While I was blogging about our last days in Saudi I forgot to share about our actual packing and moving experience. In reality, from the time we were told Brooks got the job in Borger, we had 4 weeks until we left the Kingdom, but 2 weeks until the movers came and packed up our house. We had to ship our stuff out of the country while we were still living there due to visas and paperwork. Within a few days of Brooks accepting the job, the moving company sent someone out to access our home and determine the amount of packing supplies that would be needed and also got measurements of anything glass, large frames, pictures, and delicate items. The company would build crates for these items to be shipped in later. Perfect!
The first thing I did was purge. To be honest, I had started purging things months before since I knew moving was a strong possibility and it really helped my mental sanity as the days got closer. I set up a room in our house with everything I was planning on leaving behind and let our close friends come through and take what they wanted. We had a moving sale where people from our compound came by and purchased items- it's amazing the things people want because they don't have easy access to get it in Saudi. Anything that was left I gave to our workers and drivers. They were so grateful and appreciative.
After purging, I had to determine what we would need to live with for the two weeks AFTER the packers took all our stuff and all of those things HAD to fit in 10 suitcases since that's all we could take on the airplane. In those 10 suitcases was everything we needed for the entire summer (including our 12 night Mediterranean Cruise). So, I literally packed 10 suitcases about 3 weeks before we moved because anything that was left after the movers and that didn't fit into our suitcases meant it was getting left and that was the important stuff! Thankfully, our villa came furnished with furniture and kitchen items and our friends were sweet to offer up towels, DVD players, pot holders, high chairs, pack n plays, and various other household needs to make our last two weeks manageable. This allowed us to pack and ship most all our belongings.
Next up was determining what would go in our air shipment and what was sea shipment. We pretty much had everything situated and divided up so when the packers came we could say this goes, this stays, this is air, and this is sea. I used painters tape and marked off things that were to be left (we sold some furniture and house items, but were wanting to use them up until we left Saudi.) This system worked really well for the most part. When the movers came, there was a misunderstanding as to whether Brooks got one or two air shipments (one being personal and one for office). Because of this, they decided to pack our air shipment on day 2. BIG MISTAKE!!! I'll explain that further down.
Day 1 of packing consisted of the movers (3 men) leisurely arriving around 10am, slowly walking through the house, assessing all the rooms, hearing my instructions of what not to touch, and then unloading their packing supplies. Around 11:30am, when Brooks arrived to handle some paperwork and other needs, they began packing. All was well until I realized we forgot to unplug some electronics that we wanted put in the air shipment and then realized we needed the remote controls only to find out they were in 1 of the 5 boxes the packers had already packed, taped up, and labeled. Oops. I made them open each box until we found what we needed and moved it to the air shipment pile. The men took a lunch break from 12:30-2:00pm and continued working until 4:00pm. They then spent the last 30-45 minutes of the day taking all the boxes they packed and loaded them onto the truck to be brought back to the port. Wow- a whopping 24 boxes were packed day 1. I then realized it was going to be a LOOOONG week of packing.
**Micah and Steph were out of town while we were packing up so Ivie, our nanny, kept Brooklyn and Miles at their house to let them play and take naps without being in the middle of things. Gavin got to spend every day after school at his friend Devin's house and LOVED the extra time together. Brooks went into work around 5am-10am and then came home while the movers were working. This really helped things run smoothly and I was able to keep organizing things when needed.
Day 2 wasn't that different. The same men arrived a little after 10am and had our air shipment discrepancies worked out and were ready to pack the two air shipments. For air, you receive a certain weight allotment so the men packed up what I set aside for our air shipment and weighed the 2 boxes. We were then told we still had 250lbs worth of air. That was great news! Except, as I started going around the house to pull things to put in, I realized almost EVERYTHING I wanted to put and had been packed on day 1 and taken away. UGH. There was nothing we could do then, so I just started putting random things in- more towels, blankets, toys, games, sewing machine (incase we'd get our air shipment in early and I'd be bored, I would have something to do). It all worked out and 6 boxes later our air shipment was completed.
The men continued packing during the day, took their long lunch break, and then worked a few more hours, SLOWLY, and were up to 60 boxes at the end of day 2. The kids ended up at the house before the movers left and got to climb on the boxes, helped load the truck, and were amazed at what was happening.
Day 3 was the same as day 2, but a little faster. I think the men realized they still had a lot to do and picked up the pace. At this point, we started realizing not all of our stuff was going to fit into our 20ft container and we had to prioritize things. The workers were leaving all of our big items for the last day and were "estimating" what there was room for. I was standing my ground on some stuff and refusing to leave certain pieces of furniture behind. After LOTS and LOTS of worrying and figuring stuff out, I started selling things to neighbors to minimize what was left, but still see if the remaining items could fit. We just didn't know. Day 3 was stressful for me and not at all enjoyable. The idea of that day ending and not knowing if the rest of our house belongings were going to go was nerve racking. We finished the day with 112 boxes.
Day 4 began bright and early, 9:45am, and the workers went to town. They started wrapping our mattress, furniture, mirrors, frames, and more. Poor guys, the more they packed, the more it seemed they had to do. Their lunch break only lasted 30 minute this day, it's about time, and they continued to work. I got very emotional at lunch when I realized the movers were almost done and it meant we were actually moving and doing this. I called two of my friends to come over and just be some support. It was nice not being alone during this time. Of all days, Brooks couldn't leave work and be at home was this day. The packers didn't finish until 6pm and I only had 1 breakdown of the day. It came when they told me our changing table wasn't going to make it. That changing table is 35 years old and was me and my brothers. I REFUSED to not let it go. They eventually started packing items inside of it and it got on the truck. Next, they told us our leather recliner, Brooklyn's crib, and a Saudi cabinet couldn't go. We said, it's all going, do whatever you have to do to get it on the truck! They ended up taking our recliner apart and made it into a ball for more room, they put parts of the crib inside our Saudi cabinet, and found other ways to maximize space. The day ended well and most of our house stuff got packed. What was left, I just had to say, it is was it is and remove any emotional attachments to things. I watched the truck pull away with tears in my eyes realizing our journey in Saudi was about to end!
