Pack-out

So I haven't blogged in awhile, partly because I was in Mexico last week and partly because things have been crazy getting ready for the movers to come today. I'll eventually write about the trip to Mexico, but for now, I'll focus on the pack-out.

Yesterday the moving company called and said the moving team would arrive between 10AM and noon, which I thought was awesome because I could sleep until 7 and then get up and do some last minute sorting, do a quick photo inventory, and then shower before they arrived. So I got up and felt motivated, so started working on the last-minute things, like filing some papers, pulling out utility account numbers to cancel them, sorting toiletries, picking jewelry to pack, etc. And at 8:10, the driver called and said he was about 10 minutes away...CRAP! I had to run out and move my car, shove some stuff in the 'Do Not Pack' closet, and then the semi pulled up.

Huge semi parked in front of the house

I am, of course, still in my Pjs, haven't eaten, brushed my hair or teeth, and feel completely frantic. For those interested, here's what our house has looked like for the past couple weeks...

Piles of books on the piano

Piles of crap in the office

More piles of crap in the office

Piles of crap in the bedroom

Wally - thinking 'what the heck is going on?'

After a quick walk-through, the team of packers split up into each of our rooms and went to work, while I sat on the couch playing on my computer and answered their questions. They probably started the actual packing at about 9AM...by about 1:30PM, they were done. All that's left in the house right now is the couch and loveseat that are going out with the trash on Monday, the spare bed that will eventually go to Erin's, a few things that will be sold on craigslist or donated to Goodwill, clothes and toiletries. And the cats (who are both in hiding).

Not sure what I'll be doing for the next week, but I have a feeling I'll be busy enough.

Ikea furniture

I got my new Ikea furniture on Saturday! Well, I got most of it, but unfortunately they didn't have the awesome green sleeper sofa that I want. I'll pick it up when I get to DC. I spent Sunday assembling furniture and watching football games, and then Chris helped me put together a couple of things that were too unwieldy for me to do alone. Here's a sampling of what I got...

Armchair with awesome patterned slipcover

Red desk & chair

Dining room chairs

If you haven't been able to guess, I like colorful things! I'll have the patterned chair and green sofa in the living room with a coffee table made of 4 smaller tables, 2 dark brown and 2 yellow. Then yellow and red floating shelves on the wall, the red desk in a little nook between the living room and kitchen, and a shiny white dining table with the light blue chairs. I think that about covers everything. I'm looking forward to decorating the new apartment...that should keep me busy for a couple days at least.

In other news, the moving company is coming on Thursday to do my pre-pack survey, so I'm busy sorting out what's needs to be sold/donated/given away, what Chris is taking to his brother's house, and what I'm taking to DC (which also has to be sorted into what goes to the apartment and what goes to storage).

I'm leaving for Cancun in 5 days! Time to start packing...

I got my Travel Authorization to DC!

Moving is stressful! We got rid of a lot of stuff last weekend between the yard sale and Goodwill, and there are probably a few boxes worth of stuff still to go. I finally got the movers scheduled to come pack up all my things on Oct. 26th and have my one-way ticket to D.C. for Oct. 28th. But there are still a lot of things to get done between now and then...most notably to me at this point, get our house rented to someone stable and reliable, and get my lease for my apartment in D.C. signed. Both of these things are going to give me an ulcer!

Renting out your house is not a fun prospect...when we moved in, we took a lot of time picking the 'perfect' paint colors for every room, which are probably not going to be perfect in the eyes of a renter - in particular, I'm guessing our purple and yellow "office" and the dark blue bathroom and accent wall in the dining room probably aren't for everyone. So, we decided that we'll let tenants paint (of course, we get to approve the colors though). It's sad to think that it may not even look like 'my' house anymore, even though we'll still own it. Plus, finding the right tenants has been difficult so far...we're headed into our second round of applicants and I have my fingers crossed that something will work out this time.

Then there's the lease in D.C., which is more stressing to me for some reason. My training program can be anywhere from 3-12 months, so I've been told by my HR liaison. This makes finding a place very difficult because there aren't many reasonably priced options that offer month-to-month or really short term leases. I'm not too keen on the idea of renting out a room in a shared house, and most wouldn't let me bring Wally along anyway...so, I found a nice apartment, but I'm really worried about having to move out before my lease term is up. I don't know why it bothers me so much - I'm sure it happens often, but I hate the idea that I could potentially be paying for a vacant apartment for months if I get an overseas assignment before the lease is up.

So, I'm focusing on the more fun tasks I have before I go...things like figuring out how I want to spend my gift card to the spa, picking out new furniture and planning a going-away party.
Everything will get done eventually....right?