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Published: October 3rd 2006
Well, it is less than 30 days now until we leave for / arrive in Japan (November 2nd). It still seems so far off until I think about everything that needs to be done before we go. I have officially left my job and am now unemployed. For the first time in my life I am a totally dependent wife! I definitely have mixed feelings about that. I always wanted to be able to stay at home and not work, and now that I can, it feels strange being totally dependent on someone else.
Last week was Marc’s last business trip to DC. Months ago, before we even thought of moving to Japan, we had planned to be up in DC to see some friends this past weekend and coincidentally it turned out to be the weekend of his last trip. I flew up on Friday and we had a wonderful weekend visiting with so many friends. We flew home on Sunday and it was very nostalgic for Marc. He has been traveling up there almost weekly for 7 years so it was the end of an era! How wonderful it was that I was up there and got to fly with him on his last flight home.
Now that he is home with no more business trips and I am unemployed, the moving preparations and packing moves into full gear. We have already started our Japanese lessons but beginning this week we have 3 lessons a week, with lots of shudukai (homework). We are both home this week, but next week Marc goes to Japan for a week. He has business meetings and will START looking at housing for us. While he is gone, I am going to Colorado to see my sister and brother and some friends. Then, the next week is going to be sorting and separating everything for either shipment to Japan, storage or toss. The week after that the movers will be here for 4 days packing and crating. In between we still have 3 - 4 lessons a week, and Marc is still working full time! No quiet relaxing time for us for a while I’m afraid!
I have been diligently making lists of things that need to be done and I have even been able to mark a few things off! I have lists of appointments I need to keep, phone calls I need to make and errands I need to run. I have lists of things I need to sort through because we just can’t take everything with us. Some things we will take, some things will be stored and some things will be tossed. First come the closets (UGH!! enough said). Then the kitchen (will I have room for all my baking things? Cake decorating supplies? Cookbooks?). I decided not to take my china as it is my grandmothers and too special to chance. Probably won’t be having too many big Christmas or Thanksgiving dinners over there anyway. If I don’t take the china, should I take the crystal? You wouldn’t believe it; I have literally been waking up in the middle of the night wondering about stuff like this. When I got to wondering about the crystal I actually found myself thinking “what glasses would I use to serve sake?” At this point I realized I am really over-analyzing this stuff! Next the household files (How many prior years tax returns do I take? Do I toss the rest or store them? If I don’t take them will I want them again in 3 - 5 years? Same for mortgage papers. I have to remember to take all the things for this year’s taxes, but throw away the stuff I’ll never need again. Can someone please look into their crystal ball and tell me what I will want and what I can throw away??) Next comes the household tools. (We will store most of that stuff but I need to take the basics; hammers screw drivers, etc. Take the drill? (Lots of guessing going on about now. I think I should take only the bare basics and buy anything else over there if I need it) Next the Christmas decorations. No way I am taking our huge Christmas tree; it takes up half the living room here so there is NO WAY it’ll work in a small apartment in Tokyo. But what about the decorations? Christmas is one of my favorite times of year. Will I even be able to get a tree over there? A big one? A little one? Should I just take the tiny little tree Marc got for me to take when we cruised at Christmas one year? My mother-in-law always sends us 2 Waterford ornaments each year and they are very special. I think I have decided to take them and the brass display stand I have for them and that way if we aren’t able to have a tree, at least I’ll be able to have the special ornaments with us and use that as “my tree.” Last but not least is Marc’s library. Where do I even start? The man has not thrown a book away since he was 2. (OK maybe I jest, but barely). How do I even begin to sort through the ones to take and the ones to store? I think I am going to have to tell him he can take 50 or 75 and the rest have to go to storage. All of you, who know him, know how well that will go over! Still it will be interesting (sad) to watch him trying to decide what to take and what he’ll have to part with for a few years! It’ll be like taking a little boy’s toys away from him, I swear!
OK, enough writing about it, I’d better get busy doing it! Once I have decided about everything, I need to actually sort it all and mark it all for storage or shipping. I have a feeling when the packers come it will be bedlam around here! Plus…. I have another lesson tomorrow and I haven’t started my homework!!!
More later….
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Donna (southernlady from LCT)
non-member comment
I'm enjoying your blog
Thanks for taking the time to keep up your blog. Arlene, I can relate to your packing woes. It's so hard to anticipate what you will and will not need. Remember it's only stuff, although it is your precious stuff. Wish I could help you with that crystal ball!