Let's do this again

I apologize for my panic attack yesterday. It turns out the heat probably got to me (our swamp cooler wasn't working but I didn't know it) and all I really needed was a cold Dr. Pepper.

We're good. I'm sorry.

But it is an accurate representation of the stress that will occasionally overcome a person who is relocating their entire family by airplane for a year. It happens. And it too shall pass.

To make it up to you, I thought I'd make a list of some things a person needs to take care of when they leave the country for an extended period. This is actually USEFUL information.

PASSPORT. It takes about 6 weeks. You make one payment for the passport and a second payment to the place that receives the paperwork for you, most likely the post office. You can avoid the second payment if you drive to Denver and do it in person. Probably cheaper to go to the post office.

You need the passport before you can apply for a VISA.

VISA. The visa is obtained from the consulate of the country you'll be visiting. A simple work visa can be fill-out online. But we need a research visa and had to submit everything by mail. It was a LOT of paperwork. Proof of citizenship, income, health insurance, etc. My husband organized everything very tidy in the package and I think it helped with the processing. We received our approval in only 2 weeks but we were told to expect it to take 2-3 months. We were VERY relieved because we were pushing the deadline.

INTERNATIONAL DRIVER'S LICENSE. This is weird but you don't get this from any government agency. You get this from AAA. You take your current driver's license along with 2 copies of your passport photo, pay $15, and viola. I wish I had called them sooner because it is only good for one year so I was trying to wait until the last possible minute to go get it. But I found out you can schedule when it becomes valid. You can get it up to 6 months in advance. You have to make sure your U.S. license is not going to expire while you're gone (mine is) because then your international license will be invalid at the same time. And if you think you don't like going to the DMV now…just make sure you don't have to deal with them from across the globe!

If you need to renew your license before you leave then…

RENEWING YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE EARLY. You aren't allowed to renew your license sooner than 6 months early without a reason. For me, I have to take in the letter my husband's employer wrote explaining his sabbatical leave. Then I also have to take my marriage license to show that I'm going where he goes. Then they'll let me renew. Kinda weird they won't LET you do it early. I'm scratching my head wondering where the potential danger is in that. But, whatever.

IMMUNIZATIONS. Check with the country you are traveling to about what immunizations are required and what documents you'll need to validate your immunizations.

PROOF OF INCOME AND GOOD CREDIT. We are trying to rent a home in a country where we have no credit history. Our credit here is *excellent* but they don't know that there. I have copies of our recent bank statements, mortgage payments, and paystubs to show our financial stability. I can use these to convince someone to rent to me. I'll let you know if it works!

CREDIT CARDS. Guess what, my American Express is NOT the card I'll be using most. It is always billed as the traveler's card, but when we used it to pay for our visa, we accrued an international transaction fee. So the card works, but we had to pay 3% on top of the charge. We are getting the Chase Saphire card. It earns 1% on all transactions and if we spend $4,000 in the first 3 months we get a $400 bonus! I'm pretty sure we can cover that. Yikes.

CELL PHONES. You'll want to check with your carrier about if you phone works in the country you'll be going to. Chances are it does, but it may cost $2 a minute. Our iPhones will work there, but we have to get a new carrier in Australia. We are hoping we can get a new SIM card to slip in.

HEALTH INSURANCE. Our health plan doesn't give us good coverage when we are out of the area, so we are switching to a different plan with the same company. The coverage stays the same, but our premium will be doubling. Nice.

HOMEOWNER'S INSURANCE. We are renting our home so we need different kinds of coverage. If we were leaving it vacant we'd also need to make some changes. Give them a call.

CANCEL MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPER, MAIL. You can take care of this months in advance. You can choose when they get canceled and most of them time you can also schedule when they will resume again all at the same time. Forward the mail to your home to someone you trust so you don't miss important things that may come your way--tax notices, inheritance checks, publisher's clearing house.

OTHER THINGS. 
SCHOOL. We are still figuring out the online school options for the kids. I don't really want to enroll in online schools because they insist on a certain number of hours a day and days in a year. I'd like to find some curriculum that will just direct their learning. We may do some independent study packets before we go.

ELECTRIC ADAPTERS. You probably will need adapters if you plan to plug in something electric where you are traveling. I got some from Amazon fairly cheaply.

PAYING BILLS/PAPERLESS STATEMENTS. Figure out how you'll pay bills while you're away. Most people pay bills from their bank online, but you need to be sure you can find out how much to pay. Bills won't be mailed to you overseas. If your mail is forwarded to a friend you can have them send you the total. Or you can ask the utility companies to automatically deduct the money from your bank account. I don't really like that system, so I'll be having a friend send me the totals each month.

So much to do, nowhere to start

You know those frustrating dreams you sometimes have when you are trying to get somewhere but never seem to be able to get there? There is always one more thing in the way and it seems there is no way you'll make it. That's what my real-life is starting to feel like.

