27 February, 2011

Gone Down Under

Today I am saying lots of prayers for Michael as he interviews and travels home. Before he left, we found out that he is going to be having possibly 4 interviews instead of the 2 he was planning on. (I'm not sure what verb tense to use because he may be still waiting to start interviewing, currently in the interview, or finishing up.) Anyway, it looks like it is/was going to be a very long day!

This morning (at 2:30 am central time) he called to say he had made it to Perth, checked into his hotel, and was out an about exploring the city center. He was able to meet up with our friend Gil and his daughter at the Sydney airport. And of course he enjoyed meeting many folks on all the different legs of his flights. First he flew to Dallas, then to Los Angelos, next to Sydney, and then on to Perth.

The Online Garage Sale is going very well. I have sold items, and are holding others. I will continue to update it so check back often. (I haven't even set foot in the garage yet!) Here's the link again:.

24 February, 2011

Southern Hospitality

One of our acquaintances, via the Perth Homeschoolers Forum, has arranged for her husband to meet up with Michael after his job interview. How awesome is that?! Another lady, that I have corresponded with, has offered us her cell phone number just in case Michael should need some assistance. God is good.

23 February, 2011

You're going where?!

Michael flies out this Friday for a job interview in Perth, Western Australia. Things are moving a bit quicker than we had anticipated. If he is offered this job, he most likely will be giving notice at Siemen's and then flying over as soon as the end of March sometime.

We have kicked our liquidation of possessions into high gear. Michael has set up an online garage sale of sorts here: GoRosary.com Check it out and let me know if there are any items you are interested in. The prices are just a guideline. Please feel free to make an offer on anything.

He may even try to check out this house whilst he is on the continent. Have a look-see here.

Passport 3.0


All of our passports have arrived. Yeah! It is official, we can travel out of the U.S. The new passports are equipped with RFID chips (Radio Frequency Identifier). Now when you go through immigration, all the information on your passport is electronically read. Cool right? Maybe the line will be shorter.

05 February, 2011

Plus Shipping and Handling

A twenty-foot shipping container is not twenty feet.

Just let that sink in for a minute.  You'll start to get an understanding of how complicated it might be to ship all of your worldly possessions to the other side of the globe.

A twenty foot shipping container is, in fact, 19'4" long by 7'8" wide by 7'10" tall.  [Source]

It was difficult for me to picture this accurately in my head.  How much STUFF can we fit in 20x8x8 (approximately).  As much as I am capable of measuring out each dimension, the VOLUME escaped me.

So I built a shipping container in my dining room.

Well, actually, I purchased some 1/2" PVC piping and, with the help of my adult son, Joe, cut the pieces to the proper length and set up a big box frame around the dining room table (and well into the room next door, enclosing the baby grand piano).  It has occurred to me - we can fit a WHOLE BUNCH of STUFF in a box this big!

It sure has helped me visualize the space we have, setting up this structure.

Okay - for those of you planning to follow along, some pointers.  

  • 7'10" tall is VERY TALL.  You'll need a chair for the fabrication.
  • Don't glue the pieces together unless you want a permanent art project in your house
  • PVC is not used for structural support for a reason.  You may need to tape one side to a wall.
  • Just because it will fit in the space you have mapped out, doesn't mean that the shippers will pack it like you think they will.
  • I am not a shipping expert.
We are now making plans to actually bring a piano with us!  Maybe not the baby grand.  We are negotiating trading it in for an upright.  We'll see.