Done. . . .

Done weeding, pricing, hanging, packaging, tagging, pinning, taping, etc for two consignment sales. . .and I am so drained!  Physically, mentally, especially emotionally. . . .getting rid of baby stuff has been hard.  And it has been little things like this one little polka dot dress that Maggie and Charlotte both wore.  It was just a dress, not even a particularly special one, but I kept fixating on it and panicking that I was getting rid of it.  Right now, when our whole lives are being picked up, shaken, and turned inside out, it feels like I just want to sit in the middle of our world and gather everything I know close and not let it out of my sight.  I did let the dress go--it's in the sale, maybe even home with someone else already. . and to be honest, tonight I am having trouble breathing thinking about it (and all it represents).  The good thing is that I know tomorrow I will breathe a little easier. . . and will probably dig in my closet for the little pile of baby clothes that I am hanging on to!

a funny coincedence. . .

In Birmingham (about half hour from where we will be living), the people are called "Brummies" and the accent is "Brummy"  Birmingham is sometimes referred to as "Brum"  :)

Passports. . .

We applied for the girls' passports today. . .they will have more stamps in their passport than I do right now at age 34. . .it's amazing to be to contemplate the places we will be able to easily take them!!

PAPERWORK!!!

The paperwork is finally starting to come to us. . .never thought a pile of papers that I really don't have time to read would look so beautiful!   Now the real fun begins!

Catharsis. . .

I am working on cleaning things out. . .and am so conflicted about it.  On the one hand, it is unnerving.  I have realized (really always knew) that I am a person who surrounds themselves with stuff as a comfort.  So getting rid of things--even those we haven't touched in a year or forgot we had--is a bit stressful.  What if I end up needing it?  What if I can never find it again?  What if I have to pay twice as much to replace it?  What will happen if I can actually walk around my bedroom without tripping over piles of junk?

On the other hand. . . .damn it feels good to get rid of stuff!!  I am sad to see things go because of the enormity of this move; would we get rid of these things if a cargo hold on a ship wasn't forcing us to?  But, the weight of keeping up with our stuff is getting lighter with every box I fill up.  I am a better person when I am not bogged down by the piles!   

So I will continue to send our things on to a new home. . .maybe then when we get to our new home we might be able to live a little more simply and be more focused on what's really important.

Daily details. . .

Little things are starting to pop up that I don't have the answers to. . .I don't know if Hannah and Maggie will be  wearing school uniforms, so I can't hit the clearance racks for school clothes for next year.  I don't know exactly how the weather will be, so I don't know whether tank tops, swimsuits, and flip flops are necessary!  All the little details that I pride myself on thinking of. . .on being prepared for are going to have to be researched!  How exhausting!

We are going to have to teach the girls the pound system and the metric system so that they will have a basic familiarity with it before school starts. . .going to have to "mind the gap" on the trains. . .we will have to drive on the other side of the road (terrifying!). . .and get used to spending family dinners at a local pub (such a hardship!).  It is all part of the adventure, but it makes my head spin just to contemplate it!

Have figured out that car seat law are about the same. . .shots (or jabs) for the kids are about the same. . .locally there are COSTCO and Ikea and Staples to just name a few. . .and I saw Pampers in a picture of a house for rent!! 

And a great little tidbit Keith learned from a current ISE. . . if we get Vonage, we can transfer an American number overseas and the calls are then just a regular long distance call for our family and friends that will ring to our house there!

Let's tell the girls. . .

After talking about all we could think of and making the decision to go ahead with this move, it was time to tell our daughters.  I had told the girls during the afternoon that they could have whatever they wanted for dinner that night, and it finally worked itself out that we were going to O'Charley's to eat.  It was our "family meeting." 

Hannah has always known and accepted that a move would be coming soon for our family--that we wouldn't be living in Tennessee forever.  I am fairly certain that she was beginning to think that it would be back to Peoria for us.  Maggie doesn't really remember the move because she was only 15 months old at the time, but she is such a homebody. . .would rather stay home than go to Target (even though she loves their popcorn!).

We started out by letting them know we had something to talk to them about.  Asked Hannah what she remembered about moving to Tennessee. . what was fun, what was difficult, etc.  She mentioned getting a new house and bedroom and missing family and her pink carpet in her old bedroom.  Then we told them the big news:  that this move would take us to a whole other country and how excited we were for our family's next adventure.

Our amazing Hanny took it all in stride--a little teary and then a big deep breath.  When she was composed and had been snuggled a little bit, her questions began: "What language do they speak?"  "Where is it?"  "When will we move?"  Ever her Daddy's girl!!

Sweet Maggie Moo teared up a little, too, and told us that she "didn't want to leave her house."  I am not sure that she fully understands that she won't get to see her friends and that time with family will be less.  But, she did cover some important topics:  "Mommy, will there be a Disney World there?"

I am so proud of the girls and know that whatever happens on this journey that they will be okay. . .better than okay. . .that they will take it all in and make us truly understand that it doesn't matter where we go as long as we are together!!