A lot has happened since my last post, so bear with me through a longer one please….
I spent a wonderful and relaxing couple of days with my mom for her birthday. It was a nice preview of what it will be like to live closer to her when we get across the ocean. No big, extravagant plans. Just me and her, sitting in her living room enjoying time together and watching some shows. We ordered dinner in, and went out for breakfast. It was perfect.
We locked in the move date (and hopefully Thailand actually ends up being the right place since we paid a deposit) with the professional pet relocation company. We’re planning for December first. It took a LOT of searching, but we finally found a company that guarantees in-cabin travel for my Frenchie boys, does everything they can to keep them out of kennels or crates for the whole trip, and doesn’t cost me both arms and legs. After the move, I’ll give them a review and a shoutout so everyone will know who moved my boys and how amazing they actually were.
A friend of mine is trying to find a reliable vehicle for her son, but she’s in no real hurry. So they’ve agreed to purchase my truck – and wait until we’re ready to move to actually take it. Which very nicely solves the “I need to sell everything, but I still need them until we leave” problem. It also takes some of the stress out of trying to sell the most difficult big-ticket items at the last minute.
We got rid of 10 boxes of toys from Skipper’s room – several lucky neighbors got boxes of Legos, K’nex, Polly Pockets, play food… and we’re happy they are going to some kids who will actually get to enjoy them.
Ken officially worked his last day at his job. And now, we can make real progress on the other things we’ve been needing to do, so we’ve begun cataloguing all the arcade systems, motorcycles, dirt bikes, and the home gym. These are probably the biggest ticket items we have, so they need to move quickly – they will be funding the rest of the move while we await the sale of our home.
Our real estate agent is coming this afternoon to take a look at the house and help us plan for the updates that need to happen before sale. The general plan is to hand them the keys on our way to the airport, so they can do the updates without us being in the way. Then, they’ll take care of listing and selling the house for us. I don’t know what we would do without an amazing agent like Dillon Pulos at Icon Group – first, he helped us move my mom to Washington from Texas last year, and now he’s going to help us tie up loose ends here so we can begin anew in SE Asia. (Yes, I’m shamelessly giving him a plug, here – he’s absolutely fantastic, and you should work with him if you’re buying or selling a home in the greater Seattle area.)
Through all of this, I’m planning Skipper’s 12th birthday. It’s going to be an epic final birthday in the US. And no, I’m not sharing the theme – I’m not letting anyone steal this idea before she gets to enjoy it!
Although, that does bring me to one very big thing that has come from planning a kid’s birthday party on the way out of the country – parents do NOT like when you ask them not to bring a gift. No matter how you tell them, I think the idea just breaks their brains. But in our specific situation, it’s truly a logistical need – we’re selling, throwing away, or donating almost everything we own. Providing gifts right now just adds to work we have to do. I’ve sent out a follow up to all invitees reinforcing the request and reminding people that we are leaving the country. And letting them know that while I hate to be so blunt, that they should be aware that anything they bring her will most likely end up at the local thrift store after breaking her heart from having to give it up. We’ve given an alternative to those who just can’t wrap their heads around it – invite her over for a playdate before we leave, snap some photos, and send her a handwritten letter with the pictures after we get settled. This way, she can create some lasting memories with the people she’s going to miss most, and have the keepsake of the letter and picture when we get there. I think I’ll frame the photos/letters and create a fun decoration in her new room.
So, parents, whatever your feelings on the matter, PLEASE do not go against the wishes of other parents asking you not to bring gifts to a kid’s party. When we do this, we usually have a very good reason for it – just accept that we’ve thought it through. For us, part of this move is to get away from the very materialistic culture we have here in the US – and bringing gifts only reinforces our need to go elsewhere, while giving us even more to take care of before we can leave.
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