And then it was empty...

Wow, this place looks really nice without all the stuff! There is really a fine line between "personal touches" and "excess clutter." I think we crossed it way back in September.

This was my favorite and least stressful packout ever. I'd like to say I'm getting better at these things, but really the reason is that we didn't have most of our stuff. We only brought 700 pounds of stuff to VA from the DR, and acquired a bit more stuff, but not much! We had probably 300 pounds set aside for UAB, so they kept telling us to go find more stuff to send by air. The best problem to have! I don't know how much our final HHE shipment was, as they will weigh that back at the office, but it wasn't a lot.

I want to go on record saying that my husband was right. Last time, when we packed out of the DR, he wanted us to completely pack our suitcases before packout. I organized and packed our clothes, but decided that I couldn't REALLY pack everything because I still needed a lot of it before we left post. Well, really the issue was that I hate organizing toiletries and the sock/underwear drawer and all the random stuff, so I left them for last. Plus shoes, bags, etc etc. Let's just say that we had SO MUCH last minute stuff that I don't know how we got it into the bags and under weight.

This time, we actually have an entirely empty suitcase and 2 half-empty bags! Woohoo! I tried to be more ruthless about bringing less clothes. So what if I wear the same outfit a lot?

We will be on home leave for the next 5 weeks, and then my family stays in OR for another month, so I'm pretty sure we'll fill those bags with stuff. Besides, my son is having a birthday during this time. But still, I feel really good about not packing our bags to the brim at this point.

We had a lovely get together last night with some new and old friends. I found it hard to be as social as I like to be during this time in VA. People (us included) were busy and stressed learning new languages and I think many of us with kids packed a ton of activities into the weekends. It was kind of a knee-jerk reaction after not having enough to do in the DR (other than pools and beaches...oh, how I miss them!). Anyway, maybe next time in VA, we will try to take more time to smell the flowers and spend quality time with people. I'm grateful, though, for the new friends we made and the old friendships we nurtured as best we could!

Ok, 3 blog posts in 3 days is a little much. Let me sign off.

Adios, Republica Dominicana!

Well, we made it back to the States. That statement doesn't exactly have the same excitement factor as "We made it to China!", but it feels pretty darn good. It is great to be home.

I don't know how, but we fit nearly everything into our 8 suitcases (well, 5 L.L. Bean duffle bags, and 3 suitcases) and 8 carry-ons. The kids pulled their rolling backpacks easily and Mama and Daddy were left with 6 other bags. One for each hand and one on each back. It is not a travel strategy I recommend, but when we traveled to post we felt like we needed stuff in case our luggage was lost, and this time, we just couldn't fit it all into fewer bags. Anyway, the porter at National Airport was happy to see us.

My goal is to become better at organizing and estimating the stuff that's left AFTER packout is over. This time, we packed our suitcases in advance, but there is still so much stuff you don't think about until the movers leave. Or something.

I think that over the last two years, we shed almost a thousand pounds of stuff. I feel pretty good about that- we gave it all away to our Dominican housekeeper, driver, and doorman, who will sell, use, or distribute the stuff to others. I think I'm pretty good at evaluating whether we use/need stuff and giving it away, and I'm getting better...but there is still room to go. My husband and I are in agreement that we are going to try to buy less stuff over the next year, and commit to giving something away when something new comes into the house. I also want to buy the right stuff- when you have the right thing, you don't need 3 more substitutes. I gave away a bunch of old towels and sheet sets that we kept even though we didn't like them- what for?

Anyway, a few highlights from our trip:

Lots of bags.

I took the quintessential Dominican picture on our way to the airport. Avocado truck, in case you can't tell. Yes, that's the beautiful road to/from the airport. Every time I drove it, I felt at peace...

The kids pretended to fall asleep during the long time it took to check our millions of bags.

Goodbye Dominican Republic! Thanks for two amazing years! We'll be back!

The kids are getting to be good travelers. They were quite enamored with Jet Blue and its screens on every seat. Um, me too. Can't we fly Jet Blue to China???

