White Christmas

After finishing our last days of work and experiencing 10 grueling days of packing, shipping, cleaning, painting, purging, and prepping- we have left our home in DC. It was a lot of work, but we managed to take some breaks here and there to attend happy hours at Ping Pong Dim Sum and Beacon Bar and Grill, drinks with good friends, a get together with neighbors, and much-needed hulu time at the end of the evenings. Derek and Josh Lee even managed to hack up a sleeper sofa and love seat into pieces, which warranted a lovely trip for Derek to the DC dump, an experience that both he and Tracy Davis described as a unique DC experience that all should partake in. Leaving DC, our home for the past 6ish years was bittersweet, though the excitement of our new adventures is outweighing our sadness of leaving DC.

Now we are happily and cozily lounging at Derek's sister's home in Neenah, WI. I'm happy to report that after 2 straight days of sitting around in our PJs, eating, and snacking, Derek and I finally ventured out to run some errands in preparation for Christmas festivities. Pretty sure that Singapore won't have a Wal-Mart or Pick and Save/Roundy's. Nor will there be bountiful bagged cheese curds or summer sausage, though I'm looking forward to embracing char kway teow and Hainanese chicken rice.

I'm happy to report that Dasher survived his first flight experience and is loving his time with the other Vollmer dogs, Charlie & Niles. All the space in this house and in the backyard is quite exhilirating for him, especially given that Gina's and Aaron's backyard is much bigger than the Logan Circle dog park that Dasher frequents. A few more days here, and we are off to California to see my parents. Finally, on New Year's Day, we board our flight to Singapore and our new adventure begins.

Packing up and/or selling our life

It's incredible how much stuff one young couple can acquire and store in a little townhouse, and how easily they can part with it when they learn how expensive it is to ship cargo halfway around the world. It's also incredible that I've managed to hold on to a report card from kindergarten, but can't seem to locate my 2009 tax return. I credit my mother for the report card-- pretty sure I didn't acquire that until she decided to clean out her own house a few years back!

I've moved around a fair amount in my lifetime, as has Karina, but this move is a different experience for us. We are literally examining every item in our house, and then performing complex calculations based on its Craigslist market price, its weight and volume, and level of personal attachment. In my kitchen, the Cuisinart SmartStick hand blender makes the cut and moves on-- the mandoline did not fare as well. Fortunately, we're finding good (or at least willing) homes for a lot of our items.

It remains to be seen whether or not we stay permanently downsized and also seize this opportunity to become far more organized with our stuff. Dewi is sort of the wild card, since families with kids seem to acquire new stuff at an exponential rate. We've been pretty restrained with regard to buying her toys here. Can I help it that her favorite toy is a plastic takeout container? I'm going to have to read up to see if one can build a tricycle out of household items.

Actually, I think living in a small space in Singapore will just force us to prioritize things that will get a lot of use. I can't tell you how many things I've pulled out of cupboards or boxes here that were barely touched. I have coats that I've worn maybe once a year. I have a silk robe with dragons on it. Okay, some things will be with me the rest of my life. But silk doesn't take up much space in a suitcase anway...