Plans and Plan Bs....All Flexible.

Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase.

~Martin Luther King Jr.

Now that we have a dependable island Jeep, planning can resume.

One-way tickets have been purchased! We fly from Miami to St Croix on Thursday, July 13, 2017. This is the first time I've ever bought one-way tickets...such a strange and wonderful feeling.

Here's the plan: We'll pull out of our parking lot in Covington, KY for the last time on Friday, July 7th. Our island Jeep will be pulling a 5' x 10' enclosed trailer, packed with our belongings. And...size does matter! The trailer must fit inside a shipping container. Interior measurements of a shipping container are  19'2" (L) x 7'8" (W) x 7'9" (H). Our trailer's exterior measurements are 13'8" (L) x 6'6" (W) x 6'11" (H). Plenty of room to spare.

We'll drop off the Jeep and the trailer on Monday, the 10th to Paradise Freight. Paradise Freight will ship the Jeep and the packed trailer from Miami to St Croix. They will leave Miami on Thursday the 13th, and arrive in St Croix on Monday, the 17th. They'll be held up in customs for a few days, then ready for pick-up on Friday, July 21st.

If things go according to plan, this is how it looks:

I believe the key to enjoying this trip will be to stay adaptable....so many things could require a change to the plans!

Our big move starts with a last goodbye to our current home in Mainstrasse Covington, KY. We'll head out on a 6 1/2 drive from Covington to Woodstock, GA on Friday the 7th. Not quite half-way to Miami, but a perfect stopping point so that we can spend the night with my sister, Lisa.

• Things that could require a change of plan:
• We had to special order a trailer this size--it SHOULD arrive about 2 weeks before we are scheduled to drive away.
• We've never pulled a trailer with a Jeep Wrangler, and this is a lot of distance to cover. We have an extra day as buffer, and some wriggle room for dropping off the trailer (Wednesday is the last day for things to be added to the shipment). 

Saturday morning, we'll get up and be on our way from Georgia to Miami, Florida--about 10 hours. If we need to, we can split up this part of the trip, as well. We'll arrive in Miami Sunday night or Monday morning.

Monday, July 10th, we'll deliver our Jeep and trailer (packed full of our belongings) to Paradise Freight. They have been very helpful so far in the process--quick to respond to emails and phone calls.

• Things that could require a change of plan:
• I'm not really sure, but until all of our cargo is dropped off and approved for shipping, I feel like there are so many things that might not go as planned?
• There is a lot of paperwork required for shipping a vehicle and a trailer full of belongings.
• I am working very closely with Paradise Freight to try to alleviate any chance of missing paperwork. They have been very helpful.

For the next few days, we'll relax and play in Florida. I still haven't booked a place to stay....any suggestions? We'll probably use Airbnb.

• Things that could require a change of plan:
• We haven't booked a place yet, and we are travelling with 3 dogs...

On Thursday, our friends, Diane and Adam, will fly from Cincinnati to St Croix with a layover in Miami. Their second flight is our flight. They are coming along to help us fly with 3 pups (and vacation in St Croix as our first visitors)!

Our friends, and volunteer travel helpers, Adam and Diane. We're so lucky!
Back row: me & Paul, Front row: Adam & Diane

This will be the first time I've flown with pups. Hartman & Maxxton will be carry-on, and Hendrixx is Paul's support dog.

• Things that could require a change of plan:
• The airline told me that flying with animals is first come, first served (a limited number are permitted on each flight). 
• There is one more flight from Miami to St Croix on the 13th, just in case we get booted.
• None of the dogs have ever been on a plane...need I say more?

Once we arrive in St Croix....ahhhhh....we can breathe. We're home. Now we just have to wait for our things to arrive. We'll rent a car for the interim until our Jeep is ready for pick-up.

• Things that could require a change of plan:
• I have heard from several people that shipments often do not go as planned or scheduled.
• I have to fly out for some training on Sunday, July 23rd. If our belongings aren't ready for pick-up on the scheduled day (Friday, the 21st), Paul will have to find someone else to help him retrieve the items.

I feel like we are as prepared as we can be. There are lots of things that could happen that would require us to change our plans somewhere along the way. I've tried to work in enough pre-planning, extra time and plan Bs to allow for this. We'll just have to remind ourselves to relax and enjoy the process. All we can do is have a little faith each step of the way.