Final day of Pack up

This has been the hardest day so far and as I write this it is only 10am.  Our household items are going on a shipping container today and we are spending the night with a friend.  We fly out tomorrow and 9 year old, B, is very sad.  He asked if we are leaving tomorrow and when I said yes he started to cry.  He has some friends he has been unable to see this summer and he is going to miss his friends dearly.  We all sat and talked and the kids and I cried.  Then B's friend had to cancel today and this set both he and I off into a crying spell again.  The saving grace was when the people N was staying with invited B to go with them to Main Event (a place with bowling, laser tag and rock climbing) for the day.  B was suddenly all smiles but I just can not seem to bounce back as easily.  I think I just need to take the time to cry for a while today and get some of it out of my system.

I do this each time I move a long distance.  I remember when I left NC to move to TX and I cried most of the plane ride.  Then when I would fly to visit my mom I would cry when I left Ken in TX and then cry again when I would leave NC to return to TX. However, I always waited for everyone I was leaving to be out of sight.  I both look forward to going to NC and going back to TX but I still grieve a little each and every time.  Intellectually I know everything is fine and I really do look forward to the exciting parts but I have to remember to give myself and my family time to grieve the very real loss of close friends and family.  While we can stay in touch it is not the same.  This is especially true for children who change so much in just a few years.  I know we will make new friends in India and we will grieve that loss when we return to TX while at the same time we will be overjoyed to be reunited with old friends.

So, for all of my friends everywhere, I will miss you dearly and look forward to seeing you again. Keep in touch and know that just  because I did not cry when I said goodbye to you does not mean I miss you any less.  I just saved it all up for today.  

Packing day 1

This has been a very long week.  Today (Thursday) was day one of the packers at the house. They were suppose to arrive between 8-10 however we received a call at 10am that they were just leaving the warehouse and it would take at least an hour for them to arrive.  They got to the house at 11:30am.  Not the best way to start but at least they got here.  We have found from previous experience that a little bit of friendliness can go a long way in making the move go smooth so we decided to buy lunch for the crew and had cold drinks and snacks at the house for them throughout the move.  I think it paid off because when I asked them to redo something they were very nice about making the changes and they offered suggestions on how to pack some items that got more items to us in our air shipment.

We have spent at least 60 hours over the last few weeks sorting everything into 7 piles.  Trash, out the door (sell), send by sea, send by air, storage, plane, and stays in the house.  This has been a painful process for all of us however, I think my youngest son had the hardest time letting go of the items.  He seems to have a memory attached to everything.  He finally agreed to sell about 1/3 of his small toys, 1/4 of his stuffed animals and a few of his larger toys.  My husband finally agreed to recycle his notes from his college courses.  We have moved those from NC, to VA, to TX and twice in TX.  I am so glad to see the two full file drawers of notes leave the house.  There has been something freeing about letting go of so many things we don't need or use anymore.  We do really need to do this type of cleanse every few years but next time I would prefer to do it without a move to the other side of the world. 

We sorted items and put tape of different /colors on everything to help the packers.  This did not keep the packers from putting items in the wrong place.  We went through our chairs and picked the best ones to take with us and send the others to storage.  The packers decided that we had 4 going by sea and 3 to storage and changed the tape on the chairs so they could take out the ones closest to the door in the first load.  I am sure it was not malicious but please keep an eye on your packers.  They fixed the mistake but even with all of the prep work we did there were at least 8 times just today that we had to get them to redo something because it was not done as we requested.  It helped that IBM requires an inventory of all items so I sat with the two packers and filled out the form as they were packing.  Ken stayed with the two movers working on bigger items.  We also told the company we wanted no more than 4 people in the house.  They typically like to stay in pairs so we could watch things better.  We have had many people tell us that 6 people came to pack their house and things went to the wrong place.  I really do not want to wind up in India with items I don't need and the kids toys in storage.   

We were very thankful to our friends who took our children.  They are with friends for 3 days. I don't know if the kids could have handled today and I am very glad I did not have to find out.  

12 days and counting

Things are a bit overwhelming at the moment.

We are having a party at our house tomorrow with about 75 people coming.  At least I have the sense not to stress over having a clean house.  My friends will not care that my house is not spotless but I did not want to have it at a restaurant so the kids would feel more relaxed.    I am looking forward to seeing everyone but getting it all ready is exhausting.

We did receive everyone's VISA but the wording on the X VISA's is vague as to whether or not Marilyn and the kids can stay for more than 180 days at a time.  We are hoping it is just poor wording choice on the VISA as Houston has just started issuing the new VISA so everyone seems to be unsure about what it means.  We will have to see what happena when we get there.  Worst case scenario is Marilyn and the kids will get to go on a vacation every 6 months.

Our stuff is getting packed up in 8 days (Friday) and then put on the truck on Monday and we fly out on Tuesday.  IBM is requiring us to list every single item we have and how much it is worth.  If it is $50 or more to replace it has to be on a separate line.    We also have to specify if it is going to be going by sea, air, or into storage.  Take a good look around your house and think about listing each and every item right.  I have one line item that is chapter books for kids, quantity 163, total value $652.  Next I have to get a count on the yugioh cards.  I think this is really a test of endurance to see if you can handle all the bureaucratic red tape of India before you arrive.

At this point you wonder, "Why in the world am I subjecting myself to all this work to go to the other side of the world and live?  I have a great life right here with wonderful friends and I don't have to itemize it all."  Then you think about the vacation in London you are going to take along the way with 3 days in Paris to go to Disney, the school that will have horseback riding as an extra curricular activity and the luxury of being able to afford a maid, cook and driver.  Most of all, you remember that this will bond your family in a way nothing else will ever be able to compare.  It is a memory the family will never forget and an experience that will change our lives forever.  This is what keeps me plugging away and cutting all that red tape.