Packing.............packing, packing

I am now at the 2 week mark before the packers/movers come.  Thank God for packers (do not confuse this with the Green Bay Packers), I do not know how I would proceed without this service.......yay relocation package.  The hardest part is trying to sort my brain into three different packing piles:

1. immediate needs, these are items that go in the suitcase.
2. important things, these items will go into an air shipment and we should see them in a few weeks.
3. everything else..........unless it is garbage or Goodwill (oh wait, that is two more piles!)

Thankfully, my mom is flying in to help me and keep me company.  I need someone to just tell me what to do, I find myself walking in circles most days.  The tears have started this last week........I suppose it is unavoidable.  The house is starting to look empty.  I have sold and consigned and given away a lot of furniture, it actually helps to focus on what to do when your house is half empty.  This is what the living room looks like now, Emma likes to do gymnastics on the bare floor....see the piles?

I had my first Mandarin language lesson, guess what the first few words I learned were?  Of course one could think of all sorts of important first words like: help, food, bathroom, excuse me, doctor, where is...., how much is this.  But no, I learned pen, book and paper.  I am sure they are very important words,  perhaps I just don't appreciate them enough.  A freaked out mom about to have her life turned upside down just can't see her way past safety words.  Maybe it is the Chinese way to tell me to calm down and read a book (a self help book).

We are moving where?

So............guess where we are going?  Taipei, Taiwan (I had to look on a map).  Mid-December we found out that Paul had an opportunity to run 3M Taiwan, and it has been a whirlwind ever since.  Paul left for Taipei the day after Christmas to start his new job and I joined him 5 days later to house hunt.  Thankfully, my parents flew down to Austin to watch the kids while I was gone and help ready the house for sale.  With their help, our house sold within a few days.  After a rough start house hunting (yes, there were tears), we found a great townhome on the last day.  It is in an ex-pat neighborhood, near the girls school, and we are very excited to move in.

Unfortunately, housing is a lot smaller in Taipei than in Texas (imagine that?) and we are faced with getting rid of at least 1/2 of our furniture and "stuff".  On a sad note..............we have decided not to bring our dog Maybel with us.  I have cried many times over, but the flight  to Taipei for her is very long and sounds so scary to me, plus she would have to be put in quarantine for 3 weeks upon arrival.  In addition, we have not a spot of grass at our new home, zero yard.....only city sidewalks.  If you know our dog, she lives to hang outside........I think she would be sad never lounging in the yard.   Luckily, some very dear friends of ours have agreed to take in Maybel.  Maybel will have a doggy pal to hang out with, kids to play with, and people who will love her.  I know that Maybel will be in the best of hands and that this decision is the best one for her, but  we will miss her sooooooooo much.  We are leaving Texas on March 9th, plan on moving directly into the townhome and the girls will start their new school on March 19th.