The boys were ace getting up at 3.45 on Friday morning. The porter at the hotel arrived with a trolley that was too small, he had to go and get the big one. We headed downstairs to discover a ford galaxy as our taxi. Not big enough. We ended up with 2 taxis. We got to the airport at 4.30 and went to check the bags in. Took an age.... Thanks to the cat. We got checked in by 5.10, then had to walk to the other end of the terminal to drop off the cat and the car seats. Again took ages, as the cat had to have here box screened, and they couldn't get the machine to work.... Eventually got it screened and said goodbye to the cat, not knowing if we were going to see her again. We got through security quickly (thank god for business class, and priority boarding) and were in the business lounge having breakfast by 6am. Our flight started boarding very soon after, so we headed to the departure gate. The sun was just coming up as the flight to Munich took off. It was nice to have a bit more space on a small flight.
We landed in Munich, and had to get a bus from the airplane to the airport terminal. A bit of hassle, but not too bad. We went and checked in and went to the next departure gate. By now it was 10.20, and we had been awake for 6 hours. The boys were starting to feel it now. We boarded the plane to find all the Lufthansa flight attends in traditional German dress. I think it was because it was Oktoberfest in Munich this weekend. We had a good clump of business class seats together which was nice, paul sat with Isaac and I had seb on my lap and Oliver next to me. Both seb and Isaac fell asleep during take off. Isaac slept for at least an hour, Seb was more like 20minutes. The boy still was not well. The stewardesses on this flight were absolutely fantastic, attentive, but not in your face, and a good mix of German and American. Seb was an absolute nightmare on this flight, he cried a lot. There was an older couple in business class who obviously didn't believe in children being allowed in business class. Everytime seb made a noise( and he made a lot), they looked over and glared. Oliver and Isaac however were super. I think Oliver played iPods for at least 8 hours on this flight. Isaac played iPod, watched tv, and was generally really good. That boy is made for flying. It was a very long flight, nearly 10 hours, and we were very glad to see the back of that plane. It was so nice to get off in Charlotte. It was 3.25pm local time. We had been travelling for 16 hours....
We joined the queue for boarder crossing. Somehow we ended up near the front, thank goodness. Boys were still very impatient. The lady on immigration was very good, quick and with a bit of a sense of humour. We got through with no problems (other than grumpy children), and went and awaited our luggage. Got all the bags, then went on the hunt for the car seat and the cat. They were waiting at the edge of the carousel. Again, I cannot fault lufthansa for their service, a lady was waiting there with the car seats and the cat. Lucy smelt a bit, not surprising after being in a small box for 16 hours. Again we had 2 trolleys and Oliver had the buggy. We went out of the terminal into the heat to await the bus to take us to get our car. The boys were still very excited..... Got to the car rental place, and paul got the biggest minivan he could. We loaded all the suitcases and other paraphernalia into the car and set off on the journey to Greenville. I think all the boys were asleep with in 20 minutes of being in the car. It was a very pleasant journey down the I85 to Greenville. I popped into the pet store then the supermarket to get seem essential supplies. By now, Isaac had hit the wall, and was so overtired, it wasn't even funny anymore. We got to the hotel and checked in as quickly as possible. We got the boys to bed, and tried to fathom our new life in America........
Sunday 30 September 2012
Excitement builds.....
Given how unsettled Seb was on Wednesday night, he had managed to wake both the boys up by 4.30am on Thursday morning. It seems Seb doesn't like the noise of his brothers moving around on airbeds. I took both boys in to the living room at my mums at 5.50, they were well awake and had been for at least an hour. They sat down and watched tv, while I dozed on the sofa, and Seb went back to sleep. My mum got up about 7, we got the boys some breakfast about 9, Seb was still asleep. He eventually woke about 10.30, but still was not hungry. Got the boys dressed and they went back to playing on the wii. Seb was still not well, and fell asleep on the sofa about an hour after he woke up.
Paul and his parents arrived about midday. I gave the boys a snacky lunch, paul and I were not hungry....
The taxi arrived about quater to 2. Keith helped paul take all the bags downstairs and loaded into the car. Then we began our goodbyes. It was very hard, I knew I had to say goodbye to keith and Chris and my mum and get into the car quickly. The boys said their goodbye, but I can't remember if Isaac did, probably not. There were a few tears, none from me, not that I am cold hearted, I just found it hard. I didn't want to get upset in front of the boys I think paul found it harder than I did, he felt like he was taking me away from my mum.... I told him what she had said the night before, that I would not be away for ever, it was only a few years and we would be back eventually....
We got to Heathrow about 3, and loaded everything onto 2 trolleys. It just about fit. Oliver was brilliant and pushed Seb. I had read on Lufthansas website that we could check our bags on the night before. Turns out they cant do this at Heathrow...... They don't allow any bags to be checked overnight. At least we were able to check ourselves in and pay for the cat. We headed to our hotel, all squeezed into a Mercedes people carrier. It was quite a squeeze with 5 large suitcases, 1 small suitcase about the same size as our 3 carry ons, not forgetting 2 car seats, my bag, a. Rucksack, a cat and a buggy. We checked in fine, ordered our taxi for the next morning, and got a very nice porter to bring all the luggage upstairs in a big trolly. We hung around the hotel for a bit, then took the boys for a McDonalds for final dinner in the UK..
