These are the Days of Our Lives...

It has been 7 days since I last posted. I am now 1 year older than I was then. Stephen stayed up late so he could sing happy birthday to me the instant it was the morning of my birthday in England. He also called me his 'birthday beauty'. It is lovely to hear. His perfect gift to me: an Aloe Vera plant for our new house. He could not be any sweeter if he were made of honey.

7 days has found a lot of things happening. As of Tuesday, the moving company with which I have been working has decided that they are not capable of moving me or any of my things. That left Wednesday full of a desperate scramble to find another moving company, and to study for the final in my Spanish class, which I took this morning.

I have accepted the quote of a different moving company. This one is local here, and will be handling all aspects of the move overseas. The lady is SO nice, to the point of even letting me vent about the terribleness of the old moving company. Plus, she calls me back. Part of me wants to tell her that I love her. Except that it would just be the relief talking.

It turns out that this company has the possibility of being less expensive (yay!) and they are coming to evaluate a much more exact quote tomorrow morning. They have already scheduled to come and pack and load on the 21st of August. Stephen and I will be gone then, but THANK YOU!!!!! to Christie and Dan for being willing to be there in our stead. Things will be in good hands.

I'm still waiting to hear about Visas... but that should be soon. I start on the rest of the house today, need to have a last minute yard sale (anyone want to help?) maybe this weekend, have everything else done in the house by Wednesday when I pick Stephen up at the airport.

In only 6 days, we will be having Chico's Tacos for dinner, and all will be right with the world.

In the English neck of the woods, Stephen has been very busy moving from house to house. (He told me yesterday that he is totally capable of taking over my closet in addition to his own.) He packs bags and carries them, three a night or so. I admire his decision to walk things from place to place. Wish I could do it with the rest of our things. It might actually get done in a timely manner were I to. This weekend, he moves his bed and other big things, and I suppose it will be the pseudo-official move in time.

It is interesting to me how the ball keeps rolling even though it feels like nothing gets done. No matter how overwhelmed or stressed out I get, time passes. I'm glad.

Kind of Sad News...

I received an email from the University today. I was expecting it sooner rather than later, as the scholarship decision was to be made by the end of July.

I didn't get it.

I'm a little sad, but its ok. I have to keep in mind that I did my best, that my essay really did not suck at all, and that I had no way to know what it was they were looking for. I didn't beg for money. I didn't grovel. I just wrote the best possible essay I could. I have reason to be proud.

I can always try again next year, and I will. But I still won't grovel or beg.

Tristan has started expressing his sadness at our moving. He will miss me, he says, and I know I'll miss him. I have to drop what I'm doing every now and again and just hold him. I feel like I need to breathe deeply of him so I can remember his smell, hold him so very tight so I can remember what he feels like in my arms. I'm excited, and yet so sad at the same time. It feels like my heart is being ripped apart. I cry too often, and sometimes I don't even realise that I'm crying until the tears are silently dripping off of my nose. This is hard. I remind myself that I'm doing the right thing.

No news on movers yet - no dates scheduled. I have moved past anything productive into impotent, temper-tantrum rage.

On a brighter note, Stephen will be here in 13 days! There's a spot in his arms with my name on it. Maybe then it will be easier to let everything out, because I won't be alone in my house of disarray.

Which do you Want First?

Bad News: I'm sick. Pathetic, whiney, curl up in a ball, hot then cold then hot then cold, all I want to do is sleep, want to be held sick. I cried twice today for no appreciable reason. Stephen lay on his bed and pretended to curl around me so I could close my eyes and pretend that I was lying there so I wouldn't be so pathetic. I don't know how he puts up with me. Sometimes it amazes me how good he is to me. I don't think I would be nearly as good to myself.

Bad News: Movers suck. We are now at 7 days late, and they still do not have any idea when anyone will be here. @!*#'s.

Good News: We have a house! That's right, Stephen has the keys to our lovely flat in his hot little hands. It takes a huge load off to know that there is some place for us to live. 2 bedrooms, plus a funkily shaped study, a kitchen with a refrigerator that is bigger than a breadbox, and a washer/ dryer. Heaven. It's on the third floor (To us Americans, that means the fourth floor, but I am learning Brit speak now.) It's close to the train that Stephen no longer has to take to work, and is about a mile away from Ashley's school, my school, and Stephen's new work. Walking distance. His mum is already bringing us furniture. She is lovely. I can't wait to meet her.

Additional things of note: Applied for Visas yesterday. Confirmed that the British Consulate received my package of important documents. Reserved rooms at the Grand Canyon for mine and Stephen's mini vacation. After visiting 4 pharmacies, found the important condiment for the important prescription. Had horrid photos taken for the visas. But on a happier note, Kelley sent me a photo that doesn't suck. I think I'll share.

Insert Expletive Here...

This has been an ongoing thing since the last post. And I am almost too angry to even write about it.

I just had to go beg and plead to have my move out date rescheduled. I now owe an additional month's rent, and must interrupt my precious pre-leaving the country family time in order to go and check out of my house. Why? Why, you ask?

Because the bleeping movers need at least an additional 10 days in order to simply schedule me! Not only this, but they can't guarantee that 10 days will be enough. They won't even guarantee that they will come and move me EVER!!!

I'm just so mad. madmadmadmadmad. GRRRR!!!!!

I have no idea when they will move me. And now I'm spending additional money because they can't get their act together. And I suppose it should be ok, since money grows on trees and all...

My goal: the additional I have to pay to stay here had better come out of what I have to pay them. I'll be calling supervisors today.