Happy Birthday to Gerbie

In honor of my sweet little baby’s birthday this weekend, this post is not about England. I wanted to write something special to her. I am posting it a few days early, as between New Year’s, her party, and daddy leaving on Sunday, I fully expect craziness from now until Monday. Happy New Year’s everyone!
Dear sweet little baby, you came to us exactly two years ago. You have been a blessing from God. We can’t imagine our life without you, even with your complicated nature. I would not change you for the world. To be honest, you have been quite difficult at times, even before you arrived in this world. You are just like your mommy I am afraid, very impatient. You decided to try to arrive into this world early –the first time at 28 weeks (very scary) and then again at 34 weeks (still scary). And when you did arrive, you were so sweet natured and quiet……for the first two weeks of your little life. And then all hell broke loose, as you had colic and acid reflux. You, sweet little baby, became a crying, screaming mess for about three hours every evening until you were almost 4 months old. Your daddy used to put on sound blocking headphones and walk around our house holding you and I would put you in the baby bjorn and walk and walk and walk. Finally we bought a swing that rocked side to side that seemed to soothe you, and that is where you were for many hours of every day. As time went on, the opposite became true –now you are quite content to be held and cuddled, and mommy loves it. You want to “rock a baby”, “hold you” or “pat you”, all the time. (Even in the car, which is a whole other story my dear sweet one…it has not been easy to travel with you). You have turned into quite the little funny girl –your teachers call you a goof and you make your friends and your family laugh. You are really starting to enjoy life, and notice everything around you, and we love watching your reactions to things. I love watching you and your sister play together, it completely warms my heart. You love being tickled by daddy, and it makes me smile to hear your belly laughs. Your favorite things are your sister, french fries, Elmo and Dora. We love watching as you grow and we can’t wait to see the person you become. We love you little one, our family is complete with you in it.

Are we there yet?

Dropping Bean off at school today she said –mom, when are we moving to England already? Yep, I feel the same way Bean. The sad thing is, she has only known about our move for a week and it feels like we should be going already. My husband and I have been talking and preparing for this since September and I am ready to go. I still feel apprehensive about moving to another country, and I am going to miss our family terribly, don’t get me wrong. I am not anxious to leave because of those things, but I am anxious to get out of this transition period. I feel like our life is in limbo. I scheduled a storage container to be delivered in a few weeks so we can start loading the things we are not taking with us, and yesterday as Bean and I took down all the Christmas decorations we had two piles going –England Christmas and Storage Christmas. Of course, everything we didn’t put in the England Christmas pile, Bean tried to talk me into taking. But in England, our space will be limited. We will most likely rent a place that is smaller than our 2500 square foot house; it probably won’t have a basement or attic and from what I have found out, probably won’t have closets, or at least not big and spacious ones. And nothing that plugs in is making its way over there –we don’t want to deal with adapters and transformers just to plug in an artificial tree that is probably too large for the rooms we will have over there anyway. On another note, we got a call from the British Consulate yesterday, three of our visas are processed and ready to go –the hold-up was Gerbie. Apparently the under 5 crowd takes a bit longer to have a visa processed. They are scheduled to be delivered this week, so my husband is set to go on Sunday, now he has to start packing his suitcases with as much as he can take on his first trip. Fortunately, my mom is coming to stay with me for the first week after he leaves, I am hoping this will make the transition of daddy leaving easier for everyone. She is also going to be making the initial trip to England with us, to help us get settled, and this will be a big relief. And it will feel like old times when I ask her –mom, are we there yet?

