It is now 30 days before we need to be ready to leave.

Most of the big items from our home were sold at a yard sale a few days ago. Ever since then I've been on Facebook Marketplace selling the rest.

I had thought we were fairly conservative in terms of our materialistic tendencies. Now I know better. I woke up this morning about 2 hours early and couldn't sleep for all the visions of junk on the floors of my house.

Most of the furniture was moved outside for the yard sale.

Kitchen shelf

 We put suitcases where the drawers used to be, and I'm putting everything into piles according to type, in preparation for another yard sale and other forms of recycling. One box of pictures and other small, sentimental items will go to the grandparents, and maybe a few other treasures will find a place with other relatives. Otherwise, we all will take one large suitcase and a backpack, and maybe a small carry-on for at least some of us.


While it does feel good to downsize, it is an incredible feat of endurance and emotional detachment to eliminate what feels like 98% of our belongings.