Missing iPods: FOUND!

It's been crazy.  We have a contract on the house, and we've been sorting all the stuff we've accumulated over the past 60 years (20,000 pounds!) into these 4 categories: Take with us on Betty, Put into a Storage Unit, Sell, or Donate. Most of our possessions are going into the "Sell" category. We originally planned to sell everything by hosting 3 weekend garage sales.  We had a pretty good stream of people during our first garage sale in the small town we live in, and we grossed $1,200.  But, there is so much stuff to sell, 2 more garage sales won't get it done.  We called a couple of estate sale companies and signed a contract with Ron and Deb.

Very quickly, it became apparent that our time to get out of the house has been reduced from 7 weeks to 3 weeks. Crazy. Luckily, Terry and I are 'get it done' kind of people, and we have hard-won packing and moving experience from the 3 moves we made (with 20,000 pounds of stuff) in 18 months during 2011 and 2012.

In the past 2 weeks, we decided what would go to into storage for the next unknown number of years and packed it up. We reserved a 2 small storage units in west Michigan - near my older son Jon and his family. Right now, we are in a motel in Ohio. We stopped for the night on our drive from PA to MI.  The not-quite-full 26' U-haul truck parked outside has our:

• Master Bedroom Set
• Kitchen table and chairs
• China Cabinet
• 2 Leather Recliners
• Artwork
• Files
• Dishes, pots & pans
• Pottery & decorative items
• Cold weather coats
• Oriental rug
• The coat tree my Dad made when he was in Junior High
• Foyer table
• Kitchen Island (which we use as a TV stand)
• Misc other stuff

Back to the iPods.  As we were getting ready to leave the house, Terry discovered he couldn't find his 2 iPods (his very old original classic, and his new iPod Touch).  We searched everywhere.  They could have been packed accidentally - in which case they are in the truck and we'll see them in 5 or 10 years when we come off the road.  Or, they could be on Betty. Or, they could still be in the house. Wish us luck in finding them!

UPDATE: We found the iPods! After weeks of being accused of moving / hiding Terry's iPod Touch, Terry found it where HE had packed it, in one of his travel bags.  He also found his missing TSA suitcase locks (which he needed but didn't have when he flew to California in July). The iPod Touch and the locks were in the same bag. Here is a photo of Terry immediately after discovering his lost items.  Verdict: Amanda is innocent.

-  Amanda

Sell the house: Done!

The first major step to our new life on the road is done. We accepted an offer on our house last night.  Now, we have 7 weeks to get Betty ready for traveling, and to clear out a lifetime's worth of accumulated stuff.

We had originally planned to host a series of garage sales in order to downsize our stuff, but after our first garage sale, I think it will be more efficient to hire someone to host one estate sale.

-  Amanda