Surprises and a question for you

The last two weeks have been the most stressful for us in terms of getting the house ready to sell and packing for the plane and all the things we are finding at the last minute that "must go" but that "absolutely will not fit, I'm sorry Lina but that's the 6th dolly...it stays." An so on and so forth.

But, the silver lining to all of this, sort of a"side-theme," if you will, has been the amount of things we have managed to accomplish in such a short amount of time and the amount of people we have managed to see. So, here's a quick "run-down," not to be mistaken for "the whole story."

Two surprise going away parties. 2!! Instigated by Martin, and carried out by family and friends... so wonderful! To see so many people all in one place and to be able to say good-bye in style...

Not even half the people that showed up. Almost my entire family...that's right, both sides, almost everybody, including Martin's parents and two of his siblings and their families. It was amazing.

Freddie. My brother. He made me a mix-C.D. of Texas songs. Because he loves me and because he wants me to cry.
 A lot.

Hat and dress from my mom. Boots from my siblings.

Not pictured, because we didn't get one taken :( ,  wind chimes from Martin's family. They sound beautiful. Martin can't stand wind chimes, but I most definitely can. They remind me of the Texas hill country and these are particularly beautiful sounding. I love them. They will be hanging right outside my kitchen door in Poland so I can hear them while I cook. And since I got them after we had already packed, they are going on the plane and will be the first thing I hang up. (picture to follow during this event, 2 weeks!!!!!!!)

The second surprise party was just last Thursday. It's seems a while ago but it was just last week. Friends. and my sister and her husband. I don't have truckloads of friends. I'm a fairly private person and a bit of a homebody but it was so wonderful for those who did come to make the effort. It really makes you feel special. I don't have any pictures from the night unfortunately, but then again, they probably wouldn't want their faces plastered all over the internet so I will just leave you with this lovely picture of my toes... a gift from my sister the next day, as a special treat.

Red. 

Gratuitous shot of baby Kacio wearing the hat. 

Yesterday was Martin;s and mine 7th wedding anniversary. Over the weekend we celebrated a little early by traveling to Dallas to visit friends from college and have lunch with my aunt. We stayed a hotel and ordered room service. Definitely one of my top ten favorite things in the whole world, room service. Happens about once  every other year. live it up!

 I had thoughts all day yesterday about anniversary posts but I spent the day running around town, buying suitcases, gathering boxes, and taking all 4 kids to the doctor's office for 2 check-ups (the other two were just along for the ride, they were angels, God love 'em) to pack stuff up to give away. It was over  100 degrees and I had no motivation to get on the computer.

All in all we have been cramming as much as possible into these last few weeks. This week is packing week, a successish time so far. This weekend is the big MOVE OUT. Everything must go. Fun, fun. 

I will end this post with one last musing and a question. What do we think is going to be the hardest part about Poland? I guess I'm really the only one who has been asking. Sometimes I wonder if Martin is not worried about anything or concerned at all that it we will fall apart or completely flop over there. But that's not true, of course. He has worries too. His own. And I have mine. Mine is the culture. His? I don't quite know. Maybe that he's making the wrong decision for his family. That's a big one. 

My question. If you have moved to a new country what has been the hardest thing for you? Was it what you thought it was going to be or something completely surprising? I wonder what it will end up being for us, and what we will do to deal with it. It's going to be here so soon. So very soon.

P.S. You are going to have forgive all bad writing and general lack coherence over the next couple weeks. Martin managed to throw 2 surprise parties for me in the span of one week. Two! I had no clue. My mind is not here anymore. It is wandering between the Texas hill country and somewhere across the Pacific...

Sweltering Sunday.

Just for comparison. Just keepin' it real.

Goodbye Couch and Good Riddance!

Watching them load it up.

I strongly disliked our couch. And now it is gone. It went to a home that needed a couch and I am thankful they are going to get some use out of it. I am thankful that this move has allowed us to give/sell many things to people who otherwise may not be able to afford them. I am thankful that I will, in a very short amount of time from now, have a new couch.

The end.

Let's lighten the mood: Giveaway!