Christmas

Christmas was great this year. We spent from last Tuesday through Sunday with family. It was a really nice holiday –we got to see all our family members, and I even got to see my best friend from high school while visiting my family. It was great catching up with her, and felt like no time had passed at all. I guess when you go through puberty and the drama of high school with someone, you are bonded for life. Even though Christmas was great, it was also pretty emotional for me. I was trying to just capture as many pictures and save as many memories as possible. We told some family that didn’t know we were moving yet the news and some more friends. My grandma’s reaction was pretty funny –she could not figure out for the life of her, WHY anyone would WANT to move to another country, even temporarily. She even said to me –well, I guess if you have to go, there is nothing you can do about it. She just didn’t understand. But the hardest part for me was leaving Maggie, my 12 year old Scottish Terrier, with my mom and dad. We are trying to transition her over to their house, so we are leaving her there for a week, then back here for a week, etc. This will hopefully be easier on her in the long run, but I think it may be harder on me. I thought that it would be easier to know that she would only be gone for a week the first time, but all I could think about yesterday when we left my parents house, was that she won’t understand why we were not bringing her with us. Selfishly I want her with us, but I realize that she is too old for the flight and the quarantine. And for those of you thinking –she is getting this upset about a dog? Maggie came to me when I was first living away from my family, she was company for me through some very rough times in my life, I often tell my husband I think he married me because he fell in love with her (he watched her when I had to travel for work before we started dating) and she is very protective of the girls. There will never be another one like her. Every time Bean got upset we were leaving her yesterday or Gerbie asked where she was last night, I tried not to cry. Don’t get me wrong, I know she is in great hands –my mom even said she would hold her up to the Skype camera for us, but unfortunately, that will only help us, not Maggie –as she is getting to be very deaf, and probably can’t see the screen either. (I did mention she was 12 after all). The girls will love seeing her though. Now, if I can just control these tears that fill up my eyes every time I mention her name. And I told my husband last night as we were finally relaxing after all the activities, and the kids were finally asleep –I get Maggie back on Saturday, and then he leaves on Sunday for three weeks. I am sure I will feel better after we are all together in England, this transition part is over, and we are on to our adventure. We were even discussing on the way to my parents house on Saturday what countries we wanted to visit while we were living there, I am so excited for that! But in the meantime, I need to get off the computer and run to Sam’s club to buy some more Kleenex now!

Biometrics completed

The Biometrics appointment was yesterday and it went better than expected. I was envisioning the social security office –a long line of people waiting, rude workers, etc. Surprisingly it was not at all like that. First I have to say –Bean was excited about the whole thing, a little nervous about what they would be doing to her fingers until we explained it would not hurt, but she loved being in the city (Columbus), she loved the parking garage, the elevator, the big building we were in. It is amazing how we forget how fascinated kids are with the things we take for granted, or things we even get frustrated with. While my husband and I were driving around each parking level getting nervous about finding a spot, she was hoping we would keep going and going –all the way to the top. So we finally did get a parking spot (almost at the very top) and Bean got to look out from a high parking level at the big buildings and the river. When we got to the office, it was clean, nice and not crowded at all. There were only 4 other people waiting, a security guard and two ladies taking fingerprints and pictures. Bean was so well behaved –she let the woman get her fingerprints, take her picture and cooperated with her every step of the way. We see why there is an age limit of 5 years old to get biometrics done –there is NO WAY our toddler would have cooperated at all. She would never have let them spray water on her fingers and press each one on the machine, she would have been so upset her treasured thumb was being pulled out of her mouth, nor would she have cooperated with the picture taking. Thankfully, they must realize that 2 year olds would never be able to do this. When we left there, we sent via fed-ex what seems like every single important document we have, to the British Consulate in Chicago. We will get confirmation that they received it today, and hopefully we will get everything back in time. Fingers crossed! On another topic, we have had many conversations with Bean now about moving. She is nervous and excited. On Sunday, daddy took her on a date to Barnes and Noble/Starbucks. He bought her a cookie, hot chocolate and a book on the UK, and they sat and talked and looked through the pictures. It seems her biggest worry is meeting new friends. That night she announced in an excited voice to friends we were having dinner with that she is moving to England. Monday morning at school drop off, she was excited to tell her teacher. She was a little upset that someone else would be moving into our house while we are gone, and concerned about where we will live when we get back. I explained to her that we would find a new house and maybe she would even get a bigger bedroom. We have told her –ask us questions any time you have one, we don’t want you to worry, everything will be ok. So she gets real serious with us from time to time and says – I have a question. It is really cute. I just think we have to keep reinforcing that she can ask us anything at any time. Surprisingly, one of the things she is excited about is that when we move over there, she will have an “accent” and will sound different that the rest of her school friends. I thought this would bother her, but apparently, she can’t wait to be an American in England!

