Bare Necesseties

Now comes the time that we're going to begin sorting the wheat from the chaff. It's super-important that we not take too many material posessions down with us to the Caribbean for a few reasons--

1. We can't afford to bring all our junk
2. I don't use all the junk I have anyway, and what better time to purge?
3. I don't want to clutter my newfound and hopefully simpler life with all my bookshelf knick-knacks, 3 copies of Catcher and the Rye (which I hate), assorted mismatched coffee mugs, and bath gel I got as a gift but never got rid of or used.

We're going to start having to keep account of the things that we use every day, or use enough to warrant keeping around. Our time-frame of items we need to bring is going to be the first year in Belize. Since we don't plan on returning from Belize until our year is nearly up (hopefully the Holidays of 2015), we've got to make sure the stuff we take is stuff we need and will use.

This also means we're going to have to start making a list of things that are important to us but not available in Belize. For me, this means stuff like beauty products (good sunscreen, anyone?), clothing, and wine books. For Wes, it means some spices, kitchen utinsels, and chef coats. We've got to make sure we have exactly what we need and nothing we don't.

That said, let me begin by taking a rough inventory, then I will key it in the following way:

Green: Coming to Belize
Red: NOT coming to Belize
Blue: Unsure or not my decision

Hall Closet
Umbrellas Need 2 collapsible, donate rest
Cat Litter Box Will acquire in Belize, donate or trash
Craft Box Store in Alexandria
Motorcycle Helmet Store in Alexandria
Wine Collection Store in Alexandria or with a trusted wine friend in town
Electric Radiator Store in Alexandria
Christmas Decorations Store in Alexandria
Folding Table Unsure, but definitely not coming to Belize
Tool Boxes Wes's Decision, but most likely not coming to Belize
Random Storage Box of Mystery: ??? But it can't be that important
Electric Lantern UNSURE
Battery Powered Fan Coming to Belize
Sewing Machine UNSURE, but unlikely (bulky)
Sand Anchor beach table and beach umbrella:Unsure, but may be coming
Travel Hammock: Yes!!
Rolling ice chest named Merlbert: Wes's Decision, but too bulky in my opinion.

Living Room
Books, books, books and more books: This is a toughie, so I may take a few often-used wine books like my Atlas and CSW guide as well as a handful of novels and cookbooks. I will limit myself to taking 15 books (geesh, this is still like 25 lbs, but I'll put them on my carry-on)
- Wine Books
- Cookbooks
- Novels
- Old School Books: STORE
- Photo Albums: STORE
Shelved candle holders and knick-knacks: STORE
Bookcases (2): STORE
Sofa: STORE
Coffee Table: STORE
TV: STORE
TV Stand: Donate or pitch. It's old and wobbly
DVDs: I will pick my 5 favorites and take them
DVD Holder: STORE
Cat Tower: Donate or pitch. It's old and shredded.
Pink Chair: Donate or pitch. It's old and shredded.
Wooden Stool: STORE
Wicker Chair: STORE
Rocking Chair: STORE
Antique Desk: STORE
Pinboard: STORE
Printer: ??? But definitely not coming
Computer & Charger: COMING! This brings up a good point-- see below**
Files: I will keep these easily accessible at my parents' house in case I may need them to mail me something. I will only be taking my passport and Louisiana I.D. with me, as I will need little else (as far as I know)

**There MUST be a way to protect my cute little Macbook from the horrible things corrosion does to computers caused by sea salt in the air. You can't naturally put the whole computer in a cute case, because it relies on air circulation through it's little fans while it runs. Different websites advocate putting some sort of filter over the fans, but others say it's best to put a small dehumidifier by the computer, and when not in use to store it in "SLEEP" mode, never off, somewhere air-tight with silica gel or with some other desecant to dry it out. Keep it in a closet away from windows. This sounds like a job for a tupperware box, or something like this Otterbox Computer Case!

Alright, so next I'll take further inventories of other rooms in the house and make those tough decisions.
I'll also soon be discussing the day-to-day activities I currently perform, and what I'm going to have to do to arrange for those things in Belize.