When we decided to move to Indonesia, life was already in full chaos mode.
You know, normal stuff.
My husband was on disability leave after a dirt bike crash that left him with three broken (okay, shattered) limbs and I had just given birth to our daughter. We were exhausted, emotional, and figuring out how to keep a tiny human alive.
So naturally… we decided to move across the world.
Because why not?
The Moment We Decided to Move
I was excited.
I was anxious.
I was probably running on three hours of sleep.
The thought of moving internationally with a newborn and an injured husband felt equal parts thrilling and absolutely insane.
Our first calls were to our parents.
They were, understandably, devastated at the idea of us leaving the U.S. with their brand-new grandchild. But like the amazing parents they are, they supported us 100%. That support made the decision feel a little less like we were ruining everyone’s lives.
My second call was to my Indonesian-American friend to get all the “gossip” about Indonesia.
As a brand-new mom, I was in full protective mode. In my American brain, I was moving to what people casually label a “third world country”. Indonesia in fact, is actually a developing country with a massive economy, and malls bigger than anything I’d ever seen, and better food than I was prepared for. It just has a severe lack of waste management infrastructure.
But that’s another fun story for another post.
We also spoke with the VP of Global at the husbands company, who gave us some advice I’ll never forget.
He said the decision had to be up to the wife because she’s the one leaving her routine, her support system, her comfort zone and you have to be a team.
(Translation: If mom’s not on board, nobody’s going anywhere.)
Once we committed, it was officially go time.
Passports, Vaccines, and All the Things No One Tells You About
Before the husband could even leave for Indonesia, we had to get our daughter’s passport.
Fun fact: it takes both parents to get a baby’s passport.
So that became top priority before the husband left.
Then came the vaccinations.
Lots of them.
For international travel, we had to go to special travel clinics to make sure we were all up to date and had everything required.
And even after the husband left in June, our daughter and I didn’t head to Indonesia right away.
We had to wait until she received her six-month vaccinations before we could join him.
So while the husband started his new life overseas, I stayed back juggling a baby, packing a house, working, and counting down the days.
When the husband finally left, he hugged me and said:
“Don’t show up with a toddler.”
Meaning, he was already sad thinking about how much she would grow in the months he’d be gone.
It was hard on all of us emotionally.
Big moves aren’t just logistics… they’re feelings too.
The “Look See” Trip (AKA My First Mother’s Day Without My Baby)
The company offered us a “Look See” trip to Indonesia so we could explore the area, find housing, and meet other expats.
But first, we had to fly from the Rocky Mountain Region to the East Coast to drop our three-month-old off with my parents for a week.
Yes.
Over my very first Mother’s Day.
If you’re wondering if I cried, the answer is absolutely.
But what made that week possible (and honestly really special) was our family village back home.
While my mom was still working during the day, my grandmothers, sister-in-law, and aunties all rotated watching the baby.
They even journaled the experience, writing down little moments, feedings, and memories for me to read later.
Cue the tears.
Knowing she was so loved and cared for made being away just a little easier.
And as hard as it was, the trip ended up being incredibly helpful. We found a place to live, met other expat families, and learned quickly that support is EVERYTHING when living abroad.
Relocation teams.
Other families.
People who already survived the chaos.
I can’t stress enough how important that network is.
Juggling Mom Life, Work Life, and an International Move
Somewhere in the middle of all this madness, I also went back to work after maternity leave.
Because why not add that to the mix too?
I returned to work, went on the Indonesia trip, and then came back to work for one final month before officially having to quit my job for the move.
So yes, I was:
✔ A new mom
✔ Working full-time
✔ Packing up a house
✔ Planning an international move
No big deal.
(Okay… it was a big deal.)
It Takes a Village (And Ours Was Basically a Small Army)
Once we got back, it was full speed ahead.
The company connected us with a relocation team that basically saved our sanity. They handled packers, helped sell our house, and took care of logistics I didn’t even know existed.
Meanwhile, the husband was shipped off to Indonesia ASAP, now in a boot.
Back in the Rocky Mountains, our friends stepped in like absolute superheroes.
They fixed up parts of our house, helped sell two of our three vehicles, dirt bikes, and everything else we weren’t taking.
After the relocation team packed us up and the husband was enroute to Indo, I moved into my coworker/best friend’s one-bedroom house with our daughter and our dog.
And yes, she literally slept on the couch for a month so we could have the bedroom.
THAT is friendship.
From there I cleaned the house, finished selling what we didn’t need, and packed our travel bags while surviving on Starbucks’ Skinny Vanilla Lattes with Spinach Egg White Wraps and adrenaline.
You’ll hear me say it a lot on this blog, it really does take a village.
And ours showed up in every possible way.
A Special Shoutout to a Real-Life Milk Angel
I also have to give the biggest shoutout to one of my amazing friends who was an overproducer of breast milk.
I was still breastfeeding at the time, and while we were on our “Look See” trip, she helped supplement my baby so I could go without constantly stressing.
If you’ve ever breastfed, you know how emotional and stressful that can be and having that kind of support was truly a blessing.
Seriously, moms helping moms is a whole different level of love.
The Cross-Country Road Trip From Hell (I Mean… Heaven )
My mom flew out to help, and together we loaded up the truck and drove from the West side to the East Side.
Three days.
One baby.
One dog.
One very full truck.
We stayed in Best Western hotels (dog-friendly, clean, super nice & highly recommend for road trips).
Every single night, my mom and I unloaded and reloaded the truck so nothing would get stolen.
On night two, I got incredibly sick; vomiting, weak, and basically useless. Months later turns out it was appendicitis, which is another story in itself!
My mom, being the legend she is, took over everything.
She drove the rest of the way.
She loaded and unloaded the truck.
She did it all.
Meanwhile, our baby girl contributed to the adventure with several MASSIVE blowouts requiring emergency pit stops.
She quickly made it clear she was going to keep travel interesting for us.
(Car, plane, train…no one was safe.)
What I Learned From All of This
Looking back, the company made the logistics easier but our family and friends made the impossible doable.
This was when I finally learned how to ask for help.
Something I was terrible at before becoming a mom.
But when you’re moving across the world with a baby and an injured husband, you realize:
Now is not the time to pretend you’ve got it all together.
And honestly?
That village saved us.
Why I’m Sharing This
I started Kilometers with Kids to show families that:
✔ You CAN travel internationally with kids
✔ You CAN survive big moves and big adventures
✔ You don’t have to do it alone
It won’t always be pretty.
But it will always be worth it.
A few villagers:
Kilometers with Kids 
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