Right on track

The last few days, we have made a lot of progress. Hubby is confirmed in a flat for his temporary housing and a house hunting expedition is being set up for when he gets there. We have an offer for his car, and have talked to a realtor about selling our house. If you read my last post about the visa – we were going to try to party crash the biometrics center on Friday, but we decided against it, worried about being turned away by security. How much difference could one business day really make? It just didn’t seem worth it to us. We are scheduled for Monday and will keep the appointment. Even more progress –our expat friend has called the headmaster at the school we are looking at for Bean, and they said they most likely will have an opening in March/April for her. Also on that note, we told our current school the news. Their reactions were amazing –wow, England, that is going to be great –how exciting. As I listened to them, I realized yes it is amazing. There is still a part of me that is just so nervous about the whole thing, and worried about all the logistics and items on the to-do list that I forget that this is going to (hopefully!) be a great experience. Also, the owner of the school asked if Bean would be able to send pictures and emails to her friends –as a learning experience for them. I think Bean will really enjoy that! We just gave her a camera and she has been posing her sister by the Christmas tree every chance she gets and even took some pictures of the newly fallen snow this morning. So I think she will really relish the opportunity to keep in touch with her friends in that way. I also had a preliminary conversation with Bean about the move and it went fairly well. I started by saying daddy would be going to England for work after Gerbie’s b-day party (which is Jan 2) and would be gone for a few weeks. She was super upset about this. Then, I said –what if we all move to go be with him, so we don’t have to be apart for very long? She just looked at me and with big eyes said –move to England??? Yep, what if we move all of our stuff to be with him? I could tell she was thinking about this, and then she said –can I take my toys? I reassured her that yes, she could take her toys. All was fine again. She will have daddy and toys –what more is there? I am not sure she totally gets it yet, but I have a few weeks to keep discussing with her and preparing her. I didn’t want to get in depth about what this really means all at once. There is still time for all that to sink in. Now we just have the huge task of getting the house ready to be on the market, decide what goes with us, what goes to storage, ahhh yes, here comes that stressed feeling again.

Visa Process Drama

Nope, I am not talking about the credit card, I am talking about the little piece of paper that allows you to live and work in another country. And what a process this is. I guess we knew about this, we saw it coming, but still, we were not prepared. We got an email yesterday from his new employer –he has been approved for work in the UK –now it is time to finish the visa process, which by the way has to be approved and documents returned to us prior to Jan 3, when he is supposed to be going across the pond to begin work. Ummm, this is December 17 as I write this, next week is Christmas, the following week is New Years, see where I am going with this? Being a little familiar with the immigration process for someone coming to the US, I knew that to come here, you had to prove that you have a skill that enables you to work in the US without taking a job away from a US worker. This is similar to the process in the UK –my husband’s company had to run through a points system and advertise the job to make sure that a UK local is not losing a job opportunity over this. Luckily, my dear hubby has a skill that does specialize him for his new job - Global Head of Quality Management, Global Data Centers, – he has his MBA in International Business Strategy. That plus a few other factors, and his being qualified over others was the easy part in all of this. But then there are more steps involved. Including A LOT of documentation that has to be sent to the UK Consulate in Chicago, the closest one to us –originals of our marriage license, birth certificates, degrees, passports, offer letters, applications, quite a bit of money ($400 a piece X 4 of us–thankfully to be reimbursed once he starts employment) and two additional things that threw my head into a tizzy. The first was passport photos. Again. If you didn’t read my last blog posting on this topic, we had a very hard time getting our toddler a passport photo. Now to find out we need another one for her visa? If I had known this fact when we did her passport, I would have had them make duplicates. So it was back to Walgreen’s last night after school, trying to get everyone a new passport photo for our visa. We finally got one, after a massive temper tantrum thrown on the floor of Walgreen’s (I am so proud), and a lot of bribery (happy meal and a sucker). I feel like a good mom. Now, I just hope the picture is accepted -it might be a little questionable. The second thing that surprised me was a biometrics appointment. Luckily Gerbie is under 5 and not subjected to this. We made an appointment for the rest of us as fast as we could, at the center in downtown Columbus. We luckily were able to get in for Monday, December 21. But the company guy said –that might not be soon enough, try to walk in on Friday and see if they will take you. Now, the website says, you have to have an appointment document to even get in through security, but we are going to give it a shot tomorrow morning. Wish us luck. More to come…..

Communication Issues

Even though in England they speak the same language we do, there is still a slight language barrier between the UK and the US. They have an accent, they spell things differently, use different expressions, they even use completely different words. If I completely immerse myself in their language, this is what I might say on a typical day:
I was leaving my flat, on the way to the tube to go to elevenses, pushing my pram, with my spare nappies. I was hoping there would not be a long wait in the queue, as I was a mum with a knackered wee one. I took my brolly, as it was mizzling. I was hoping my lass would keep her knickers dry as the loo costs a pound. Her plimsolls got wet, she became unwell and I had to get on the motorway to find a chemist. As my older lass went to school I said to her –no mucking around and don’t forget your rubbers.
By the way - Did you realize how many words there are for rain in England? That is another topic I am sure I will be able to write more about once I get there. Of course, when it rains almost every day, you have to come up with new ways to describe it.
Honestly, aside from all the different words they use, I have a hard time understanding accents. We are going to be living in the North area of England, where the accents are even heavier than in London, and only mere hours from Scotland, where they are so heavy, I can hardly understand a thing they are saying. I used to work for a CEO who was Scottish. I would walk away from a conversation with him and look at my boss and ask her what I was supposed to do. So, you can see my concern. Funny enough based on the fact that I don’t understand accents, I actually manage the International Benefits for my company, so I have had many a conversation with people from our London office, and I generally understand most of what they say, but I prefer to do everything in email when possible, just to be safe. I don’t think I will be able to do that while I am living there. Oh Bloody Hell.

