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…
Living in Ireland: Practical Advice for Americans
I realize most of my readers are not expats, but I have to get this information out of my head before I forget! If it saves just one person a tiny bit of anxiety about their move to Ireland, it is worth it. On with the show… We spent two years living in Ireland. I don’t say this lightly. It was the opportunity of a lifetime! People say about our experience, “That must have been amazing. Ireland is so beautiful.” Yes, it was. Yes, it is. However, this is real life and real life under normal circumstances can be freaking hard at times. Throw in a foreign country and you’ve upped…
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…
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…
Movin’ On In
Let me assure you. If there was ever a doubt about where you are moving or why you are moving, five days in a hotel with your two kids will, uh, really firm things up in your mind. Go ahead, try it. After countless questions regarding where their toys are on the moving truck, where the moving truck is, are the movers playing with the toys, will they see their toys again and my absolute favorite, can we get all new toys, you will weep with joy when you see the moving truck pull up to your new house. Plus, eating dinner like this while you wait for your stuff…
See You Later!
We handed over our one-way tickets to the ticketing agent and boarded a plane bound for our new home in Georgia yesterday. One. Way. Ticket. It’s a strange feeling to not have a return trip ticket. It’s not good, it’s not bad, but it is weird with a side of “holy crap we are really moving.” Goodbyes make you think. They make you realize what you’ve had, what you’ve lost, and what you’ve taken for granted. – Ritu Ghatourey We’ve known about this move for close to two years. That’s a long time to live in limbo. On one hand, you try to soak up as many moments and make as…
Packing Up
Yesterday the movers showed up bright and early to start packing up our house for the move to Georgia. As soon as they got here, my 3 year old son said right in front of the movers, “Mom, are the humans going to pack up my backpack?” Humans. Niiiice. The movers laughed and said, “we like this kid already.” Yeah. I’m partial to him! The kids were enamored with the cardboard walkways they laid down. I was thrilled there would be less floor damage. I have my priorities! By the early afternoon, the kitchen and garage were all packed up and loaded. Then a different company came to dismantle the…
