C l a r i M i c h e l e

Way back in July, we filled a big wooden crate with all of our possessions to be shipped to the UK. We knew the shipping process would take a long time (about 3 months). We knew there was some risk involved. We forged ahead, reasoning that risks and some unpleasantness are unavoidable with an international move. Once the crate was loaded up, we waved goodbye to our stuff and didn’t think much about it until October. In fact, we were glad that we had a few months to find a house and get settled in before having to worry about finding a place to store our things.

October came, and the shipping company called to let us know our crate had finally arrived in the UK! A delivery date was set, and I counted down the days like it was Christmas. A crate was delivered on the scheduled date, but lo and behold, it was the wrong one! I was shattered. Images of a sunken freight ship at the bottom of the ocean flashed through my mind.

Over the next week, the shipping company scrambled to locate our missing crate. It was discovered that shipping labels were swapped at the port in L.A., and our things were on their way to New Zealand. I was upset of course, but the company refunded the total cost of the shipment which helped me calm down.

It’s now nearing the end of November, and our crate is at least a month away from reaching its final destination. We don’t expect it to get here until January. We’ve joked that our possessions will be more traveled than we are!

Anyways, that’s the backstory, and I’m done complaining. The refund has been an incredible blessing! We’ve been able to catch up on bills, buy the things we need, and do a bit more sight-seeing. It’s taken awhile, but our little cottage is finally starting to look like people live here. There are obvious empty spaces that I plan to fill with the stuff that is currently somewhere in the Atlantic, but I’m feeling pretty good about the way things are shaping up.

We spend the majority of our time in the living room, so we’ve invested the most in this space.

Yep, that’s a kitty tree in the corner. The cats love it, and rip up the furniture *slightly* less than they used to.

The fab decor is mostly from Poundland (UK dollar store), but I found the rock in our backyard.

That’s it for now. Here’s Maia, classy as always.