Moving Musings 2014 - The Closing Chapter

It feels like we have been moving forever. The process started in early March when we found out that we were returning to Germany for another assignment at US EUCOM (European Command). It continued with the separation of goods to be shipped and those to be stored in April, the shipping of our second car in May, and the packing of our Household Goods (also known as HHG) in June. July brought an end to our time in Spokane and a trip across the US, until we finally shipped the truck and flew out of Atlanta the third week in July.

Fascinating and a little scary

The German adventure started with driver's license tests, a 3-week hotel stay, looking at over a dozen potential homes, and settling on just the right place.  Another four weeks and our HHG arrived and it really started feeling like home. Even the process of unloading some of furniture over the second floor balcony did not dampen our excitement, although I did document the process with lots of photos, just in case there was a "terrible accident,"

We received some much needed help installing a
new dining room light fixture

Smart and sleek

Our last milestone will be receiving Violet, my 2013 Avalanche. Yes, we were crazy to ship her, yes, it will be a challenge parking her and her gas mileage is pretty abysmal, but she's mine and I love her... She apparently arrived yesterday morning, but we have not received official word to pick her up yet. The process of receiving and registering a vehicle is daunting, to say the least, with 2 inspections, and 3 different lines to tackle. We will both have to work at it together if we want to get through the process in one day. And get in line before 7:00am... But in the end,, the days of being a one-car family will be over for a while, and that will make us both very happy.

Violet - Not in jail,
just locked away for her own protection

She looks good from the outside, which is a relief after
the problems that many have had this moving cycle.

It has been good to return to a place where we previously had such a great experience. Even so, moving overseas requires tenacity and patience. Nothing ever happens in one or two visits or calls. Procedures sometimes seem burdensome and arbitrary. And the language barrier is often a challenge that must be taken on with our trusty yellow dictionary. On the good side, we again find that if we try to communicate in German, people are often patient and kind... or they just switch to English if they find our attempts too painful to bear.

We thank you for your prayers and your attention in this time of change. We hope the best for you all as your go through your own changes.

Peace, Deb