Revised Start Date

Our visa application has been lodged! Now begins the 4-6 week long waiting period for its approval.

A popular question for us these days is, "When are you leaving?" Well, we still don't have a definitive answer but Michael does have a revised start date at PSC of May 16th. He will fly over before that date to allow himself to loose the jet-lag and take care of a million other details. That should probably be the subject of another post.

I have been busy trying to decide what is coming with us, helping man the online garage sale, and getting bids from moving companies. I've also been doing normal things like laundry, cooking, and occasionally reading a story or two to a little person. Notice that the word "Cleaning" isn't in that sentence. Who has time for that?!

So far, I have gotten 3 bids for a 20 foot shipping container. Service includes wrapping and packing of items, loading into the container, transporting container to the port, passage to Australia, transport to our new address, and unloading and unpacking at new address. What do you think that should cost? Having never done a move like this before or any move for that matter with a situation of actually hiring help, suffice it to say we are rather shocked at the cost. Bids range from $9,800 to $13,496. YIKES! I may get a few more bids; if for nothing else but entertainment value alone.

There are other expenses too. Duty and taxes on some items, storage fees if heaven forbid our container is quarantined, storage fees if something else goes wrong, insurance on the contents of the container.....yah dah yah dah yah dah. Yet, we keep moving forward and are not easily dismayed though sometimes I do become rather overwhelmed. Michael and I, in such times buoy one another up. We make a good team. Go team RIECKEN!