shipping container or 4,000 lbs of stuff.  Which means most things can go, but not all of it. This forces us to decide which items are lucky enough to make the trip and which are not. This has been a bit of an odd process. Some people have suggested that we just get rid of everything and start afresh in Sweden. BUT, I'll admit it, I like most of our stuff and don't really want to get rid of all of it. And even though we are moving to the land of IKEA, we don't want to get there and have to buy everything new, especially since we aren't paying to ship it.


That means all of our stuff gets put in one of 3 categories: ships, goes and stores.  We are taking the beds, a couch, most of our kitchen stuff, some odds and ends that having meaning and purpose to us, PLUS all of G's stuff.   We are selling/giving away: the ugly chair, a couch, kitchen table etc. The ugly chair is a beloved fixture in our lives, and I am a little sad to see it go. I got the ugly chair when I first moved to Seattle from a family friend.  Since I had nothing and they were getting rid of stuff, I gladly took it.  It isn't the most attractive chair but I love it.  It is squishy and rocks and it's way comfy.  M hates it and every chance he gets he tries to get rid of it.  His wish has finally come true, the ugly chair is going to a friend.  I will still have visitation rights.

As for stuff that is getting stored/borrowed,  these are things that we just don't have room for in the shipping container, and probably won't have room in Sweden. Things that I just don't want to part with like the china we got as wedding gifts or the coffee table I made in college (this I don't think would survive the trip).  These few items are going to friends.  They are going to "borrow" these items until we a. move back, b. decide to sell them the item or c. ship it to wherever we are.

As I said earlier this is a weird process.  I  know we are going to the land of IKEA and good stuff, but we need to not feel completely like we are starting over when we get there.  In the end though it is all just stuff and stuff is replaceable.

til next time...