We came back and had all the boys in bed by 7. They fell asleep quite early. We were in bed by 9, after repacking the bags for a final time, trying to get as much as possible in to the big suitcases, so we would not have too much to carry. I struggled to fall asleep, knowing we were getting up at 3.45 the next morning.....
Paul and his parents arrived about midday. I gave the boys a snacky lunch, paul and I were not hungry....
The taxi arrived about quater to 2. Keith helped paul take all the bags downstairs and loaded into the car. Then we began our goodbyes. It was very hard, I knew I had to say goodbye to keith and Chris and my mum and get into the car quickly. The boys said their goodbye, but I can't remember if Isaac did, probably not. There were a few tears, none from me, not that I am cold hearted, I just found it hard. I didn't want to get upset in front of the boys I think paul found it harder than I did, he felt like he was taking me away from my mum.... I told him what she had said the night before, that I would not be away for ever, it was only a few years and we would be back eventually....
We got to Heathrow about 3, and loaded everything onto 2 trolleys. It just about fit. Oliver was brilliant and pushed Seb. I had read on Lufthansas website that we could check our bags on the night before. Turns out they cant do this at Heathrow...... They don't allow any bags to be checked overnight. At least we were able to check ourselves in and pay for the cat. We headed to our hotel, all squeezed into a Mercedes people carrier. It was quite a squeeze with 5 large suitcases, 1 small suitcase about the same size as our 3 carry ons, not forgetting 2 car seats, my bag, a. Rucksack, a cat and a buggy. We checked in fine, ordered our taxi for the next morning, and got a very nice porter to bring all the luggage upstairs in a big trolly. We hung around the hotel for a bit, then took the boys for a McDonalds for final dinner in the UK..
We came back and had all the boys in bed by 7. They fell asleep quite early. We were in bed by 9, after repacking the bags for a final time, trying to get as much as possible in to the big suitcases, so we would not have too much to carry. I struggled to fall asleep, knowing we were getting up at 3.45 the next morning.....
Leaving the coast
Wednesday we awoke knowing we had lots to do. Paul went into work a bit later than normal. I gave the boys a picnic breakfast on the floor, as we had no sofa or dining room table. By now we were down to the bare bones of desk unit, coffee table and tv plus unit. Seb didn't eat any breakfast which was quite unusual. He also had quite a lot of disgusting nappies...
I took Oliver to school, gave his teacher a big box of cookies for all the staff and a big bag of sweets for Oliver to distribute to his class mates at the end of the day. The school mums gave me a card, which they had all signed. Thanks guys....
I then took Isaac to preschool, gave them more cookies and again a bag of sweets for his friends. Mrs Myerscroft gave me his learning file to pass on to his new preschool. On my way home, it was very wet. I almost crashed my car. Not sure what happened, but I was going round the corner near the cemetery near my house, I was doing the speed limit, and I lost control. My car did a 180 degree turn, and I ended up on the other side of the road facing the right way...... It really scared me.....
I returned home, and awaited people to clear my house. Quite a few turned up, I managed to sell the desk unit, and quite a lot of other bits and pieces, before I went and picked Paul up from work. He was a little upset, but still no tears yet. We drove home, safely, as I had yet more people coming to pick up stuff, Paul had to disassemble quite a lot of furniture ready for collection. I took seb and went and picked Isaac up from preschool. He refused to say goodbye to any of his teachers, but was happy to give out lots of sweets to his friends. As I was getting Seb into the car, he was sick, I managed to get him out so he was sick in the car park rather than in my car. Not a good thing.
We got home, had some lunch, both the boys were a bit freaked with so little stuff being in the house. Angela and Vasko came and cleared the last of the big bits, including the tv, and agreed to come round after we had left to take what they wanted, food included! Thanks Angela. I went to pick Oliver up and he said a final goodbye to his friends. Again Isaac refused to say good bye to anyone. We headed home and got the last bits and pieces ready to go. We had the car ready to go, fully loaded, the boys had hardly any space in the back. I popped the keys in to the Gemma and Angela, said my goodbyes, and hopped in the car. I drove, so I wouldn't have to have the cat on my lap. Paul was very squashed in the front. We left the seaside for the last time at 4.10. I was quite glad I drove, that way I didn't have to think about leaving
We got to my mums about 6. The boys were happy to play the wii, and it was nice to have some food. Seb still wasn't eating right. Paul got their room ready, then went to his parents after Isaac and Seb were in bed. I text my dad to come and get me for a drink. Oliver went to bed at 8.30, the other two were still awake! By the time my dad got to me it was nearly 9, and seb was really kicking off. My mum went in and tried to settle them while I went out.
Was nice to go out for a final drink with my dad. We have got closer recently, and I know he is loving having a BMW thanks to Paul. I got home about 10.20, and sat up chatting with my mum. Was nice it have a final night of chatting, just me and her. We went to bed about 12-30. Seb was unsettled most of the night. Lee was in settlng him, thanks Lee. It was very obvious he was not well.
Not a good way to start the traveling.....
I took Oliver to school, gave his teacher a big box of cookies for all the staff and a big bag of sweets for Oliver to distribute to his class mates at the end of the day. The school mums gave me a card, which they had all signed. Thanks guys....