Castles and Princesses

Even though we have not yet told the girls we are moving, we have been hinting around and asking Bean some questions to get her excited about it. Would you like to go see the bridge that is in the picture above our piano? It is a picture of the Tower Bridge in London, oftenly confused as the bridge from the popular song: London Bridges Falling Down. (see the picture above). Would you like to get a passport so you can travel to another country? She loved looking at her new passport when it came, seeing her picture in it and she can’t wait to get a stamp in it right away. Daddy bought her a journal on a recent shopping trip so she could write her travel journey’s in it, and she is so excited to start writing them down. And my favorite question and response –would you like to go see a real castle? Her enthusiastic response –yes mommy –I want to see the one that Belle lives in. Ummmm, ok. Now, do we really need to explain to her that real princesses do not look like cartoon characters, that the beast is not really living in a castle with Belle and that she won’t be able to go in and have tea and cookies with them? My husband and I took a trip to London pre-kids, and I really enjoyed seeing Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Kensington Palace and the Tower of London and I think she will love them too. I can’t wait to take her to the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels, although I can already hear her asking to try on one of the crowns. I am torn between giving her a history lesson, and wanting to leave some of her 5 year old magic alone—I would not explain to her that Santa isn’t really coming into our house on Christmas Eve, so why burst her bubble about princesses? She is excited about seeing a castle, but I am afraid she is more excited about her IDEA of what a castle looks like. Talking tea cups and dancing candles are obviously not real, so I hope she is not disappointed. Maybe to allow her to keep her enthusiasm for castles, the easiest answer is -sorry sweetie, we can’t go into that castle to see Belle today –she is getting ready for the ball.

Driving on a different side

When people ask me what I am most nervous about –there is one thing that comes to mind. It is not finding a new place to live, trying to figure out a new culture, meeting new friends, even figuring out how to go grocery shopping. These things may provide some difficulties, but I am confident I will figure those out eventually. No, the thing that concerns me the most is driving: on a different side of the car, on a different side of the road. You know the saying, it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks? Well, I have been driving for 21 plus years, it is hard to think of reversing a lot of the things you do naturally while driving. I love hopping in my minivan, (yes, with cheerios in the crevices and splatters of milk on the seat in front of my toddler) and knowing with confidence that I can get to where I need to be. My husband recently got us a Garmin and filled it with maps of the UK. This will help me figure out HOW to get where I am going, but learning the new road signs, which all seem so confusing to me, figuring out how to navigate a roundabout, of which there are plenty, while keeping the car on the left side of the road, while I am sitting on the right side of the car, just overwhelms me. After talking to another expat recently, she said to me –it’s not so bad, you just figure it out. Take a look at the road sign in this post –anyone have any idea what to do when you see this one? Me neither!
On a side note, things are coming along as we get ready for the move. My husband is about to finalize his temporary housing arrangements, and I think we have settled the school issue for now. Next up –finding a place for us to live for the next two years!

Flaming Pudding....Really?

