Living in Transition

About a month ago, we were given the keys to our new house.  We were all very excited to be leaving the hotel portion of our transition behind us and were ready to have a bit more space to get away from each other stretch out in.  Be careful what you wish for, because even though we have moved into our new house, none of our things have moved in with us.  We are still living out of the same suitcases we came here with.  We are still using rented kitchen supplies .  I am still sleeping on a mattress that has no right to call itself a mattress.  We made the decision to move in, instead of staying in hotels, because it really does get old eating out every single meal, not to mention what it does to your waistline.  And we were were tired of living on top of each other with no real rooms to call our own.  Hotel living is fun for the first week but by week 5... We figured that squatting at our own house would be better in comparison.  And, in most aspects, we were right.

There are challenges to living with the bare minimum.  For one, you have to buy whatever it is you need to live -garbage cans, towels, chairs, beds and linens for them - even though you already own them.  Second, you have to remember what it is that you really need to live.  You end up making a lot of trips to the same store because you forget that you don't have, but desperately need, something.  Something like a can opener or a corkscrew (yes, this is a desperate need).  You forget you don't have a measuring cup, or a wooden spoon or even towels.  Yep, things you usually have handy so you don't think about them until you really need them.  Ikea's check out personnel and I are so familiar to each other we nod and smile when we see each other (it's all we can do, we don't speak the same language).

Even with some new things, it is still pretty vacant in our house.  If you talk to me on the phone you will hear the echoing of the empty rooms in the background. We don't have any extra's, and we don't have furniture in most of our rooms, but we have what we need.  Most importantly, we have each other and that is what is keeping us sane.

Living in transition isn't always easy, but its only for a couple of months, and we are finally almost at the end of it.  In fact, our container is supposed to have made it to Germany today - 8 weeks since they drove it away from in front of our house in Chile.  Germany means that it is only a customs clearance and a semi ride away.  Fingers crossed we will have our things in the next two weeks...though the girls may prefer it takes a little longer because once we get our things there will be no more scooter riding in the basement allowed.

At least they have a TV and place to sit...

Notice we don't even have doors yet on the upper cabinets...

MadHatter has two beds - but I could only put one together before I had hand cramps and blisters.

And Stinkerbell only gets a mattress on the floor...the one that belongs to MadHatter's other, still boxed, bed.

But I think they are still better off than we are.  Sleeping on a pull out couch is fine for a day or two.  I am now going on 4 weeks (I say I because B is never in the country).

And this is what every other room looks like...I won't bore you with pictures of all of them.