Saying Goodbye

We have had the enormous good fortune to have so many friends see us off in the nicest ways.  It feels great to know that we will be missed but also very sad to see our good friends for what could be the last time in a long time.  People will get older, babies will learn to walk and we'll miss these milestones with each other.  I hate saying goodbye so I'd prefer to say see you later, even though I know that it may be much much later when I see you again.

I don't want to sound like a Debbie Downer so I'll post pictures of our friends -- loving some last minute visits before we head to Sweden.  We will miss everyone and love you all!

Calvin says, "Packing me might be easier.  No?"

Dan and Whitney in their finest Americana wear

Bulldog and the guys drinking some celebratory shorties

Calvin will miss Gabby terribly -- they are so cute together!

Erin, Gabby and my CSTE folks

The Brookners! So glad we got to meet Bryce before we left!

The Aunties Visit!

With the big move looming on the near horizon, time was running out for last minute visits with friends.
Both Sam and Kelley were able to spend a weekend with us and I'm so glad that they were able to make it.  It is so nice to have two friends who know you in completely different capacities but who love you just the same anyway.  Kelley was an old roommate from my UT days and Sam has seen me through some ridiculous times at Emory.  With both of my friendships, we can pick up right where we left off -- mid conversation with no awkward pauses or expectations.  Those relationships are the absolute best.

The girls helped me with bath time, keeping Calvin entertained and the occasional selling of our furniture to random people.  It was so nice to have friends keep me sane during an increasingly stressful time.  Calvin loved giving "big kisses" -- which means that he sucks on your nose for a second and leaves you covered in slobber.

We managed to take a few pictures of the weekend to capture some of the fun moments.

Moving Day!

Our house has looked similar to a hurricane path for the past week or so as we have prepared for this international move.  I thought we had been very good about taking items to Goodwill, the book donation drop offs and just plain throwing things out on a regular basis.  Not so.  When evaluating all of your possessions and determining if you A) need these things at all or B) need them but can still wait 6 months, it really changes your perspective on your "must-haves."

Jon's company is paying for our entire relocation, which is amazingly generous and very helpful.  They arranged for movers to come to our house and pack all of our belongings.  The container will be on a ship for 6-8 weeks, arrive in Sweden and be placed in storage for 6 months until we move into permanent housing.  So anything that the movers packed, we would not see again for 6 months.

I made a decision tree so you could see our thought process in planning things out.  It turns out that if you're just making a dichotomous decision -- keep or throw away, things are easy. When you are deciding if you want to keep, ship, store or throw away, things get a little more complicated.  How many items could you honestly say that you NEED but are willing to wait 6 months for?  Also, how many items can you possibly fit into suitcases for 6 months of weather?  What shoes do you take? What if we go on an international weekend trip? Should I bring my hiking shoes? Backpacks? Camelbak?  What if the weather is colder than normal? What if it's warmer than normal and all I have our sweaters?  Ahh the decisions!

International Move Decision Tree

Before we could identify the SHIP items, we had to go through all of the nooks and crannies that one hides things.  Cabinets, dressers, drawers, plastic storage thingies. They all hid treasures of items that we had to either part ways with or ship internationally.  We whittled down a lot but for some reason, we still had a lot of boxes packed.

Here's what it looked like mid-packing mayhem.

As soon as the boxes were being packed, my blood pressure instantly lowered and a sense of calm washed over me.  It was emotionally draining and the movers packed at an efficiently frenetic pace but overall it was a good experience.

Only 2 things got packed that we had to go back and "save" -- 1 pack of nearly rotten mushrooms and my unlocked iPhone 4S.  I made the guy go back into the truck and look for my phone. Why did I just spend $800 on an unlocked phone if I wasn't going to be able to use it in 6 months. I NEED my phone!  He came around the corner with it just as his boss was getting ready to take the truck and leave for the day.  We were saved at the last minute!

