Ups and downs

Well, we've had lots and lots of ups and downs.  We have had lots of frustrations -- dishwasher and laundry machine not working; not telephone service, no internet, telephone service started but still not working, lost DS games (all of them!), credit card got cut off (despite 4 phone calls telling them, yes, we are in Australia!), shipment of all our stuff delayed a week, etc.  I wrote a longer post earlier about this, but can't manage to import it, so you all get to miss the angst I felt a day or two ago.  

The no internet and no phone was hardest, cause we couldn't communicate with anyone.  Now I'm at the public library (which closes in 45 minutes) trying to take care of everything we need online.   The first library we went to was about the size of our bedroom, and has 1 computer terminal that you have to book in advance!  But we are now at another library with wireless and many more books!  

The supermarkets here are interesting -- everything is smaller, and since we are in a city, the supermarkets are about 1/2 the size of Trader Joe's.  And, as Ripley explained in her blog: no baby carrots!  What will I do?  But the kids have been troopers, getting on schedule, spending lots of boring time at the bank, finding foods they like (apparently even the sugar tastes different here - -more granular or something), and not having TV.

Dave's parents did set up and unpack the WHOLE house -- it was amazing to arrive with sheets on beds and food in teh cupboards.  We have every kitchen thing we could need, and more towels than we need.  Garbage here is much smaller -- a bathroom sized can is the kitchen garbage, and the weekly cans we put outside are about 1/4 the size of ours at home.  So lots of adjustments.  

We did go to a mall and to a target-like store, yaay!  And today, a woman dave met last time, set up a playdate at the park and lunch with a bunch of friends, so we met 4 families, all with kids casey's age.  He immediatley made fast friends with several, and we got invited to drinks tonight at one's house, which is lovely.   

Won't have internet again for 3 days, so don't look for more posts!  Happy Christmas and Chanukah to everyone!!

So now it is our last night in the U.S.  Spent the day running around and weeping at random intervals.  I guess not even the most fervent business can hold back the emotion indefinitely.  Some frustrations (of course) for the day: we didn't get our phone/cable TV/internet installed in Australia.  Long story.  And since it is Australia (not the U.S., land of the 24/7 access), no one is around at the company till monday.  And we may not be able to schedule an installation until January.  So my posts may be few and far between!  Hmmm...  On the good side, it appears (fingers crossed) that we now have seats all together on the plane, yaay.  And we've got 5 of our 8 bags totally packed (at about 49 lbs each, just under the limit).  Too tired to finish tonight, but we'll work on it first thing tomorrow.  

I think poor Taz knows we are leaving.  He is lying virtually on top of me.  Despite his making a mess, the muddy pawprints on the carpet and in our bed, I'll miss him tons.  He'll have a great time with Mom and Dad and probably get more attention than we give him, but still....

Signing off for the last sleep.

Getting Closer

Well, now it is 4 days away.  Getting to under one week was surreal: This is my last sunday in the U.S. for 2 years, next Sunday I'll be in Australia, etc.  It seems like a whirlwind, and I'm kind of apprehensive about how little time is left.  Other times, I'm just keeping busy trying to get everything done -- 7 family doctor/dentist etc appointments this week alone.  Inbetween, lots of packing, phone calls, arranging, etc.  I think we're doing fine on the packing and errands, but it is busy.  I'm glad dave made it back from his 48 hour trip to Boston, despite some weather delays.  

I can't believe it is so few remaining days.  Really.  How did this happen?  I seem to be stuck at 6 months to go, and here is it a few sets of hours...

Last Shop

Took the day off from official packing to amass new things to pack. Spent the entire day shopping with mom. Very fun -- both to be together and to buy stuff. I know, as Dave keeps telling me, that there will be shopping in Australia, and I probably should enjoy new shopping experiences, but I wanted one last familiar shop. We shopped from 10-4! We managed to hit Target, Nordstroms (bras!), Macys, Old Navy, assorted little stores, AND got some awesome deals at Ann Taylor -- a suit (pants and jacket) and 2 blouses for under $100. Yaay coupons.

Now it is back to packing. Hope to get a ton of stuff done tomorrow (Sat) before Dave heads to Boston - provided the ice storm has ended. I'm not letting him go if there is any chance he won't make it back.

Getting there more

Well, now it is T-8. Or something. Feeling ok about packing, and today was my second to last day at work. Weird saying goodbye to people, oddly, the weirdest saying goodbye to people I'm not close to -- seems silly to pretend I'll keep in touch, or that we are closer than we are. I'm not looking forward to goodbye to family and good friends. For now, just keeping moving, so no time to think about it.

Our latest bureaucracy is dealing with Australian customs. Filling out forms, declaring value, etc. hard to figure out a system the first time around. Oh well, another learning experience. Dave's brother, Greg, is helping out. But every time I think we've got the paperwork/bureaucracy issues under control, something else comes up. I managed to cancel all the utilities, transfer cell phones, end fastrak, etc etc. Not to mention making copies of everything we might need, doing as much on our 2008 taxes as possible, etc. At this rate, getting to Australia will seem like a holiday!

Gettting ready to go

Well, it is T-11 until we get on a plane. The house is pretty empty -- we all have beds (poor Casey has a small mattress on the floor, since his bed is on a ship to Australia), we have 1 couch, and 4 chairs. And TVs. And that's about it. The office has been converted to a packing room. One bag is almost packed (out of 8!). So we are getting there. And we're not thinking about what is left to do....