I am a Maniac!

Certifiable.

A distractable whirlwind.

We don't move out until June but...

Things need to get done. So I thought I'd explain a bit of life as I don't feel like posting Egypt today. But I will finish Egypt - I promised.

Some of you know and some of you don't - what our timelines are over the next 5 months. Bart heads back to the USA at the beginning of April and will be back and forth a small bit but - essentially in CA. The girls and I will entertain any last minute guests through the end of May and then prepare to move out by the end of June after school's finished.

There will be a house hunting trip sandwiched in there and the girls have had fun looking online at houses with us to get an idea of what we're up against. Now that the move is to CA vs MN, the heart drops a little at the cost differential - it's quite a bit. However, many other costs are equivalent so it's really just mortgage itself that you have to dig into.

We've started trading emails with the Moving/transportation company, the housing relocation people in the States and the relocation company here in Zurich. Many questions answered, asked, copies of documents found/sent, inventory lists of household belongings started, list of household items which need to be sold AND cleaning.

Why clean it now if I don't have to move out 'til June?

We are moving out in the middle of the legally prescribed period for vacancy of a rental. There are two legal dates by which a tenant may end a lease and move out with no financial responsibility/consequence in Switzerland - March 31 and September 30. As we are giving notice that we will move out by June 30, this puts responsibility of the remaining 3 months of rent and maintenance through Sept. 30 on us. It doesn't matter how much notice the landlord is given.

The public advertising will be done by the Property Managers at cost to us and I can put an add in the school links as well. I will also be the contact person and must be home for any showings. Oh, and have the prospektus (rental information documents) and direct any applications to the Property Management company. Therefore, it is in the best interest of all parties that the property be advertised and available for show soon. So that someone can take the property on July 1. As I do not see myself in the role of Real Estate agent, I hope this happens quickly and painlessly. Question is - Do I allow it to interfere with ski days 'cause you know, this is the last season here?

I am mentally incapable of having people go through the house and imagine themselves living in it without taking care of certain things. So - I've been cleaning, sorting, moving things down to the garage, throwing things away, giving things away and constantly asking "do you really need this? do we have to move this? are you really, really ever going to play with this again? can I at least throw this away right before the movers come?"

The girls are going to start stashing things behind their clothes pretty soon if I'm not careful. They're already adept at peaking into the large trash bags to see what I've put in there. They're asking questions about specific items. I immediately toss any bags I don't want them looking in. I'll admit I've already had to retrieve a bag out of the dumpster and go through it for a little white horse (I didn't know it was so special). Shhhhh - please don't tell Kendra until a couple years have gone by. She was very happy that I found it out of the "give away" bag. I didn't lie! I told her it was in a bag "downstairs" and she assumed......I just didn't correct her.

This all needs to be done anyway and I'm doing while the sun is NOT shining and snow is blowing. We may move back with less than we came with. Moves are good for cleaning out possessions and the soul.

Because we hope this :
And this (deceptive at this time of year but a vision of things to come):

And this (small by US standards but functional and nice by Swiss standards - our freezer is as big as our fridge (also small by US std.) ):

And this (large living area facing wall of windows out to terrasse):

And this :

Will convince someone to take the place as of July 1. They should ignore the 6 flights of stairs at the bottom of which lies the garage. A minor inconvenience. There is a funicular lift - that will take them 5 flights of the way. It's great for fitness - strong legs!

And if we sense hesitation, we can always show them this:

I can honestly say I've never lived in a place that was so physically comfortable. I never feel claustrophobic or confined here. I love the open feel, the water, the mountains, we watch weather patterns change across the sky, we have a quick walk down to town yet behind/sides of us are pasture/orchards, we have fir trees in our backyard and I just love, love, love it.

We will miss this place. There will not be a replacement for it. Even with the funky weird things (they do exist) that sometimes frustrate us, Bart & I are so glad we had the opportunity to live here.

So I am the crazy lady getting everything in the house ready so that I can relax when the weather clears, make some time for skiing (the snow has finally arrived again to relieve the 'Spring skiing conditions' we were having), enjoy lunch with friends, time with my girlies and especially time with Bart before April. I'm speaking his Love Language because I'm getting To Do's done. He loves that. I don't generally let him make To Do Lists for me - stresses me out! - but I need to be kept focused and he is so very willing to help me with that when I say "OK, write it down."

So that's what's happening in my little bubble. And we know that God already has a house waiting - one that I'll be physically comfortable in, just different. So we're praying that it will be a smooth hunting and purchasing process. If not, I'll be camping out in a few spots come July - watch out!

(excuse my "I" and "we" voices today - I just can't keep it all straight nor have the inclination to go back and fix it) Cheers!