Change of Plans, Effective Immediately

Just before dinner this evening, Mike got a call from our movers. Our stuff is going to be dropped off Tuesday morning at 8am. This is a full 24 hours earlier than they originally quoted us. Annoying, yes, but there isn't anything we can do about it. We are at the mercy of our movers. This also means that the day we planned tomorrow will be spent in a flurry of errands in the morning, and then booking it down to LA in the afternoon. Our new landlady, who is awesome so far, agreed to meet us a day earlier so that we can get our keys. The plan is to stay in the new place tomorrow night; we have a blow-up mattress, and we are going to make ourselves cozy in our new home. Unfortunately, this means we are cutting our visit to NorCal a little short. Luckily, we aren't too far away now, and we can make it back up here for a weekend if we like.

I'm very excited that we are going to have a permanent address in less than 24 hours; being on the road has been a fun and unique experience, and I'm glad that we had the opportunity to do it, but it will be nice to be "home." And nice to unpack my suitcase that I've been using for the past 3 straight weeks.

Also, check out our new feature at the bottom of the main page - links to photo galleries, available to all to see, through Facebook. We'll keep adding more when we have time (and internet connections.)

Ode to the District

We have one full day left before we head out of town. Within the last 48 hours, the move has become very real for me. Mike and I have been living out of suitcases for the past week and a half, having packed all our other clothes. We have nothing in the kitchen except some plastic utensils and half-full condiment jars. We have packing paper strewn about the apartment so it looks like we've held our own private ticker-tape parade. We've been out with our DC friends across the past two days, saying goodbye and having one last laugh with those with whom we are close. We have a list of things we have to do in the next two days - transfer utilities, return the cable box, pack our car snacks, and turn in our parking passes and keys - and there will be little time to let it all sink in. DC has been our home for the last four years, and it has treated us well. I for one have had a great time here, and would certainly consider returning to live in the future. I never tire of seeing the monuments on the mall, or driving by the Pentagon. I still say a small prayer of "thank you" every time I pass the Arlington National Cemetery, and I always look to see if Barak is home when I pass the White House.

So here's to you, DC and NoVa: may your monuments stand tall and your buildings always be 5-sided. May your Metro line expand West and your beltway always be under construction. May your traffic flow freely (or at least flow at all), your baseball always come second to the Braves, your cherries bloom every year, and the Mall be as green as the money you print.
Cheers, and thank you.

... And More Packing

I didn't want to write a second blog post about packing, but that's all we've really done over the last three days. We now have about 50 boxes/suitcases/crates packed and our apartment is starting to look bare. Nothing is left on the walls, the bookcases are empty and our closet has only a few solitary items.



On a positive note, a Korean family moved into our apartment complex earlier this week. It's positive not because I'm excited about meeting new neighbors (anyone who knows me well enough knows I'm not really the neighborly type); nope, it's positive because they dumped all of their boxes and packaging materials. We collected five boxes, including a picture box, and bunches (that's the scientific term) of paper and protective foamy paper (another scientific term).

We've still got a bit more packing to do. The kitchen is still almost full and there is always other junk that needs to find its way to a box. We're planning to spend all day tomorrow packing, but then taking the weekend off to go visit some friends in NYC. Hopefully we'll do something more exciting than packing.

Packing...

... sucks. There is just no other way to describe it. It is monotonous, back-aching work, and in an honest moment, we have no idea what we are doing. We are putting our precious belongings - which aren't actually worth anything but the sentiments we attach to them - in boxes we've acquired from Home Depot, Packing Stores, my former office, and even the recycling bin at our apartment (thank you to the couple that just moved here from Korea). We are tenderly wrapping them in packing paper, newspaper, old school work, bubble wrap, and a prayer that they all make it there in one piece.

We've gotten a whole lot done, but it doesn't seem like we've finished anything yet. Everything is going into the second bedroom as we pack it. It's a complete an utter mess, as you can see here. We have nine (!!) days to go. We can do it!!! (At least that's what Mike keeps telling me.)

The List

While looking at apartment postings on Monday, I had a sudden feeling of panic. There is so much to do before we leave! Mike and I have sporadic conversations - well, it is more like one long continuous conversation that is punctuated by anecdotes from other areas of our lives - about what all needs to be done over the next two months. There are the obvious things: schedule a mover, pack up our stuff, drive across the country. Then, there are the not so obvious things: change our address on all our bills and mail, open a new bank account that has branches in LA, make sure insurance covers me as a driver in Mike's car, order the packing boxes, clean out the desk so it can be sold... It is almost overwhelming. So in the midst of my mild panic attack, I made a list of everything I could think of that needs to be done. It is still overwhelming, but at least I get the satisfaction of crossing things off as they are completed.
You can see our list and our progress. And if we've missed anything big, let us know!