Wow, you guys are the best! Thanks for helping me see the whole process as a totally do-able challenge. And sorry for the post and run; needless to say, things are a bit hectic around here right now.
IK, you put the smile back on my face because I've always seen packing as a fun challenge, not a burden. So "packing for life" it is!
Mo, shopping my closet is a brilliant way to get started--and I've already used your numbers exercise as a guide for purging some of those shoes. Unless I sprout extra limbs, I'm realizing I'd have to wear a different pair of shoes or boots every day for two and a half months to make my current number work! Your numbers certainly help put things in perspective!
Claire, actually, some of my X-country and snowshoe gear is going down to the Toronto area where it will get used by my DILs--with me getting dibs on it when we visit. And we are lucky enough to have good friends who live in Whistler who have offered to let us store our downhill gear at their place. We'll just need to remember to bring a few bottles of wine with us every time we want to go skiing as our rental fee!
As for work, I've officially retired now that I turned 65, but may pick up some contract work in either Victoria or Vancouver if I get restless or I need some shopping funds now that I'm closer to Seattle.
Melillls, the thought had occurred to me to purge after the move, but it just doesn't make sense to my logical side to shlep a bunch of stuff to our new place just to throw it out. Tempting, though.
Alexandra, your burglar image made me realize that my turquoise leather jacket is definitely coming with me, along with my Okalas!
Ah, Denise, thanks for the moral support. Truthfully, I think it took numbers to make me realize how much I'd actually managed to stuff into my current closet. I'm obviously a very efficient pack rat. I think your capsule idea, coupled with the numbers, is definitely the way to go. I'd visited un-fancy's site before and thought it was interesting; now it seems like a lifesaver!
Elizabeth, we have rented a condo in Victoria, near the centre of the city, with an option to buy if it works out for us. We will probably check out some other areas on the Island, as well as in Vancouver, before we decide to buy. One son is voting for Vancouver, while the other thinks we'd be better off in Victoria. Both, however, would probably be over the moon if we went to Tofino…
Vix, we are definitely excited about the move. I've always wanted to live on the coast, but things never fell into place before. Both my sons lived in Vancouver for years while doing their undergraduate and graduate programs and I was totally green with envy the whole time. Both Mr. G and I have spent quite a bit of time in the PNW over the years and have always loved it both in the winter and the summer. Mr. G, especially, spent most of his early life in Norway so he loves being near the mountains and the ocean. And there is no way he will stop ever downhill skiing…
I'll definitely need a city slicker capsule because both of us love to travel--Paris, London, and Barcelona are in the near future.
Gigi, Adelfa, Rabbit and JAileen, I thought about renting a storage unit or putting stuff in storage tubs, but it would definitely be a last resort. I'm an out-of-sight, out-of-mind kind of person when it comes to my wardrobe, so I doubt that I'd ever think of wanting to wear anything that wasn't in front of me. Food for thought, though.
Kiwigal, good point about putting an outfit together instead of just picking my favourites--could lead to some interesting outfits, though... And Angie has decreed that we can wear brown, navy, black, and grey all together, now.
Ah, Suz, it seems like most people I've met in Victoria have come from other parts of Canada. I've also wondered about the "one plain, one fancy, and one in-between", but I think it makes sense if I interpret it rather liberally to mean "one basic, one interesting, and one in-between" like a pair of slim black trousers, a pant in an interesting cut or fabric, and a white jean? If nothing else, it would keep me from hanging on to six pairs of almost identical black pants! And your suggestion to start with my newest loves makes so much sense.
Crackers, as I mentioned earlier, both of our sons lived in Vancouver for over a decade. Both Mr. G and I always hated leaving, especially in March and April, when we had to return to the dregs of a prairie winter after seeing flowers in bloom. Mr. G is used to rainy winters because he grew up on the west coast of Norway, but I'm a prairie girl who is used to cold temperatures and blue skies, so we'll see how it goes.
Caro, I know that you must have gone through something similar when you moved so thanks for responding. I think I'm like you in being quite happy to wear a "uniform" as long as I can get my variety in through jackets and shoes (And I'm officially making that my defense for those 70 pairs of shoes and boots!)
Janet, you're right that it's stressful, but also rather exhilarating. To be honest, I've always liked to travel and I suspect I'm a bit weird because I actually enjoy figuring out what to pack for a trip. As IK points out, that's a good way to look at this.
Elle, thanks for the good wishes.
Carter, yup, a packing challenge it is--just thinking of the rest of my life as a VERY long trip.