Ah, back in the land of fast food...although we ate plenty of it in the DR, so I really can't blame that on the U.S....

A few thoughts/observations on reentry:

• Our first morning here, L kept asking to walk around, something she never did in the DR. It felt so great to just walk on the sidewalk, knowing we were safe. Sadly, the high crime rate in the DR means that we didn't do a lot of walking- we drove everywhere. 
• M kept putting his fleece jacket on and off. It was probably 75 degrees on our first day back. This is a kid who used to hate warm clothes and was always hot. He's apparently acclimated to the Caribbean now. 
• As we drove by the Washington Monument on our way home from the airport, I felt that familiar twinge of sadness that it will be just a short visit. And then D and I looked at each other and realized- we're staying a while! We hope to enjoy D.C. to the fullest.

Today we fly to Oregon for a few weeks of vacation with the family, and then Rehobeth Beach for one last week of fun. Then we move into Oakwood and the Chinese training will begin! Looking forward to everything.

Whew, that was close!

Yesterday, I was cleaning out my files at work, and for some unknown reason, I opened the form I sent to GSO (the office managing my move) with information about where our shipments should go.

I filled out this form myself about 3 months ago.

It had two China addresses- one for our Household Effects (HHE), which is most of our stuff. And one for our Unaccompanied Air Baggage (UAB), the 700 pounds that's supposed to accompany us to Virginia.

Yes, a China address for the UAB. The UAB that I've been painstakingly organizing for months, so that the kids have their favorite toys and the rest of us have the items we need to live in Virginia for almost a whole year.

I was like, "HOLY XXXX!"

I called GSO right away and of course, the shipments guy has seen it all. It appears I was lucky because the shipment hasn't left the country yet and was only picked up a few days ago. So that crisis was averted and hopefully our stuff will make it to VA.

Everyone tells you to check your orders carefully. And I did. It had all the right things going to the right places. I made this mistake myself. And it makes me worry and wonder about what else is messed up.

Goodbye, stuff!

Packout is over. Can I get a hallelujah!? I almost didn't make it. There is practically nothing more miserable than the night before a move or packout, when there is stuff all over the house and you are so tired you can barely keep going. I just wanted to cry about all the mess and all the stuff that still needed sorting. If it wasn't that important, ok, I could let it go. But our desk full of important papers and other stuff? I couldn't really let the movers just throw it in a box. My husband has been scanning like crazy and soon we won't have this problem (though there is always paper...). Honestly, I have given so many things to my housekeeper and driver over the last two years that I can't believe we still have so much stuff.

So, our strategy:

• We packed our suitcases, for the most part, and moved them and the carry-ons into our bedroom, which we kept locked at all times. The suggestion to put these items in a closet, bathroom or car is comical to me! We needed the whole room! What a mess. We are taking more carry-ons than we vowed we would this time around, but we have some new bags and D just wanted to be sure we'd have enough room for all the last minute stuff. 
• In the living room, we designated an area for UAB, or Unaccompanied Air Baggage, the only stuff we'll have with us in Virginia. It's also the stuff we'll send to China first, so we needed to add things like linens, which we won't actually need in VA. The UAB became a huge mess, as I threw stuff into the pile. I did try to keep the most important items in the front and know what they were, since it was soon obvious that we had more than the 700 lbs allotted to us. The movers let us tell them what should go into UAB, so that worked fine (they weighed the boxes right in our house), but we are sad about some peripheral stuff that we just couldn't fit. Luckily, the boy-sized stuffed shark will be with us in VA. 
• Here's about half of our UAB pile. See the shark in the upper right hand corner (upside down)? The other half of UAB was large plastic containers in which I like to pack our clothes and linens. I feel more safe that way, but the containers themselves add some weight. 

Here are our 8 UAB boxes, ready to go. I liked how they wrapped them with plastic AND metal belts.

