Shipping Container

On April 29th our shipping container was delivered to our house! What a happy day! Our container left Arizona on February 23rd. So it took about 9 1/2 weeks to get to us. We were told it would take 10-12 weeks but we were bracing ourselves with the possibility of it taking 12-14 weeks. What a pleasant surprise! It arrived in Auckland ahead of schedule but it took almost 3 weeks to go through customs. Oh customs. We have heard many horror stories of the pain that customs can be so we were preparing for the worst. We made sure to claim everything that we could so we wouldn't get any fines. We also had all of our camping gear, shoes, bikes, and sports gear all scrubbed down and cleaned. We researched like crazy what was allowed and what wasn't. We were well prepared, but maybe we missed something or packed something we shouldn't. I was nervous that we'd have fines out the wazoo. I really didn't care if it took longer to arrive, I just didn't want to pay more for anything. We prayed…a lot. And yet another miracle happened. We got notified that it was done with the customs & quarantine process and we were good to go!! No fines! Everything passed without a problem! What a blessing!

Thankfully, it was arranged for the truck to come during the school holidays. It was a blessing not to have to worry about school drop off & pickup with the movers being there all day. 3 guys showed up and worked hard unloading our belongings. They brought stuff in and I started unpacking box by box. Cody was at work on Friday but helped all day Saturday. By the end of 2 days we had all of our boxes unpacked and broken down. It has been a challenge finding a place for everything and organizing it all. But we are almost done! Our house is beginning to feel like a home little by little. I'm itching to have it all decorated and totally done. Hopefully in a week or two….

The kids were most excited to see their stuffed animals that had been packed away for the last few months. It was like being reunited with old friends! I loved getting reacquainted with all of my clothes and shoes =) I also loved unpacking my kitchen. But I think the box that I found the most joy unpacking was all of the bulk toiletries that we had bought to tie us over for the next year or two. Mascara and shampoo never looked so good…. Cody had been counting down the days for his mountain bike to arrive and he can't wait to get on the trails here!

Ethan & Gavin both told me individually that they miss living simply. We were all excited to see our stuff but we enjoyed not having the fuss of cleaning up after and taking care of all of our stuff. We're challenging ourselves to get rid of stuff that we just don't need and to not buy anything that is unnecessary as well.

It was a great simple last few months but we're all very very glad to have our beds back!