I think everyone has Christmas traditions that they remember from when they were children, or that they have started with their own children. I have lots of memories of things we used to do with my family for Christmas – making date nut bars for Santa (found out later it was a favorite of Santa’s, re: my dad), having cheese ball, crackers and eggnog on Christmas Eve while my dad read the Night Before Christmas, eating powdered donuts and hot chocolate while opening stocking gifts on Christmas morning, opening presents and then driving to my grandma and grandpa’s house. I was usually squished in the middle of the backseat with my brothers on each side of me while we (kind of) sang the song –“over the river and through the woods, to grandmother’s house we go!” We did these things year after year, and they became comforting traditions.
My husband and I have started trying to make new traditions for our children. Putting out cookies and reindeer food on Christmas Eve is the one that Bean gets very excited about every year. The reindeer eat oatmeal, as this was the only thing I could find the first year to throw outside in the grass and now she remembers that. And of course, Daddy reading The Night Before Christmas. I am certain that as the girls get older, we will start new traditions as well. And maybe we will even pick up some new ones in England. Some of them that I have read about seem a little odd, but when in Rome (or England)……here are a few of them that I have read about.
---The pulling of the Christmas cracker: a cracker is a brightly colored paper tube, twisted at both ends, which contains a party hat, riddle and toy or other trinket. When it is pulled by two people it gives out a crack as its contents are dispersed.
---Listening to the Queen’s annual Christmas message on Christmas day.
---In the UK, Santa Clause is actually referred to as Father Christmas. He also dresses a little differently than what we see here, wearing a long green and red robe. And apparently Father Christmas is a little bit of a lush, as it is traditional to leave him sherry or a beer, not milk, along with a mince pie.
---Eating the Christmas flaming pudding, which by the way is apparently made weeks ahead of time, and is stirred by each family member as they make a wish. I already know what my wish will be –that I don’t have to actually eat flaming pudding.
---Celebrating Boxing Day, the day after Christmas. Still don’t really have a handle on this one, are we really expected to leave a box or a tip for someone, or is this one of the things where the name of the day continues but the actual activity stopped?
I am looking forward to learning how they celebrate holidays, the things that they may do differently, and maybe even incorporating some of these things into our own traditions after we are back in America (minus the pudding). That will allow the children to remember their time over there and appreciate it, and maybe even incorporate some of these things into their own traditions when they have their own families. Next year at this time, I can imagine a similar post to this, with the real low down on English Christmas traditions.

The Adventures of Bean and Gerbie

Sounds like a children’s book right? I have always thought of writing children’s literature, stemming back to my Elementary Education training in college. But I am not a writer, so the thoughts just wiggle around in the back of my mind and never go any farther. For those of you that know us well, you know that Bean and Gerbie are the nicknames for our girls. The nicknames occurred naturally, and both have stories as to how they were started. The girls love that they have nicknames, in fact the older girl (that would be Bean), knows when we are being serious with her because we call her by her real name, and not her nickname. From here on out, I will be referring to them in the blog by these nicknames, as it is going to be easier than calling them “the older one” and the “little one”, and since this is an open blog, I would prefer not to use their name for privacy purposes. Now, getting back to the “adventure” part of the blog title - part of our excitement for this great adventure in England is that the girls will get to experience a new culture, and see a lot of places that some people never get to see in their lives. And they will get to do this with the wonder and delight that is a natural part of being a child. Yes, they may not remember everything, hence the blog and the pictures that will be taken. I am hoping to put enough of their adventures into writing for them so that we can capture these experiences for them to remember. We have not yet told them that we are moving, we will be telling them when daddy has to leave in a few weeks. I want to make sure we handle this in the right way, to make this transition as easy as possible for them. They are leaving behind their school, their friends, their house, their dog. We will be taking as many of their toys, bedroom furniture and stuffed animals as possible. I want them to at least be surrounded by their comfort items. And they will of course have mommy and daddy. I think that as long as they have us and their things, this will help. Gerbie is almost 2, she will not really understand, it is Bean I am the most worried about. At 5, she will understand what the move means. She has some wonderful friends at school that we have play dates with and two boys (yes, two) that she wants to “marry” much to daddy’s dismay. Earlier this year we had to change her to a new school, and that may have actually benefited us a little now, we can explain that it will be similar, that she will meet new friends, and fit in right away. Now, how to explain that she will talk differently than the other kids???? Anyway, I will be writing in this blog about the adventures of Bean and Gerbie, I am sure there will be many! Maybe I will even be inspired to finally jot down some stories for a children’s book –The Adventures of American Bean and Gerbie in England!