• Our HHE (Household Effects, which will travel to Belgium, I think, and wait for us until we arrive in China) was in another part of the living room. We also had some HHE items in the other rooms. The kitchen was confusing, because we had welcome kit stuff there, in addition to HHE, and I was worried they would pack everything. (The Embassy gives us a welcome kit containing basic linens and kitchen items, and it's used before our shipments arrive and after they leave. We will donate it when we fly out). So I pulled out the HHE kitchen items and put them on the dining room table for them to pack. It's hard to think we won't see this stuff for possibly 18 mos. It's just stuff, and I can live without it, but I'm slightly bummed about not having my serving dishes and other items I use for entertaining at Oakwood. I guess it's just as well since I won't have much room- entertaining will be casual. I'm planning to buy a new set of light-weight melamine dishes, including serving dishes! That will be super fun. Going forward, I won't stress about the nicer stuff, I'll just know that the melamine stuff goes in UAB and that's that.

The movers were really quick and complimented us on not having so much stuff. Hah! I feel like I have WAY TOO MUCH.

So, it's off! Goodbye, stuff! Please make it safely to your destinations!

Almost there

We have 3 days until packout.
12 days until we leave.

I don't feel too stressed or crazy, but sleep is starting to elude me....I'm waking up earlier and earlier. And sometimes, if I wake at 3am, I can't fall back to sleep. That is just not ok.

It's definitely easier that we're going back home, to the land of plenty, to a home the kids remember, to my family just 20 minutes away. So you know, I don't need to remember to buy everything in sight. I'm glad about that.

Work has been super relaxing. If you work in a visa mill, you'll find that statement pretty funny. But really, I'm no longer Deputy ACS Chief, I've had a whole month to clean out my rack of cases, my email, and my desk drawers. I interview most days, but ACS interviewing is done by 12/1pm, so that's manageable. I've been lucky.

I took today off to get ready for packout. If I do say so myself, scheduling packout on Monday and Tuesday was pretty clever. I'll have the whole weekend to prepare. Because when I come home at the end of a weekday, I can never get anything done.

Today we're going to practice packing our suitcases. We didn't really do this last time, and we ended up with a ton of stuff crammed into the bags that we didn't really want to hand carry. Plus, I tried to organize the bags so that we didn't have to touch some of them while in Puerto Rico, but it didn't work. This time, we're heading to Oregon two days after we land in DC, so I want to have Oregon bags and stay in MD bags packed in advance.

Anyway, should be fun. What I hate about moving is ALL THE RANDOM STUFF. Clothes, toys, pots and pans: easy. It's the little things that live all over the house that threaten to do me in.

It's definitely possible to start on the departure checklist in advance. I have at least 2/3 of the signatures already, which eases my mind a bit. Things feel under control. Uh-oh. Hope that's not a bad sign.

So, I'll be back during/after packout. Stay tuned to see if the B family learned anything from their previous packouts. The idea is that you're supposed to get good at this moving thing. I don't think I'm there yet.

5 weeks

The weeks are flying by. I'm going to blink and we'll be on a plane flying away from this beautiful tropical island.

My last month at work should be pretty manageable. My boss took mercy on me and asked my colleagues to take over leadership of the ACS unit so I can concentrate on checking out and clearing out cases and projects. I am grateful.

We have orders! So our packout is scheduled and flights are booked. Now I need to get started on that 5+ page checkout checklist. It's a doozy.

I haven't done a lot with our mess of an apartment. My husband started scanning a bunch of documents- we're hoping to go paperless, but we've had trouble finding the motivation to go through all those papers.

The kids had their last days of school, which involved some tears. They are in camp at M's school and seem to be enjoying it.

I've been really focused on signing my kids up for different activities in VA. They are enrolled in Sunday Chinese class, dance class (L), and advanced swim class (M). We still have soccer, too. I'm trying to get all this stuff in order so that our first weeks will be as easy as possible. I want to start Chinese with as few distractions as possible.

We are booking one last weekend at an all-inclusive. I'm getting so sad about leaving this place. It's all about the sunshine and the beaches for me. I will miss them so.

Making progress...

I know, two posts in one week? Crazy.  

Have you all seen this great new book produced by AAFSW and authored by many of my friends and fellow bloggers? I just ordered it on kindle last night and stayed up too late reading the great packout tips and funny travel stories. 

