The cat is ready to go...

We measured her (again, just to be sure), bought a new, larger cat carrier, scanned pages from her passport, and sent all the information off in an e-mail. Now I'm waiting to see what the quote will be to transport her.

I'm not one hundred percent sure that I got the measurements right. Measuring a cat's shoulder blades is tricky. Same as distance from head to floor. It's kind of subjective.

I'm ready to be told that we need a bigger carrier. Some websites say the distance between the top of the animal's head and the top of the carrier needs to be 10 centimeters, but I'm hoping for some French flexibility here. I think she'll be happy and cosy in the this one. And cats don't jump up or down like dogs do. I think.

By the way, yes, even our cat has a passport. She was born in Spain, and needed a passport when she moved here with her previous owner. Given her ability to adapt to new cultures and languages, I'm sure she'll integrate well into American life.

So, as she sleeps, I am back to work. Almost everything we are taking in the kitchen is packed, and I'm doing Anna's room next. The girl has a serious amount of stuffed animals that take up a whole large suitcase...

Going...

In the last two days, I've given away...

my food processor (which meant pounding out Oreos with a mortar and pestle tonight for our Oreo crust, mint chocolate chip ice cream birthday dessert),

my mixer (beaters are permanently attached since Anna and I made a cake together a few months ago and the wooden spoon got in the beaters while beating--so I just wash them attached to the mixer),

bowls that we got for our wedding (not in good enough shape to ship, and not precious),

soup bowls,

plastic picnic-ware,

all of my spices--except for cumin and chili powder, which I am bound to need in the next two weeks,

our stock of peanut butter (Scott stocks up in case the Asian food store runs out of it--which it does sometimes),

all of my baking pans--muffin tins, roasting pans, cookie sheets, cake pans, pie pans (except for the one that the Oreo/ice cream pie was in),

the yogurt maker, which we haven't used for at least a year,

the waffle iron, which we've used a lot,

a sheet set which we bought from friends in Gabon when they left,

a sheet set which I actually bought,

a duvet which a team member must have left us as I have no recollection of ever buying one,

two towels,

Christmas lights,

lots of plastic containers,

any kitchen utensils I thought we could get along without,

and plenty of other miscellaneous stuff.

I'm very glad that we got a head start on all of this getting rid of process a couple months ago. But, it's still overwhelming and so concrete. We really are leaving and starting over in a new place. Very soon.

On moving

When I was a kid, my family moved frequently. Once or twice a year until we moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana.

In my upper elementary years, moving always had a hopeful side to it. Maybe in this new place I would be less awkward and shy. Maybe I would able to chat easily with friends at the lunch table. Perhaps I would even develop athletic ability in gym class.

It never really worked out that way. The shyness and awkwardness increased steadily, right up into my teenage years.

As we prepare to move to Fort Wayne this time, I have no wish to reinvent myself. I'll always be a little shy and awkward, and am very happy that athletic ability will play no part in my capacity to make new friends this time.

My struggle is more that I wonder how long it will take me to be myself in Fort Wayne.

I've been overseas for about twenty years. I'm a mixed bag of cultures and cuisine. I haven't lived in any area remotely resembling an American suburb for a very long time. In fact, if I count up the years that I've lived in different cities, I think I've lived in Libreville, Gabon, longer than in any other place. Crazy.

There's a sense of relief in some of this move. Household space, barbecues, corn on the cob, and family (not in that order, mind you) will be wonderful as we return.

But we've built up real community here in this place, and rebuilding that community will take time and effort.

Sold!

The paperwork took an extra day because of some interesting typos. We were Scoot Harris and Michelle Serena in the contract. Scoot is kind of cute and chipper as a name, and I can imagine my life with a slightly Latino flavor as Michelle Serena, but now we're back to boring Scott and Michelle.

We are keeping the 10th of July as our departure date. If the closing doesn't happen by then, Scott will stay on a few days for the final signing.

Loads to figure out and do in the coming weeks. Initial cat vaccinations are done though (never mind that not one piece of furniture is sold yet), and we found out that we'll need to travel to Valbonne to have the vaccination record certified a few days before we leave. I'm sure those last days will be calm and relaxed and that we'll have plenty of time to borrow a car and make the trip. Fortunately, the cat doesn't have to come.

Forty Days

We're reserved a flight to the U.S. on July 10th, so we have forty days left. Yikes.

Initial signing for the sale of our home here will likely happen tomorrow, and we'll see how long it takes for closing.

Today, I have questions floating around in my head about what to do once we get to Fort Wayne.

What kind of cars do we buy? It's been over twenty years since I've bought a car in the the U.S. (we had two during our time in Gabon, and don't have one here). Woo, they're expensive. We need one big enough to be a family car with a place in the back for Oscar/Pepper (our future dog), but we want something economical. The other can be small, but how small do we go? Do we buy new or used?

What kind of house do we look for? Once with a basement with plenty of room for visitors and guests or one big enough just for us? One with trees or without? Older or newer?  Why do the yards have to be so big?

Do we transport our bedroom set and the buffet or does it cost more to transport than to replace?

Will the cat transport cage from the pet store with the plastic fasteners work, or do they really have to be metal?

When will we have to move out of the apartment?

We're mostly figuring things out one step at a time, but it is a strange feeling to have so many important decisions within a pretty short period of time. And some of them are big decisions .Whether or not we transport the bedroom set is not a life changing decision, but we as a family will potentially build life-long friendships with people in our future neighborhood.

I intend to blog frequently during the next forty days so people know what's up.  More later...

Travel

On July 10, we will be arriving in Chicago with twelve (!) bags and one very angry cat. From there, we'll rent some enormous vehicle to get us to Fort Wayne.

We are still waiting for news on our apartment. We've had no visits this week, but know that at least one couple is interested and seeing about paperwork.

Today we measured the cat (she's big) to see what size cat carrier she will need for the flight. She didn't like it. Anna and I checked at the pet store on the way home from school, and we spotted a carrier that may be big enough. We asked for the measurements and will compare them with the British Air pet carrier requirements and the cat's height plus length from elbow to floor, length from nose to root of tail, and width.

I've read that it's best to get the carrier at least a month ahead of travel to get her used to it. I also read that we should take her to the airport a few times so she gets used to plane noises, but that's not happening.

For Sale

Well, after a whirlwind two months of decision-making, sorting, clearing out, painting, cleaning, and more clearing out, our apartment is on the market. The first potential buyers came yesterday and loved it. 

Selling quickly would be great, of course. We could plan travel back to the U.S.. And the apartment has never looked better.  Roses, jasmine, and geraniums are in bloom and the lavender is about to blossom.

The only dangerous moment when our potential buyers were looking yesterday was when they opened a hall closet. I half expected bedding to fall on their heads.

 Our kitchen is saying, "Buy me! Buy me!" It looks kind of naked with the counters so clear.

I'll keep the blog up to date on the moving process now that I've come up for air. Whew.

We Move Today!!!

On December 28th, our anniversary, we bought our new place. It's just a five minute walk up the road, so our arduous seven minute walk to school will be cut down to two. The kids will have each have their own room, and we have patches of yard and patios. It's amazing for a Nice apartment, and we are feeling blessed and grateful.

But first, a few goodbyes: Goodbye to this building's cockroaches. You put up a valiant fight, but I win!
Goodbye to my little kitchen with no counter space. You served me well.
Goodbye to our charming high ceilings.
Goodbye to having our computer five feet from the dining room table and being tempted to respond during meals when someone skypes.

Sniff, sniff.

The nice thing about moving just up the street is that we don't have to say goodbye to our neighbors. We'll still go to the same park and bump into each other.

Time to wake up the family!