Almost there!

We're getting close! Figured the blog could use one more update before we head overseas. Mike and I have been crazy busy getting things taken care of for this trip. We knew we were getting into something serious--but didn't realize just how time consuming this would be! Mike works close to our house so the poor guy has had to do most of the legwork from errands to meetings to dealing with bank accounts to renting storage. My commute is sometimes over an hour, so I've felt helplessly trapped while he's getting things done. But preparing pack lists, making phone calls, dealing with insurance and sending emails have become my forte!

The good news is that we got our house rented last week; we had a fantastic going-away party thrown by Mike's co-worker Dave and his wonderful wife, Carla; we have a storage facility arranged; our flights are booked; visa paperwork turned in; more than half our house packed away; and temporary homes arranged for all the pets. Now we just need to move! That painful process begins at 7am tomorrow. We've got a few reinforcements coming to help, Mike's co-workers have been such a huge support in this whole process.

We just need confirmation that the visa paperwork is good to go and then it's 100% on! Would hate to have to halt everything that seems to now be moving smoothly forward. My last day at work is July 31. The following week, after cleaning the house and making sure it's all empty, I'll head to Dallas--kitties and pups in tow. Mike's parents are keeping our dogs and my sweet cousin in Alabama is keeping my cats. Hallelujah! I'll squeeze in a road trip to visit her and drop off the cats then back to Dallas for a few days and (fingers crossed) we'll fly to Amsterdam on August 13. From there, it's a short layover and a one hour flight to Aberdeen and we'll have arrived.

We look forward to spending a little more time with friends and family before we shove off, and are so grateful for all the love, excitement and support that has come our way! Let the adventure begin...

In the Beginning...

This is my first blog post. EVER. I was very excited to finally get a layout created that I actually like, and I hope to use it often! Mike and I are absolutely thrilled we'll be moving to Scotland, currently slated for less than two months from now. We're keeping our fingers crossed that the travel visas are finished soon and that everything stays on schedule. There's so much to coordinate though, sometimes it's hard to tell. We've received a lot of great advice from folks on what to pack, it's been extremely helpful. Needless to say, we've loaded up on spices, salsa, advil, black beans and a couple other key things we can't live without. At least for a few months and we're able to get our bearings. Thanks to the oil and gas connection between Houston and Aberdeen, there's a lot of friendly faces in Scotland that we hope to run into.

We were happy to find out the car we'll be provided is an automatic. At first, Mike was sure I wouldn't be able to drive since they operate on the opposite side of the road, traffic is crazy and I've got no idea how to conduct a manual. But now that we're be familar with the vehicle (despite it's MINI size comparison to my OVERsized Avalanche I currently drive), we should be zipping around Scotland in no time. Oh yeah, and we're bringing a GPS.

There's still lots of things to take care of, pack and situate so the month of July will be a very long one. We hope to breathe a sigh of relief once we're finally on the plane and Scotland-bound, preferably in mid-August. So stay tuned!