We've Arrived and Everything Is Coming Up Roses!

We have officially arrived in Harrogate, England! We arrived early yesterday morning and had the day to explore our new home.  We were pleasantly surprised to find many restaurants, shops, and boutiques around town - even a pet shop to order Alfie his special dog food!  It is pretty cool here (for those in DC - think early April weather), but the town is filled with beautiful flowers.  It's considered a "garden town" here in England.  Here are a few of the snaps I captured yesterday as we visited various spots around town:

Harrogate Town Center

Rose Garden (Alfie loved the sniffs!) 

Our new home town

Moving: We're Officially Out!

Wow!  It is seriously amazing how much stuff you can accumulate by your thirties.  When we moved in together – we had two sets of just about everything (dishes, furniture, etc) and we never were forced to make decisions about it because we could always put it into the attic.  This all changed last year when we found out we were moving to England…and realized we’d have to get all of our possessions ready to move across the pond. 

I was really lucky to read a variety of diplo-spouse and military family blogs – they offered the best advice!  Since the military was moving us, I took careful notes and jotted down many tips along the way.  I’m so lucky to benefit from the collective wisdom of the interwebs – it made moving day that much easier. 

For all of those PCS-ing (federal speak – Permanent Change of Station aka moving!) – a few tips from our experience:

Purge, Purge, Purge: We spent the past year pulling down boxes from the attic, stretching to the top of our closets, and checking out the backs of drawers to find anything and everything we could purge.  We would always ask the question “Have we used this in the last year or is it a necessity?”  If the answer was no, we sent it immediately to Good Will or trash.  The less stuff you have, the easier it is to move.

Buy Bins and Label Them Early: We organized all of our closets and attic with clear plastic bins courtesy of Costco.  After we reviewed each bin, we labeled them with the contents and determination of: move or storage.  This allowed us to prepare months in advance and have everything organized and ready to go when the movers arrived.  

Make It Clear What’s Going Where: Before the movers show up, make sure it’s very, very clear what is going into storage or being sent via the mail.  We found it easiest to make a large pile of those boxes and also rope off a closet and relevant cabinets in the kitchen.  Despite all of my preparation, I was stunned by how quickly the movers and packers descended upon my house --- I was SO glad we had already organized and labeled everything so there were no questions or in-the-moment decisions.

Find a Good Solution for Your Pet: There are horror stories of cats being packed in boxes during pack out! Alfie hung out with us all day in his crate / on a leash, but if you have a bigger dog or hard to handle cat, it’s much easier to send them to the groomer, doggie day care, or a friend’s home for the day.  On a related note – if you are moving internationally, make sure to check the pet import regulations early.  We had to start the process for Alfie to join us almost 6 months ago.   More on that in another post

I hope this is helpful to someone out there!  I feel like I need to pay it forward after reading up from so many blogs over the past year. Special thanks to the Diplomatic Wife  and Well that Was Different.

Hello! Join us for Every Day Adventures!

Welcome!  Thanks for following along!  For those of you who are new to our story – our family is moving from the suburbs of Washington, DC to the suburbs of Leeds, England.  This is an amazing opportunity to explore Europe, understand rural life in England, and enjoy new every day adventures as a family!  I’m looking forward to using this blog to share tidbits of our experience, travel tips, and keep in touch with friend around the world. 

So who are the main characters in our story? 

• Me (Hillary):  I grew up in a small town in Maryland and moved to Washington, DC for college.  A proud American University alum (go Eagles!), I have spent the past 13 years as a management consultant working for federal clients. I’m lucky that my company is letting me telework while we’re abroad – I’m sure I’ll share insights from that experience on this blog too. Likes: Mexican food, preppy clothes, pearls, Pure Barre, travel, and reading.  Dislikes: Sushi, clutter, cats, low-rise jeans, and dirt.
• My Husband (P):  P grew up in Atlanta and moved to DC about a decade ago.  He is an engineer who understands how just about everything works – from the electricity in our house to the international political economy.  Likes: Specialty cooking (Sous Vide, Smoker, Wok), biking, reading Reddit, and sheep.  Dislikes: Writing long prose, picking a favorite anything, and snobby people/things.
• Our Little Fluffy Dog (Alfie): We adopted Alfie two years ago – he has since become the center of our universe.  He is a 10 pound white fluffy bichon who is well-behaved, but definitely not trained.  Likes: Long walks, bike rides from a basket, biscuit treats, and belly rubs.  Dislikes: Baths, being combed, and getting hot.

Thanks for joining us for our adventures!