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Ok I'll jump on the wagon! LOL Carrie and Royall said it all! Our thanks also to everyone for the generous time and effort in sharing!
Cary one question. Off hand do you recall what you shipped over that you had absolutely no need for?
Thanks for the juicer update, we will bring our is a hand jobbie.
What else do you miss not bringing over?
Curious!
Mahalo, Mella
mella l
Edited by - mella l on 07/31/2006 13:16:06
mella l
Art and Science
bytheSEA
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This is a fun thread.
I'll ring in with my 2 cents.
I brought too many shoes. [Yes, there is such a thing.]
I am glad we brought our "junk drawer". Les mentioned this in another tread and it sparked my thought.
I cleaned it out a bit but then just dumped it in a big shoe box. It has been great to not have to go to the store for all those little things that I stored away over the years.
Robin
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Your junk drawer fit into a shoe box?! That isn't a junk drawer! 
Royall
What goes around comes around!
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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
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Hi Carey! I really enjoyed your post. Tony has a really beautiful camera and I have a little one that is very nice...but we are waiting for our digital to arrive. The kids have a digital camera and we plan to send lots of pics back and forth via the computer.
I gave away most of my good heels. I have about 3 nice pair and some sandals and a pair of sneakers that are coming. I just couldn't bear to part with my good heels...although now I realize I will probably never wear them unless we come back here for a visit.
We are gonna dump all that plastic wear stuff and get new on the island...it's cheap enough to replace. I got some really nice blue Pyrex baking dishes as a wedding gift - gave it away. I can always replace it. My black cast iron frying pan that is so nicely seasoned (LOL) - I'm bringing it even though it weighs a ton. I can cook anything in that!
Since they are tenting the house and before we can actually move in we're gonna have to go through it and clean it. It's been empty a little while. Wanna vacume the bugs and spiders and etc. Here's what's funny - I have an Oreck and a Kenmore canister vac - but they probably wont arrive until we are there for a couple of weeks or more. I'm gonna need a vacume cleaner. I'll have to scrounge one up from one of my nice neighbors to borrow LOL!
The time is starting to go quickly with the date of the move heading toward us. Tony has the next week off to empty the garage of his "man stuff" and paint the interior, and finish up on the small stuff around the house here to get it on the market. The way things worked we will not have to be here to sell the house in Arizona, so we're just gonna head over as soon after the closing as feasible.
All of the things everyone is saying on this thread is so helpful. And whatever I do that could have been different...well, that's just life I guess. I hafta learn for myself what I could've done without or what I wish I still had. Keep the advice coming though, I'm not too proud to listen!
Carrie
"The opportunities to reach into the lives of others in an inspiring way arise in countless ways every single day..." Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
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Carrie, we are on your way from Hilo (just off of HWY 11 & 130 intersection) We have a large & small shop vac for your deceased critters, if you need them. Also have an open lightweight trailer (Only reason we joined Costco) that we have lent out, if needed.
We didn't bring vacuum cleaners, knew we would replace our ancient big one, & a couple of months later, hubby's job offered the smaller as a work incentive, so then we had 2, and the clutter begins!
Aloha, Carey
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You're awesome Carey! Thanks! We also have a shop vac - forgot about that one (and GOD did we work it during this remodel. LOL)
On the Phoenix Craigslist there was somebody offering 2 ducks, a white and a brown one - said they like the bugs...I swear you almost need a couple of chickens or ducks on the island hehehehe...
Carrie
"The opportunities to reach into the lives of others in an inspiring way arise in countless ways every single day..." Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
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Cary thank you for sharing your stuff with us. I too am going to bring one or two pair of High Heels, like Carolann I can't bear to leave them, even though I can't walk in them like I use too!!! LOL I will cull my suits down to two, again can't bear to part with them yet. It is so good to hear that even the symphony is island casual!
Most likely the clothing I bring will be in storage for a year and I know the elastic will not hold that long packed away, so will be careful.
Oh and thanks for the heads up on the serving pieces being needed for all the pot luck adventures. That means I can bring two or three! Of course only my favorites, you know the old tried and true chipped ones grandma gave me! LOL
Hey thanks for sharing! Aloha, Mella
mella l
mella l
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bytheSEA
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I had to laugh out loud at the post about high heels. Just the other day I had a reality check with myself and decided that even though they were not Payless specials they had to go, so now they will be in the donation bin. Also, I learned from my recent trip to the mainland that running around in slippahs all of the time seem to make the feet wider and real shoes now feel like torture! And so darned hot!! The joy of peeling off my socks was almost as good as dark rich chocolate! Food for thought. If you are not going to work in a professional office atmosphere here, do yourself a favor and either give the good stuff away (better for the soul anyway) or put it on consighnment because the amount you will get at a garage or yard sale will first insult your intelligence and then maybe tick you off. Keep with the KISS principles and you will do much better. pj
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ohhhh, dang those Robinson-May's shoe departments!! I have the most beautiful pair of camel-colored leather REALLY pointy-toed pumps that cost me a bundle. Only wore 'em maybe 4 times. I will probably never wear 'em again. But ya know - they ARE in a box in the middle of that big stack of boxes and it WOULD BE SO DIFFICULT to find them...LOL! WHY is that so difficult? I mean - I sold my Louis Vuitton handbags to a nice older lady for about 2% of what I paid..."I don't care" I told myself...but those dang pointy pumps...you'd think they were Marilyn Monroe's!! The Universe will send them to the right place - I just know it! hahahaha...Girls just wanna have fu-un.
Carrie
"The opportunities to reach into the lives of others in an inspiring way arise in countless ways every single day..." Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
http://www.hellophoenix.com/art
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