Now that the "Major Events" have concluded, we're working through ticky-tack things that aren't nearly as important, but still need to be finished. For example: We have gift cards and free meals and such from loyalty programs, so we're trying to map out maximizing those. I started day 12 by cashing in a free acai bowl at Nekter; after all of the fast food and fried things my body needed som ...

Day 13 - the day that our home closes escrow, so it was a good day! As much as I'm saddened to leave it, it did its job and more for our family, and allows us to move a little more comfortably financially. I was notified at 11:35 AM that the sale had funded and recorded, and that our check was ready for pickup. This was ten minutes after our U-Pack driver called to verify the delivery info ...

What a run..! I grossly underestimated how long it would take us to pack up the U-Pack trailer, get everything out of our home, and have it ready for the buyer. We took all day Monday to complete the loading and Tetrising of our goods, and again, ran into some hiccups: -Ethan never came on Sunday to pick up more items we had for him, plus everything in our fridge and freezer. Nathan and Cl ...

After a lousy night of semi-sleep, we were up at dawn; Nathan was soaking in the tub, trying to loosen up his body. The U-Pack haunted us every time we passed the foyer; it was visible from our front door. At 8 AM, I requested a tow to the tire shop I had booked an appointment with the night before, for my 9 AM installation appointment. It was due to arrive at 8:50, which would work perfec ...

I am a bit behind on posts due to the chaos of the past few days, I haven't had time to update our progress. This blog will recap Saturday Day 16, a.k.a. "Day 1 of Loading". If you prefer to watch a 2-minute video instead, here is the link: Day 1 of Packing Our U-Pack Trailer, Bound for Belize! Our plan was to jam out the bulk of loading Day 1, then fine-tune the "Tetris" job Day 2. At the e ...

First things first: Ethan and Lilly's Condo closed yesterday! I picked up the key from the lockbox around lunch, spun by Nellis Auction to collect some winnings, and then came back home to pick up Nathan (in case you are just joining us, we sold my car back in February). We had a 2 PM appointment to sign docs for the sale of OUR home, which took maybe 10 minutes. Selling is always so much fas ...

Prime Days derailed me a bit, so I have a few days to report on this blog... Monday (DAY 20) morning I had a mammogram, which was my last scheduled medical appointment. I'm on the fence/unsure if I'll be able to squeeze in a skin cancer screening and/or another dentist visit before we leave. No issues on either, just general maintenance.  Monday afternoon, I went down to Ethan and Lilly's r ...

This weekend we really kicked packing into gear! I must sound like a broken record, but we keep re-re-packing bins as we think of better ways to accomplish our goals to ship items safely, and as compactly as possible, to reduce our expenses. Nathan spent all day Saturday in the garage; my big ask was to clean all of the garden tools. We can't bring any dirt into Belize (this goes for all coun ...

Yesterday (DAY 24) I finally started digging into clothes. Nathan has been packed for two weeks, but he also left about 10 days' worth of clothes in the villa when we were down last summer. I left a few outfits and swimsuits, but not nearly as much. It's a task I have been dreading. He has been urging me to "soft pack" what I'll wear between now and when our goods arrive in Belize in Septemb ...

Yesterday (DAY 26) I met my dad for lunch at Detroit Coney Grill - we are originally from Detroit, and this restaurant is essentially half-way between our homes. If you are in the area, their Sun Devil Burger was entirely worth the heartburn! On my way home, I picked up some groceries as Zach was due for dinner. I have a few entrees I want to knock out once more while I have a wide variety ...