It seems my "Day Counter" is off a tad, or maybe it depends on what time of day I check it, but we are 32 days away from departure now. We both had optical appointments today, and I'm proud to say that somehow, for the 3rd straight year, my eyesight has IMPROVED. It defies logic. I'm almost 47. I thought my eyes were getting worse, but it turns out, they were getting better - my glasses/cont ...

As we inch closer to expatriation, it's time to start selling off more of our possessions that don't make sense to move. Namely, all of our furniture. Indoors and out. I spent most of today photographing, measuring, and entering listings on Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, and NextDoor.  I'm arguably the WORST at pricing items - I either go way too high, or way too low, like my circa 2022 Pat ...

We survived our last trip to Vegas!  Let me back up a bit: We normally go to Las Vegas twice a year, and ONLY to gamble - we're not into shows, fine dining, clubs....just free casino drinks and the long-shot chance to become a thousandaire. When I ran Argent Decor, we'd coincide our trips with the Las Vegas Furniture Market and double-dip. In my last job before my current "island quasi-reti ...

A big part of moving abroad involves selling off your worldly possessions. If you are unfamiliar with Ambergris Caye, the island in Belize we are moving to in 38 days, the primary mode of transportation is via golf cart. The vast majority of non-cart vehicles are going to be construction or delivery trucks, or taxis, which inexplicably are predominantly Toyota Previa minivans, circa 2002. Th ...

Under 40 days to go now..! Today, I narrowed down to 7 short-term rental homes. Our parameters were pretty basic; we wanted to be closer to the airport (6AM international flight, 3 cats to wrangle), have at least 2 bedrooms/2 baths, and not be $5,000 for 16 days. While our home is scheduled to close 14 days before we fly out, we budgeted to "move in" 3 days before closing, as our goods should ...

Yesterday (day 41) was a day I had been dreading: The day I had to lug 3 cats across town for a Vet appointment. They all needed rabies vaccines in order to get an import permit from BAHA. While I love our normal Vet, who is right around the corner, she doesn't carry PureVax, which is less likely to cause cancer at the injection site. My very first cat, Amber, developed cancer from her rabi ...

BIG news to share today! Our existing home in Phoenix is now UNDER CONTRACT....!  We were on the market for 33 days, when the average in our area is closer to 50. Very pleased with the offer, and now we can really kick things into gear! We'd move August 5th regardless of whether the home was sold or not; but now that it is, that triggers other tasks, like:-Scheduling pickup of the stuff ...

Yesterday, I took a free class on ICF Construction, sponsored by Fox Blocks. ICF stands for, "Insulated Concrete Forms" - essentially, making your home a giant Yeti cooler.  The above photo is an ICF panel - it is 16" tall (it's on its side in the photo), 48" wide, and this particular one has an 8" hollow center, where strapping, rebar, and concrete will go. It replaces 6(!) cinder blocks ...

No doubt, any parents' concerns about moving abroad will have, "Are the kids alright?" at the top of their list. Our eldest, Ethan, is 23, graduated from ASU in 2023, and has been with his girlfriend, Lilly, for over 6 years now. They currently reside in a home his mother bought as an investment property near ASU; their lease is up July 31, as Ethan's younger brother, Zachary, will be movin ...

We are now at 48 days until the move. Circling back on a previous blog about Guilt Trips Escalating, a few months ago my mom and her boyfriend asked us to do a trip "Up North" with them before we move. In the summer, they will take a three-day weekend once a month to go to Pinetop-Lakeside Arizona, about 3.5 hours northeast of us in Phoenix. If you haven't been to Arizona, you probably pres ...