Christmas Memories

Christmas is all I am thinking about today. I love Christmas –the decorations, the baked goods, the music, the family gatherings and gift giving. Today is December 1, and my house is decorated, my Christmas cards are mailed, my presents are all purchased, my mom and I have even gotten all the Christmas baking done. This is the first time, ever, that I have been this prepared for Christmas. A lot of this is due to the “big thing” going on in our life. My husband starts his job on January 4. Because he will be leaving in a month, we have so many things to do, including, but not limited to: selling his car, meeting with realtors, starting to pack up some of the things we don’t use frequently and finding a storage facility. But we also want to enjoy our Christmas, especially since it will be the last one in this house. Also on my mind, is the fact that when my husband leaves, we won’t be seeing him for weeks at a time until the girls and I move to England a few months later. I want this time to be as special as it can be –and take lots of pictures for our own memories, and so the kids will always remember it. The more prepared I am, the easier it will be to just sit back and enjoy the special moments.
Two years ago at this time, I was working from home on modified bed rest, trying to keep my youngest from arriving into the world too early and my husband was working from home “just in case”. She had tried twice already by that point to come. I remember thinking at that time, at least it is Christmas time and we get to enjoy our decorations. Now two years later, my husband and I have been fortunate enough with our jobs that we are both working from home, and again, we are thinking the same thing –at least we get to enjoy our Christmas decorations and our tree all day long, not just in the evenings. What a blessing.
We do plan to travel back to the US for Christmas next year, so if all goes as planned, we won’t be celebrating it in England, but we will take our Christmas decorations with us, so that we can at least decorate our new place and hopefully, make it feel a little bit more like home.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was really nice this year, relaxing and filled with family and food. We tried to really cherish the moments we had with everyone, knowing that next year at this time, we will be sharing turkey and pumpkin pie with other expats in a land that does not celebrate this holiday. As for this year, I thought of all the things I am thankful for. I am thankful for my wonderful husband and healthy beautiful daughters. I am thankful for my parents and my husband's parents. I am thankful for my grandparents, my brothers, and the wonderful niece and nephew that they gave me, and the sister-in-law who feels more like a real sister every time we get together. I am thankful we have good friends that have made living in Columbus so much easier since we do not have family here. And yes, I am thankful that my husband has been given this opportunity to move to England for his career. Next year, we will celebrate Thanksgiving in a strange land, but I will make sure to remember what I am truly thankful for.

School

One of the big things for us when thinking of moving to England, is doing what is right for the little one as far as schooling. She is in Kindergarten right now and doing really well. We don’t want to disrupt her little life any more than we have to. One of the perks that hubby’s new job provided for our relocation, was an Education Consultant. We will call him “school guy”. School guy and I had a pretty detailed and very long conversation about the school systems over there and how convoluted and confusing, I mean, different they are than the US school systems. Getting back to this school issue that we have in front of us: In the US, you move into a school district and you are guaranteed a spot in that school system. This seems pretty easy and apparently I have taken this for granted. Well, that is NOT AT ALL the way it is in England. You have three choices as an expat: American schools, State schools or Independent schools. One is ruled out for us –there are no American schools where we are moving, these are mostly found in the London area. So that leaves two choices. We would rather not pay the equivalent of college tuition for Kindergarten. (which, by the way, is called Reception in England). So we would prefer a State school. But here is the catch - you are NOT guaranteed a spot at the closest school, or even a somewhat close school at all. You can try for the school closest to you, and if they have an opening, great. If they don’t, you get put on a wait list. Now, the wait list is defined by who has been on it the longest, but also, proximity to the school. So if someone new comes on the wait list that is closer to the school, measured from your front gate to the schools front gate (seriously), that bumps you down on the wait list, even if you have been on it for a long time. And people have apparently been misleading schools about where they live to the extent that it is not uncommon for the school administrator to go to your address and ask your little one to show them around, to make sure they really live there. The school guy said it is a nightmare and can become quite a crazy process for good schools. How do they define a good school you ask? The schools have ratings, and these ratings are what parents look at when choosing a school. So if the school closest to you happens to have a good rating, then you most likely have a longer wait to get in. You can start at a farther away school, until you can get into your school of choice, but you can only move to a school that has a closer proximity, you cannot move to a school that is farther away, but has a better rating. And we cannot do anything until the little one is physically living in England, so we either choose an Independent school, to ensure a spot, or wait and take our chances when we get there that she will be able to go to a State school near where we live. Everyone got it? Very clear, right? Now after school guy completely confused me with all of this madness, we talked to one of the hubby’s coworkers, who lives in the area we will be moving. They are also expats, and they have two children who are going to the school we have chosen for the little one. They think it will not be a problem for us to get her into the school nearest us, and it also has a fairly good rating. I am thinking that we will go with that option and hope for the best. I am just going to try to have faith that this is one of those things that will work out.

