THE MOVE

Our furniture arrived on a Friday.  It was supposed to arrive on Wednesday, then got pushed back to Thursday and finally Friday.  After the first delay of a day, I got nervous but adapted.  After the second delay, I pitched a fit to get to the bottom of the delay.  Turns out it was one document needed from the States!?!? 

WHAT!?!?  I assumed that any delay or inefficiency would be from the French - not our side of the pond.  This was unacceptable.  I have learned I can't make the French think differently or yell at them in English to make things happen.  But a hang up with paperwork at an American company - I can fix that.  I got on the phone in France, found out where the hang up was, and waited for 8 am local time in the US.  Then I got on the phone to America.  Half an hour later the problem was solved. 

I still don't understand why it took a phone call from me to fix this, but whatever.  Seriously I expect such service from the French but not the Americans...  Sheesh. 

So our apartment is on the second floor, only one flight up.  Instead of going up our stairs or our elevator (which is tiny - we can't even get all four of us in it at once), the furniture and boxes went through a window.  With a lift outside in the courtyard to raise it up to the window.  Four guys on the ground to unload the container and load the lift.  Two inside to unload the lift into the apartment.  It was all inside in about 3 hours.  Then the unpacking fun began...

The movers worked with us a bit on Friday to unpack some boxes.  But after getting the beds set up and unpacking a little in the kitchen, they split.  To return on Monday and take away all the empty boxes and packing material.  This was key as we have limited garbage pick up.  I mean we can take out all the garbage we want, but we can't leave 40 boxes outside to be picked up.  So the pressure was on to empty as many boxes as possible before Monday morning when the movers came back.   

Jim did manage to make the unpacking a game with the kids, especially in the kitchen.  See the video and photos: 

I tried desperately to finish to at least finish the kitchen before Meme arrived on Sunday morning but had no such luck.  She helped me finish it in a flash though and the kitchen is funcitioning really well. 

After the kitchen, Meme and I first tackled the kid's rooms and ended up storing four boxes of toys.  To rotate out in the fall or the next rainy day.  Then we tackled what next!?!?  I can't recall - it was a kind of blurry few days.  But by Thursday at noon all but one or two boxes were unpacked.  Our massive wall of storage closets was FULL, FULL and organized as only Meme could get it.  Here are more pictures from the moving process: 

And finally the WALL of empty boxes awaiting the movers on Monday morning to take away.  We were so glad to have those out of here finally.