Getting Organized

I have always known that I'm not much of an auditory learner, but with this move it's become REALLY obvious.

I don't seem to retain much when I hear it, as opposed to reading it. You know how you sit down to a board game and someone offers to read the instructions if it's a new game or something? I ALWAYS have to read them myself to process it.

I don't do well when I have to sit and listen to lectures either. I have to read it to get it.

So....with this move, Brian is constantly updating me on things. I am CONSTANTLY asking the same questions a million times. The poor guy gets pretty frustrated. It's not that I don't listen, I just didn't write it down anywhere so it's not planted in my brain that's all. I try to listen and I try to pay attention, but it never fails that I ask him the same thing day after day. When do we hear about such and such? Who is going to call you about this and that? What has to happen before we find out that thing? So...when do we hear about such and such?

I decided to make a big book with EVERYTHING in it that I needed. I had all intentions of doing this when it all started, but we just had folders upon folders in different places or emails upon emails. I finally feel organized.

I have checklists, I have names & numbers in one area. There's just so much to keep track of and it comes from so many different places: Medical, Passport, Visa, Training, Home Rental, New Home, Shipping the car, Shipping our belongings, Storing our belongings, Travel.

I feel clearer when I'm organized. I like to write things down and check them off and have it all be in one place.

Brian got notified that he will be going to DC for his one week training in mid-April so I got to check something else off my list today and that always feel good!

Roller Coaster is on an Upswing

I'm finding that I'm being more positive when people ask about our big move. A lot of it really seems to depend on someone's reaction. When they talk about what a great opportunity/adventure/experience it all is - it makes me excited about it and I really focus on all the positive. When someone asks if I'm nervous about what's been going on in that part of the world, I get defensive (I'm not worried by the way). When people talk about how hard it must be to move away from my mom and friends - it makes me sad and I start to think about how hard that's going to be.

So----I'm trying to focus on the positive!

As for the process - our passport stuff has been received in DC, all of our medical is done except for Brian getting his TB test checked on Monday and then that's all good and done. Next is applying for visas. I'm working on the house rental stuff - I've started filling out all the paperwork and will be mailing off my first set of stuff on Monday. We are waiting to hear if they have acquired funding for a temporary person since this will determine when Brian has to go. I'm also anxious to get confirmation that the kids are registered for school. Once Brian's medical has been received next week, they can acquire our villa - can't wait!!! I want to see pictures and know all the details about it so I can determine what to ship and get my bearings of what area of the island we will be living on.

I have been working on getting through the house stuff. Did the foyer and the front coat closet this week, along with the under-stairs storage. The plan this weekend is to do the den and den closet, games closet and finish sorting the 3 bins from the under-stairs storage. I'm also hoping to finally finish the taxes. Otherwise, we just have Bella's last soccer game and a girl scout cookie selling stint.

It's feeling good to get rid of stuff.

I went through my jewelry a couple weeks ago and finally managed to go and sell it for cash at a local Coin Store (way better deal than anywhere at the mall by the way) - got $1450. Crazy to make that much off of jewelry that was broken or sitting in my jewelry box not being worn!

Well now - it's off to bed and thoughts of positive productivity for the weekend.

Spilled Milk

My morning started out bright and early when the phone rang for a phone-appointment at 6:30 a.m. to talk to someone helping to start the Property Management issue with renting out our home. This was after waking up three times during the night because I was sure I wasn't going to hear the alarm or the phone ringing. Ugh. Started out tired, not a good way to start the day.

The phone call lasted about 40 minutes as the woman explained what they would be handling and what the 1-2 other people she would be contacting to contact me would be handling. THE most difficult thing is ALL the people involved in this. You would think it would great to have so many people handling all the little issues - one person to handle the shipping of the car, someone else to handle the packing of the house, someone else to handle the acquiring of the house there, someone else to handle registering the kids for school, someone else to handle blah, blah, blah, blah. Sigh.

So after our conversation ended with a commitment to send me an email summarizing the conversation and 4-5 pages of forms to fill out about our house, I was able to hang up and get on with my day. I showered, readied myself for they gym and got lunches packed and kids ready to head out the door.

Dropped off the kids, headed to the gym for a nap in the sauna (ahhhhh), followed by 30 minutes on the treadmill and 30 minutes of zumba. I was feeling much better.

I picked up Cameron from the Kids Club (gym daycare) and he LOVES it there and USUALLY has no problem when it's time to go.

NOT TODAY.

He refused to wash his hands because he didn't want to let go of the car that was in his hand and wanted to take it home. I had to explain that it belonged to Kids Club and would have to stay here to play with later. THAT did not go over well. I pried it from his tiny hands and passed it off to one of the workers. Then, I scooped up a fidgety, heavy, crying Cameron to head down the hall. I put him down for a moment to open the gate and he ran - screaming and crying for the Kids Club to get "his" car back. I scooped him up again and tried to head out without putting him down.

He continued to cry and squirm and ask for his car. Ugh!

We reached the lobby and I asked if he wanted a string cheese or a milk before we left. He asked for chocolate milk. We didn't have a straw so I patiently opened it up and let him drink a few sips from the 16 ounce bottle. He was still not happy.

Now - he was screaming for the chocolate milk.