I then took Isaac to preschool, gave them more cookies and again a bag of sweets for his friends. Mrs Myerscroft gave me his learning file to pass on to his new preschool. On my way home, it was very wet. I almost crashed my car. Not sure what happened, but I was going round the corner near the cemetery near my house, I was doing the speed limit, and I lost control. My car did a 180 degree turn, and I ended up on the other side of the road facing the right way...... It really scared me.....
I returned home, and awaited people to clear my house. Quite a few turned up, I managed to sell the desk unit, and quite a lot of other bits and pieces, before I went and picked Paul up from work. He was a little upset, but still no tears yet. We drove home, safely, as I had yet more people coming to pick up stuff, Paul had to disassemble quite a lot of furniture ready for collection. I took seb and went and picked Isaac up from preschool. He refused to say goodbye to any of his teachers, but was happy to give out lots of sweets to his friends. As I was getting Seb into the car, he was sick, I managed to get him out so he was sick in the car park rather than in my car. Not a good thing.
We got home, had some lunch, both the boys were a bit freaked with so little stuff being in the house. Angela and Vasko came and cleared the last of the big bits, including the tv, and agreed to come round after we had left to take what they wanted, food included! Thanks Angela. I went to pick Oliver up and he said a final goodbye to his friends. Again Isaac refused to say good bye to anyone. We headed home and got the last bits and pieces ready to go. We had the car ready to go, fully loaded, the boys had hardly any space in the back. I popped the keys in to the Gemma and Angela, said my goodbyes, and hopped in the car. I drove, so I wouldn't have to have the cat on my lap. Paul was very squashed in the front. We left the seaside for the last time at 4.10. I was quite glad I drove, that way I didn't have to think about leaving
We got to my mums about 6. The boys were happy to play the wii, and it was nice to have some food. Seb still wasn't eating right. Paul got their room ready, then went to his parents after Isaac and Seb were in bed. I text my dad to come and get me for a drink. Oliver went to bed at 8.30, the other two were still awake! By the time my dad got to me it was nearly 9, and seb was really kicking off. My mum went in and tried to settle them while I went out.
Was nice to go out for a final drink with my dad. We have got closer recently, and I know he is loving having a BMW thanks to Paul. I got home about 10.20, and sat up chatting with my mum. Was nice it have a final night of chatting, just me and her. We went to bed about 12-30. Seb was unsettled most of the night. Lee was in settlng him, thanks Lee. It was very obvious he was not well.
Not a good way to start the traveling.....
Tuesday 25 September 2012
Last night in Timberleys
So it is our last night in our house tonight...... Oh my lordie, where has the time gone. Best give an update...
Saturday we loaded up the car full of boxes of stuff to take to my dads. Got to my dads, the boys munched out on lots of biscuits, and said hello to my gran, their great nan. We went to Birdworld for the day. The boys really enjoy it there. It is just the right size for their concentration span, although a little overpriced. We spent a few hours there. My gran was not as able to walk around as the last time we went, but she still seemed to enjoy herself. We went for a meal after which was very pleasant. Was hard to say goodbye to my gran, I just hope it was not for the last time.
Sunday my mum and lee came down. They arrived about 11am. We began the packing of our suitcases, whilst watching the F1 and the football. We filled 4 of the big suitcases, with another half full. Paul even managed to get all of the Lego Duplo into the small suitcase. We left enough clothing here to see us till Friday. I made a nice roast beef for a late lunch, might be the last one for a while. We finished off our packing, and paul and lee loaded the suitcases into mums fiesta, and they drove back up to Wokingham. I spent the evening finishing off my assignment, then relaxing for a little while.
Monday was spent selling more things, and sorting more things. My life seems to be selling and sorting.... Got isaac from preschool, came home had a quick lunch then headed out to Tiddlers. This is another group, which I have been doing for about 5 years. I have seen many come and go from this group, and the leaders change, but it has always been a good group, if a little cliquey at times. But I will miss all my groups, they have been a fab way to meet people.
I will be checking out the churches in Simpsonville to see if they have similar. Monday night I went to the local, the Lamb for a few drinks with friends. Given it was only Faye and I who indulged in alcoholic beverages, we got quite drunk. It was good to see everyone for the final time. And I didn't cry!!! But I was very drunk. I don't even remember getting home, never a good sign...
So today has been a bit of a write off. People have been coming pretty much all day to collect goods. Got rid of a good chunk of our living room to Natalie, and I think Angela is probably going to take the rest, thanks guys! I have quite a lot more going tomorrow, normal school runs (i have cookies for teqchers, sweets for the children)plus I am having an open house in the Morning, followed by collecting paul mid morning, he has to give his car back in the morning. Pick Isaac up from preschool, come home, sort out the last of the furniture, pack what's left to go, get Oliver from school, drive to my mums and start the craziness.
On the America front: we are meeting our landlord at the house on Sunday night to do a walk thrugh and collect the keys. My car will be ready on Tuesday morning.
Getting really excited now. Hope there is nothing I have forgotten. There is so much going on at the moment, I could make this post much longer, but I am tired, and have too much to say...
Am going to miss being by the coast. We have made a lot of friends down here, trying not to think about it... But will miss it lots...
Will try and post tomorrow, but may not get the chance. I will be at my mums, while paul is at his parents. I am also going out for a drink with my dad.
