Questionably Fabulous

Running Round like a Chicken with My Head Cut Off

So, I’m moving to London on January 4^th…  oh wait, that’s right, my husband has changed that date AGAIN and its now the week of the 11^th.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely pleased that we’re here for another week – it gives me more time to pack and see my friends and actually breathe a bit before jet setting off to Europe…  But I just with it would all be set in stone! 

I definitely do not like variables.  I used to think I could tolerate change easily when it was unexpected.  I mean, I used to think I could roll with the punches and bend when the wind blew (thank you IMAGE and Jo Dee Messina) but recently I have discovered that I like things that are set in stone and that are 100% happening.  Which I guess is what I thought rolling with the punches was, changes that were 100% happening.  But that is not how this move has gone.  For example, if I was driving down the street and got a detour, I could handle that.  The situation says that I can definitely no longer take the route I was planning on and now definitely have to follow the detour signs.  No problem.  What I could not handle though is a detour sign that said “The road you were going to take is no longer available.  You can follow our red detour signs but that may not get you to your destination on time.  If you follow the yellow detour signs that may get you to your destination on time but you will need to pay a fine of $100.  If you following the green detour signs then we cannot guarantee you’ll ever get to your destination but we will pay you $100.  Also, signs along the way will change color and you’ll be put on whatever route we choose to put you on regardless of what you want or how you’ve laid out your day.” 

Yea.  I cannot handle that.  And that is exactly how I’ve been feeling the past few weeks. 

When I quit my job I thought I’d have all this time and that I’d be bored sometimes and find myself watching TV all day.  And ok, so Hulu.com is one of my favorite inventions cause I don’t have cable but I still now get to watch all of the shows I love.  But it’s not all day everyday and it certainly isn’t how I imagined myself.  Instead my days consist of a gagillion errands to prepare for our trip and at the end of the day, packing for an overnight excursion to some government agency.  I live in such a remote area that my husband and I have to travel a minimum of 2.5 hours to get to the nearest facility to help us get to London.  And for some reason these places won’t let us coordinate appointments so that they are on the same day, or even the same week so we are constantly driving!  We counted that between now and December 27^th we will be home for a total of 11 days.  ELEVEN DAYS!  And ps, that date is more than a month away.  WTF?! 

Yes, the holidays throw a wrench into the system, we are in Colorado visiting his family for 4 days and in Connecticut for 6 days visiting my family but still, that does not explain the 11 days.  We’ve got medical appointments so that we’re immunized for London.  And um, as a side note, why the hell do we need a Typhoid Fever vaccination to go to London?  Aren’t they like the same as us in terms of civilization?  Seriously, its not like we’re going to The Congo!  5 shots 8 days of oral meds later you will find our family slumped on the couch with sore arms.  But that was last week.  Next week we have our Visa appointments – they apparently don’t allow you to send them in like a passport.  The week after that we have a Tax Orientation where they tell you how to do your taxes now that we won’t be residents of The States but still considered residents.  Whatever that means.  And then we have our Immigration appointments…  which I thought was the same as the Visa thang but no….  everyone wants their chance at us.  I cannot figure out how its so complicated – but it does give me a glimpse as to why people go illegally to different countries! 

As far as moving go, yes, we have professional movers so I shouldn’t be complaining, right?  but there are three different sets of movers that are all going to come at once.  Two movers will collect items going into long term storage – these things I will not see again for about 2 years minimum.  Two other movers will be packing all items that will be shipped over to England for us.  We will not see these things for 4 to 12 weeks.  And as another side note does anyone else think that window is too big.  I mean, even the cable guy can narrow it down to four hours.  All I’m asking for is like a one week window – is that too much to ask?  The final two movers are taking only a small amount of stuff that will be air freighted over to us and we’ll get within the first week of being there.  My completely rational (although my husband says it is totally irrational) fear is that the movers will all get confused and when we get there we’ll have only the stuff we wanted to live without for two years and the stuff we need we’ll never see again. 

So my plan is to implement the famous AC method of piles.  I have decided that the week before the movers come I’ll do some moving myself and each room will only contain items in one category so that I can just tell them that the living room has all storage stuff and the bedroom has all shipping stuff etc.  I sure hope that works. 

All in all I feel busier than I ever expected it turns out also completely terrified of my new life.  I’ve leaving everything I know (ok, I did that once before when I moved to Cali from Maryland for my hubby who was my boyfriend at the time but that was different) and moving somewhere where I might not be able to work.  I know I’m not working now you ninny but I’d like to have the choice.  So there you have it.  I haven’t been writing cause I have no idea what would come out if I did write – something honest for sure.  And something scary.  And something I’d then have to face.