Two Weeks Left

Posted on by Laura & Brett
I’m torn between whether I want time to slow down or speed up right now!

Actually, less than two weeks now as our flights back to the mainland depart the morning of August 20th!

We’ve taken care of everything we need to do here on the island including selling our car, so only have/had three more things left to do:

  1. Close bank account: We plan to close our local checking/savings account on either August 16 or 17th. Everything outstanding should be cleared by then. I have a small IRA at the bank but I’m leaving it in place right now as we’re still Hawai’i residents and keeping an account here helps solidify that. Once we settle again someone I will move the account.
  2. Make final payments on all utilities. I thought this was going to get done later this week, but Brett went around to all of them yesterday morning while YaYu was with the oral surgeon. We only owed for our final electric bill, which wasn’t as much as we expected, and will be receiving refunds from our water and gas accounts!
  3. Pack: We’re going to do this the weekend of August 18 – 19, and I predict it will be a major event. Brett and I are going to lay out everything we’re taking onto our bed and then repack all of it into our two suitcases and backpacks. We both think it may take more than one try to get it right. Each of us will be carrying half of the other’s clothing so if one of our suitcases gets lost or damaged along the way we will still have clothes to wear. YaYu’s college-bound things all need to be repacked as well. I am hoping we can get this done in a day, but it could possibly take longer.

Otherwise, we are ready to go! We did a good job downsizing and getting things taken care of ahead of time so we could be at this point now, and other than the landlord drama everything has gone according to plan. Pretty much our only challenge here at the condo will be making sure we finish up the food we brought along and/or have bought since we arrived. YaYu has decided that instead of working right up until the end her last day will be August 9 so she has time to spend with friends, and can pick up her last paycheck/tips before we leave..

It looks like the next two weeks will mainly be spent reading, relaxing by the pool or at the beach, saying good-bye to friends, and otherwise savoring our final days on Kaua’i!

 

Published by Laura & Brett

Slow traveling the world with a sense of adventure!

17 thoughts on “Two Weeks Left”

  1. Wow, what a finish line! I would imagine you are full of differing emotions about right now? Moving forward toward an amazing adventure, but closing out on a wonderful chapter in the process. I think you are so brave, and I am full of admiration that you are seizing life with both hands. Job well done!

    And how lovely you’ll have a little extra time with YaYu before she departs for college. ☺

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    1. Lots of different emotions going on right now about describes it. We’re excited to begin our travels, to get YaYu settled at college, and so forth, but when I stop and think about leaving here I feel a deep, deep sadness and have been brought to tears a couple of time.

      We lived in Key West for two years when Brett was in the navy, and loved our time there. The first morning after we left our son, Brett and I were sitting at breakfast, and we all looked at each other at one point and said together, “was that all a dream?” I wonder if that’s what it’s going to feel like when we leave here.

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  2. Hard to believe!!!! I am so glad that YaYu has some time to enjoy her last few days on the island as well.
    The packing! Woo Hooo! It will be fun to see how it goes. I am betting you are so organized it will be a breeze.

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    1. I’m glad YaYu decided to take some time off as well and I think she will be glad in the end that she did.

      I think the packing is going to take a few hours. IMO, the hardest part will be dividing clothes because we each have things for each season and trying to make sense of what goes in whose suitcase is going to be tricky.

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    1. We have planned each step and it’s nice to see everything come to fruition. I always feel though that there is something we have forgotten and that’s going to get us when we least expect it. Just this morning Brett and I discovered that we each had a different idea of who was going to be keeping some of our paperwork – we both thought that decision had been made long ago, but apparently not.

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  4. Wow, this has gone crazy fast. What am I going to do when I go to Kauai and you’re not there?! I’m really excited to follow along on your adventures, though. Great idea about splitting up your clothes. I’m going to do that with friends or an SO when I travel!

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    1. The time is going quickly now which is sort of weird because we’re not busy at all like we usually are.

      We will have to make a trip back to Kaua’i together some day. We can stay at the PMRF cottages, and sit on the beach and do nothing all day but chat and relax!!

      Losing one of suitcases, or having one get damaged is my biggest worry of all which is why we came up with the idea of dividing our clothes between the two suitcases. We’re taking everything we own on the road with us, so not losing everything is critical.

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    1. I KNOW!!! Here we are! I don’t remember feeling so excited/nervous before our move over here, but I probably was.

      We want to make sure we each have at least one or two changes of clothing for each season in the other’s suitcase in case the worst case scenario occurs.

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  6. Exciting! After all your hard work and planning, it’s almost here! Clever to split your clothes in case a suitcase gets lost/delayed. And I’m so happy for YaYu that she’s taking some time off to enjoy before you all leave. Enjoy every moment! 🙂

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    1. Hopefully lost or damaged luggage is one thing that won’t happen – I worked hard to book direct flights between destinations so that there was less of a chance of a suitcase going missing. We only have two flights where we change planes, but we stay with the same airlines so our fingers are crossed all goes well.

      I’m glad too that YaYu is winding down her work and that we get a bit more time with her before we leave the island. She’s recovering now from having her wisdom teeth removed, and has actually agreed to go down to the pool with us today – a first!

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  7. I can’t believe it’s been four years now. It feels like it flew by. I’ve been reading your blog since you were still living in Portland and it seems like only yesterday! I’m going to miss reading about your life on Kauai, but I look forward to reading about your adventures overseas even more. I like the idea of dividing the clothes. That makes a lot of sense!

    I’m glad YaYu decided to take time off before you leave. It might be a long time before she sees her friends again and it’s of course great that you get to spend more time with her before she starts college. Enjoy!

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    1. The past four years have gone quickly for us as well. We’ve had an amazing time overall, and the girls thrived here. It hasn’t been perfect all the time, but for the most it’s been more than we dreamed it would be.

      I think YaYu would rather spend time with her friends than with us, but we’re enjoying every moment we have with her. It’s hard to believe that “our baby” will be setting out on her own in the not-too-distant future!

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  8. As you well know, kids at that age want to spend time with friends more than family. It’s something I’ve had to adjust to myself. Even though I don’t have kids, I spent a lot of time with nieces and nephews when they were little and now that they are all teens, I see them much less often. But I knew that day would come and it’s normal, so I’ve adjusted. It certainly has left me more time to focus on things I want to do (like travel)!

    I’m sure YaYu will do great at Bryn Mawr. There is so much to do in that area (I used to live there and don’t live far from there now) and many opportunities for jobs/internships with Philadelphia close by. Very exciting times!

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  9. The Marie Kondo method of folding clothes might be helpful in packing everything

    I’ve followed you since Portland and look forward to seeing the world from your eyes!

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    1. I do use Marie Kondo’s rolling method for most of my clothes! Something resist rolling (like the outerwear) but rolling and standing items in the suitcase creates a lot of room to fit everything in.

      Thanks for being such a loyal reader! I hope besides sticking with the blog that you’ll follow along on Instagram while we’re traveling.

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