Stress, Stress and more Stress

I am going to weigh about 200 lbs before this is all said and done.  I am so stressed.  The house sale was a huge success, but holy shit!  Friday was a whirlwind.  People started pouring in at 9:00a.m. and I could not catch my breath until noon.  I didn't even get to eat breakfast.  At least I had taken a shower before 9.  It really didn't let up all day.  Saturday was just as bad and even though we said it was over at 5:00, people still showed up in the evening hours.  Just when we sat down someone else would pull into the driveway.  Sunday was a bit slower, but still a steady stream of people.  We sold everything except the kitchen table, the couch and loveseat, and our bed.  So, I'm not complaining.  Everything that was left we packed up and put onto Gordon's trailer to be taken to Love, Inc., an organization that Gordon and Ruth are involved in.

Yesterday we headed down to STRS to finalize my roll-over and Mark's pension.  Everything is going well on that end.  We spent the evening with the cousins.  The kids walked up to Kroger's and picked out something to eat.  Finn and Tali enjoyed that. After we fed them we headed to North Star Cafe for a very expensive dinner.  The food was good, but a little high-priced for a walk-through cafe.  Chris was under the weather so we didn't stay long. 

Since we have all been out of school we have gone through our yearly week from hell with the kids.  Finn has been especially obnoxious.  But finally yesterday we had a break-through and I think he is back.  Hopefully.  I think (hope) seeing his mother cry put things into perspective.  He really was being a complete little shit. 

Today I worked on my "green notebook list" that I update hourly of things to do.  We have a driver from Quito to Cuenca, which is good news.  Jack Abercrombie.  He has this huge, adapted truck that will fit all of our luggage and us as well.  We contacted and shut off all of our utilities.  I got our Verizon phones synchronized so that we will still have service while in Miami and in Ecuador should we choose to keep it.  Minutes are expensive, but it will be nice to be able to text.  I made all of our dr. appts...dematologist, chiropractor, dentist, vet.  Plus a hair cut and color for me.  I contacted Great American Life and my annuity is ready.  I set up mailbox forwarding and got Finn's health check from the dr.  I sent a thank you letter to Devon at Vital Statistics thanking her for helping me with the birth certificates.  I sent my new email address out, emailed Marines for a visa check-up, and called LAN for a final check.  That phone call really got me going.  The guy was a total jerk.  First of all, there are no other flights at all on that day, the next, or ever other than the one we are on.  Which means that Scout just has to get on it.  Then the idiot told me that I could not take the number of suitcases that I wanted to take.  He kept saying that I needed to contact the individual airline. I thought that was who I was talking to!!!!!  Idiot!!!!  So, now I am completely freaked out again about Scout.   Then I went to Aphis to find the link to the animal requirements to give to someone on Facebook who is transporting their dog and NOW the requirements say that the health certificate needs to be in SPANISH too!  How am I going to get Scout to the vet to be seen by the vet, send the health certificate to the USDA vet in Pickerington, get the certificate back, have it translated, and then sent to the embassy in Washington all within 10 days of travel.  Breathe, breathe, breathe.

We went to the bank this afternoon to fill out the paperwork for my rollover.  That took awhile, but I think we have decided what to do.  Tomorrow we head to the district to have the fiscal officer sign off on my paperwork.  Then to the County Clerk to have the health certificates and background checks certified, then to a notary, then UPS to get everything sent out.

House Sale

This weekend is our Moving to Ecuador sale.  We pulled everything out and put into boxes yesterday.  Even if it doesn't sell, at least it will be boxed up and ready for The Salvation Army.  The kitchen is completely done except for the food cupboards.  There are a few things I left for cooking, and of course the pans I am bringing with us.  The neighbors are also having a garage sale, so around 3:00 Mark decided to put signs up since we had everything ready for the most part.  We sold about $120 worth of stuff.  Hopefully today will be a good day.  Jill and her husband, Wayne, stopped over and bought a few things. 

Yesterday we went and looked at a cargo van for the drive to Miami.  Patrick is going to go with us and make the return drive himself.  I am worried about him driving that whole way alone.  The reason we are asking him to drive it back is because the drop-off fee is ridiculous.  If we drop it off in Miami it costs $1600 vs. $341 to bring it back.  I wish we could get the 15 seater so he could have someone go with him, but you need a major credit card and all of our cards are closed.  Plus, with all of our luggage I'm not sure they would fit in the 15 seater since the seats take up most of the room.