Last weekend, we spent three days organizing. Sometimes I just need to start and then I get motivated from the progress and can keep up the momentum. I think that's what happened, but this book will help, too! Our guest room is full of labeled plastic boxes and piles (I'm one of those FS people who likes to organize in plastic bins. It makes packout/organizing my stuff easier and the movers don't seem to mind - they can, of course, go through the bins if they want to). 

The kids have become pros at donating toys, and that makes me really proud. In fact, sometimes they want to donate a toy they just received! We have to negotiate about that. Last weekend, we organized my 6yo's toys and weighed everything- he has about 30 pounds of toys. I expect my 5yo will have about the same. Their books will be a different story.

Well, just a quick post for today. It's a holiday and I have to get started on my Saturday morning routine: working on my DR photo book. I'm up to 103 pages and found out the limit is 111. At first, I panicked, but then I realized Shutterfly is doing me a favor and requiring me to create better pages.

Hasta luego!

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.'

Counting down

Only three months left. I was right in that time is racing by. I am both sad about leaving and excited about our next adventure. We are taking three weeks of vacation in Oregon and Maryland before starting Chinese training, and we're all really looking forward to that (we'll do home leave before leaving for China). And then we hunker down for 9 mos of language- right now I am nervous and excited at the same time about that.

I haven't found the motivation to get serious about packout. I think it's time, but for some reason, my heart isn't in organizing right now. Maybe because it's such a big task? We have stuff everywhere and I have cleaned out drawers before, only to have them fill up with junk again, so I guess I'm trying to wait until the last minute. Not the brightest strategy.

It is also totally overwhelming to think about what to bring in suitcases, UAB (unaccompanied air baggage, arrives more quickly) to VA, and HHE (household effects, takes longer to arrive). We have to keep in mind that anything we want UAB to China has to go in UAB to VA. So even though I don't need linens or much kitchen stuff in VA, I have to send them so that they can go in the quicker shipment to China. I've heard rumors that our slower shipment might take 6 mos to be delivered once we arrive in country, so I'm trying to think of everything we'd like to have early on.

I used to thrive on this kind of organizing. Right now, I'm just tired. I wonder why? Work is pretty grueling; I usually work 7am to 6pm every day and I'm pretty exhausted when I get home. We've had some awesome visitors lately (more posts to follow!) so we haven't been home much. Anyway, it needs to get done and I really don't want to do it at the very last minute!

Everyone is asking me about a bucket list. I really think we've hit everywhere I wanted to go. I have only two goals right now: spend more time in the Colonial Zone and visit the Mercado Modelo. D never liked the Colonial Zone, so we didn't spend a lot of time there, but I just love it and want to explore it some more. I'm thinking about taking myself on a walking tour there.

So, yea. Three months. Flying by. 

Settling in

We seem to be settling into Santo Domingo nicely. Last week, our car arrived - 3 weeks since arrival and 4 weeks since shipment. Everyone tells me that was pretty quick, but boy, did it feel like a long time. Driving out of the Embassy compound in 'Little Grey' (she was named by M) was seriously the best feeling ever. I never appreciated the posts about cars arriving until I too was in the same shoes. We were spending at least $20/day on taxis and were constantly worried about the kids' safety in the crazy SD traffic. It was always a toss up as to whether the taxi would have seatbelts or not. For some reason, we waited until about 2 weeks in to call a driver someone had recommended who speaks English and drives a well-equipped Toyota Sienna minivan. He was only slightly more expensive than the going rate and I wish we had used him from the start.

We spent a lovely long weekend in Bayahibe, a resort area about 2-2.5 hours from our home. There were 3 other new embassy families and 3 families who are leaving within a few mos. We stayed at an all-inclusive hotel that is modest, but charming and lush. As we walked to our room for the first time, L asked "is this the rainforest, Mama?" We spent most of the weekend sitting in the middle of the pool, chatting with new and old friends, while trying to keep an eye on our kids who were roaming free in the huge shallow section. Everytime I looked for M, I saw his feet or bottom, as he spent the entire time diving underwater. I am so proud of how far he has come with his swimming in such a short time!

