Please slow down time!

So things are starting to pick up and move faster and I want them to slow down just a little. I had not really thought much about the things that needed to be done prior to our move (there are A LOT) nor had I thought much about the fact that I would be doing all of them alone with two children. Needless to say soon I will be without sanity.
Today was spent getting things ready for Michael's departure and tomorrow maybe the same thing. Friday the painters are coming to do an estimate on how much it would cost to paint the entire house. Then the 29th Empire Today will be coming to do their estimate on the flooring. I have to start collecting boxes for all this stuff we are not taking with us as well. Then start packing it all up. I am planning a trip to deliver our cats and the van during the Thanksgiving holiday which will take away a week or so of my packing/cleaning time, but will make life easier when things get crazy in December. I am very ready for this to all be over that is for sure.
~Expat Wife

Sign away!

So who ever said going overseas was easy? Whoever it was needs to be popped a good time. So far we've had an interesting round about with legal documents and everything else. We've been signing everything, making copies of everything, and filling everything out...Signing our life away in other words.
Here is a list of what we have had to apply for and what we've needed....
**Passports x4: Birth Certificates (Makayla only had a birth card so we had to rush order a birth certificate for her), 6 Applications (3 for passports at the PO and 3 for passport office), 6 passport photos, 2 hours of standing in line at the PO, 2 weeks of waiting
**Visa (Work Visa for Mike and Visas for us): 4 applications, 4 additional info sheets, 8 passport photos, 4 passports already completed, Copies of 4 birth certificates, Copy of our marriage lic, Copy of Michael's Diploma (Mind you he graduated 12 years ago...THANK YOU Mom and Dad for keeping important info and having a copy!), Any training certificates.
**Physical for Michael and Myself: 7 Shots, 7 viles of blood, Xrays, Hearing Test, Eye Test, Breathing Test, Pik Test, EKG, 10 lab test....not fun! Both of us have to have more shots in 6 months.
**Shots for Children: 3 for Makayla and 3 for Anthony
**Extra Passport for Michael (application, 2 passport photos)
**Business Visa for Michael (application, birth certificate, passport)
**Phone calls from 4 different people at 3 different companies)
**Survey of Belongings for the move
We still have to finish completing Work visa stuff, pack stuff we are not taking, clean the house, clean the carpets, replace carpet in my office, and a million other things.

So like I said, whoever said going overseas was easy was full of themselves and needs a good popping.
Off to clean before our trip tomorrow.
~Expat Wife

You're moving to INDIA!

Ever have a phone call come in and you have to ask "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY??" Well about a month ago I got that phone call! My husband called one day while I was driving and on the other end of the line I heard, "How do you feel about living in India?" I have to admit the thought had crossed my mind about us moving overseas, but never had I imagined we would be moving so quickly nore did I imagine we would be moving to India of all places. At first I did what about 75% of Americans would do and started coming up with the bad things I had heard about India. The list was growing and growing and my outlook was looking worse. I was not sure this was a place I ever wanted to visit let alone live. I had never really done any research or actually tried to learn anything. My thoughts were..."It's close to the war!, Will it be like Slumdog Millionaire, and everyone be poor?, Is it going to be safe? What about the people?". It just went on and on. After I made it home that day I sat down and started doing some research on India and the city we were moving to (now are moving to), Mumbai. It slowly started to look better, and I started to have some of those issues resolved. I found that we would be an area where there is an American school, we would be living in an amazing apartment, have a driver, maid, nanny...wait where is the bad part about this again? I think it was the maid (and the money) that eventually won me over. I have done A LOT of research on the area and India in general. I've asked questions of Expats currently living in India and even some that have moved back here. So far I've found only 3 problems with our move...1. It rains about 93 inches in 3 months (June through early September), 2. My stomach will have even more issues than it already does, and 3. I will live on the other side of the world from family and friends. Three issues is not too bad for a family of 4 moving to a country that they've never even visited before. I have to admit the closer the time comes the more excited I get. I think this will be an adventure my family will remember forever!
~Expat Wife