Saturday we loaded up the car full of boxes of stuff to take to my dads. Got to my dads, the boys munched out on lots of biscuits, and said hello to my gran, their great nan. We went to Birdworld for the day. The boys really enjoy it there. It is just the right size for their concentration span, although a little overpriced. We spent a few hours there. My gran was not as able to walk around as the last time we went, but she still seemed to enjoy herself. We went for a meal after which was very pleasant. Was hard to say goodbye to my gran, I just hope it was not for the last time.
Sunday my mum and lee came down. They arrived about 11am. We began the packing of our suitcases, whilst watching the F1 and the football. We filled 4 of the big suitcases, with another half full. Paul even managed to get all of the Lego Duplo into the small suitcase. We left enough clothing here to see us till Friday. I made a nice roast beef for a late lunch, might be the last one for a while. We finished off our packing, and paul and lee loaded the suitcases into mums fiesta, and they drove back up to Wokingham. I spent the evening finishing off my assignment, then relaxing for a little while.
Monday was spent selling more things, and sorting more things. My life seems to be selling and sorting.... Got isaac from preschool, came home had a quick lunch then headed out to Tiddlers. This is another group, which I have been doing for about 5 years. I have seen many come and go from this group, and the leaders change, but it has always been a good group, if a little cliquey at times. But I will miss all my groups, they have been a fab way to meet people.
I will be checking out the churches in Simpsonville to see if they have similar. Monday night I went to the local, the Lamb for a few drinks with friends. Given it was only Faye and I who indulged in alcoholic beverages, we got quite drunk. It was good to see everyone for the final time. And I didn't cry!!! But I was very drunk. I don't even remember getting home, never a good sign...
So today has been a bit of a write off. People have been coming pretty much all day to collect goods. Got rid of a good chunk of our living room to Natalie, and I think Angela is probably going to take the rest, thanks guys! I have quite a lot more going tomorrow, normal school runs (i have cookies for teqchers, sweets for the children)plus I am having an open house in the Morning, followed by collecting paul mid morning, he has to give his car back in the morning. Pick Isaac up from preschool, come home, sort out the last of the furniture, pack what's left to go, get Oliver from school, drive to my mums and start the craziness.
On the America front: we are meeting our landlord at the house on Sunday night to do a walk thrugh and collect the keys. My car will be ready on Tuesday morning.
Getting really excited now. Hope there is nothing I have forgotten. There is so much going on at the moment, I could make this post much longer, but I am tired, and have too much to say...
Am going to miss being by the coast. We have made a lot of friends down here, trying not to think about it... But will miss it lots...
Will try and post tomorrow, but may not get the chance. I will be at my mums, while paul is at his parents. I am also going out for a drink with my dad.
Friday 21 September 2012
One week to go....
So the suitcase saga.... Last Wednesday I ordered 2 matching suitcases and a carry on from the Luggae Hut. Got an email on the Thursday morning to say they only had one in stock. So I chose another one. And waited for it to be delivered, and waited and waited.... I was in contact with a gent there who said they were wanting for the other suitcase and carry on to be delivered. This was Wednesday of this week. Baring in mind that my mum is taking our packed suitcases away with her on Sunday, this was getting too close for comfort. Thursday, they still not had them delivered to their warehouse. So I told them to just deliver the one they had, and cancel the other 2. I sent paul to look in Chichester at BHS and John Lewis. He decided to look in sainsburys, they had some good offers on ok suitcases. So he came away with one huge one, and a carry on, for a bargain price. Still need to check our accounts and make sure Luggage Hut have refunded our other ones. They will be getting a snotty email at some point over the next few days. I may be busy, but I can find time to complain about shoddy service.
Yesterday I spent the morning selling off yet more of my house. I got home to discover a big fat to let board up at my back garden. By the end of the day we had some viewings arranged for friday. We got rid of some big items, with promise of many others going next week or over the weekend. I had my lovely friends Philippa and Vicki round yesterday afternoon, mainly to buy more toys, but it was lovely to see them. Gonna miss those girls. I think everything that is going on is catching up with me. I slept on the sofa for nearly an hour last night. I then put yet more stuff for sale, spoke to my dad and had a bit too much wine... And a bit of a late night. Bless my youngest, he decided that 2am was a good time to have a screaming fit. Took some paracetamol to settle him, but even that took time. He even had the decency to wake his brothers. He woke up this morning with a stinking cold, which I also think Isaac is fighting too....
Took the boys to school and preschool this morning, then headed home to wait for peoplemtovpick up more stuff. Had a viewing, then Seb went for a sleep. Sorted out yet more stuff for sale, before I sat down to do some uni work. I had worked really hard Monday and Tuesday of this week to be sure I had done most of my assignment. I sat down to reference my 1st question. Went to read through the rest, they werent there...tried my best to find them, but they are not on the hard drive anywhere. Then the realisation struck.... Paul had copied over our hard drive from the main computer to a new smaller one on Saturday. I had been saving my work to the old one, which got packed up I the shipping on Wednesday....I was sooooooo annoyed with myself. Luckily I managed to do some more work this afternoon, so i only have 1 more question to do tomorrow night. I want that assignment gone. To be honest, it may not matter.... I got an email from the OU saying they are having problems contacting the university they would use in Greenville for hosting my exam. They have asked me to try, or to fly back to the UK for my exam (no chance), or defer sitting it till the next exam period, which I think is February. Think I may be deferring.....