The beach looked a little battered by the storm, but was delightful nonetheless. And you know the best part? $300 for all 4 of us, including food/drinks, for the whole weekend. Definitely the cheapest family vacation we've ever had. I am already wondering how the next post will possibly live up.

Yesterday, our air freight arrived! It took 5 weeks to arrive - a little longer than I expected, but we managed. So far, the only thing I wish I had packed was my guest room sheets/blankets/pillows. We brought our own pillows in our luggage, and lots of towels in UAB, but for some reason, I did not put guest bedding in there. We're expecting a Peace Corps volunteer guest this weekend and the good news is that she'll be happy with anything, but I'd like to pamper her a little.

The kids are so happy to see their toys. Apparently, L didn't look up from her things for hours, except to ask Daddy to open something. We mailed ourselves a package of toys/treats/books before we left, and I think next time I'll include a few games, too. Once they have played w/ all the toys we brought in our luggage, a game can be stimulating and played repeatedly.

M is still doing well in school. We hope to get L registered within a week- we've been having trouble deciding. I'm hoping once we do that, D can start regular Spanish classes. He's been really wonderful and I know it has not been easy. I would like him to be able to claim his own time.

That's enough from me for now.

Travel recap

We still don't have our own internet connection, but my husband has rigged something with VPN and someone else's connection and I'm not asking questions. I wanted to recap our trip before I get into life here. The following post was written in San Juan when Blogger was down.

August 10, 2011
Hello from San Juan! Well, we're halfway there. I'm not exactly sure how we managed to cram all our final stuff into our bags, but somehow we did. There was SO much last minute stuff- I completely underestimated it. After packout, I checked out for about 2 days and then snapped to on the last day. I don't recommend this strategy!

In total, we had 8 suitcases/duffels, 2 car seats (so 10 checked bags), 8 carry-ons, plus 2 purse type things that were frantically crammed into too-full backpacks when it was time to board.

The colorful LL Bean duffles make me so happy! They were fabulous on the trip.

 Too much stuff! We tried to separate the things we'd need for our Pto Rico stay into our carry-ons, so I wouldn't have to wear something embarrassing if our luggage was lost, and so we wouldn't have to open every bag in the hotel, but I'm afraid our strategy failed. There were just too many things that wouldn't fit or weren't allowed- toiletries, sunscreen, shoes, stuffed animals, etc.

We had one last snack on the balcony while waiting for Super Shuttle. We took a moment to say goodbye to Oakwood, and especially the pool, where M learned to swim not long ago!

Finally, it was time to get this B show on the road.

The kids got a kick out of the blue van.

 The first flight was fine. The highlight was M falling asleep randomly around 1pm with his ginky on his head. I thought he was just playing around until I peeked under the blanket. Poor little guy was just worn out.

It was pouring in Miami as we arrived, so our flight ended up being delayed 3 hours. We didn't take off until 9pm and arrived around midnight. I must say that as I struggled to keep the kids tranquil and fed during the layover, I thought about my mom colleagues traveling to far-away places like India or the Philippines...I don't know how you do it!

This little imp kept whining every 10 min that she was hungry, but wouldn't eat what I gave her.

The kids fell asleep mid-flight, and L didn't wake at all- we transferred her from plane to stroller to van to bed (we traveled with a kid-sized aerobed- great idea and it will be her bed until her own toddler bed arrives in HHE).

We're staying in a lovely hotel, the San Juan Marriott. The two pools are perfect for kids as they are both quite shallow and even L can walk easily in certain areas. The beach is large and beautiful with soft sand. It was a good choice.

I was up early to travel to the DHS office here. I was able to observe some interviews, which were fascinating. Tomorrow we head to Santo Domingo- we are all very eager to get there!

August 14, 2011
Ok, back to present time. I will blog about our arrival and first few days, along with photos of the apartment, in the next day or two. Thanks to everyone for the kind emails and good wishes. We are so happy to be 'home.'

Survived my first packout!

