Here we go....

Today our overseas items were boxed and shipped. We just made the 1600 lb weight maximum allowed. At noon the concierge from the Westin sent a van to pick up our 14 suitcases. Things are crazy and surreal. Moving is such a big endeavor in the simplest of situations, and this move has an extra layer of UGGH. We are flying out on Sun. It is an estimated 14 hr flight. GOOD NEWS: Emily and Katie have been great troopers, they just ate some spam musubi (packed for them by grandma), and are happy to be in their own room at the Westin. All the arrangements for our dog Buddy have been made and confirmed. He is flying to Shanghai on Tuesday and will be delivered to us on Saturday. BAD NEWS: We still do not have a residence in Shanghai! Our first choice fell through a few days ago after a month of negotiations. Our second choice landlord would not accept dogs. So we are waiting on our third choice, keeping our fingers crossed. People we have talked to that have lived in Shanghai for a while all tell us that this situation is not uncommon, but still stressful. We will be staying at residence apartment Citadine Biyun, in the green city area. Hopefully we will only be there for a short time, but it may be up to a month. The green city area is a hub for expats, but the apartment is not huge. We are all taking a big, deep breath. And diving in.