The PCS Files: Official Orders

We got our official orders last week, stating that we WILL be moving to Japan. We knew that we were slated to go, but until you have those orders in your hand, it doesn't really feel official. The basic info is that The Hubs will be finished with his duties at the Naval Medical Center at the end of June, he'll have to be in town for some course for a couple of weeks in July, and then we're supposed to report to Yokosuka, Japan at the end of that month.

I am SO excited to finally have an idea of when we'll be leaving, but along with that knowledge, comes a gigantic to-do list and lots more to figure out. For example:

When do we want to schedule our move-out?
When do we want to have our big shipment of house-hold goods (HHG) shipped?
Do we want to go home for a while before leaving for Japan?
How much furniture will we get to take?
What furniture do we want to keep and what do we want to get rid of?
We've got to go through a thorough medical/dental-screening process.
We've got to apply for passports (thankfully, they are free!).
We have to sell both of our cars.
We've got to fill out all sorts of paperwork.
We have to take a class about moving overseas.
We've got to have a yard-sale to get rid of everything we don't want/need to take with us.

And a lot of the big things we've got to take care of can't happen for months, until right before we leave. It's a whole lot of waiting without being able to do much in the meantime (and you know how well I deal with that...).

We also have decided that our dog, Murray, will be going to live with my in-laws. Apparently, the process for taking a dog overseas is long and difficult. He has to be quarantined for SEVEN MONTHS, some of which can start while we're still in the US, but has to be finished overseas (meaning that Murray would be housed in a boarding facility where we are still required to take care of him every day) and as if all of that weren't bad enough, I'm not sure he would make through a 14-hour flight. He has some separation anxiety issues. So, he will go live with his grandparents, who also have a dog whom Murray loves, a doggy-door so he can go in and out as he pleases, and a lot of land for him to chase squirrels all day long. I know that it will be the best option for him, but it's going to be hard on the girls. They have really grown to love Murray. I'm REALLY thankful that our in-laws are willing to keep him. It's nice to know that he will be with family whom he knows and loves and that we won't have to find another family for him.

So... yeah... there's a lot to do before we move. Oy.