Apartment
Before I moved to Norway, Tim took pictures of a potential apartment, the one that we ended up getting from another Opera employee who moved back to Japan, the one we’re leaving in three weeks.
It seemed nice and light, a feature I really wanted but also small, especially the loft/bedroom. There are many features I didn’t consider too carefully, like the crazy round sink in the corner! I kind of wish I had but I don’t know how different our life here would have been. It doesn’t matter. Though we’ve lived in this apartment over a year, it’s always seemed like a transition place. Not much furniture, and while it’s home, doesn’t have everything we want.
Possibly our number one requirement for our next home, a dishwasher!! I also look forward to a bath tub, a real closet and/or dresser drawers, separate places for working and eating, more space for visiting and not having the tv front and center and a clothes dryer so by the time our clothes are dry it’s time to do another load. 
We’re selling off our stuff by bits and pieces. I really hope we can sell the bigger items too. One more week in this place, then comes packing day and we’ll take our suitcases with us to an Opera apartment. Thursday night we stay in the Radisson Hotel by the airport so we can just walk on over and not get up way early!
Good luck with your packing and moving! I know that can be stressful sometimes and I’m sure that an overseas move could be even more so, but I hope that it’s all relatively painless and that little Sara Ellen (and her parents) adjust to the US with ease!
I love looking at apartments, but it can sometimes be frustrating to find the one that’s perfect for you … either the rest of it is great, but the kitchen is way to small, or the bathroom is in an inconvenient place, or all the light switches are poorly located (as they are in our apt.). But there is hope: if the new home you find doesn’t have a dishwasher, they make portable ones that you hook up to the sink when you want to use it.
My landlord brought one in and it has made all the difference. It crowds my kitchen a bit, but I’m willing to put up with that! Plus, the extra 2 feet of counter space are a nice addition (I use the dishwasher as a butcher-block). I think they’re a bit expensive but it might be a worthwhile investment if your new home doesn’t have one but otherwise fits you right … Now, if only they made washers and dryers the same way!