This afternoon I had my last ever Netmums meetup at my house. I have been arranging these for about 3 years, first as right hand mum, then as chair mum. I really enjoy them. We had 7 adults and 11 kids round this afternoon. I will miss my Netmums friends a lot. But I am happy, as those who are taking over will do a good job, and keep the meets going. Luckily I didn't really have to say a proper goodbye to anyone other than Lucy, that was hard enough. We have arranged an impromptu night out for Monday, I am hoping lots will turn up, I think there will be at least 6 of us which will be lovely, yet hard to say good bye to people....
This weekend we are off to my dads tomorrow to drop off a boot full of stuff. My gran is over from Northern Ireland. She wanted to see us before we head off. She does not think she will see us again. A bit morbid maybe, but my gran is going to out live everyone. Then we are off to Birdworld. The boys love birdworld, it is just the right amount of time for their concentration level, and the right distance for my Gran to walk.
Then Sunday my mum and Lee are down to look after the boys while we pack most of our clothes away.....
Only 7 days to go........
Yesterday I spent the morning selling off yet more of my house. I got home to discover a big fat to let board up at my back garden. By the end of the day we had some viewings arranged for friday. We got rid of some big items, with promise of many others going next week or over the weekend. I had my lovely friends Philippa and Vicki round yesterday afternoon, mainly to buy more toys, but it was lovely to see them. Gonna miss those girls. I think everything that is going on is catching up with me. I slept on the sofa for nearly an hour last night. I then put yet more stuff for sale, spoke to my dad and had a bit too much wine... And a bit of a late night. Bless my youngest, he decided that 2am was a good time to have a screaming fit. Took some paracetamol to settle him, but even that took time. He even had the decency to wake his brothers. He woke up this morning with a stinking cold, which I also think Isaac is fighting too....
Took the boys to school and preschool this morning, then headed home to wait for peoplemtovpick up more stuff. Had a viewing, then Seb went for a sleep. Sorted out yet more stuff for sale, before I sat down to do some uni work. I had worked really hard Monday and Tuesday of this week to be sure I had done most of my assignment. I sat down to reference my 1st question. Went to read through the rest, they werent there...tried my best to find them, but they are not on the hard drive anywhere. Then the realisation struck.... Paul had copied over our hard drive from the main computer to a new smaller one on Saturday. I had been saving my work to the old one, which got packed up I the shipping on Wednesday....I was sooooooo annoyed with myself. Luckily I managed to do some more work this afternoon, so i only have 1 more question to do tomorrow night. I want that assignment gone. To be honest, it may not matter.... I got an email from the OU saying they are having problems contacting the university they would use in Greenville for hosting my exam. They have asked me to try, or to fly back to the UK for my exam (no chance), or defer sitting it till the next exam period, which I think is February. Think I may be deferring.....
This afternoon I had my last ever Netmums meetup at my house. I have been arranging these for about 3 years, first as right hand mum, then as chair mum. I really enjoy them. We had 7 adults and 11 kids round this afternoon. I will miss my Netmums friends a lot. But I am happy, as those who are taking over will do a good job, and keep the meets going. Luckily I didn't really have to say a proper goodbye to anyone other than Lucy, that was hard enough. We have arranged an impromptu night out for Monday, I am hoping lots will turn up, I think there will be at least 6 of us which will be lovely, yet hard to say good bye to people....
This weekend we are off to my dads tomorrow to drop off a boot full of stuff. My gran is over from Northern Ireland. She wanted to see us before we head off. She does not think she will see us again. A bit morbid maybe, but my gran is going to out live everyone. Then we are off to Birdworld. The boys love birdworld, it is just the right amount of time for their concentration level, and the right distance for my Gran to walk.
Then Sunday my mum and Lee are down to look after the boys while we pack most of our clothes away.....
Only 7 days to go........
Thursday 20 September 2012
Packing part 1
Wow, what a week, and it's only Wednesday......
Monday, managed to get the boys to school and preschool fine. Came home, got seb down for asleep, didn't manage to do any work, as I had so many people coming to buy things from me! So by the time I sorted the stuff out, and seen the people, it was time to go and get Isaac again. Went to Tiddlers group in the afternoon, was nice to see many of our friends again, and the boys had good fun. Seb does not seem to agree with singing in a group, will sing fine at home on his own.... Spent the evening putting more stuff on Facebook to sell, and sorting through more stuff to ship/chuck
Tuesday same again in the morning, more people round to buy more stuff. I picked isaac up from preschool and we walked to another group, Noah's Ark. We had not been in a while, but it was nice to see our friends, and catch up with all that's going on. It was nice. Bless the leader, Hope, she got everyone to sing 'for he's a jolly good fellow' as a good bye song to us all. I managed to keep the tears away. I have been going to that group for 5 years, most people remember when Isaac was born, and when Oliver was small. We left group, picked Oliver up and took Isaac and Oliver for haircuts, their last ones here. They just like the lollies they get. I did this to give paul more time to sort the house ready for the shippers to arrive the next day. He had got quite a lot (of sleeping) done by the time we got home. We spent the evening sorting the paperwork, and other stuff to sell... We drank to much this night, knowing we did not have to get put too early the next day
Wednesday dawned with a head ache.... I got oli ready for school, dropped him off, came back and the packer arrived. He got straight on with it, as I took Isaac for preschool. I came back to discover a grumpy seb and 2 boxes already packed. We had previously gathered up all we wanted to take and put it in the corner in the front room. I gathered up the rest of the stuff we wanted to take from around the house, and tried to sneak it towards the front room. After about 5 boxes, they were weighed to see how near our limit we were. Looking good so far... We then slimmed down what else we had, and managed to fill a good 8 boxes, coming in 10 pounds under weight. We were able to take the Lego, playmobil,Thomas track master train track, lots of our clothes the odd ornament, some paintings by my step dad, and the wooden cricket set (vital, will never find it out there). We filled 8 good sized boxes, the chap put them on the van, and off they went. Then we started sorting everything else. Paul opened the shed to discover bikes, scooters, scuttle bugs.... Oh dear... I proceeded to spend the rest of the morning photographing what was left in the house. They all went onto Facebook last night. I picked Isaac up from preschool and we went for a nice pub lunch. Last night was spent putting lots of toys and books on Facebook. Luckily most of it is selling, and I am making good money.
