07-31-2006, 07:35 PM
Mella, things we brought but haven't needed:
Way too many shoes, (2 pairs of heels, and 3 pairs hiking, only have used one pair of hiking boots -up in the Kohalas & Kilauea- Doubt if I will ever wear the heels!)
Too Many Clothes: Evening dresses, brought some for the theater, theater wear here is casual; Dress suits, not ever gonna need. only have needed 2 pr jeans, brought more! brought sweatshirts & sweaters, could have only brought one of each,
I pretty much live in shorts & tops & sandals now (never before, was a jeans & shirt & sneaker wearer when not is work suits & heels)
Kitchen stuff: only brought our flatware, kitchen knives, & some of the non-breakables. Did not realize the amount of potluck serving pieces I would want to keep (But have been able to replace many of my favorites at garage & thrift sales.)
Hubby accidentally sent over 5 boxes of computer systems that we had not planned on, & forgot to send my zip drives of all of my recent papers, love to have those resources, but that is another story!
We decided not to bring any furniture (we moved from a woodland retreat near Chicago - big overstuffed furniture, family antiques, & heavy wood pieces- planned on much more of a patio lifestyle here, & that is our eventual goal with our house esp. since it is an aluminum framed structure with exposed aluminum trusses)
When we started this transition, we had thought that we would spend a year or two RVing to find our next "home", then I recieved a grant to pursue my degree, and we started looking at universities (we had already drastically cut our household inventory -2800 sq ft 2 bedroom house crammed with 20 years of stuff- thinking we would be on the road). Finding this slice of paradise was not even on our radar when we started downsizing. So we had really cut out much more than most people moving here.
Lessons learned: most store bought things are replaceable here, many at thrift & garage slaes, but it will take time. Plan on at least 1-2 years to begin to settle in.
Most important thing to have here is patience, and an open spirit. Most people here have been working at fixing up & settling in for a while. Enjoy the time you are here, get to know people, esp. your neighbors. (It will take a year or more to have some of them open to you, much like an older established town in the midwest & east. - a smile & wave from you are noted, if not responded to) Be willing to reach out & help neighbors & such, they will be your support when things go weird ( and they probably will go weird) Make sure to schedule time to blow bubbles, whack balls, or what ever else brings you peace. If you have mainland family & friends, remember that they may not be able to travel to see you, so make sure that you have considered how you will continue to have contact with these people. One of the biggest things that many people we know here miss are these contacts. You may even need to assist family members, as we have, will probably want to have ways to remain in contact with friends & family. This may be the most important thing to plan, all the other is just stuff.
Aloha, Carey
Way too many shoes, (2 pairs of heels, and 3 pairs hiking, only have used one pair of hiking boots -up in the Kohalas & Kilauea- Doubt if I will ever wear the heels!)
Too Many Clothes: Evening dresses, brought some for the theater, theater wear here is casual; Dress suits, not ever gonna need. only have needed 2 pr jeans, brought more! brought sweatshirts & sweaters, could have only brought one of each,
I pretty much live in shorts & tops & sandals now (never before, was a jeans & shirt & sneaker wearer when not is work suits & heels)
Kitchen stuff: only brought our flatware, kitchen knives, & some of the non-breakables. Did not realize the amount of potluck serving pieces I would want to keep (But have been able to replace many of my favorites at garage & thrift sales.)
Hubby accidentally sent over 5 boxes of computer systems that we had not planned on, & forgot to send my zip drives of all of my recent papers, love to have those resources, but that is another story!
We decided not to bring any furniture (we moved from a woodland retreat near Chicago - big overstuffed furniture, family antiques, & heavy wood pieces- planned on much more of a patio lifestyle here, & that is our eventual goal with our house esp. since it is an aluminum framed structure with exposed aluminum trusses)
When we started this transition, we had thought that we would spend a year or two RVing to find our next "home", then I recieved a grant to pursue my degree, and we started looking at universities (we had already drastically cut our household inventory -2800 sq ft 2 bedroom house crammed with 20 years of stuff- thinking we would be on the road). Finding this slice of paradise was not even on our radar when we started downsizing. So we had really cut out much more than most people moving here.
Lessons learned: most store bought things are replaceable here, many at thrift & garage slaes, but it will take time. Plan on at least 1-2 years to begin to settle in.
Most important thing to have here is patience, and an open spirit. Most people here have been working at fixing up & settling in for a while. Enjoy the time you are here, get to know people, esp. your neighbors. (It will take a year or more to have some of them open to you, much like an older established town in the midwest & east. - a smile & wave from you are noted, if not responded to) Be willing to reach out & help neighbors & such, they will be your support when things go weird ( and they probably will go weird) Make sure to schedule time to blow bubbles, whack balls, or what ever else brings you peace. If you have mainland family & friends, remember that they may not be able to travel to see you, so make sure that you have considered how you will continue to have contact with these people. One of the biggest things that many people we know here miss are these contacts. You may even need to assist family members, as we have, will probably want to have ways to remain in contact with friends & family. This may be the most important thing to plan, all the other is just stuff.
Aloha, Carey