Departure

We've bought our plane tickets and we are leaving the country on March 2. It feels so strange to have just written that. We're no strangers to moving, having had 7 different addresses in 3 different cities and 3 different states. This is our first international move. We are packing it all and moving to Shanghai, China.

Tomorrow the movers are coming to begin boxing up all of our worldly possessions. We are sorting things into 4 piles: checked luggage, air freight, ocean freight, and storage. Of course there are 2 more piles called 'Goodwill' and 'Trash'. I'm working now to pack a couple of suitcases for checked luggage and to get the kitchen ready for the movers. I really hate throwing out food. I may send a care package of half-used spices to my beloved mother-in-law, who volunteered to give any of that stuff a good home.

This weekend, we'll likely sell one of the cars and get a rental. We'll sell the other car soon after that. Then, it'll just be the two of us, a few suitcases, and the cat in an empty house.