Our Tree

This blog will mostly be about our experiences once we get to England. But for now, leading up to the move, I am going to share certain things regarding our preparations to move. One big decision that we made, just about a week ago, is one of the things I want to share. We have decided to sell our house. Now, I have to tell you, we love our house. This was not an easy decision to make. We built this house 7 years ago. We picked the neighborhood, we picked the lot we wanted (it was a big field at the time), we picked our model, made our structural changes, and picked out the fixtures and appliances. Everyone told us that building a house was one of the most stressful and trying things as a couple that we would ever do in our lives. Did I mention that at the same time, we were also planning our wedding?? However, not once, did we feel stressed out, not once did we argue about what we wanted. It worked out so well, and was actually quite a peaceful process. In retrospect, I think we were both so excited to have our own house and in general, I think we mostly agree on what we want. It helps that my husband is one of the most skilled people I have ever met. Everything he does, he does well. He is a professional white collar worker, yet give him a tool and he knows how to use it. After the house was built, we knew that most of the things we wanted done, he would be able to do. Between him and his parents (who are both as skilled as he is, I see where he gets it), the basement has been finished, crown molding and chair rails have been built and installed, rooms have been painted, fixtures have been installed or upgraded, and the list goes on and on. And did I mention the outside of the house? Retaining walls, flower beds, trees and bushes, a beautiful white vinyl fence, a patio, a playground for the kids (I did mention this was a FIELD when we picked it out, right?) I am amazed by my husband and I love our house –and because of all the work that we have done to make it ours –it has become a HOME. I specifically love a certain tree that sits right outside my great room window. It is a Bradford Pear tree. We have 4 of them in our yard, yet this one is special. It has really flourished and grown. I have placed my wind chimes on it, it provided us shade on the patio, it is beautiful in the spring and even now, almost Thanksgiving and it is still one of the only trees in our entire neighborhood that has leaves on it. They are beautiful orange, yellow and red leaves. As I look around our house, our yard and our neighborhood, I think the one thing I will miss the most is that tree. I have attached a picture that I took today.

Seriously

We have been telling more and more people about our decision and our preparations to go to England. We have been starting to look at school options for the kids, places to live, and again, trying to figure out what to take and what to leave here. One thing we have been telling people is --please come and visit us while we are there. And yes, we are serious. We have had a lot of people contemplate it --and say they will try to come, if we are serious about it. I cannot stress to you, how serious we are about it!! I would love for any family, friends, or even casual acquaintances to come and stay with us. I would love to be surrounded by American accents as often as possible. I really feel that this will help all of us with the homesickness that I am sure will be ever present. So, get everyone in your family passports, think about when you want to come and seriously, plan a visit.
On a side note --here is a (not so) amusing story about passports. (this story is why I tell you, if you have young children, get your passports as soon as possible if you plan to visit). Trying to get the little one a passport was NOT a good experience. It took us two days, two different places, and about two hours in total to get one with her looking at the camera, and her eyes open. The older one had no problem at all. Looked, smiled, done. Every time the camera was facing the little one, she squinted her eyes shut, looked away, jumped up from the chair. Sigh...I guess not quite being two years old yet, you can't really expect much, but we didn't expect that! Finally, we got one, with the help of five (yes five) very patient employees at Walgreen's who were pulling toys off the shelf to get her to look at them for the picture. Mind you, she looks like an angry monster in the picture, but she is looking straight ahead and her eyes are open. What more can we ask for? And yes, we will be keeping the picture to show her boyfriends when she is older!
This blog will (hopefully when I can write in it!), keep everyone updated on the upcoming move. And after we get across the pond, should hopefully keep everyone updated on our lives, so check back frequently!

Perspective

There have been a lot of things that have happened recently, that have given me some new perspective. Last week, a post from a former coworker on Facebook, talked about a woman who was 27, who was in the hospital fighting for her life from the H1N1 virus. She had a 9 month old baby. She ended up passing away less than a week later, but I followed her website and her story, saddened and horrified. Her son will never know his mother. As a mom of two children, I am deeply effected by this story. On her website, was a link to another site, The Liz Logelin Foundation. This poor woman had a baby, and the next day died. Her husband writes a blog about his struggles and his daughter's life. Again, I was sobbing as I read his posts. On his site, are several more links --blogs that he is a fan of. One night I was clicking on them, reading the stories. Most of these people have lost a loved one, to a sickness or an accident. Again, it was like looking at a car accident when you pass it --you feel sick, you are praying for the people involved, but you can't stop looking, or reading in my case. As my daughter was playing with her doll house on the floor, I was reading --how these people struggle with something so serious on a daily basis and their lives are changed forever by these unfortunate and unfair things. I have marked some of them as favorites, as I want to keep checking in to see how they are. But what strikes me the most with all of this --is how life can change in an instant. How you really do have to appreciate what you have and let your loved ones know how much you love them. This makes these little things, like changing jobs, or moving to England, not as crucial. Yes, these are big decisions for my family, and they are without a doubt life changing decisions. But again, I think as long as we are together, happy and healthy, these things are going to be ok. It puts everything in perspective.....

