2 months left

Well, it's transfer season, that time of year when thousands of Foreign Service families pick up and move from one country to another. I will probably start blogging more since I used to love to read organizing, packout, and travel stories (and maybe I like writing them, too...).

I have been crazy busy in ACS and have not had the time/energy to do many tasks related to our transfer. But this week, one of my bosses shared her strategies for ensuring a successful transfer, and I became really anxious at the thought that I have not been on top of things. I hate doing things at the last minute that could have been done before or missing out on something I wanted just because I submitted my request too late. Since that meeting, I've taken care of a few tasks and feel MUCH better.

So here's what it looks like from my end, 2 months out:

- submitted my itinerary a few months ago, just waiting for orders
- submitted my request for packout dates and other necessary forms to get the ball rolling in GSO
- started the registration process for school for the kids in VA
- investigated some extracurriculur activities for the kids in VA
- planned a beach weekend for another photo shoot with the wonderful photographer we used before (I blogged about it in March, but the photos were taken in Oct. Seems a little soon to do it again, but I can't leave without a beach photo shoot!)
- continuing to work on my DR Shutterfly photo book- I hope to have it finished by the time we leave, so I can order it right away
-  started purging our belongings (I do this all year around, but I think there will still be plenty to give away!)


One thing that is challenging is that we basically have to take all of the kids' toys and books to VA, since they will likely grow out of everything in a year. I am being rather ruthless about toys that we don't need to keep, which we are donating to our nanny and driver.

So, in summary, it's getting busy around here! Hopefully, I can keep up my motivation and 'stay on target.'