So, it's no secret we are headed to Germany!

Well, today was a challenging day.  I realized (although I already knew this) we have a lot of stuff.  Stuff that comes in handy once in a blue moon and stuff that is used quite frequently and then the stuff that is used daily!!  Sorting it and its priority in this house and it's role in our family is not too demanding....EXCEPT when you are trying to decide whether it can sit in storage for 3 years while we trapes off to the other side of this world!!!

So, as I ponder on what to take, what to store and what to get rid of I am now discovering that in itself is a task in itself. 
1.  Take for instance our nice furniture.  Word in the military community is the trip there for household goods is not necessarily a good outcome.  In otherwords, I have heard too many horror stories to send my nice furniture that needs to last us the rest of our lives only for it to arrive in Germany in pieces.

2.  How does one place a priority on what to keep and what to get rid of when all of it is really necessary. Okay, okay...four Disney totes many not be necessary, but each of them have served me well and all hold a special place in my heart.  But that's okay.  They are in my heart, so I can part with all but one.  One should do the trick.

3.  How do I set prices on the stuff I plan to sell, determine what to donate and what to just trash.  It's relatively easy except when I hit the 'submit ad' on websites I'm using to sell stuff.  Mostly I have had good luck with finding homes for some of my used, but in good condition stuff.

Now, on to cleaning out of all the drawers in the house.  Clearing out the nooks and crannies of this place that have been the go-to stash place for just plain ole junk.  Organize the book case and determine what can be donated to the library and what to take or store. 

Enough of that.  On to the big stressor.  Our schedule.  I went from one doc's appt every 6 weeks at a minimum to having an appointment at the rate of 2.8 appointments every week between now and the end of May!!!

Planning for three different moving companies to come and get our unaccompanied baggage which are the bare necessities we can send off early from her to arrive early there for us to use to survive.  Blankets, towels, cleaning supplies, kitchen stuff and that sort of thing.  Just enough to get by.  I usually have this in a rubbermaid bin that I take with us, but we aren't driving to Germany. 

Then, we need to schedule the Household baggage pick up.  This is the stuff that IS going to Germany. The list is short:  the futon, Mad's bedroom furniture, our boxspring and mattress, the old buffet our TV sits on, the old sewing stand, the kitchen cart with two bar stools, our lawn chairs (only four of them and the bag ones at that), and of course, clothing and kitchenware and bathroom stuff....the rest will go to storage.  That's the third company that will come. 

Then, we have to take a mandatory Anti Terrorism Class no earlier than 60 days prior to arrival in country, have the pet's health certificates within 10 days of arrival, Rabies vaccine no earlier than 30 days, get the JEEP cleaned and off to shipment, clean and get the car dropped off at temp storage the day before we fly, keeping in mind all this needs to be scheduled during the week since nothing is open on weekends. 

We have Madi's physical and overseas screening complete, but I'm waiting on mine.  We have to visit the legal office for a mass of Powers of Attorney, update our Wills, Living Wills, Living Trusts, etc, etc.....just a joy really. 

In the meantime, we are prepping the house for departure even though that's not til the end of July.  We have nail holes and other various holes for large frames to fill, sand and prep for painting. We need to buy 500 gallons of Kilz Primer to cover our awesome paint job, then paint the regular paint, get Stanley Steamer in for the carpet.  Have I mentioned how much I HATE carpet!!!  We need to clean the furniture and I'd like to re-stuff the pillows for the living room furniture so it's fresh when we see it again 2017!! 

I need to air dry my washer for at least a week if not longer to ensure it's entirely dry inside and out so we don't come back to a moldy washer that's useless!! 

Clean, empty the oil and gas from the Harley to ship it.

Decide what appliances to take since the electrical conversion seems to mess up that stuff and to be frank, I don't want my TV's, new blender and mixer ruined or for that matter...any electrical stuff to include my alarm clock I have had since high school!  I guess we will be primitive there!!  Hand mixing and chopping stuff and buying used appliances because I believe we will be off post in the community for the entirety of our time there since there is a LONG wait for housing!!  Plus, we want to immerse ourselves in the German culture.

In the meantime, I am trying to focus on going to Nebraska for the birth of my first grandbaby, working on updating my resume, somehow study for my next certification level test in May, prepare for this move, and just enjoy the breaths I can catch in between.  Somedays it seems I go 5mph and others I accelerate at a fast rate of speed to 90mph.  There seems to be no in between.

There isn't nothing that is dropped in my lap that I can't handle.  A positive attitude, the help of my awesome husband, the wise guidance of those that have forged before us and thankfully the Internet I will survive.  Prayers and perseverance make this more bearable!!

 I thought you would enjoy reading this hectic and chaotic thing I call MY life as it's sometimes funny and a way to see that your life isn't really any different than mine in that we all have challenges.  My challenges are living on the go every 18 months to three years.  This is the second duty station we have been at the longest.  The longest was Fort Sam for five years and now here for three.  Otherwise, we were on the go every 18 months. 

Well, now that you read my heap of a mess that is just really organized chaos, ponder on the challenges in your life and how you will positively handle those with optimism and grace.  It's all done with a smile on one's face. 

Until the next blog about my chaotic life and the fact I am IN love with it I bid you ado!!!