Stuff is disappearing

We had our final garage sale on Saturday. We sold a bit, but mostly it was sitting around drinking beers with the friends who stopped by. Nice way to spend a hot day (it was in the mid-90s, ridiculously hot in Seattle, land of no AC). We ended up putting the rest of the furniture at the end of the driveway with a FREE sign. Sad to spend $100 on a couch to give it away a few months later, but it had to go, as did the rest of the stuff, including the giant shelving unit. By the end of the weekend, most of the stuff was gone. All that's left is the kids' sliding-door shelf thing, and a large aquarium.

The movers-to-Japan are going to be here in a week. F***. Goodbye bed, goodbye couchbed, goodbye stereo, goodbye most of the kitchen. It's going to feel like camping for a couple weeks. I'm not sure what we're sleeping on yet. The kids are lucky. Tho their room is mostly in the laundry room so we can finish the ceiling, at least they have their beds.

My mom left yesterday (she got all teary because she probably won't see me for 3 years). At least I can sleep in my own bed for the next week and maybe even get something done. J is out of town this week, so it's all me.

Speaking of which, it's already 11:30, so I'd better get moving.

The wire approacheth.

It's down to a month, minus a day. The stress-level is rising, and we can all feel it. The kids are insane, and they are dragging me right into it with them. The good news is, the house is rented. Nice, single professor relocating from Albuquerque to our quiet Christian college just down the street. We made probably $80 at yesterday's garage sale, and got rid of the computer desk, purple chair, and a couple other odds n ends.

The bad news is, we still have a couch, a changing table, a toy chest, a workbench, a huge shelving unit, a gazillion toys, a dog, and two cars (one of which is still overheating despite 2 trips to the shop and lots of money) to get rid of. And the kids' room. So much crap to wade thru and decide on. I made a garbage bag's-worth of decision a moment ago, when the kids decided to throw things at each other and scream instead of pick up their room as repeatedly asked (and threatened).

Two things I would love to set fire to: the Subaru (might've waited until after we left to go to shit instead of a month before) and Yu-Gi-Oh/Pokemon cards. I am so sick of picking those goddamned things up.

I can't wait to get out of here. No more broken cars, among other things.

It's real.

Whoa. Yeah. This is happening. There are people looking at our house on the weekends. And stuff is starting to disappear. The piano's gone. The soap shelf in the basement is gone. The Subaru is fixed and ready to sell.

It's kinda cool, going through piles of crap I haven't looked at in years. And then throwing it away.


Kerry left yesterday. Ken Davis shows up on Saturday. My mom the following weekend. Party last weekend, wedding this. Swimming lessons and Japanese lessons for the kids started. And oh, yeah, it's ou 12th anniversary today. Here's to 12 more years of this chaos.

I'm looking forward to leaving the country. Maybe I can get some rest. But I doubt it.

Officializing

Things are actually happening. We signed up with a rental management company yesterday. We have an interview date set at the kids' prospective school. Things are starting to disappear into boxes. And, most importantly, we have plane tickets. August 16. It's on.

Still no home for Mogs. Jeff is hoping that a friend will take him, to keep him in the family, so to speak. That would be awesome, but we're getting down to the wire here.


Take me home!

I was talking to a friend the other day who had lived in Japan. He was telling me about the crazy pets you can get there. I'm already plotting to get a hedgehog, and Jeff can get a rhinoceros beetle.

So cute!











So weird!