First Steps

Wow, these bullet point posts sure are exciting!

So here's where we're currently at. The decisions (see previous post) were definitely the most difficult part. The more we plan, the easier it'll be to execute, right? (that's what they always say about software, though I don't quite buy it)

• Expression of Interest form: New Zealand, like Canada, is a very welcoming country for potential immigrants. Basically, you fill out a form for your family and if you qualify (e.g. have enough points in their form calculator) you're invited to immigrate. What your status is when you arrive isn't 100% clear to me yet, but i do know that you're allowed to work like a Kiwi, buy property, etc. without any restrictions. I'll have to look into this more. This form was sent in last week, my understanding is that we'll be hearing from an Immigration Officer soon to walk us through the rest of the process.
  
• House Prep: We're in a constant state of renovation, but now we actually have a goal and a deadline. So we're finishing up all the projects we started, patching, repainting, tidying etc.
  
• The Purge: This has to be one of the most difficult and necessary steps. Because we need to sell the house and bring only what we actually need with us, we're going room by room to toss all that accumulated cruft that's been cluttering up our lives. Gone are the heirlooms, the dish sets, the computer bits for computers long gone, the vintage and / or so cool to own but not actually use toys, the tools you have 3 of etc. I can see why the TLC shows are so popular.
  
• The Sell Off: Anything we can't bring (120v appliances) or don't need anymore (2 desktop computers, a small laptop, a bunch of networking gear) is being sold off. This is an ongoing process that so far is going pretty well.
  

Doesn't seem like much so far, but it's all we can do until some of the key steps like selling the house, picking a moving company etc are taken care of.