Overwhelmed Already

You would think that the hardest part of this is done, right? The decision has been made and we are moving to England for hubby's job. This should be a relief after what seems like months of weighing the pros and cons of this. But instead of relief, I suddenly feel overwhelmed. I am making lists --what to take to England, what to store, what is too delicate or to important to store that needs to relocate to the house of a family member? What to buy once we get there. Complicating all this is that it is not very cost efficient to move furniture to England, and while we do have a shipping allowance from his company by way of a 40 foot crate by ship, this still needs to be a decision of what makes the most sense. We will be coming back eventually, and what we take with us, needs to be brought back, potentially on our dime.
What is staying so far with our parents --a piano, a mini-van, a dog (see past blog postings for feelings on this point!).
What is being sold --a car.
What is being stored-- all the crap you accumulate in a house that you don't want to get rid of but realistically will not need in the next two years.
And on the maybe take list --furniture.
Because of the different power cords, most of our electronics and small appliances will not go - the adapters are not great, so a new toaster, microwave, hair dryer, curling iron, etc, are in our future.
We have started telling almost everyone about our decision. Close friends and family anyway, and the reactions have been mixed. Some say --what a great adventure, what a good opportunity for the kids, we will come and visit you! And others have cried, or been upset. These are the hardest for me, as this is still a very emotional decision for me also. But I am trying to stay positive, and view this as a great adventure, a temporary one, one that we will hopefully cherish and remember for the rest of our lives. Decision made --check. Lists started --check. More to come--bring it on!

The Big Decision.....Part Two

We had a few set backs in the last couple of weeks. Our decision had primarily been made, we were going to try to go to England. And then, we heard some conflicting things about taxes. Double taxation issues between the US and the UK. After a few phone calls with our accountant, we figured everything out. But during this time, approximately two weeks, we were back to second guessing every decision we were making. I had come to terms with moving, or so I thought, so when we came back to the thought that we were staying in the US, I was not sure how to feel. I actually felt a little disappointed. I was starting to look forward to our "adventure".
And then, we got a call from the accountant, everything is worked out, we won't have any unfortunate tax consequences. Yep --here comes the overwhelming sense of ......doubt all over again. And fear. We are leaving our friends and family, our dog, and a lot of our things behind. I suddenly had all these questions again --what do we take, and what do we try to buy in England. I had anxiety and tension suddenly, I could feel the change in the same instant I heard we are good to go to England.
My husband and I spent last week in Las Vegas. Amid the calls to the accountant, and the spare change we threw into every wishing well asking for the right answer, we had a great time. But like any parent not with their children, I missed the kids so much. What I realized on this trip, is that if we are all together, all four of us, my happy little family, then wherever we are TOGETHER is our home. So in the end, I am hoping and praying for peace that we are making the right decision. But at least we will all be in it together.

The BIG life changing decision

It started months ago. A simple question from my darling husband. What would you think about moving to England. Huh? I don't think so. My answer was clear --it was a no. Our family is here, our friends are here, our children know only this life, the one that we have in a pretty suburb of Columbus, Ohio. We live in a beautiful house, with a white picket fence, and a big playground for our children. Was he crazy?
But now, months later, and the third time this offer has come up, we are beginning to seriously consider it. Do we dare make this move? Will it help my husband's long term career goals? Will it be an adventure or a big mistake?
We have been watching and looking for signs. I have been praying and asking for answers and peace to make the right decision. We have listed the pros and cons. Some of the bigger pros -the International experience for my husband's career, the cool experience for the children, who will be 5 and 2 by the time we make the move, seeing new places, exploring Europe. The cons -- leaving our family and friends, storing our things, selling at least one of our cars, trying to rent out our house, and not knowing what we will come back to. But the biggest one for me --leaving our family dog, the one that I have had for 12 years, my first baby, with my parents. I know my mom and dad will love her, and play with her, and even let her sleep with them (hint-hint mom). But for me, this was by far the hardest decision. We can't take her with us, she would not handle the flight well, or the quarantine required to enter a new country. Our family will be here when we come back from this temporary gig in 2 years, our friends will still be our friends (I sure hope!), but chances are my beloved dog will not still be with us. I still tear up just thinking of leaving her, and as of this moment, she is sitting beside me on the couch. At this time, we are saying we are 90% sure we are ready to go. But only time will tell.........