I got our marriage certificate in the mail to be apostilled by the state of Pennsylvania.  Our birth certificates are in the mail and the kid's birth certificates should be arriving today or Monday.  I was really surprised by how nice and helpful the woman at Vital Statistics was.  She pulled the birth certificates for us and expedited the process.  Customer service still lives in some government agencies.  :)

My last day of school was nice.  15 kids showed up.  They got the room cleaned up in no time.  At the end of the day the girls started crying because they were going to miss each other.  Cathy and I were in disbelief.  They tortured each other all year and now they are sobbing?  It was pretty funny.  Then they sat on the floor in a circle and each one told their favorite 4th grade moment.  Many of them picked Put-in-Bay.  Then they all turned into a row on the ground facing us and made Cathy and I tell our favorite 4th grade moment.  They followed that will a huge group hug around us. 
They were still looking through the window into our room on the way down the hall lamenting about how much they were going to miss being in 4th grade.  We just shook our heads.  Unbelievable.  LOL

After work I went out with Erin and Mollie for a last hoorah.  Deanna and Danelle showed up later.  We had a good time, but I was feeling bad about not being at home with Mark on our last day so I left early. 

Mark just did some calculations on the van rental and with everything added up including extra days for Patrick to drive back, gas, a hotel room for Pat, and paying him it ends up only being a difference of $350.  So, I am thinking we should just drop it off.  That will give us more room in the van for the kids and then Patrick won't have to drive it home by himself.  That would make me feel so much better.

We are still working on getting all of our stuff and ourselves from Quito to Cuenca.  I thought I had someone lined up, but I didn't realize that all he had was an SUV.  That will not cut it.  No way will all of our stuff fit.  But, James and Caroline Drummond are working really hard on finding someone to get us there.  They said that we don't have to worry.  They will find us a way to get our family there safe and sound.  The expat community is so nice and helpful.  It really is a great group of people.  I have seen time and time again expats already living in Ecuador come to the aid of people moving there or just visiting.  It is such a supportive group.  I am looking forward to joining them. 

And Then There Was

ONE!  One more day and then our lives will begin to change forever. 

Mark and I met at Lincoln Park Pub for a celebratory beer tonight.  Erin, Ms. Pronty, Ilsa, Angel, Corrine and Barb joined us.  It felt nice to relax and laugh.  At the staff meeting Arod said that the 8th grade is staffed 67 to 1.  Incredible.  It has got to be a scare tactic.  There is no way you could even fit that many kids in a room. That has gotta change.  She also told us though that Denison's staffing would probably stay as it...58 to 1.  Dark days are ahead, that's for sure. 

Mark and I are feeling so strange.  We can't quite grasp what is happening to us.  We think about it and get a weird feeling, and then it slips away.  It just doesn't feel real. 

Tonight we watched the transit of Venus. It won't happen again for another 105 years.  We watched it through a pair of binoculars onto a piece of white cardboard.  Cool.

TWO

We had a really good weekend. On Saturday we went to Columbiana.  First we stopped by Krista's house and visited with Grandma.  Then we went to Laurie's house where everyone was meeting.  Mark had told me we were going to a party, but it was really a small get-together.  Four of his women friends and us.  A couple of guys were supposed to show up later, but we left before they got there.  All of the ladies were super sweet to me and the kids.  They were very, very nice and I felt very welcomed.  We enjoyed some good food, beer and good conversation.

On Sunday we had Tali's bday party.  Mom and Dad and Dad and Eileen came.  Pat also stopped by.  It was very relaxing.  We had lots of beer, pizza, and cake.  I forgot the stupid ice cream again.  I was so aggravated. 

I was feeling a bit sad today. The eight graders were coming to say good-bye and one of my former students, Jonathan Rodriguez, came to say hello. Jonathan graduated with honors from John Hay High School-Science and Medicine. He is off to Ohio State University in August on a full 4 year scholarship! Great kid. He is so tall and buff now. He could have picked me up and swung me around. In 4th grade I used to call him a bull in a china shop. LOL

Mark had their staffing meeting today.  Denison is being staffed at 1 to 58.

Faxed the paperwork to Great American Life.  Hopefully they get it to the district in a timely manner and the district does what it is supposed to do.  It would be very nice to have that check cut before we leave.  I tried to complete the homeschooling paperwork, but I am ready to give up.  I talked to the superintendent of Firelands, the principal at their school, three people at ESC, and two people at ODE.  No one can tell me what to do with the paperwork.  I find it very hard to believe that not one homeschooling family in Ohio is doing it from abroad.  I am feeling very frustrated with the whole thing. 