That last post was such a  drag I feel the need to give things away for free to make up for it.  So, today until next Friday, I am offering one pair of 'Ove Gloves to one lucky person.

These are  'Ove gloves.

'Ov Gloves and a delicious apple pie. That pie was fresh out of a 375 degree oven, folks. Don't try this with your mother's oven mitt!

 The most awesome things for putting on your hands to get hot stuff out of the oven ever invented. I have a short list of kitchen items that I will be taking. The 'Ov Gloves are at the top of that list. Everyone should own a pair of these. In fact, once you use them, traditional oven mitts will seem like a thing of the past because *these,* my friends, are the future. Except they are *also* now, and they could be yours!

Contest Rules: Leave a comment AND AN EMAIL ADDRESS (you can send this privately if you want, to my email address, but I have to have one in case you win so I can get your shipping info.) with one question you would like me to answer pertaining to the subject matter at hand. So, you know, questions about us moving to Poland or anything on the blog you'd like to know more about. The sky's the limit. Is there somethign you would like to know? Need to know? Just curious about?


Contest ends next Friday at 5pm Central Time.
Winner will be chosen on Friday evening, at random, using Random.org.

 If you win the 'Ove gloves, I answer your question to the best of my ability. (And I may or may not answer a few of the other ones just for fun). If you live in the U.S. they will be shipped within a couple days of contest ending. If you live in Europe I will be waiting until we get there to save on shipping...if you live in another Continent, I'll do my darnedest, but rest assured they will arrive sometime this summer....thank you for your patience.

Good Luck!

Giveaway closed!
Winner iiiiiiiiiiis....ddd!!!  You win! It was stiff competition but you managed to hang in there and remain victorious! Congratulations.  

So many thoughts, so little time...

Three weeks to go. Exactly 3 weeks.

Panic mode has set in. And by panic I mean, panicking about all the little things that I haven't thought of yet that need to be thought of before we leave so nothing is forgotten. Because it *is* possible for one person to think of everything so long as she thinks reeeeeeeeally hard.

I always thought that as the date drew closer I would be writing more. I suppose if I treated this blog more like a diary then I would be because my "things to write about if this blog was a diary" list is super long and would include such post titles as:

- why I *need* to own yarn for every conceivable project form here until next summer
- why I *need* to procure as many Mexican style shirts and dresses for the children as possible
- why I *need* to stop buying stuff because it's not all going to fit
- why I feel like there must be something that is going to keep us from going because is it really possible that this is actually going to happen?
                                      - personal tragedy
                                      - some weird immigration snafu
                                      - some weird natural catastrophe
                                      - really this is an opened ended category
- why do people never use their blinkers... or speed up to get on the highway? (speed UP to get on...UP, not down, UP, ok? ok. )
- why I have no motivation to keep a clean house (what's the point?... wrong attitude...I know, I know)
- how will all the home repairs get done on time, in time to sell, and possibly without us here. Insanity.
- why hasn't our car left the port yet? hmmmm? (not a huge deal...yet)
- why does the milk have to taste different in Poland?! I don't *want* it to taste different! (imagine foot stomping and pouting)?
- how many more times will I hear that it's so cold in Poland that you don't even need to bring summer clothes?
- how I wish our move wan't the only thing people asked about
- how I wish the move wasn't the only thing I can think about
- how only thinking about the move makes you and everyone around you sort of crazy, especially small children who feel the stress but don't understand, so they just scream, and fight, a lot.
- how much I'm going to miss our school community
- how much I'm going to miss my friends, like Melissa
- how much I'm going to miss the heat, which I curse and bless in the same breath
- how much I just want to sit on a porch, drink iced tea and knit for 12 hours straight because it's peaceful
- how much I want these 3 weeks to be over

boo hoo, Olivia. Your diary is super boring and depressing. Although that bit about the blinkers, that would have been a funny one I bet.

And now I'm talking in the 3rd person.


