Step by Step





God has a plan for Jon and I, and I am so relieved that his plan involves moving us to Aberdeen instead of Angola. It was pretty touch and go there for a while. Jon’s start date is set for May 1, but I’m not sure that’s a realistic time frame to sell everything we own and move to the UK. Our interpretation of this start date is ‘as soon as humanly possible’.

Moving internationally will be my new full time job and therefore I put my two weeks’ notice in today. I hate to leave my co-workers in a lurch, but the alternative is too stressful to contemplate. There are only 8 weekends between now and our supposed move date so I’ll need to be free to focus on relocation.

The first step is getting the dogs ready to ship. When we first found out about the Aberdeen assignment, my only misgiving was getting our dogs there. The UK is rabies free and therefore has strict and complicated pet importation rules. When my parents moved to Scotland, my grandparents and I took turns fostering their golden retriever for a 6 month quarantine period. In the meantime, they were living in Aberdeen without their fur-baby.

As I started researching the process, I was thrilled to discover that as of January 1, 2012, the UK has substantially relaxed the rules and quarantine is no longer required.  Step one is having them micro chipped and vaccinated (doesn’t matter that this has already been done, it must be redone for this purpose). Then we must wait 21 days after their rabies shot before shipping them into the UK. They must also be treated for tapeworms within 5 days of leaving the US and must be shipped as cargo by a UK approved company.

I’m bummed that even lil' Samson has to be imported as cargo and can’t ride in the cabin with us, but I’m so thankful that we don’t have to be separated from either of them for any length of time.  Because if you want to see a grade A meltdown, put me in a stressful situation without my dogs. Not pretty.

can't be apart from this sweet face!

 I’ll write more on the topic as we get started, but if you’re interested in the logistics, you can find more information here. There is so much to do; it’s easy to be overwhelmed. Any change is stressful, even the good kind.  I’m just trying to take it one step at a time.

 Giving my two weeks’ notice was the first hurdle and I’m so thankful for the positive and encouraging reaction I received from my office. Next up is micro chipping the dogs. Step by step, I can manage this. It’s when I look at the monstrous to-do list in its entirety that I start to panic. But I can counter that by looking at a picture of Scotland such as this one and I know without doubt that all the stress will be worth it. 

Before and After

There are moments in your life that stand out as distinct landmarks of Before and After. Yesterday our married life was divided into two categories: Before and After we expatriated from the US. Every blog post written before this was written without the knowledge that I have right now: we will be moving from Texas to Aberdeen, Scotland this coming May.

My parents lived in Aberdeen for about 3 years when I was in my early 20s and I was lucky enough to visit them twice; once by myself in winter and again with Jonathan in summer. The gloomy weather and lack of Jonathan made leaving Scotland the first time more bearable. During the second trip, the romantic scenery and perfect summer weather made me fall even more hopelessly in love with the country. I distinctly remember thinking: if it weren’t for my dogs, I’d never go back to the US.

I can’t believe that in as little as 2 months’ time, I could be walking in the Scottish hills with my hubby and two pups. It’s truly a dream come true; a truly adventurous, happily ever After.

Travel Traditions

One of my favorite things about traveling is when I get a recommendation from a friend or family member on something to see or somewhere to eat. Of course its fun to strike out on your own and discover things for yourself, but it’s also the neatest feeling to travel in someone else’s footsteps and continue a tradition in a foreign place.

For instance, two of my best friends studied in Paris one summer as part of a study-abroad program. While they were there, they fell in love with a restaurant called The Grizzli Café, especially charmed by its chocolate cake. When my parents and I visited Paris the next winter, my friends insisted that we eat there, so along with the Mona Lisa and Versailles gardens, the Grizzli Café and it's famous chocolate cake was added to our must see list.

Of course, we loved it, and when my parents visited France the next summer with friends, they returned to the cafe. Another friend of mine visited Paris this summer and posted Facebook pictures of herself outside the restaurant, 7 years after our other friends made the original discovery. I love that two college girls stumbling into a Parisian restaurant have created a tradition among so many.

Another example is Tommy Toys, a fancy Chinese restaurant in San Francisco. My parents found the eatery on a trip 11 years ago and have raved about it ever since. I mentioned previously that my brother and his wife took a trip to San Fran 2 weeks before Jonathan and me. Both of us knew that reservations to Tommy Toys would be included on our respective itineraries. Even though none of us were blown away by the food (apparently Tommy died a few years back and the restaurant has since changed management) it was still sentimental to get to share a travel experience with my parents even without them being there.

On a side note: If you are in San Fran, I do encourage you to visit Tommy Toys. You have to understand that my parents have seriously raved about this place for 11 years so our expectations were set unreachably high. Also, in general, I’m not a huge fan of Chinese food. The food was still above average, and the atmosphere and service were superb. There were a ton of locals eating there and I overheard more than 1 conversation where patrons remarked that it was their favorite San Francisco restaurant. It’s a unique experience with elaborate 7 course meals. You should definitely at least try it, even if you don’t go back.

Perhaps my favorite example of passing along travel traditions isn’t food related at all. While my parents lived in Scotland, they offered to fly each of my family members over for a visit. Since it was too hard to organize a time for everyone to go, we ended up taking 4 separate trips among us. My sister’s brood went first, followed by my grandparents and Aunt. Then it was time for me and Jonathan’s trip and lastly, my brother and his wife got to visit. Our itineraries all differed slightly so that our tour guides (my parents) didn’t get stuck seeing all the same attractions over and over. But there was one place that we all wanted to see, and it was all inspired by this photo of my nephew at Loch Ness.

We all made the trek to Inverness to take a picture with Nessie and stick our toes in the legendary (and freezing) lake. Even though we all experienced it separately, it’s still a fond memory that we share as a family. When your family is so spread out, it’s nice to be able to bond over common experiences, even if you don’t get to experience them at the same time.