Today I managed to do some work! However I got an email from the Open University to tell me that they are struggling to get in contact with their exam centre in Greenville to rearrange my exam. I am going to email them tomorrow and say that I am happy to defer my exam till the next exam period. Not sure I will have the inclination to revise for an exam on 16 th October, nor the time. There is too much going on in our lives at the moment. Had my good friends Philippa and Vicki round this afternoon to buy some toys, thanks guys x. This evening has been spent putting more stuff on Facebook to sell.
That's it for now, lots more to come, including the suitcase saga...
Monday, managed to get the boys to school and preschool fine. Came home, got seb down for asleep, didn't manage to do any work, as I had so many people coming to buy things from me! So by the time I sorted the stuff out, and seen the people, it was time to go and get Isaac again. Went to Tiddlers group in the afternoon, was nice to see many of our friends again, and the boys had good fun. Seb does not seem to agree with singing in a group, will sing fine at home on his own.... Spent the evening putting more stuff on Facebook to sell, and sorting through more stuff to ship/chuck
Tuesday same again in the morning, more people round to buy more stuff. I picked isaac up from preschool and we walked to another group, Noah's Ark. We had not been in a while, but it was nice to see our friends, and catch up with all that's going on. It was nice. Bless the leader, Hope, she got everyone to sing 'for he's a jolly good fellow' as a good bye song to us all. I managed to keep the tears away. I have been going to that group for 5 years, most people remember when Isaac was born, and when Oliver was small. We left group, picked Oliver up and took Isaac and Oliver for haircuts, their last ones here. They just like the lollies they get. I did this to give paul more time to sort the house ready for the shippers to arrive the next day. He had got quite a lot (of sleeping) done by the time we got home. We spent the evening sorting the paperwork, and other stuff to sell... We drank to much this night, knowing we did not have to get put too early the next day
Wednesday dawned with a head ache.... I got oli ready for school, dropped him off, came back and the packer arrived. He got straight on with it, as I took Isaac for preschool. I came back to discover a grumpy seb and 2 boxes already packed. We had previously gathered up all we wanted to take and put it in the corner in the front room. I gathered up the rest of the stuff we wanted to take from around the house, and tried to sneak it towards the front room. After about 5 boxes, they were weighed to see how near our limit we were. Looking good so far... We then slimmed down what else we had, and managed to fill a good 8 boxes, coming in 10 pounds under weight. We were able to take the Lego, playmobil,Thomas track master train track, lots of our clothes the odd ornament, some paintings by my step dad, and the wooden cricket set (vital, will never find it out there). We filled 8 good sized boxes, the chap put them on the van, and off they went. Then we started sorting everything else. Paul opened the shed to discover bikes, scooters, scuttle bugs.... Oh dear... I proceeded to spend the rest of the morning photographing what was left in the house. They all went onto Facebook last night. I picked Isaac up from preschool and we went for a nice pub lunch. Last night was spent putting lots of toys and books on Facebook. Luckily most of it is selling, and I am making good money.
Today I managed to do some work! However I got an email from the Open University to tell me that they are struggling to get in contact with their exam centre in Greenville to rearrange my exam. I am going to email them tomorrow and say that I am happy to defer my exam till the next exam period. Not sure I will have the inclination to revise for an exam on 16 th October, nor the time. There is too much going on in our lives at the moment. Had my good friends Philippa and Vicki round this afternoon to buy some toys, thanks guys x. This evening has been spent putting more stuff on Facebook to sell.
That's it for now, lots more to come, including the suitcase saga...
Sunday 16 September 2012
Lessons learnt this weekend
Saturday dawned a lovely bright sunny day. I got up just before Paul, and let him have a bit of a lie in. I sent the boys up to wake him just before 9, as we had sooooo much to do (people are going to get really bored of hearing me say that). We managed to get a lot of stuff sorted, ready for the evening when we would have people sleeping in every bedroom. As you can imagine prior to this our house was a tip, with stuff everywhere. I like to think of it as organised chaos.