MISTAKE TIME

I decided - what the heck? We are running late for gymnastics. He is unhappy, cranky and probably a little tired. Why not hand him an almost full bottle of chocolate milk - in my only a month old car - and let him drink it as I'm driving 40 mph down the street. Sigh.

As I'm heading down the road, i can see him placing his chocolate milk into the cup holder on the car door and all is well. I'm just about ready to drive onto the freeway (after glancing at the clock and seeing that I have 2 minutes to drive 10 minutes across town to his gymnastics class that we are running late for because he was throwing such a fit at the gym).

When ......

He yells.
I turn my head in time to see almost 16 ounces of chocolate milk spilling onto the door, the floor, my jacket, a library book, the diaper bag, his jacket.....ugh!!

I pull over and try not to cry or laugh as I'm staring at the GIGANTIC MESS of what will soon be stinky, sour milk in my beautiful car!!!!

I have about 4 baby wipes that don't go very far in cleaning up the mess. I then notice the tablecloth thing that is folded up under his car seat to help balance it and remove that and attempt to soak up milk with that (it is not absorbent and doesn't work too well). Sigh.

The milk is now mostly cleaned up and I'm staring at a box filled with brown, gross diaper wipes, a chocolate milk covered diaper, diaper bag, two jackets and a book and I feel like I'm about to cry.

I am debating about going home but figure - better late than never to gymnastics class and perhaps it will lift both our moods.

We take off and get there 15 minutes late, just in time for the end of parachute play. He plays, I play - we have fun and moods are lifted. Phew.

Afterwards, I make a few phone calls and manage to find somewhere that can take care of my problem. I drive over to http://www.finaltouchautospa.com/ to have them take care of it. They got me in right away and we were out of there in about 30 minutes and it cost me $27. The car looks good and only time will tell.

I just hope the 120 degree weather of Abu Dhabi doesn't bring out the smell of lingering chocolate milk.

Starting to Sort

I know our move is right around the corner and I really want to sort through things sooner rather than later.

We've had some communication from the movers and they will come and pack and ship everything. It was explained that if we pack it ourselves, it won't be covered for insurance purchases. In theory, it sounds easy to have someone come to your house and have you point around for them to pack things up. But - I KNOW we don't want to take everything and so I'm working on making piles in the garage....
1 - THE MOTHER of all GARAGE SALES pile
2 - Items for storage. I don't need the kids memorabilia stuff for the next three years or some of our furniture stuff (it will be furnished)
3 - Items to ship.

I started with our under-the-stairs-storage. Now all that's in there are items to come with us. It feels great to whittle down the junk. I figure I'll take care of closets one by one and the garage will take several days alone. I plan to get rid of all the towels, sheets and bathroom decor and buy new stuff from Bed/Bath/Beyond before we leave - I first need to learn how many bathrooms we will have in the new house and what size beds we'll have. We plan to get rid of all the dishes too (I was ready for a new set). I'll also really pair down the kitchen stuff. I'm not sure why I have 6- 9x13 pyrex dishes??? I might have to do a two-weekend garage sale.

I will be having a conversation with the Property Manager tomorrow. The government contracts through a company called Dwellworks. I think it's just the initial call about our place. Our neighbors have friends who may be interested, but it all depends on timing.

So....we have to get the medical stuff completed (Brian is the last one with an appointment and that's this Friday and then it takes a week or two??? for lab work to be done) and it all gets sent to DC. So, I figure by the week of March 21st the medical will be done and the passports should be done.

Then when medical is done, our house can be acquired. Then I'll know.....
How furnished it is
What else I need to ship
How many bathrooms it has
What size are beds in the bedrooms

Then we will get a better idea of the EOD (forget what it stands for - estimated occupation date? estimated overseas deployment? effective occupancy date??) and we can work backwards from that. Depending on when he needs to be there will depend on...
when we leave
when the car ships
when our stuff ships
when we can rent our house

We have lists of different people that handle different things and as antsy as I am to just KNOW things, I understand that STUFF needs to happen before the information is available. So....every week I learn more and meanwhile I'm working on sorting and sorting and purging and sorting.

This is the biggest move I have ever done in 36 years of life and I'm trying to exercise enough to balance out the stress-eating. I KNOW people do this all the time - but I never had ANY clue how much is involved and how emotional it all is - I swing from excitement of a new adventure and curiousness about what awaits us to sadness for leaving friends, MY MOM and familiarity.

I remember when I left home to join the Air Force (about 6 months after graduating High School) and I was so excited for a new adventure. I was leaving home and family and friends and what I knew for the last 18 years but I wasn't looking back and I wasn't sad. I don't think I had any comprehension, at the time, that I would never return to what it was. I didn't realize it until much later that it's never the same after you leave home. Everybody goes their own way and even if I thought I would go back home, you never really do.

I think there's part of me now that understands that you can leave and never return. I think now that we will, but what if this new adventure leads us on a new path that doesn't circle back here? I think that's what makes me the saddest - what if this is it for this part of my life? What if in three years my dear friends have moved on somewhere else with their lives, what if we decide to move somewhere else, what if, what if, what if, what if.......

I've always believed that everything happens for a reason and things work out the way they are supposed to be and blah, blah, blah, blah - but that doesn't make it any easier to accept right now.