Long Overdue Update

 Well hello there! After nearly 3 months of nomadic living, we are finally in our house and I have my computer set up. We were planning to have our shipment delivered in perfect timing with our move in date (which is why we were ok with waiting so long to move in) but alas, our plans did not work out so seamlessly. 

About a month ago we were informed that the ship carrying our shipping container was caught in a bad storm somewhere between Japan and Hawaii. Over 1800 containers went overboard and countless others came loose and were widely thrown about the ship, incurring who knows what kind of damage. A few stacks seem relatively unharmed. 

However, this incident occurred on November 30. The ship was then rerouted to Japan to be unloaded which has been a slow process since the ship itself was damaged and therefore a precarious work space for unloading heavy materials. So at this point we still do not know the status of our belongings. 

We were told we'd know something by Dec 21st but that clearly has not happened. Jon calls every week but there are no updates. So we continue to live in limbo and feel rather unsettled. 

*IF* our shipment did not go overboard and isn't completely structurally damaged then an optimistic estimate would be that it arrives here sometime in late Spring and we can assess the damage then. So that would mean best case scenario is 6ish months of living out of suitcases not knowing whether we need to replace certain items until they are unpacked. 

If it did go overboard or is obviously severely damaged then we will get some sort of insurance payout. We assume this will be somewhat based on the amount of valued inventory we claimed, but we were foolish and didn't put *everything* on our list (like ski clothes, various toys/books, an extensive starbucks mug collection, and literally thousands of dollars in LEGO) so we are hoping it is for more than the just the big ticket and fragile items we listed.

And who knows how long all the red tape will take for that pay out to come through if needed. The other bummer is that supply chain is so backed up right now. When we look at replacing things like our dining table and Juliet's crib we are looking at a June delivery date for our 1st choice items. And since we are in general limbo we feel like we can't move forward and order stuff until we have some sort of idea one way or another. 

We bought a used Pottery Barn glider and scooped up a free Pottery Barn crib to hold us over until we know more. A few people have given us some other free things when they heard about our situation which has been so sweet and helpful. 

Luckily we knew we were downsizing so did sell quite a lot of stuff beforehand. But of course there area ton of irreplaceable and sentimental items from our children and our travels that may have possibly vanished. I know that it's just stuff but it's still a grieving process! Before we got the call that this had happened, I was feeling at the end of my rope. I just didn't know how I was going to make it a whole 'nother month living in limbo. Now it's just...indefinite. 

So even though we LOVE LOVE LOVE being back in northern Cali, I would say given the pandemic, the MIA shipment, and the age of our youngest wildling, this has been the hardest move ever! If Jon's boss is reading- could we please not do this for awhile/ever again? 'Kay, thanks. 

Anooooother complication is that something weird with our house is it lacks any banister or railing on the stairs. 

This is a hazard for just your average person, but certainly a death trap for a dare devil toddler. When we bought the house we went ahead and lined up a carpenter to build a banister the day or two after we moved in- you know, the day we perfectly timed to be just after our shipment delivery. The problem is, the reason why there is no banister is because the stairwell is so narrow that you can't move furniture upstairs if there is a railing. So now we have to just live with a glaring safety concern in the middle of our living room until we get all furniture moved upstairs. 

Kind of reminds me of our move to Scotland if you recall... (Also, because there is no railing there is no way to baby-gate it off either but we are brainstorming if you have ideas.) 

For now we have gated off the family room/kitchen area so that I can just keep Juliet in there. 

our minimalist rental furniture

I am so ready to child proof this joint! I feel like I haven't been able to sit down or relax in months because she is at the most dangerous phase (and my kids take that to the next level) and she's super fast and smart and has the fine motor skills of a full grown adult (seriously can get a child safety top off medicine in about 5 seconds flat and we haven't met a safety gate that she hasn't eventually outsmarted or outwilled by either climbing over it or pulling it straight from the wall TRUE STORY). 

Alright, boss baby is up from her nap so I guess I'll live to blog another day. I am soooooo happy to have my computer. It just a little something that makes me feel at least a tad rooted somewhere!