My mum and Lee arrived about 11.30am. The plan was to go out for some food for Lunch. First we had to wait for Sebastian to wake up.... He eventually woke about 1.15, so we headed to the Harvester down on Littlehampton seafront. We had a nice meal, and everyone had desserts. The boys didn't quite finish theirs, but they had a good go. We finished by going for a short walk along the seafront and down the river. Will miss it. Although we don't go very often, it is still nice to know that it is there if we fancy it.
About an hour after we got home, the Tatums arrived with their kids. Thank goodness it was a good day, so the adults were able to hide outside from the chaos that is 5 children under 6.... Our boys were tired, the Tatums boys were tired, they were just feeding off each others excitement. I got dinner on for the boys very quickly, they sat down to eat, whilst Paul and Paul supervised, and Nicola and I got ready to go out. They finished their dinner and the 2 Pauls went to get some dinner for Nicola, Paul and Dave (Pauls Uni mate) who arrived while they were at the fish and chip shop. They ate their dinner after their youngest, Ethan had gone to bed. By now Isaac and Seb were already asleep in our room, as the Tatums were having the boys room with their boys in the bunk beds and an airbed on the floor. Oscar T went to bed shortly after, but when Nic and I were heading out the door at 7.30, both the Tatums boys were atill awake. The men hung back, to be sure that all children were asleep.
Nic and I headed to the Empress for Paul and my leaving do. The place was packed, as they were also having a charity event on that evening. Luckily the owner T had put some reserved signs on some tables and Vicki was already there. We got ourselves a drink and sat down. Next to arrive were our next door neighbours, Chris and Gemma. They were very lucky and had managed to get rid of their kids for the whole night! Then Paul's work mates started to arrive, there was a fair few of them.... Then the mums from school, then Paul, Paul and Dave turned up, just as my 2 very good friends Laura and Suzie arrived with their other halves. It was great to see them, especially as I hadn't seen Suzie for nearly a month. So we got down to the serious business of drinking, and sat waiting expecting more of my friends to turn up. Not one more did..... The school mums had to go, as they had things on, but it was so lovely of them to make the effort and come along. Gonna miss you girls.....
Paul decided he wanted to make things 'interesting', so decided to get some shots in (Tariq and Tony, I fully blame you for Pauls renewed interest in shots). So we all had a sambuca each. Still no sign of anymore of my friends. Vicki had to head home, she had left Paul on babysitting duties (so many Pauls), but she made me open her little pressie before she left. Thank you sooooo much for the rock, postcard and fridge magnet. The magnet will look fab on out huge fridge, and I have already packed it ready to go on the air freight.
By now I had already decided that most of the people who said they were coming, weren't. So I got on it. I sat down had great chats with Laura and Suzie, before they had to go. Then I sat with Nic Chris and Gemma and drank lots of alcohol...... The drinks kept coming, and we stayed till the bar closed at 12. Pauls workmates headed home, everyone staying in our house headed to our next door neighbours. I got the contents of our alcohol cupboard from out house and took it round, where we continued to do various shots from egg cups. I put Paul to bed about 1ish, Paul T put himself to bed about 12.30, and the rest of us kept drinking.
this morning was not fun. The kids all woke about 6am. Mum had to come and get Seb from our room as he was being really loud, and me and Paul were just sparko...... We got up about 9, after having a lengthy discussion, about why I had so few friends come the night before. I was pretty p**sed off this morning. I have calmed down now. People have sent their apologies, but when I think about the fact that it is going to be a few years till I see some of these people it does make me sad. I know a lot of people are going to read this and then laugh, cos that is what I would probably do.
Mum and Lee left quite early, after taking down the paintings that will not fit in our boxes. the walls seem strangely bare.... Us and the Tatums had breakfast. Then they had to go. Man that was hard. These are good friends, Paul and Paul have known each other for 30 years. I did well up. if it was difficult to say goodbye to the Tatums, saying good bye to my good friends around here is going to be VERY hard. Saying goodbye to family, I don't even want to think about that...
So this week coming..... we have the packers in on Wednesday to take all our stuff for air freight. Our new suitcases should arrive by then, so once the air freight is gone we can start packing the rest of our stuff to take into the suitcases. Next saturday we are off to my dads to deposit LOTS of things, then on to Birdworld. My dad is flying my nan over, so it will be nice to see her. Then on the sunday Mum and lee are down again. They will be taking most of our suitcases back with them....
Its all happening now... 12 days and we will be in the states....
My mum and Lee arrived about 11.30am. The plan was to go out for some food for Lunch. First we had to wait for Sebastian to wake up.... He eventually woke about 1.15, so we headed to the Harvester down on Littlehampton seafront. We had a nice meal, and everyone had desserts. The boys didn't quite finish theirs, but they had a good go. We finished by going for a short walk along the seafront and down the river. Will miss it. Although we don't go very often, it is still nice to know that it is there if we fancy it.
About an hour after we got home, the Tatums arrived with their kids. Thank goodness it was a good day, so the adults were able to hide outside from the chaos that is 5 children under 6.... Our boys were tired, the Tatums boys were tired, they were just feeding off each others excitement. I got dinner on for the boys very quickly, they sat down to eat, whilst Paul and Paul supervised, and Nicola and I got ready to go out. They finished their dinner and the 2 Pauls went to get some dinner for Nicola, Paul and Dave (Pauls Uni mate) who arrived while they were at the fish and chip shop. They ate their dinner after their youngest, Ethan had gone to bed. By now Isaac and Seb were already asleep in our room, as the Tatums were having the boys room with their boys in the bunk beds and an airbed on the floor. Oscar T went to bed shortly after, but when Nic and I were heading out the door at 7.30, both the Tatums boys were atill awake. The men hung back, to be sure that all children were asleep.
