Good News on the Ashley Front...

We have been having an ongoing, frustrating encounter with the headmaster of the school I want Ashley to attend.

He is SO SLOW about returning email. So I feel like I'm nagging him when I repeatedly send emails over and over asking for confirmation that he received the previous email.

Me: Here's the email!

Him: ...

Me: Did you get it?

Him: ...

Me: Did you get it?

Him: ...

Me: DID YOU GET IT?

Him: ...

Me: *mutter mutter mutter*

Him: ... ... ... (and finally...)

Dear Amy,

Thank you for the transcripts safely received. Ashley is obviously achieving well, which is very encouraging for a smooth transition at this tricky point. We would be very pleased to offer you a place for her starting in September.

Her precise programme will need a bit of careful planning, and I would rather do this with you and Ashley 'face to face'. When will you be arriving in the UK? In the meantime, I can mail you some further information and details if you give me your address in the US (depending on when you'll be here, of course).

With best wishes, and looking forward to meeting Ashley,

Headmaster


Yay Ashley! Her most groovey excellent grades got her into my FIRST CHOICE for her school! Yay her! She is awesome.

And that is a sigh of relief for one more thing taken care of, and one less thing to worry about.

In Which Amy Says Something Scarey... (Myspace Blog)

There is some pretty big news that I have avoided sharing with you all. I'm not entirely sure why: partly because I wanted to wait until it was absolutely not going to change, and partly because, while I'm excited, I'm also scared.

I'm moving.

Yes, moving in and of itself is a scarey thing. Moving across town is daunting and hard work and exhausting. But this... this is more than that. I am not just moving across town. I am moving across the world.

In very late April I applied to attend a school in the United Kingdom to finish my degree. In May, very late in May, I was accepted. Now, this late in June, things are set enough that I can say that I am moving to England.

I leave at the end of August. I will be homeless at the end of July, crashing on a friends couch because I still have class until mid-August.

There are emotional ups and downs associated with this move. Hija is coming with me. That fact has caused problems with her father, and with her step-mom. And I understand where they are coming from. Hijo is /not/ coming with me... and this breaks my heart. I have moments of wondering if I will be able to function without having him with me. It is going to be equally hard on him, too.

We are moving in with Mi Amor. This is a bit frightening too. He is incredibly gentle, but there are many times when I look at my past and see myself as someone very difficult to love. Is he the one? Is it ever entirely, 100% possible to tell?

It's a different culture, a different community, a different language (even thought it is still English), a different world. We will have to bend and adapt and change. Change is scarey.

The funniest thing to me is that I asked for change. My tattoo is a specific request put forth to learn how to be ok with large change. To become more comfortable at making the tough decisions based on what is best rather than what is safest. Time to put my money where my mouth is.

So... my friends, the clock is ticking. Let's do and be and live and love until we can't anymore. There will be parties announced. There is a family blog... you want the address, message me. Questions? Ask. I am not afraid.

Ok, maybe I am afraid. A little. But that will pass. I spent too much time thinking about this and deciding if I was doing what was best for myself and my kids. I am. I /know/ I am. But that doesn't seem to help the fear. I'm still learning how to deal with that part.

De Plane, Boss... De Plane!

As of this afternoon, it is official. The plane tickets are bought. Here is the itinerary.

15 August, 10:30 am: Stephen boards a plane in London to come here. (yes... HERE!!! Yay!)
15 August, 10:20 pm: Amy meets Stephen at the airport.

15 August - 30 August: Stephen and Amy and sometimes Ashley and Tristan do lots of stuff, involving loads of travel, meeting family, at least 1 party, and dinners out.

30 August: 2:40 pm: Amy, Stephen, and Ashley board plane to Houston.
30 August: 3:45 pm: Arrive in Houston, spend the night with Jim and Erin.
31 August: 3:45 pm: Ashley, Stephen, and Amy board plane to London.
1 September: 6:55 am: Arrive in London, 2 hour train home.

Long amounts of travel=tired family.

The Mood-Coaster (LiveJournal Post)

It was a truly busy day, what with a big test in calculus and tons of errands to run. And something about moving at such a tremendously frantic pace set the tone for the day. I couldn't hold still. I shook and jiggled and doodled and nibbled and anything else I could do to keep from holding still. I was just... antsy. Finally, after jiggling, wriggling, and doodling as much as I could bear, I begged Christine to go grocery shopping with me.

Did I need to go grocery shopping? Well.... yes and no. Yes, I was short on healthy food, out of fresh veggies entirely, no milk to be had. But no. This is my week of no kids... I could have made do. I prolly /should/ have made do, to be honest. But the draw of getting out and moving while doing something semi productive was worth it.

So we went to the store. Something about the store sucked my brain, had to go back to the produce department 4 times... 4 times! because I kept forgetting things. By the time we were done, I was done too. Stick a fork in me done. Exhausted like I had run a marathon done. Almost unable to talk coherently done. And now, less than an hour later, I have finally dragged ass to put the $55 worth of groceries away. I am so tired I want to just curl up in a a little ball and sleep. Make moan-y sounds at anyone who tries to wake me.

I feel like the graph of a sine wave. Up and down, up and down, check me and I repeat every 2π.

*sigh* I'm not even sure that actually made sense at all...