Before I start writing this blog, I need to get a hold of my sister. This post is about our day together and she needs a "Hillbilly Name"....
Ok. After quickly messaging her... she turned down Minnie Pearl and has decided to be "Mary Ellen" of the Walton variety.
I called my sister the other day to ask her when we might be able to spend some time together. We worked it out to go shopping today. We went out to the Outlets with our daughters for school clothes all around and just had the best time. It seems like yesterday that we would have been in Gymboree and Carter's for babies clothes. But this trip included grown-up stores, Shoes for Mae's size 10W feet and a treat from Starbucks and we all had the same drink.
There's a lot of history with my sister and her family while we have lived down here. And if things weren't so well off with our families, leaving her just wouldn't feel right. But we feel we have a Divine Appointment in Abu Dhabi as much as we had a Divine Appointment to live in Houston not just for ourselves, but for my sister's family as well. And now that those "obligations" have been met... it's now time for us to move on.
We've planned on leaving this area for a very long time. But the truth is, this major move is what it was going to take for it to happen because it's been so comfortable to stay here in the close proximity of my sister and our church. (Mary Ellen and I go to the same church.) This opportunity in Abu Dhabi is what took to get us out of our comfort zone here. But it's only that it's the right time that it's happening.
I'm gonna miss you sis. Second to leaving our church, it's the hardest part.
~Joan
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
The Goodbyes have Begun
What a difference two weeks makes.
Since I last posted, we've finished and turned in our physicals. We have been to the travel clinic and just today we finished our last dose of oral Typhoid. I will be glad when that is out of our system. It made me very tired and some unpleasant intestinal upset. Mae has had a headache and maybe even a mild fever all week. Ellie seems unaffected by it. Kernel opted for the injection and was spared some of these unpleasant side effects. But his vaccination is good for just two years whereas the girls and I have immunity for 5 years. When we get to Abu Dhabi we will probably start taking Rabies vaccine as well.
Our house is now on the market and we had our first showing today. That was a scramble to get the house ready for that! But today was very nice and relaxing until we got the call that somebody wanted to see the house. I've never been through a house sale in my entire life.
But Saturday night was our going away party. Our dear friends had offered to host it in their home for us. We had just about 50 friends and family there. The biggest surprise was that my mom flew in for it. That was a great surprise to have "Granny from Pennsyltucky" there (I'm hoping that gets a giggle out of them. It was her idea for our aliases and now that she is part of the blog, she needs one too.)
Our party was really wonderful. The only bad part was that it was the big start to all the goodbyes that we will have ultimately say as we prepare to leave Texas as our home state. It is not our intention to come back here after our time in Abu Dhabi is over. But we enjoyed having a wonderful BBQ with our friends and visiting with them for hours before some of them had to go home. Most of them are from church and so we will see them for the next two Sundays but some of them we genuine goodbyes and we all came back home feeling very loved, but heavy hearted for those we said goodbye to.
The kids seem to be doing ok right now. We all have had some stressful and teary moments. But for the most part, they are doing ok. Our youngest, Mae seems to be having the most outwardly emotional struggles. We all just can't wait to have this stressful time behind us.
This week sees us finishing up the visit with my mom. She goes back home early Wednesday morning. I hope we can do something fun with her. Judd has his last full week at work as he only works 4 days the following week and then the week after that, we leave. We should also get our guaranteed buy offer (this is where the company buys our house from us, but for less than the ideal price) and I think that if it is a reasonable amount, we are just going to take it. We also need to get our air freight shipment together so that it is ready to go a week from today. That's starting to look like a 500lb. camping-in-our-house kit.
Since I last posted, we've finished and turned in our physicals. We have been to the travel clinic and just today we finished our last dose of oral Typhoid. I will be glad when that is out of our system. It made me very tired and some unpleasant intestinal upset. Mae has had a headache and maybe even a mild fever all week. Ellie seems unaffected by it. Kernel opted for the injection and was spared some of these unpleasant side effects. But his vaccination is good for just two years whereas the girls and I have immunity for 5 years. When we get to Abu Dhabi we will probably start taking Rabies vaccine as well.
Our house is now on the market and we had our first showing today. That was a scramble to get the house ready for that! But today was very nice and relaxing until we got the call that somebody wanted to see the house. I've never been through a house sale in my entire life.
But Saturday night was our going away party. Our dear friends had offered to host it in their home for us. We had just about 50 friends and family there. The biggest surprise was that my mom flew in for it. That was a great surprise to have "Granny from Pennsyltucky" there (I'm hoping that gets a giggle out of them. It was her idea for our aliases and now that she is part of the blog, she needs one too.)
Our party was really wonderful. The only bad part was that it was the big start to all the goodbyes that we will have ultimately say as we prepare to leave Texas as our home state. It is not our intention to come back here after our time in Abu Dhabi is over. But we enjoyed having a wonderful BBQ with our friends and visiting with them for hours before some of them had to go home. Most of them are from church and so we will see them for the next two Sundays but some of them we genuine goodbyes and we all came back home feeling very loved, but heavy hearted for those we said goodbye to.
The kids seem to be doing ok right now. We all have had some stressful and teary moments. But for the most part, they are doing ok. Our youngest, Mae seems to be having the most outwardly emotional struggles. We all just can't wait to have this stressful time behind us.
