When we first talked about the possibility of moving overseas so many things went through my mind. I looked for information on-line on how to plan for this kind of move and had trouble finding anything, so that's when I decided to start a blog. I'm hoping this will help others going through the same thing.

Having lived in the same home for over 22 years, just moving is quite an undertaking! We have been going through our belongings and have found that there are many things we can do without. We have had a garage sale, sold things on-line, and have started giving things away so that we won't have to store all this "stuff" we have accumulated over the years.  We plan to be gone for two to three years so we want to store a minimal amount of things. I have found it surprisingly refreshing to get rid of some of the stuff, like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I have found that the only items I've had an emotional attachment to are all of my old pictures albums, cards and things made by my children when they were young, the hope chest given to me by my Grandmother, the hutch left to us by my husband's mother, and the dining room table we bought together and shared so many wonderful family meals at.

Finishing one chapter and entering another.....

As we prepare for our move to the Netherlands I am having so many conflicting emotions. One moment I am so excited about what the future holds and the next I'm feeling nostalgic and want my life to remain the same-comfortable and familiar.

Those who know me well know that I have always been a list maker!  Now more than ever there are lists of things to do constantly running through my head. So now I am making good use of all of the post-its I bought at Costco!  Some of this things on my to do list:
Get all the paperwork the Netherlands requires together; prepare to bring all our tax paperwork overseas-as the taxes will be done overseas for 2011; prepare for the end of my career by filling out all the paperwork for retirement; get all the paperwork done for shipping the pets; look on-line for places to rent in the Netherlands; gather items to ship over; gather items to bring in our suitcases on our next trip; prepare to sell our house in the States; buy gifts for family and friends for Christmas; prepare packages to mail for Christmas; buy groceries for Thanksgiving dinner; pack a few more boxes to bring over to the storage locker-all this on top of the "normal" things rolling around in my head (buy groceries, stop at post office for shipping boxes, clean the house, stop at pet store for cat food, do the laundry, cook dinner, etc).  I have found that if I write things down, it is easier to put my mind at rest, otherwise my mind is just spinning!