Huge sigh of relief over here in B land! We did it. I made it through my first packout (if you recall...a small storm prevented us from packing out from NY in January. My husband packed us out of NY in April but I could not miss class).

So, I was up at 5:30am today, but it really wasn't necessary. I had just finished sorting the last areas of messiness when there was a knock on the door. Perfect timing! I am really quite surprised we were that ready. And my mama wasn't even here to help me! A little different from my past moves.

We had two packers; one of whom was 76 years old. He asked us to call him Pop- I'm pretty sure I've read about him elsewhere. I felt a bit guilty watching him wrestle with those full crates. They were rather slow, and some boxes were dropped as they were leaving, but I liked them- they were polite and fairly careful (my husband did have to rescue our new flat screen TV from an almost fall) and they didn't pack anything that said "DO NOT PACK." We basically had three areas for them to pack: UAB (unaccompanied air baggage) behind the couch, HHE (household effects- ground/boat shipment) in the kids room, HHE on the dining room table. They heeded our request to leave the kitchen and master bedroom alone. So, hopefully, no full trash cans or cooked hams have been packed (FS legends...). I'm fairly certain I didn't make a ham this morning.

The only thing I can't find is the flip flops I was wearing. And after they left, D asked me what we're doing with our laundry baskets. Whoops! Guess my mom is getting some new baskets.

I forgot the best part!! 700 pounds (our allotted air shipment for a family of four) is a LOT of stuff! They took one look and said, that's not enough. I brought out more stuff THREE TIMES! Honestly, I'm pretty sure we could live off our UAB easily. We'll see when we get there, won't we?

A random thought - I was just looking at my UAB pics from December, and I think I had things much more organized this time around. I bought a lot more plastic storage boxes and used them plus the kids toy storage units to group and organize things. I didn't quite get to the magnificent level of the Kerns family, but there's always next time. Let me tell you- the movers did not mind AT ALL that some boxes were packed for them. I have to believe it was easier and quicker for them and better for me on the other side.

Another random tidbit- I didn't realize that the day of packout would be so relaxing! Who knew!? Once they arrived, my job was basically done.

And now, some photographic proof. Can't believe it's finally happening!

These big guys are the UAB boxes. We had 4.5 of them.

I liked how if they didn't have a box, they just wrapped it up in paper. Hope the wrapping survives the journey. 

Goodbye stuff! Have a safe journey! See you in the DR!

Packout is here!

Today's the day! I can safely say blogging is the last thing I should be doing, but I always loved packout posts so I have to contribute my own.

Yesterday D and I spent the day packing our suitcases and clearing out the master bedroom. That will be the no-fly zone, aka the area the packers will not enter (we hope). After hearing all those stories about having passports and other critical things packed, I'm not taking any chances.

I had already created the UAB (air shipment), for the most part. I'm curious to see what 700 lbs looks like (that's the amount our family of four is allowed to send by air).

Here's the master closet with our packed bags and random items we plan to use over the next few days (we fly out on Tuesday). That blue duffel is filled with sheets for all of us, a portable bed for little L, and the pillows D and I can't live without. Yes, the welcome kit will have sheets, but I think making their beds with familiar sheets is a good way to help the kids feel at home immediately. 

Here are 2 shots of the UAB. I took them last night so they are dark. Let's hope we're including the right stuff! This will arrive in SD first- hopefully within a few weeks.

And here's the HHE (household effects, or ground shipment). I'm not expecting to see this for a few months, but I don't really know the standard for the DR. We didn't buy a lot of consumable items, but as you can see, there are some.

Time to get this show on the road! Will be back to post tonight, if I survive!

1 week!

Well, I am now officially able and authorized to do my job. I graduated from ConGen today, and it was bittersweet. I'm excited to get this show on the road, arrive in Santo Domingo, and start our new life. But I can't help but be sad about the one we're leaving. I know, that's the way of the FS. This has been such an exciting and positive move for our family. After so many years in difficult jobs, I feel like I came alive again professionally. We've made wonderful friends, spent time with old ones, and of course, soaked up time with beloved Grammy and Grandpa.

