Retired and Moving to Roatan

What are the Strines up to these days? With just over two weeks left until we begin the next chapter of our lives, and all of the essentials already shipped to that new place, what's up now?

No longer does an alarm ring in the morning to signal the beginning of a new day. We get up when we are ready. For me, it is usually some time between 4:00 and 5:00 AM. Since Mike is more of a night owl, he gets an hour or two more of his sleep in the morning.

We have promised each other that much less time will be spent in front of screens in our new lives. But for now . . . well, it is 10:00 and here I sit. 

I still work in my business, All Things Administrative, and will continue my work during and after the move, so I do require some screen time.  And then there will be photograph uploads and the blog to write once we live in Roatan. In retrospect, I'll need to renegotiate this point with Mike!

And no matter what is going on, there's always time for the hot tub and pool. Always.

We are still packing. It feels a little complicated because we sold the house "fully furnished" so for each non-furnishing item that we touch there are still choices:

• Throw it away
• Give it away (who? how? when?)
• Pack it
• Leave it for the buyer

Wherever the laptop parks itself is Command Central. Here it is decided what bin to use for each item. Each bin requires three identification pieces of tape to be double-checked with the Google Sheet. Once a bin is full, Mike zip ties it closed. He does include some zip ties on the inside of each lid, hoping that Customs will zip the bins they have to open for inspection. 

There are still a few places inside the house (sadly, my area of the office) that need some work, but the garage is the bulk of what is left to do. Go, Mike!

We've decided on only one more shipment and scheduled ourselves for Thursday, April 8. Anything left out or forgotten will either go in our duffles, backpacks or be left behind. 

So there are nine days left to use it or lose it. This should not be as big of a deal as it looks like in my head right now. I'll work on that.

Already looking forward to this evening's R & R

T-15 Days

Shipment #2

 

Read about Shipment #1 Here 

Shipment #2 taken to Miami on March 26, 2021

Nine (9) 26-Gallon Bins

Three (3) Suitcases

One (1) Extra Large 64-Gallon Bin

One (2 ea) Dog Kennels

One (1) Bidet

(Lettie Jo- are you reading this?)

One (1) Safe

One of sixteen waybills for this shipment

Total Cost = $831.00

T - 16 Days

The Fine Art of Shipping

  . . . Which, of course, we know nothing about. Yet.

But here is the story of our first experience:

1. Spent three weeks packing and unpacking what is supposed to be "essentials that cannot be bought on the island."

Mike zip-tied all of the bins and taped some spares on the inside lids in case Customs needs to inspect the contents, and with the hope they will zip tie what they open.

2. Assigned values and prepared the manifest.

Results for this current shipment to Camp Bay Lodge were:

eight (8) 26-gallon bins

one (1) 64-gallon bin

and one (1) large suitcase

3. Rented a U-Haul Van, got gas, and loaded it up!

4. Drove 68 miles to the Miami DipShip. With traffic, it was an hour and a half drive one-way. 

The Guitar Hotel at the Seminole Hard Rock Cafe, Hollywood, FL

5. Arrived. It took a bit to figure out how to get in. 

Hint: Drive around to the back of the warehouse.

The staff here are just as helpful and courteous as the people we've built an online rapport with. We feel assured our belongings will get where they are going in about two weeks. The guys unloaded the van and we did some paperwork. Most of it was already completed by the time we arrived so it was painless. 

Total Cost - $625 USD

6. We did make one important stop. Cookies! Fueled by sugar for the 68-mile trip home.

Traveling in Miami's I-95 Friday afternoon traffic leads to rethinking the time of day for the next trip. Just saying.......

7. Stopped home to pick up the car, return the van to U-Haul, and called it a day!

We credit Dip Shipping Company for what turned out to be an easy, smooth process. Good thing, too - because we've already begun packing more bins for the same trip next Friday!

Twenty-Three (23) days, folks!

Whiner Alert aka Discussion of Two Mindsets

Every time I think about writing an update, my mind trips all over thoughts like, "Not now. Wait until you are in a better mood, when there are more positives to write about, a light & trippy attitude magically appears . . .  but do not post about the Uncontrolled Chaos that is your life right now."

Oh, why the heck not?

What good is this blog if it doesn't tell the truth about the process being written about in the first place?

So, here we go: If you are looking for something peppy and upbeat, move on. That's not happening here today. This is how I feel:

I'd love to hear from some of you who have made big moves by choice:

• Did you wake up in the pre-move mornings FULL of fear?

• Did you have moments (hours.days) of: What the heck are we doing?

Typically, when those kinds of uncomfortable feelings attack me - and especially when they attack both Mike and me, I'd have some serious doubts about the choices we've made. At least I'd begin to question the decisions leading to the present discomfort.

Is it possible to have made the "right decision" and still be engulfed in moments of sheer panic?

Or is that normal?

What does the word normal mean, anyway?

See what I mean? 

I'm all over the place. And so is Mike. 

The only stability here lies with the animals. 

I have to remember that I am bothered by two different issues and they are completely unrelated. 

The first is the emotional upheaval I just described.

The second is this:

 I don't do disorganization well. 

Mike says, look away. 

Smart man.

We are combing through everything. Even old floppies and CDs. This is serious business. Every captured moment matters. I started Google photo albums for each of the boys. What am I going to do once I get to the trunk full of photographed memories? I see some all-nighters in my future.

Lists are my go-to for getting out of overwhelm.

And plans with realistic goals. 

And calendars. 

And more lists. 

Here, take a look.

Haha ▲ - revealing, isn't it? Priorities!

At the moment we have 7 bins for Camp Bay and 7 bins for Storage. Not sure how that worked out, but here you have it. These two photos bring me peace. 

Organized progress!

Slow down.

Breathe.

Enjoy each moment.

Do the work.

It'll be worth it!