The Portugal Papers

Hello! Yes, it’s been too long – let’s catch up!

It’s been almost three months. It’s been a whirlwind of our own making, planning and executing this move to Portugal. It’s been an exciting, emotional, exhausting ride.

When we (Lisa) last posted, we had just put our house on the market. Here now, in not perfect order, is a summary of our journey to date.

1. I resigned my position at Kaleida Health in Buffalo, NY. The IT Team there is AWESOME – they are in the final stretch of a huge Epic implementation and I wish them all the best! So this means I am retired. I’m retired. I’m retired?? Still hasn’t fully registered.
2. Lisa had major surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. The details are hers to share, but she’s doing great. Note that we listed and sold our house THIS SAME WEEK. 
3. We sold our house!! We are excited about the new owners, we’re happy with the sale price, and are extremely grateful to our realtor, Stacy Porto sellingkc.com. She helped us through clean out, reno/staging, moving, and answered so many texts and emails. Thank you, Stacy.
4. We visited my parents in Sun City, AZ, and Lisa’s mom in Houston, TX. Two trips, lots of hugs and a few tears. We will miss everyone!
5. THE PURGE, in two parts. PART ONE: We completed a massive house clean out right before we put our house on the market. Apparently, all it took for us to finally clean out the basement was an oversees move. PART TWO: In the weeks before closing, we completed a final purge of remaining items, sold or gave away most of our furniture, and packed what was left into two suitcases + a backpack each, plus the cats. 
6. We organized and packed our possessions into boxes, which were then loaded into two, 200 cubic ft. crates. All our possessions are currently sitting in a terminal waiting to be loaded onto a ship. 

Throughout this time, we have filled out, organized, printed, notarized, scanned, sent, and saved approximately 972,653 documents. Everything from travel insurance, FBI reviews, visa applications, lease agreements – everything requires paperwork. Moving internationally is not for the faint of heart, nor is it eco-friendly.

And on Tuesday, April 14th, we closed on our house and left KC for…Bentonville, Arkansas? Yep, we are currently relaxing in a cute rental townhouse, right next to the town square. I am enjoying this transition time with lots of reading and coffee walks. 

Final steps….Visa appointment on 5/7 in Miami, and fingers crossed, we will be in Braga on 5/14!

I am so excited to actually send you updates from Portugal! Stay tuned…