Packing Up

We have started to pack.  What a process!  We’ve been purging and downsizing for months but it’s amazing how much STUFF we still have.  And only a few things will actually be taken down to Costa Rica, since we plan on buying mostly everything there.  (Too expensive/stupid to ship furniture, etc.)

For the most part we see this as an opportunity to start fresh and seriously get rid of clutter our lives, but from my perspective at least, there is actually a lot of stuff I own that I actually like and use. (Joe is a totally different story.  Like most men, he could care less about décor and sentimental keepsakes).  I don’t want to haul loads of c-r-a-p down to CR, but I DO want wherever I live down there to feel somewhat like home.  I kind of compare it to moving off to college.  You can only take a few mementos to decorate your dorm room, but each one means something and makes that small space feel a little like home.  So that’s my goal.  A few things that will represent us as a family and make my space feel familiar and homey.  Oh and many more practical things that we just have to have.  Like clothes, and shoes, and… our coffee grinder. 

The plan to get our baggage there: Use the 33 high schoolers Joe is taking down in a week to the Project as mules. (No, we're not taking 33 bags, but we could.  We'll have the teens take just 7-8 for us.) That means the majority of our belongings must be packed by next Saturday, July 30th. In October, we’ll only be allowed two bags each without paying the airlines the extravagant $150 per extra bag, so I’ve been strategizing what exactly to “ship” now and what I absolutely must keep here until October.  Whatever that is must fit into no more than 6 bags total!! So needless to say, I'm thankful for these 33 kids and will be taking advantage!

We plan on either storing or selling/donating the rest.  Another huge purge involved there, because there really is no point storing some things if you’re not going to use them again for 3-5 years.  Goal: get better at getting rid of stuff.

But for now, we pack what we for sure want or need in CR (or are trying not to repurchase there), and in a large duffle bag or box it goes!

Giant duffle from REI.  Yes, we're bringing some stuffed animals... and a couple rugs... and some baskets... I'm kind of a container freak.  I need my baskets.

The books that made the cut.  Including A Severe Mercy, Jane Eyre, and On The Road.