I would highly recommend the movers at Armstrong. They are a United Van Lines company and they were efficient, friendly and courteous of our belongings.  Having people move your things for you is a luxury.  Similar to First Class, I'm not sure how I'll be ever to move on my own again! (Just kidding)

Calvin is not phased by the move

Things are moving quickly -- UPDATE

So, we had a seemingly endless checklist that required a lot of things to fall into place for it to happen.  Things are moving forward and they are moving quickly.  That's good news since we are scheduled to leave Jan 24th and we are down to our last two weeks!

I'm outta here! (gratuitous Calvin pic)

Things completed:
Calvin's passport
Residence and work permits/visas for Sweden
Secured property management company
Moving company booked one week prior to departure
Taxi secured for the pickup at the Arlanda airport
Storage unit in the room of our garage (being built as I type this)
Dogs' vet appointment with health certificate, microchipping and rabies vaccines
Called our banks, credit cards, etc
Calvin's 9 month vaccines and health records

Things still to do:
Selling of most of our household items at a garage sale/craigslist/ebay
Selling my car -- currently posted on autotrader.com
Last minute visits with friends
Touch ups on the paint and cleaning the house
USDA vet stamping and approving the dogs' health certificates
Booking our plane tickets -- we have some reserved, just awaiting confirmation

Our to list when we arrive in Sweden is a separate list...
Meet with International Mobility Sweden to give them our biometrics and receive personnumer
Register the animals
Set up Swedish bank account
Unpack our suitcases in our house
EXPLORE!

Each item on the "Done" list took about 2-3 weeks to complete and in most cases,  a lot of money.  For example, we have had 3 vet appointments and have spent over $1000 getting the dogs ready for travel.  And that is NOT including their plane tickets for our voyage.  ZOMG!  Nobody said moving was easy or cheap.

On one hand, we are sad that we only have 2 weeks left in Atlanta but on the other hand, I'm glad that we aren't dragging this out.  It's always crunch time towards the end anyways -- we've just had our entire experience crunched.  I think if there was any lesson to learn so far, it's to regularly clean out your garage of the items you TRULY don't need.  We have gone regularly to Goodwill and have kept things fairly organized but there are always items around that you truly do not need in your life.  Clean it out regularly!

Decisions, decisions, decisions

Our holidays were spent with the Ferlands and Dwyers this year and it was a special year.  Not only was it Calvin's first Christmas but it was also the last time we would be seeing our family for a while before our move to Sweden.  It was definitely a time of mixed emotions, as the holidays often are, and our excitement for our upcoming move was dampened by the sadness of missing our family and friends.  We know that this is going to be an excellent adventure but we also fully understand the downsides to moving abroad and the impact it has on everyone.

One major life lesson (and I think it's a good one) that we have learned is that you have to live your own life for yourself.  You can't "live scared" and refuse to take chances or hide from hard decisions.  We have thoughtfully considered everything, everyone and have made a bold decision that was not easy to make.  With every large decision, there is always a nagging doubt in the back of your mind saying, "Who do you think you are? You can't do this. It's too hard. There is too much involved!" But in the end, you have to trust that you know yourself (who was it who said, 'Know thyself' -- smart guy) and you know what will make you happy in the long run.  Without any question of a doubt, we know that this will make us very happy.  We wouldn't be doing it otherwise.

I would've told you that I would be 100% gung ho about this and chomping at the bit to move abroad. Surprisingly, i've gotten very comfortable here and really love my life in Atlanta.  I looked back through some of my travel journals when I was fearlessly roaming through Brunei, Malaysia and China and tried to reconcile my clear and concise advice to future travelers (myself really). In 2006, I wrote, "I've discovered that I've learned the most about myself when I am wholly out of my comfort zone. When everything and everyone around you is foreign, different, and unfamiliar. Only then do you truly discover what you can do and who you are as a person. You grow most when you are outside of the box you have built for yourself."

So, here is to moving outside of the box.