I posted this large list on the wall a couple of months ago. I was hoping that if everyone else in the house saw it regularly they might get a glimpse of what it takes to make this trip possible and would groan a little less when I ask for help.

I was wrong. Really wrong. 

So I've decided what's done is enough and the rest will have to wait. But that list is mostly crossed off! I think I could do it all if I didn't have to be a mother in the meantime. The poor kids! I just can't postpone things like getting an international driver's license, getting credit cards set up for international purchases, immunizations, finding a place to live, and packing. Packing.

I'm starting to panic. I'd rather put everything away that I won't be taking and live simple starting now. I'd just feel more prepared. But then it may make the next few weeks harder and more stressful, especially on my toddler who is going to be stressed and confused about what is happening. And how do I explain all of this to him?

And what to pack? I'm trying to decide what things can be purchased there and what things are worth taking over. We only have two pieces of luggage per person and a carry-on item each. Do I take my boots? Should I take Henry's favorite books? How do I decide which Zumba clothes to take! And I need new jeans. I should buy them here but THAT is a time-consuming project! I'd rather paint my cabinets (which are half-done, YAY!).

Renting our home is more of a headache than I anticipated. It is a financial decision because it will help us survive better in the more costly economy of Australia. It is a practical decision because we need someone here watching over things and averting disasters. It is also an emotional decision because this is my HOME. I need to trust the person living in my space for the next year watching over my yard and plants. I basically want them to be just like me. I get phone calls and texts every day about it. Weeding out who to actually show the house to is a sizable task alone. Then getting the kids to clean up hurriedly is a hassle. I keep thinking every time is the last time. This has not been easy.

I'm just ready to start throwing things in boxes and living on LOTS less.

Next post, we'll share what each of us is going to miss most. We'll also share what we WON'T miss. Maybe it will be a video. 

That's a lot of Sky Miles

We have one-way tickets to Melbourne, Australia, for seven people. We have Allen and Shelly (mom and dad), Madeline (just finished dental school), Leo (high school rock star), Karly (new high schooler/junior high), Millie (grade school), and Henry (2 year old heart stealer). It is going to be a year to remember. And we want to document it all here so you can see it, too. 

See that horizontal line? That's the equator. 

See that vertical line? That's the International Dateline. Which means we will entirely NOT live July 31 of this year. We'll go straight from July 30 to August 1. 

And from there? 

I'm wondering where we will live. If we'll have enough money to buy food. If we'll have enough money to go to Tasmania. And New Zealand. And Indonesia. 

See that little tiny dot along the path? That's Hawaii. 

Well, how 'bout that! Maybe we can stop there, too. 

I'm also wondering if people will talk to me in Australia. So far it's been a one-way conversation. I'm thinking they don't think much of Americans. I'm banking on the fact that when they see Henry homeless and crying someone will have mercy and give us a place to rent. I hope.

And, of course, I'm wondering about spiders, and where they lurk, and how big they are, and will they respond to spider spray? Because I'm pretty sure they are all too big for wads of tissues I usually use to kill them. They might even be too big for my shoes.

And then there are snakes. And jellyfish. And sharks. And the adorable kangaroos will stop your heart with one swift kick to the chest. I bet the koalas will suck your blood and leave you with a permanent allergy to eucalyptus lip balm.

And the crocodiles.

From what I understand, the locals don't get too worried about the spiders and snakes and poisonous EVERYTHING that is all over the place. But the crocodiles. They worry about those. There is no shoe that will deter one of those.  I recently read about Ginger Meadows, an American, who was killed by a croc in a most horrifying attack. It sobered me. And if you google "crocodile attack Australia" there are plenty of hits with a not so far back history that also makes me wonder if I should reconsider this whole "year of rest" that a sabbatical is supposed to be. In fact, it appears 2014 was a record year for crocodile attacks! 

Just how do you get your stuff from Utah to Australia? You don't ship it. You take 2 of the hugest suitcases you can find, each carefully packed with 49.9 pounds of cargo, and a small carry-on. Multiply that by SEVEN PEOPLE and that is one impressive load. Then the next obvious question is, how do you get that to the airport? Twenty-one pieces of luggage don't fit in the back of my van. In fact, we are going to sell the van before we leave so I won't even have that. And when we arrive, getting away from baggage claim is surely going to take a few extra minutes. And I won't own a car there yet, so I'm going into this one blind. 

So when you buy seven tickets that equal a total of 59,612 miles, you sometimes have logistical questions like this so you call customer service. And the representative answers the phone and says, "Hello, Shelly, how can I help you?" It's very nice. And in case you are interested, you are indeed permitted to fill a sturdy cardboard or plastic box with 50 pounds of stuff instead of using $150 pieces of luggage if you think it will survive the baggage handlers. 

Stay tuned in the next few weeks. We'll talk about what we are taking, what we will miss most, what 100 pounds of clothing looks like, how we are getting the toddler prepared for the change, and sharing our best Aussie accent impersonations.