 The truth. The truth is, everything is actually going really well. Everything is on schedule, everyone is healthy, and everything will get done on time or at least within a few days of us leaving. We have wonderful family and friends who have helped us along the way and will continue to do so. I have sold almost all our furniture and electronics for real money, which is always good, and there is not a single point where I have regretted our decision. Also a plus.

There just isn't enough time or resources to do all the things I keep thinking of  things that "must be done" before we leave. Most of them are just those panicky "what if I never come back to Texas" thoughts. Which is hogwash. That's right, hogwash! Because we'll most likely be back in 18 months to visit family.

Ain't nothin' gonna change in 18 months so much that it cain't wait. Them's the truth.

I would like to update our plans more. I don't know who really cares about the details of our house being renovated for the sell, or how we are never gonna get everything to fit into 5 suitcases (which we don't even own yet!).  But that's ok. This is also a blog just for documenting a little bit of everything we have done to get us to this point. So it will be written.

Let me leave you with this short and fun video of me catching a fish (bucket list!) over the weekend in the most outrageous "Texas outfit (given to me by my lovely family...notice the boots!)" you will ever see me wear. Because chances are, it will never happen again (the outfit, not the fish).

Nuts and Bolts: International Driving Permit

Here's what you need  for an International Driving Permit. If you think I am writing this now because I got it done a long time ago and have just been putting it off you'd be wrong. I don't like for you to be wrong, so here is the truth. We have 4 weeks to go and I am just now sending them, today, in fact they are still sitting right here in my kitchen waiting to go out with the mail. They better be telling the truth when they say 10-15 days for processing! Don't do this to yourselves, folks.

Ok, so here's what you're going to need... all of this can be found on the application but it's much more inspiring listening to me drone on about it in my fanciful way, don't ya think? That's what I thought.

1. Application. There are several variations of the application online. Some of them are by 2nd and 3rd parties who want to offer to do it for you for a "minimal fee." Do *what* for you? Lick a  stamp? Newsflash! Stamps have stick'em on the back, they don't have to be licked anymore (it's the future, bask in it)! And unless they are going to come to my house personally and take the pictures and fill out the application while at the same time serving me mixed drinks I'm pretty sure their $50 fee isn't worth it.

2. Two Passport Photos of your lovely mug. (short for "mugshot" which is exactly what those passport photos look like). This is the portion of the process where you have to leave your home. We all know how I loathe having to leave home, which is why this whole process has taken so long, but it got done... at Walgreens, my fave place for photos, no line, lovely (read "awesome Muzak of early nineties tunes") music wafting over the airways and tons of amazing "As  Seen on T.V. products" like Ov' Gloves (try them, you won't be disappointed).

3. A Photo-copy of your current Driver's License, the front and the back. These copies must be signed. So ours was literally a piece of paper with the front of our driver's license, signed. And then another piece of paper with the back, signed. Lots of wasted paper there, but I am only one woman. Make sure your license is VALID at least 6 months past the time you need the I.D.P. If it's not, talk to your local D.P.S. and ask for a longer time for expiration.

4. Money. Because everything. single. thing. costs money. The fee is $15 (plus $3 S&H...these drivers licenses must be *really* heavy). Check/Credit Card/Money Order, etc.

 If you have gotten this far and, in reading the fine print, the application is asking for more than $15  ask yourself these questions:

 "Am I in my pajamas?"
 "Have I been in my pajamas throughout this entire process, including having my photo taken?"
 If so...
 "was there also a large margarita in my hand the entire time?"

If the answer to any of these questions is "no" and you're not the type to run errands in your pajamas with a thermos full of Pina Coladas, then you need to back track to #1 on my list, and START OVER.

5. Well, find your long white envelopes, write the address on the front, get out your FOREVER stamps, maybe more than one depending on how heavy all of that stuff is, and send that sucker!  Hope and pray that since you waited to the last minute that it gets to your house in time and if not know that your dear sweet family/friends will mail it to you at your new address, which you still don't have memorized.

Happy Driving!

Boats... Beaches... Bucket List

We took the car to Houston yesterday, for shipping. It all went well. We had decided to leave the children with Grandma and Babcia but, at the last minute, we had a change of plans...