I'm sad to leave Oakwood Falls Church - it's been a fun, worry-free, comfortable (central a/c!), convenient (10 min commute!) home for us. It's nice to think we will be back here someday. I'm really sad to leave FSI daycare- what a wonderful place it has been for my children. I am so grateful they had room for us and so grateful for the wonderful caregivers and administration. And in general, I'm sad to leave FSI itself. I've often thought about blogging about how lovely the FSI campus is. There are windows in every classroom and beautiful open passageways that connect the buildings. Not all workplaces are attractive and I'm glad for the time I spent here. I will look forward to coming back. It's funny; many people complain about Oakwood and being at FSI and even Northern VA, and I just find it all really hard to understand. I feel so lucky to have lived and worked in these places.

I can't believe how far we've come since that cold New Year's Day when we drove down from New York.

I can't wait to see what's in store for us.

We have one day to prepare for packout. Movers come on Thursday. Wish us luck.

GTD (getting things done)

I somehow thought I'd have lots of time to blog while the family was away. Sure, maybe...if I hadn't been preparing for packout. I've been shopping and making big messes- I mean piles- everywhere. I thought I'd do some project every night, but I have now learned that I just don't have organizing energy on weeknights, even when I'm free at 6pm and not 9. I am a morning person.

So, tomorrow's my last day w/o the family. I've been cruising down my to-do list like there's no tomorrow. Actually, there is a tomorrow- packout on Thurs- and it is quickly approaching.

Today, during my 3 hour ConGen lunch break, I did the following:
- visited the post office to mail packages
- dropped off 4 bags at Goodwill
- went to the doctor
- submitted my final voucher
- confirmed that Santo Domingo will accept my car documents
- and a few more extraneous tasks.

I must say, I was terribly efficient. My mama will be proud.

My babies come back tomorrow night. I can't wait to snuggle them tight. It's been a little too long, but it sounds like they had a wonderful time with their family in Oregon.

I should probably go find something packout related to do.

3 weeks and counting

Sitting at home waiting for the pre-move surveyor to come. We pack out in 2 weeks. ACK! Before writing that, I didn't actually realize. Deep breaths.

My family left for Oregon yesterday. We usually go there every summer to visit with D's parents and 3 sisters, one of whom lives in Alaska w/ her husband and 3 kids. They will be gone for 11 days, which is the longest I've ever been separated from my babies. I'm sad I couldn't go with them- I am one of those lucky people who loves her husband's family and enjoys spending time with them. I also love Oregon and especially Sunriver, OR,  where they are renting a home. My kids are going to enjoy some good old-fashioned American fun with their cousins- bike-riding, walking on trails, playing in the woodsy playgrounds...as we like to say in the B household, 'doesn't get much better than that.'

But the good news is that 1) I'll have uninterrupted time to get ready for packout, and 2) I love my job! I'm not sad in the least about having to go to school every day.

Consular training continues to be awesome. We have been doing interview role plays to prepare for the real thing, and although the first day was mildly terrifying, by the third, I felt pretty good. We finished non-immigrant visas and will soon start learning about American Citizen Services, i.e. all the ways we can help (or are unable to help) Americans in trouble abroad. I'm really hoping to be able to do a rotation in ACS while I'm in Santo Domingo.

Let's see, what else? We sold our little car in about 1.5 days. Nice work, D! Goodbye, Goldie...we will miss you. You were our first car and brought our little M home from the hospital. Thanks.

Still trying to ship the new one. What a nightmare of a process!

We have some 158th classmates leaving this week- goodbye and good luck, friends! See you next time!

Ok, off to review my to-do list!

Random thoughts on packout

We're still here in NY, organizing and piling and packing and cleaning up messes. We kind of slowed down the pace after the packout was canceled. My husband took another load down to DC today. I will drive down tomorrow to take over care of the kids, who are with my parents (thank you, thank you!). We move into Oakwood on Saturday afternoon. Can't wait to get settled!

