I have been told by a few people that I have left my readers in suspense. Sorry! Once we got home from the house hunting trip, it has been a whirlwind. So, without further ado…..

WE GOT THE CASTLE HOUSE!!!!

There is still the big question mark about whether or not we will be able to get the highest speed internet, but we think the odds are good. And if not, what the house is for sure able to get should be sufficient. A little gamble that we are taking, but I’m optimistic. I asked if we can schedule the appointment with the internet provider to get it hooked up. Nope. We have to be registered as residents with the Town Hall before we can do anything (internet, phone, bank account, etc). We can’t register at the Town Hall until we all arrive in country and appear in person. So, we arrive in Frankfurt on December 29 at 5:00 AM. We will grab our bags, hopefully run through Customs, grab a rental car, then hustle to Königstein for the last Town Hall appointment before the New Year’s holiday and weekend. I am also preparing myself to not have internet/TV hooked up until after New Year’s. Wish me luck.

The house was built “probably sometime around 1900”, was renovated in 2009, is in an adorable German village on the Main Street with a gorgeous park behind it. It’s a little strange because it is literally adjacent to a retail shop (cute home decor), but will be quiet on nights and Sundays. 🙂 The sacrifices I make to have a wine shop in my front yard and a castle 450 meters away….

People keep asking me “Are you ready to go?” That’s a loaded question that doesn’t have an easy answer. I think I am on track so far. I think. So what do we bring with us? What do we leave behind? What do we do with anything we leave in the US?

We are keeping our house in the US. We love our home, our neighborhood, and especially our next door neighbors (Jay’s parents), so we are not giving up that prime real estate. We are also not renting it out. I still have nightmares about the renters we had when we lived in Australia. I really did not want to deal with packing up my home here and storing stuff. So the house will sit quietly waiting for our return. We have security, neighborhood watch, irrigation, lawn care, snow removal, etc. It will be really nice to come “home” at the end of our assignment.

We are keeping Jay’s TRX and his Ute, and we are selling my car. I love that car but no sense leaving it sitting in the garage for 2+ years. So if anyone is in the market for a 2021 BMW X7M, let me know and I will give you the details.

We have a small allowance for an air shipment, which is 2 x 4’x4’x4’ cube containers. This is roughly 16 storage totes of stuff. For two years. We will have rental furniture in Germany, so we can leave big pieces behind. The office in our home is where I have been gathering all of the air shipment items. How do I decide what goes in it? Ugh. I have literally gone through every room, every closet, every cupboard, every drawer, and have looked at EVERY THING we own, and I decide: Throw Away, Donate, Keep but Leave (strongly consider why I need to keep it if I can live without it for 2 years), Air Shipment, Suitcase. I have had a steady stream of people showing up in my doorstep picking up things that don’t make the cut. My house has gotten a LOT lighter the past couple of months. Anything that can be packed in vacuum bags (clothes, linens, coats, etc) has been shrunk down to its smallest possible form. There is still a lot of stress that when the movers come on December 18 (EEEK!!!) we will have too much. I’m probably going to have to go back through everything I have set aside and make a pile of “Last to Pack” items.

Whatever doesn’t go in the Air Shipment has to fit in roughly 8 suitcases. We will have about 2 weeks between when the Air Shipment is packed and we fly out, and probably 2-3 weeks before the Air Shipment is delivered. We have to be registered at the Town Hall before they can try to clear Customs. Are you picking up how powerful and important the Town Hall is?!?!?

Kaycee. Our 4-legged furry family member. He is moving to Germany also. We have hired a pet transport company to help us make sure he arrives safely with all of the correct vaccinations and documentation. There are lots of rules on international live animal transport, and I do not want to screw that up. He is going to be riding in style. Here is his ginormous kennel.

German. Jay and I have been committed to learning German. We are using Duolingo and have 80+ day streaks. We also have an actual teacher once a week. The kids will have German lessons 3 days/week in school so we have not been pushing too hard, but they are picking up some words and phrases.

This international relocation, combined with my brother’s accident, has motivated Jay and I to upgrade from the Google Will (Jay swears it would hold up fine in court) to an actual Last Will & Testament, Medical POA, and Financial POA created by an attorney. We used Hope Wood – Will in a Day – based out of Des Moines to prepare the paperwork. It was easy. I recommend (I am not paid for any recommendations). We are officially adults now. Yay!

Travel. Europeans love their public holidays, and not long after we arrive we have 2 weeks of school holidays – Ski Break in February and Spring Break in March. I have started to think a little bit about where to go and what to do, but have not booked anything yet. Italy in February and Spain in March. Should make for some pretty spectacular blogs!

Goodbyes. They have begun. We have reached the point where “this is the last time we will do this” or “this is the last time we will see you.” Lily threw an epic 20-girl German-themed slumber party. Ty rented out the simulator party room at the Bettplex to hang out with his buddies. We went to Denver over Thanksgiving to see my brother and his wife one more time. We have some holiday parties coming up, a few more weeks of basketball games and school. It’s going to fly by.

That pretty much sums up the past month. I am looking forward to getting past this phase. It’s a lot. But it will be worth it!

Guten Abend!