Moving Day is finally here which means we are getting on a plane for Germany in 12 days! This time around moving day was broken into two days. In past moves, they would pack everything and then load the truck all on the same day, but not this time. It has been a few years since we last moved, so things may have changed.
 
Yesterday the movers came and packed the smaller items into boxes. The bigger items will be wrapped when they load them onto the truck.  As you can see from the pictures we have towers of boxes everywhere. The blue stickers are for inventory purposes which goes along with a document which states how many items should arrive in Germany. 

Today the truck is here and our items are ready to be loaded. They will put our items into those huge wooden boxes as seen in the picture, which will then be transported and loaded onto a ship which will travel to Germany. As they were packing the truck, all I could think of was a Tetris game and how the boxes were like the blocks and all free spaces need to be filled.

On Monday another company will come and load up the items we will be storing while over in Germany. 

We have packed hopefully everything we need into 4 suitcases; 3 large and 1 small. We are allowed 2 suitcases each, so I figured why not. Don't forget to add my mailbag cross body purse, Curtis' backpack, and Sissy and Trooper's carriers. We are going to be one of those people at the airport with tons of stuff. I am hoping it fits in our car and especially in the rental car. Time will tell...

It is hard work sitting around and watching  people pack your stuff. As you know, sitting still and not doing anything is extremely hard for me. How will I survive a 9 hour plane ride?  Maybe lots of dramamine? So I figured I would do some research on places to visit. Our goal while over there is to do tons of traveling all over Europe, but I figure we should start small and see things in Germany first. We will be arriving just in time for the Christmas Market and from my reading sounds AWESOME!  I can't wait Christmas is one of my favorite seasons! I have a list of places that I want to see. Keep checking back to see where we travel too!

We are getting closer with every passing day, so I am in the process of finalizing things. I have booked our hotel in Germany. It is near base about a 30 min walk, but we are thinking of renting a car for a few days. 

After much research, I learned why people don't fly with pets. Trooper is a Shiz Tzu/Poodle Mix and Sissy is a Shiz Tzu/Yorkie mix. Shiz Tzu are classified as a snug nose dogs and most airlines won't put them in the belly of the plane because of their heat intolerance and breathing. Sissy is small enough she will ride in cabin with us but Trooper is just a tiny bit too big for in cabin, so we have had to look into putting him under the plane, which is killing me. After three different airlines, I think we found a solution. We are going with Lufthansa and Trooper will fly under the plane as long as the temperature stays under 80, which is fine but now we have to fly from Atlanta to get the Army approve pricing. The flight is only 9 hrs, but those who know me well, knows that I will be stressing the whole time! So on October 6, I am asking for additional prayers and positive thoughts that everything goes well!

Trooper's crate is the perfect size to use on the plane, all I need to do is get it ready for airline travel. Did you know that you can get a kit from the pet store which has everything you need. The good part is Trooper sees this crate as his safe place so hopefully this will help while he is flying. 

So in the process of stressing about Trooper riding in the belly of the plane, I have had to cancel and reschedule hotels and the car drop off from Dallas to Atlanta. We are heading out of town a few days earlier to get to Atlanta. Mail is being sent to mom's, cell phones are on hold and final appointments are made.  

This week the movers are coming to pack our Households Goods (HHG), which is the stuff we are taking to Germany with us. The following week another company is coming to pack up the things we are storing and not taking to Germany. With all this packing means we will be sleeping on a air mattress for a few nights to save some money before we check into a hotel.  Moving is never dull.

I can't believe that in a month we will be heading to Germany. For those on the East Coast, Germany is 6 hours ahead of you and for all others add another hour to 6 hours. So if it's 3:30pm in Ohio then it's 9:35pm in Germany. I have added an additional clock on my phone so I can adjust my thinking to German time, but will still take some time to learn. 

Things on my checklist are slowly getting crossed off. We have our passports, flight booked, car dropped off scheduled, 2 out 3 hotel stays booked. I do still need to call the airlines for the dogs and take them to the vet to get their paperwork done.  I just learned today that their isn't any availability on base, so we will be staying in the Germany economy in a hotel until our house is ready. So I am in the process of checking out the list I was given. The good part is Germany is pretty dog friendly, but there is still pet fees. I am also getting all the paperwork printed and organized. I still have about 2 weeks before I need to think about what to pack in my suitcase. 

As I get things ready, I am trying to not over stress and find laughter in my life. Trooper loves Sissy carry on crate. Sissy decided she needs to smile for the camera!! My life is never dull with them in it!