Some random thoughts about packout:

• Do we have too many clothes? None of us is a clothes horse (is that the expression?), but we each have like 3-4 bags of clothes. We cannot travel abroad with this much. So of course, in a global sense, we have too many clothes. There are people around the world who have nothing but the shirts on their backs. I am really good about purging, but I do keep clothes that I don't love, but wear once in a while. That stuff has to go. And we'll see about the rest of it. 
• Do we have too many toys? Yes, of course. This fact has been established. :) We're going to be very popular at Oakwood, I think, but we are going to be selective about how much of the toy store we take abroad. 
• People have said this is the hardest packout, because we don't know how long we'll be in DC and where we're going afterwards. This can't possibly be true for us, perhaps because we live close enough to DC and have a house in which to store stuff for a while. When we move abroad, we really have to decide what are the essentials, and either travel with or send those things in our UAB. Right now, we are basically bringing everything we want. If we can't fit it now, we'll come back later and get it. We can bring 10 bags of clothes, including an entire suitcase full of suits. We can bring half-full bottles of olive oil and shampoo and even the frozen chicken in the freezer. That won't work when we leave for post (I hear departing FSOs have parties to give this stuff away). And then you have to worry about your suitcases making it and your UAB arriving. And of course, your choices about what to bring all depend on the country you're going to. Whew, I'm tired just thinking about it. 

Ok, back to work. Time to tackle the kitchen.

Lesson #1: Be flexible

So..we've had a little change in plans. There was this tiny snowstorm up and down the East Coast...some called it a blizzard...and now the front of the house looks like this:

And the street looks like this:

And it's going to be a bit difficult for a moving truck to park.

So we're on to Plan B. We postponed the packout and we're going to drive down later this week with lots of stuff (since my husband already took a load down on Saturday, we should be able to carry all the essentials). Then, we'll decide if we want to reschedule soon and have the UAB sent to us, or just load it into the car. We don't have that much for UAB, at this point. 

This all means that D will handle the HHE/storage packout alone, since I can't take any time off during A-100. I'm a little worried about this aspect of Plan B, but what can I do? So we might end up with our beach umbrellas in Vladivostok, but we'll roll with it.

We got a lot of snow. After being cooped up for days, little M was happy to get outside. He played for at least 30 minutes before the wind and cold got to him. L lasted only a few minutes.

You can tell it was a windy storm, as normally our covered porch stays snow-free...

I do love our house and street in the snow. They are so pretty.

A good lesson in FS flexibility.

Taking a break

Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating today. 

We've been busy around here. Yesterday, D's aunt and uncle came to play with the kids while we worked some more. As always, it was wonderful to see them and we appreciated their help so much (and apparently Auntie L reads my blog, so Hi!!).

It was fun to see Uncle P, who is an architect, get into building with M.

I didn't get any shots of Auntie L, but did get one of little L enjoying the new tutu they brought her.

As for progress, I've emptied out the kids room, packed half of my clothes, and organized the office/mud room. I took things out of UAB and put others in. I found my daughter playing in the UAB once again.

After much debate, we decided D should take some stuff down to MD today to store for a week at my parents' home. We were worried about fitting anything else in the minivan after the toddler bed and crib were loaded. In fact, we were able to fit lots more, including our work clothes, files, some toys, non-perishable food, crockpot, etc. I am going to miss my Sienna.

Here are some pics taken before my husband set out. He's going to drive ~9 hours roundtrip today. Thank you honey! The good news is that there should be no traffic at all.

The kids were delighted to find their carseats inside. They wanted to be strapped in, and it was quite tempting to leave them there all day while I got to work. But unfortunately, they didn't like that idea.

Ok, that's enough from me. The kids are asleep and I've more packing to do. Ciao!

T-5 days

Yesterday was my last day of work. It was chaotic, kind, and quick. I worked there for 4 years- that's the longest I've ever been at a job, so even though I was glad to go, I did shed a tear or two upon leaving.

Next up?
Preparing for packout. YEA.

Kids are at daycare. I ran some errands and now I'm alone with my mess of an office. Still a little too early to pack clothes or the kitchen. So the office it is. Wish me luck.