Bucket List... Blizzard... Battlestar Gallactica

Bucket List

Play this sound clip and scroll down very slowly for the full effect...

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And just for fun...




Raisin' 'em right!

Stupendous Saturday tidings!

Hello All,
I hope you had a wonderful Saturday!

We had a day full of fun and good news.

The children and I left early to go on a nature hike and play at a near by playground while Martin met with the insurance adjuster to see if we could get them to cover a new roof due to hail and wind damage.

New pics. of kids...

Closest it comes to all 4 of them smiling at the same time.

Deciding which way to go. They made the right choice.

That's the stroller in the bottom left corner. I carried Kacio in one arm and the stroller in the other to forge the river. I made it, don't worry.

New roof. For FREE! (except for our deductible) Which will make it even easier to sell our home.  I cried out of joy when Martin told me this news. I was so worried we were going to have to shell out 10k for a new roof. How ridiculous would that be?! But we don't, nowhere close. Amazing. 

And lastly...

A "dry run" as to whether our stuff is going to fit in the car which we are taking to Houston on Tuesday to be shipped. And if I do say so myself, and I do, I did an awesome job packing. It is all going to fit with room to spare. Room to spare...ahhhhh... what wonderful words to hear.

This isn't everything, just some action shots so you see what we have to work with. Toyota Sienna's are HUGE on the inside.

 Everything is blessedly falling perfectly into place.

It was a good day.

Should I get a fanny-pack?

For all of you born after 1995, this...

 

...is a fanny pack. 

Let me give you the top 5 reason why fanny packs are a good choice:

1. You belongings are conveniently located, right at your fingertips...literally... right at your fingertips. Just let your fingers dangle where they naturally fall, right in front of you, and they will land *in* the fanny pack. How convenient! No huge bags, or copious amounts of zippers. No searching through deep dark holes of backpacks or purses.

"Just a regular day at Home Depot, need a new bucket and large broom, where's my money, oh wait, *here* it is, conveniently located at my fingertips."

 ( Hulk Hogan, and if you don't know who he is then I don't know if you're welcome at my blog anymore).

2. The require no hands. You see, the name itself implies that there is no need for hands or even arms, or even an upper body, for these little gems to work. FANNY pack. You just need a fanny. Everyone has a fanny. I have a fanny. You have a fanny. And they should all be put to good use.

A fanny, being put to good use. 

3. Aside form a large electronic you can put most anything in a fanny pack. Your keys, your money, your phone, your MP3 player, etc. A couple pens, a little notepad, even a diaper and a little wipe holder could fit in there. And if you live in Texas...

Yep, that right there is a gun, folks. Nothing like having a loaded weapon strapped to your mid-section to make you feel super safe.

4. They are super trendy. That's right. I said it. They are! Have you seen all the celebrities that have been sportin' fanny packs lately? It's "hipster," it's "retro," it's ironic in a cool hipster retro way. Now, I'm not one to fall for all the new trends but this one just makes sense! Fanny packs are the future in fashion.

Is it just me or does the girl on the far right look like she is about to cry. Probably because she forgot to put her head through the neck hole of her shirt and she is feelin' priiitty silly right about now. Regardless, she is rockin' that coin-purse-on-steroids fanny pack.

5. You can make them yourself!

Cute and functional... 

Absolutely no way for me, but definitely a choice.

Meh...

P.S. Why the heck am I writing about fanny packs? fanny packs? really? the car ships out on Tuesday, we still haven't figured out what exactly to do to the house and it sort of looks like we were recently robbed in here. ALL of the kids had a stomach bug for the last week and a half which means the laundry has been nothing but sheets, towels, and gross clothing...which means no one has any clean regular clothes. I have misplaced my phone, my iPod (new and very snazzy), my wallet, my keys all about 5 times each. And that's why I'm writing about fanny packs. Because if I buy one and wear it and everything is in one place, right at my fingertips, all day long, then maybe I'll feel like I have something under control. 

Hope ya'll have a lovely weekend! 

P.P.S. Martin's answer: "No, absolutely no, what are you talkin' about?"