This week sees us finishing up the visit with my mom. She goes back home early Wednesday morning. I hope we can do something fun with her. Judd has his last full week at work as he only works 4 days the following week and then the week after that, we leave. We should also get our guaranteed buy offer (this is where the company buys our house from us, but for less than the ideal price) and I think that if it is a reasonable amount, we are just going to take it. We also need to get our air freight shipment together so that it is ready to go a week from today. That's starting to look like a 500lb. camping-in-our-house kit.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Hurry up and wait
There's a saying associated with the military - "Hurry up and wait". That's what I'm doing right now. We got the kids' medical appointments done and now we have moved on to the hospital adjacent with the doctor's office for my chest x-ray. The kids and I have all had TB tests and I also get this x-ray. I was also tested for Hepatitis and AIDS. We should have all of those results by the end of the week.
The kids did well at the doctor's. Every where they go they tell people that they are not happy with the move. This has been an especially long and drawn out process for them.
Time for my x-ray.
Strapping ourselves in!
I'm not a huge fan of rollercoasters. I don't like the feeling of losing control. I did recently ride Expedition Everest at DisneyWorld. But I did enjoy that one. It's coasters that go upside down that I seem to have a bigger problem with. I avoid those.
For years, I've heard about this ride that has a lot of twists and turns. It does sound exciting. I've always been intrigued by it and have stated that I wouldn't mind riding it. It's called "Moving Overseas". I told Jud that I feel strapped in. He thinks we were strapped in weeks ago. I told him we were only standing in the long line before... watching other people coming off the ride either elated or getting sick.
Yes, we're strapped in. Jud received his official acceptance notice and now all sorts of things are happening all at once. There seems to be something happening every day this week (part of the ride, I guess).
Yesterday was Monday. The relocation company (should I call that Conestoga?) has a specific realtor they typically use and that realtor came over yesterday. Our realtor needs a hillbilly name... let's try "Shorty". My apologies to anyone who takes offense at that.
We liked "Shorty". He's a very successful listing realtor and liked the house and doesn't feel we have to do much staging at all. Staging as in "rent furniture". I just need to get the house spotless. Probably get the house on the market early next week.
Today is Tuesday. As I write this, we're getting ready for our medical clearance appointments. The kids all have simple appointments with the worst of it being a TB test. Mine's a bit more involved with a blood draw, a TB test and a chest x-ray. Should only take the entire day with how far we'll have to go from one side of this doctor's office to the hospital facilities.
Wednesday is all about driver's licenses. Somehow, my license was lost up in Pennsylvania. Just don't ask how it happened. And since our son Jethro is ready to get his real driver's license, he and I will drive out to a rural testing center 50 miles away and see if we can get his test over and done with and I can get my license reissued.
Thursday, my sister is coming over to help me pack up some pictures and stuff. I need to thin out my closet for showing the house and that's where all that stuff is.
Friday is open at the moment, unless I forgot something.
In other news, we trained the dog to use a cage water bottle. He needed to know how because that's where his water will come from in his own flight to Abu Dhabi. Just wiped peanut butter on the nipple end and he quickly figured it out. Now we just need to train the cat. Anyone ever train a cat to do that?
~~Joan
Friday, June 24, 2011
The WEIGHT is over!
Jud went into work this morning for what he hoped was his last weigh-in. He got on the scale, fully clothed and was 2 lbs over. He threatened to get down to his boxers, go sweat it off in the steam room - anything - to unload those two pounds. They gave him the clothing allotment. He's officially at a 39 BMI and good to go. The paperwork was going to be set from the health office here to Abu Dhabi and we will probably hear something by Tuesday as to how this whole process will go from here.
The relief is extraordinary. I think the stress I had been feeling "snapped" because shortly after hearing form him about this, I developed a migraine, complete with light sensitivity and nausea and put myself to bed and woke up 4 hours later. I'm pushing lots of water now and am feeling much better.
In other news, the kids and I leave tomorrow to drive up north and get our camper settled into a permanent spot. While we are doing that, the house will be completely repainted and the upstairs carpeted. I expect this whole process to go into hyperspeed when we get back from our trip.
Stay tuned...
Joan
The relief is extraordinary. I think the stress I had been feeling "snapped" because shortly after hearing form him about this, I developed a migraine, complete with light sensitivity and nausea and put myself to bed and woke up 4 hours later. I'm pushing lots of water now and am feeling much better.
In other news, the kids and I leave tomorrow to drive up north and get our camper settled into a permanent spot. While we are doing that, the house will be completely repainted and the upstairs carpeted. I expect this whole process to go into hyperspeed when we get back from our trip.
Stay tuned...
Joan
Saturday, June 11, 2011
The weight is almost over
Jud had a great weigh-in on Friday. He's lost another 10 lbs. and only had 11 more to go. I think losing this weight, especially this fast, is one of the hardest things he has ever done. I'm incredibly proud of him but I can't wait for him to get to this goal so that he can slow down and start dieting in a much healthier way. As a side effect of his intensive dieting, I've lost 20lbs. myself!
We are continuing on our home improvements. The painters are scheduled for the last week of this month and we should be able to align the new flooring right up with that. The kids and I are going to drive to Pennsylvania so that we aren't home for that excitement.
We expect that Jud will meet his next weigh-in and after that, this whole process to move that has been on hold since early April is going to go into hyper-drive.
Hang on,
Joan
We are continuing on our home improvements. The painters are scheduled for the last week of this month and we should be able to align the new flooring right up with that. The kids and I are going to drive to Pennsylvania so that we aren't home for that excitement.
We expect that Jud will meet his next weigh-in and after that, this whole process to move that has been on hold since early April is going to go into hyper-drive.
Hang on,
Joan
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