It's Really Happening!

Recent days have been extremely hectic with last minute details, things to purchase, things to pack. However, we have taken the time to see friends. Last week, we had dinner and coffee with the Lances, who are planning a trip to Cuenca around February.

We also had met Monica Vaca and her friend Eric for dinner. Monica is from Bolivia and worked for us temporarily. She is delightful.

Saturday brought an interruption of our plans for dinner with Richard and Amy Griffin who live in Matthews and have Cuenca in their future also. We had to drive down to Aiken, SC, for an unexpected family matter, which gave the opportunity to say goodbye to cousins.

But today finally arrived, after much talk, much work, and much anticipation. Today, THE MOVERS CAME! We were expecting them to arrive between 8:30 and 10:30; therefore, Nick was, once again, shuffled off to daycare early. The moving truck rolled down our street around 10AM. All the boxes that had filled empty space for days were going to be carted away.

Mick and I had packed everything with the exception of large pictures and the floor lamp. Every box was stuffed with things that we felt would help with our transition to our new home. Below is the lift van. We had reserved two of them. The dimensions are 7 x 7 x 4 ft.

Before the boxes are packed, the crate, which is made of heat-treated wood and caulked, is lined with plastic.

The boxes were rolled out.

Scott expertly prepared the pictures, wrapping and then stuffing them in cardboard "envelopes".

The paper work was handled by Ralph. As we packed the cartons, extensive lists were made. The official inventory was done by Ralph, who was also the driver. Below is Mick signing off on everything. There were copies of our passports in addition to an EIN (employer identification number), which is obtained from the IRS.

One of the lift vans was completely and snuggly filled; however, the second would probably be less than half full. In the case of the second, the boxes were placed in the truck and the lift van will be modified when it reaches the warehouse. Tomorrow we will know the weight.

Scott closed and secured everything.

Ralph waved good-bye as they drove off with our belongings.

The truck sped away, just a step in a long process and a long journey. Our "weighted base line " for determining what we were shipping was "is it worth $4/pound to have this?" Roughly speaking, the shipping is costing $4 per pound; with that as a guide, it was much less expensive to ship some items than to purchase them there. Examples that are cheaper to ship are a Kitchen Aid stand mixer and the LED TV. Somethings don't involve cost, but the fact that they are essentially apart of you, photos, antiques and the like. It ends up being your preference and what is right for you. For Mick and me, this is what we wanted to do. The projected ship time is 30 to 50 days. I'm optimistic in saying the end of September, Mick, the realist, is saying mid-November. Whenever it happens, it happens. Until then we'll manage as we have been doing since we began selling and packing.

At any rate, in having a moving truck at our driveway, it makes everything seem REALLY real; this IS happening. The little bumps and inconveniences that we have and will experience along the way are all part of the journey.

Until next time,

Mick and Kathy