moving
Why This Move Was So Hard
This move was so hard, maybe our hardest yet, for the reason you’d least expect. (If you aren’t caught up on the new house news, read this post.) Was it because we are older than the last move? Possibly, but we are still young at heart. College was only two decades minutes ago. Was it because we moved everything but the piano ourselves? Possibly, but I’ve been working out with the 3 lb. weights, so my arms are pretty buff. Was it because we were on a tight timeframe? No. We had two weeks virtually a lifetime to take our sweet time moving in. Was it because our new house is…
11 Things to Know Before Hiring a Piano Moving and Storage Company
I started playing piano in second grade on a second-hand upright piano bought for me by my grandma. I played that piano for 20 years. Later, with my first big work bonus, I bought myself a baby grand piano. It really is my ‘baby.’ It’s also my ball and chain. I can’t tell you how many of our housing decisions have rested on one key factor: Is there room for the piano? Scratch that. I CAN tell you. It has been ALL of our housing decisions. *sigh* My upright piano lived in five different homes. My baby grand piano has lived in six different homes and two different storage places. Needless…
Living in Ireland: When to Move Back to the U.S.
This was a hard article to write. If you’ve been living in Ireland, how do you know when it’s time to move back home? In our case, home is the United States. If you are an American citizen who moved to Ireland for work, then you probably entered Ireland in one of two ways: on a contract or as a permanent hire. If you were on a contract with a set end-date, then you know when you’ll be leaving. If you entered Ireland as a permanent hire, then your end date (if there is one) is more ambiguous and something you’ll have to determine for yourself. My husband works for…
Sneak Peek of Our New Home
Our goal when we found out Handy Husband was transferring back to the U.S. was to buy a home right away. Do you know what the universe said in response to that notion? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! First, we had a little visa renewal issue, which meant we couldn’t leave Ireland to go look for a home. Well, we could leave, but we might not have been able to reenter Ireland. Then we realized it would be helpful with the mortgage process if Handy Husband was officially on the U.S. payroll, which he wasn’t and the transition date was all tied up with this visa issue. Details, details. If those practical matters weren’t…
7 Funny Truths About Moving
Every time I write about moving I have to do a mental count of how many places we’ve lived – just in case one sneaked by me! Starting with the first house we moved into as a married couple and ending with the current place we are living, we have moved 11 times! We’ve moved domestically and internationally. We’ve lived in an apartment, a townhome, a duplex, and several single family homes. And I know for certain we will move again. All that to say, I’m a self-declared expert on the subject of moving households. I’m also a self-declared expert on the subject of diagnosing medical symptoms with the help of…
Moving! Again!
We are moving! Again! Our time in Ireland has come to an end. I say this with mixed emotions because even when leaving is the right thing to do, it is still hard to say ‘see you later’ to a beautiful place and amazing people. I’ll write more about why we chose to leave Ireland and what factored into our decision in a later article. It’s complicated! The song, America and Me, by Luke Spehar has been stuck in my head since we touched down in the U.S. It’s a catchy tune you may relate to if you’ve ever been filled with wide-eyed wonder with all there is to explore…
Moving Tips to Keep You Sane
Last week I mentioned my number one moving tip to end all moving tips. No, it wasn’t go to a beach and sip daiquiris while someone else does all the hard work. Although, I’d like to research that one just to see how viable it is. It would be tough, but I could take one for the team and do lots and lots of research. My number one moving tip was to designate a Parts Box to hold all of the small parts and pieces for your belongings. This includes parts for the bed frames, clock hands, screws and anchors, furniture feet, shelving pins, etc. It will save your bacon. Trust me.…
My Number One Moving Tip
Between Handy Husband and I, we’ve lived in Oregon (a few different times), Washington, Canada, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Georgia and now Ireland. We have enjoyed the luxury of being moved by moving companies, domestically and internationally. We have loaded our stuff in a uHaul. We have loaded our stuff in my dad’s cattle trailer. Don’t worry, he hosed the manure out. Just think about that one for a minute. We have moved our stuff in the back of a car. Yes, a sectional does fit in a Toyota Venza. If you take 3 trips. If anyone wants to question my moving credentials, I think I have the market cornered on all…
Moving to Ireland: Human Kindness is Overflowing
Our first week in Ireland has been a WHIRLWIND. Apparently, the motto in our house is “hit the ground running.” Just once I’d like to try dialing it back a notch to see how “hit the ground after this Netflix binge” feels. I’ll bet it feels nice…and not jet-lagged. Jet lag aside, I don’t want to give the impression that this week has been without any bumps in the road. Every good adventure has a few of those. However, as I keep my eyes focused on the big picture, I can’t help but feel I’ve seen the kinder side of humanity this week. Surprising? It sure as heck surprised me! In…
Adventure Awaits
There has been a frenzy of activity behind the scenes of this little blog. This happened. Then this happened. That’s right! We are moving! Again. Ha! Handy Husband accepted a new job with his same company and a transfer to Ireland! IRELAND. As in that foreign country that’s really pretty and green with a pub on every corner. That Ireland. Even though I am mired in all of the moving details, it still sounds unreal when I say it out loud. This has been a collective dream of ours since college, but even more so after we had children. We want our children to grow up considering themselves to be global citizens with a…
