I have received a few compliments lately on the way I have organized our move. I think it's kind of funny, because I don't think I have been more organized than anyone would be planning a move of this magnitude. I mean you don't just throw a few things in a box and head out....it is pretty complicated.

I do think that what my organization has done for us, though, is give us a bit more cash. I have been pretty methodical about selling things and have used Amazon, eBay, Craigslist, garage sales, and passed the word to family and friends. If I had waited until the last minute I wouldn't have done so well, I'm sure.

All my obsessive preparation and attention to detail also helped us get our house sold quickly. I knew watching those home selling shows on TV would be good for something! Houses in the Pacific Northwest are selling better than in some areas of the country, but we sure didn't want to be one of the unlucky ones where a sale takes a long time. We knew our time frame and we did everything we could to hit it. Of course, luck plays a big part in it, too - you need just the right people at the right time, too.

The long timeframe for our move helped me, too. It's easy to miss things if you only have a short amount of time. I was able to think about things (and make list after list) so that things didn't fall through the cracks. Although once we are settled in Mazatlan I bet we will have found some things that we either forgot about or that surprised us!

We are also making some choices that we hope we don't regret. We aren't doing a menaje de casa since we plan on getting our FM3's in Mazatlan, and are just taking our belongings in our van. So - we have a little tension about the border crossing.

Overall, though, I am happy with how things have gone so far and can't wait for it to be time to hit the road!