Moving

Well, the two year adventure in Korea is just about over for the Cruzers.  On Friday, the movers came to take away the stuff that will be traveling back to the US via airplane.  This is the stuff that will arrive first.  In this shipment you should pack away stuff that will help you out the most when you arrive at your new location.  Things like basic kitchen stuff so you can cook, bathroom stuff so you clean yourself up (hard to shower without a shower curtain), lamps so you can see at night, some bedding so you can have a pillow fight and a chair or two so you can stay in shape by doing dips.  You get the picture.  The chair thing is actually pretty important if you want to sit down.  Not a big deal for Koreans.  There's always the floor. 

So this first shipment is the stuff that you'll get first. We made sure to put the iMac in this shipment. I'm already having withdrawals. That computer is like crack. I'm now slaving away on a tiny Acer laptop.  Woe is me. I think I will hug the iMac when we are reunited again.

It's like a massive ice cream headache trying to figure out all the stuff you'll need to keep with you for the next two months.  That's about how long it'll take to see our main household goods shipment in the US. 
Today, the movers came and packed out the rest of our household goods that will trek back to the US the old fashioned way - by boat.  Tomorrow will be the last of our move days with the final inspection of our apartment hopefully happening in the afternoon.  Then we live in a hotel for the next ten days.  Ah, Navy living.  Gotta love it.

The boys keeping themselves busy during the move.

Things went pretty smooth today.  The only negatives was a busted plate and the movers packing up our bedding and pillows even though we told them not to.  We still need that stuff because we're spending one more night here.  We were also disappointed that they didn't pack our booze.  It's hit or miss.  Sometimes they will.  Sometimes they won't.  I'm sure we'll have some takers that can help us unload our stash.  I also wasn't crazy how they packed our many frames.  Hopefully, they'll arrive undamaged.  Overall, we can't complain.  The Navy takes pretty good care of the move piece.

You'd think with as many moves as we've done, we'd have this down pat by now.  For the most part, we do.  We know that if you don't want something packed, you have to put it in the designated "non-pack" zone.  Maybe a bathroom or a closet with a sign that makes it clear that the stuff in there doesn't go with the movers.  If you don't do this, they will pack EVERYTHING.  We've had our trash cans filled with trash packed away once.  If it ain't nailed down, it's going.

We make sure to have plenty of drinks available for the movers.  We also buy the guys lunch.  Back in the States, pizza is always an easy thing.  We've learned that movers are kinda sick of the pizza thing and offer to get them whatever they want - chicken, burgers, whatever.  In Miami, we went out and got some good Cuban food.  I'm drooling just thinking about those plantains, flank steak and beans and rice.  Yeah, those guys took great care of our stuff.

I remember one challenging move in Rhode Island where there was a bunch of snow on the ground.  Those movers did their thing though and made it look easy.  No falls or slips even though they were lugging heavy furniture through the snow.  I'm always wary of that temp help that sometimes comes with the main moving crew.  Seems like it could just be some down on his luck dude they found on the docks that needs a few bucks.  The movers we've gotten in Korea though seem really professional - other than wearing slippers while moving heavy furniture.  Oh well.  If they lose a toe, they've got nine others.

Gotta go.  More move prep to do.  One random thought.  What to do with the blog now that we're leaving Korea?  Gotta think about that.