THREE

Yesterday was Family Fun Day.  Usually we have it outside and it is very nice.  We have a dance in the gym and we hire a DJ.  There is a dunk tank outside and some teachers and usually Mrs. Rodriguez get in it.  We have games all around the perimeter of the playground.  Things like fishing, golf, bowling, a cake walk, etc...  There is a large bouncy house and slide, and usually a basketball or baseball game for the older kids.  There is a popcorn machine, snow cone machine and a hotdog, chips, pop lunch.  The students are broken up into three age groups and circle through the activities.  It is a lot of fun and the kids have a blast.  This year it was pouring though so Mrs. Rodriguez had to get really creative.  She put the blow up stuff in the gym and the dance in the media center, which is in the middle of the school.  The activities and food were spread out around the first and second floors.  The dunk tank was outside under the awning.  She did a great job having everything ready.  The kids really had fun, but the music was SO loud that the windows in our room were rattling for 4 hours.  I walked around with kleenex in my ears.  For all of us being stuffed inside the school I think it went really well though.  We were all beat. 

After work we took Tali to get her ears pierced.  The lady did a nice job and they are perfectly centered.  Tali was really brave.  She yelled out the first time.  I don't think she understood how much it would hurt even though I told her.  She didn't cry though.  Much better than me!  I fainted when I got mine done.  We went to Moosehead for her birthday dinner.  Today we baked her cake together and she wants to decorate it tomorrow. 

Got Scout's shots taken care of today.  I didn't say anything to the Dr.  I just let it be, even though he really should be taken to task for not having Pongo's leg x-rayed.  Heading to Columbiana in about 1/2 hour to see Mark's mom and to go to a party with some of Mark's old childhood friends.

FOUR

Today was VERY nice.  The staff at Clark planned a surprise breakfast retirement party.  Well, I kinda knew about it.  I figured it out when Cathy told me that Arod wanted to see us at 8:15 for our evaluation.  I kept fretting and complaining about the time and then it dawned on me.  ooohhhhh.  But, I was surprised for sure by the number of people who came and by the very generous gift of $300 that I received.  That was why I didn't want to have anything.  I didn't want people dipping into their pockets for me what with everything going on right now.  But it really touched me and I did break down for a bit after reading the card and what everyone wrote.  It was so sweet.  I couldn't have asked for a better place to work for my career.

The fact finder report came back last night.  Give up 9 more days of paid days on top of the 3 we already gave up.  No Voluntary Professional Days, and reduce the amount of overage pay from $5 per child to $2.50.  The district wanted to reduce it to 25 cents!!!  But the fact finder rejected that and agreed to the $2.50.  That is bad enough if we are going to be staffed 1 to 50.  I can't believe these fricken people.  Union meeting tomorrow morning.  It is not going to be pretty.  I predict the contract will be rejected and the union will strike.  Thankfully we still have the power to do that.

We got our fingerprints and BCI checks taken care of this week.  I have to take Scout in for her shots and exam on Saturday.  I am so irritated that I have to see Dr. Matt again, but maybe it will give me an opportunity to give him a piece of my mind about how he handled Pongo's cancer.  Luckily though, the tech at Wellington is very experienced in shipping dogs out of country so she knows exactly what needs to be done.  I feel a bit better now because the vet techs at Douds kept arguing with me about how and what needed to be done.  They were freaking me out.  As an aside...the people who frequent the Lorain Co. jail and Sheriff's dept. are a piece of work.

Tomorrow is Tali's 8th birthday.  We are taking her to get her ears pierced and then out to dinner.  Saturday we are headed to Columbiana for a party and then cake and ice cream at our house on Sunday for Tali's birthday. 

Getting Organized

Mark and the kids came home on Sunday afternoon.  Mark said that he wouldn't take the two of them together again this year.  They feed off each other and it isn't always fun to be with them.  If he goes again he will take one at a time. 

Mark didn't like my Deja Moo t-shirt.  He thinks that the people in Ecuador will look at me like I'm crazy.  I don't care!  I don't care!  I like it.

I got a good portion of the kitchen cleaned out, separated and packed up this weekend. Some things went to Amanda, most is going to the sale, and there was a tiny bit that I am taking with us.

We are going to have our huge whole house sale the weekend of the 8th. The rest will be donated to Love, Inc. and the Salvation Army.

We made our list of duties this week per day. My mind is swimming with all of the things that need to be accounted for. It is a daunting task.
birth certificates
marriage certificates
dr. letters
bank letter
application
background checks

I feel like I am completing an adoption again.