Packing and Purging...Let the Fun Begin!

So now we're officially on the journey to go abroad in a couple of months.  Even though I feel like April is a long time away, I feel certain it will be here in no time.  Not to mention that BK's travel schedule is CRAZY- Switzerland (of course) Bangkok, Miami, a couple of leadership conferences- all before the middle of March.  I like to give him a hard time about how I'm pretty much going to get us ready for this move by myself while he's globe trotting around the world.

Even though it seems really early, packing and purging has begun in our house.  Right now I'm more in about getting rid of excess things that we have and won't need overseas.  Some things are staying with our house since our good friend KR will be living here while we're gone and has agreed that things like my china, our bedroom furniture and BK's wine fridge can stay with her.

I wouldn't go as far as to say that I "pride" myself on not keeping a lot of random stuff, but it's pretty close.  My theory is typically that if I'm going to throw it away in five years, I might as well throw it away now.  I don't need a lot of stuff cluttering up my life.  I deal well with chaos in life much better if my house and life are in order.  Hence, no clutter.

As I say all of this, for two people who don't keep a lot of stuff, there is a lot of stuff to get rid of!  It started with the coat closet.  BK and I bought new ski clothes this weekend and before I stuffed them in the closet with the other coats I decided I had to see what else was in there.  I would say we got rid of about 10 coats and jackets- just ones that we never wear and don't want to take.  I also found that if it is stored in another room (outside of seasonal clothing being rotated out) we don't need it and never, ever wear it.

I've discovered my next quandary is what to do with the various piles of clothing and items that are now in my life.  There is the donate pile, which will obviously go away, but will have to be done through numerous trips, as I can't deal with piles around the house.  The one that tripped me up is that the clothing we want to keep- some of it will be shipped to Switzerland, but the other stuff we will need to pack and take with us on the airplane.  I really don't want to put it back in the closets or furniture that I just cleaned out, but I also can't deal with the mess.  If you visit us over the next couple of months, don't judge- it's only because we're in a transition period!

To all you pack rats out there- I sincerely hope you never have to move.  If you do plan on moving, I would give yourself at least six months to go through all that stuff!

Normally I post at least one picture with each blog, but as I don't like when our house is a mess, no picture on this one.

Learning to Love a Coat

BK and I have two weenie dogs that I lovingly call “the brown dog” i.e. Tanner, and “the fluffy dog” i.e. Toby.  They seriously could not be more different from one another.  I like to tell BK that Tanner is his dog, as he is a total pain in the ass, and Toby is my dog, mostly because BK got him for me for my birthday and he’s really laid back.  

Tanner is extremely high maintenance, high strung and absolutely the alpha dog in our house.  He is a short-haired dachshund who makes his presence known by barking incessantly at anything that moves or makes a noise. He’s hard not to love when he is just so darn snuggly all the time.  Toby on the other hand is super laid back, doesn’t bark if Tanner is not around and all he wants in life is to be with us.  Tobs is a long-haired dachshund who is a little bigger than the miniature than we thought we were getting.  He’s like the gentle giant, even though he does only weigh 16 pounds.  The other huge difference is that one loves the cold and snow and one despises it.  

Toby, assumingly because of his long, fluffy coat, loves the cold and even likes to go frolic in the snow (as evidenced by the picture with his friend, the snowman).  The snow gets all tangled in his hair because it's usually up to his body, which tends to happen when your legs are six inches long. I have no doubt that Toby will have no problem acclimating to a colder climate and will be great to have in a dog friendly culture (picture us on the tram, strolling around town, or eating at an outdoor cafe- all calmly with no barking).

On the other hand, I’m a little worried about Tanner.  He hates the cold, and not even just the cold, he does not appreciate when it rains and he has to walk in wet grass.  I keep telling BK that the dog is going to have to learn to love a coat.  Now, I’m usually against dressing pets, but I really think that Tanner is going to freeze when we move.  It’s not cold year round, but it’s a lot colder than it is in Texas.  Even in the winter here, he shivers all the time if he’s not snuggled up in a blanket or with someone…it’s that short hair.  

The problem is the dog is stubborn.  He refuses to keep a coat or any kind of sweater on that might keep him a little warmer.  Every time I try to put one on him it always ends up like a tube top- he manages to get his arms out so that then he’s just wandering around with a tight piece of fabric wrapped around his chest.  I’ll continue to try and “train” Tanner to wear a fleece or something that will keep him warm.  He’ll hate me at the time, but hopefully he'll come around at some point.

Next challenge: getting him to wear those little booties that will  keep his feet warm…

The Move is Officially On!

So I initially started this blog so that when we moved overseas we could keep our family and friends updated on what was happening in our life while we were across the globe. I'm happy to report that the time has finally come!  

Basel is northwest of Zurich on the northern border

BK and I will be booking a one-way ticket to Basel, Switzerland to arrive sometime in mid-March to April to stay for good.  We are headed over for BK's job, and yes, our furry friends will be accompanying us on this journey.  I'm not quite sure what I'll do while we're over there...learn German and figure out how to function in a new country to start.  Then I have some other things I'd like to do including get involved with the International Federation of Social Workers, possibly get my PhD, and work in social welfare there if possible.  Of course, there's A LOT of travel in our future as well.

Your mind may be flooded with questions about what happens next, as most people's are.  We have a little more than three months to go and lots to do.  But have no fear, as usual lists abound at our house, so we're on our way to being ready. 

We can't wait for our journey to start, but know we have a long way to go before we actually get on that plane.  Lots more to come about how we'll get there and the new experiences we'll have!