Nic and I headed to the Empress for Paul and my leaving do. The place was packed, as they were also having a charity event on that evening. Luckily the owner T had put some reserved signs on some tables and Vicki was already there. We got ourselves a drink and sat down. Next to arrive were our next door neighbours, Chris and Gemma. They were very lucky and had managed to get rid of their kids for the whole night! Then Paul's work mates started to arrive, there was a fair few of them.... Then the mums from school, then Paul, Paul and Dave turned up, just as my 2 very good friends Laura and Suzie arrived with their other halves. It was great to see them, especially as I hadn't seen Suzie for nearly a month. So we got down to the serious business of drinking, and sat waiting expecting more of my friends to turn up. Not one more did..... The school mums had to go, as they had things on, but it was so lovely of them to make the effort and come along. Gonna miss you girls.....
 |
| A VERY drunk us.... |
Paul decided he wanted to make things 'interesting', so decided to get some shots in (Tariq and Tony, I fully blame you for Pauls renewed interest in shots). So we all had a sambuca each. Still no sign of anymore of my friends. Vicki had to head home, she had left Paul on babysitting duties (so many Pauls), but she made me open her little pressie before she left. Thank you sooooo much for the rock, postcard and fridge magnet. The magnet will look fab on out huge fridge, and I have already packed it ready to go on the air freight.
By now I had already decided that most of the people who said they were coming, weren't. So I got on it. I sat down had great chats with Laura and Suzie, before they had to go. Then I sat with Nic Chris and Gemma and drank lots of alcohol...... The drinks kept coming, and we stayed till the bar closed at 12. Pauls workmates headed home, everyone staying in our house headed to our next door neighbours. I got the contents of our alcohol cupboard from out house and took it round, where we continued to do various shots from egg cups. I put Paul to bed about 1ish, Paul T put himself to bed about 12.30, and the rest of us kept drinking.
this morning was not fun. The kids all woke about 6am. Mum had to come and get Seb from our room as he was being really loud, and me and Paul were just sparko...... We got up about 9, after having a lengthy discussion, about why I had so few friends come the night before. I was pretty p**sed off this morning. I have calmed down now. People have sent their apologies, but when I think about the fact that it is going to be a few years till I see some of these people it does make me sad. I know a lot of people are going to read this and then laugh, cos that is what I would probably do.
Mum and Lee left quite early, after taking down the paintings that will not fit in our boxes. the walls seem strangely bare.... Us and the Tatums had breakfast. Then they had to go. Man that was hard. These are good friends, Paul and Paul have known each other for 30 years. I did well up. if it was difficult to say goodbye to the Tatums, saying good bye to my good friends around here is going to be VERY hard. Saying goodbye to family, I don't even want to think about that...
So this week coming..... we have the packers in on Wednesday to take all our stuff for air freight. Our new suitcases should arrive by then, so once the air freight is gone we can start packing the rest of our stuff to take into the suitcases. Next saturday we are off to my dads to deposit LOTS of things, then on to Birdworld. My dad is flying my nan over, so it will be nice to see her. Then on the sunday Mum and lee are down again. They will be taking most of our suitcases back with them....
Its all happening now... 12 days and we will be in the states....
Friday 14 September 2012
What a week, mark II....
So we had last weekend at the Goslings. What good fun! Got there quite late on the saturday due to me and Paul drinking too much the night before. Had a nice lasagne outside, al fresco stylie.... Put the boys to bed, and got on with some serious drinking. Tariq had decided to bring a bottle of tequilla with him. I think that got opened about 11pm. That was gone very quickly... So we hit the Goslings rum, then the Southern Comfort. I went to bed about 2.30am, and was very ill. Everyone else went to bed about 3ish, I think..... But it is safe to say we were all shadows of ourselves the next day.
Sunday some of Pauls relatives and friends came to the house for a BBQ and to wish us well. That was nice to sit around in the garden and chat. That evening I went to bed quite early as I wanted to be sure of getting up early the next morning. The only downer on the weekend was that Isaac wasn't very well, he slpet an awful lot on the sofa, and was complaining of 'not feeling preoperly'.
Paul and I got up at 5.15 the next morning to get to Oxford to catch the 6.27am train. We were at the embassy by 8.10am. We found the chemists to put our personal belongings in and headed for the queue. We got inside, got our number and waited. We waited about 45 minutes to be called up to the first window. Paul spotted Damon Alburn in the waiting room. We had finger prints done, she confimed some details then we had to go and pay over some money. Then we had to wait again, this time for about an hour. We got called to the next set of windows, answered more questions, paid out yet more money to be greeted with 'Your visas are pre-approved, so you need to go and arrange delivery of them, congratulations'. With big smiles feeling very happy we went to pay over more money to arrange for a pre 8am delivery on the visas. We then headed back to the station and back to the boys in Oxford. I think the Gosling Grandparents just about survived their morning with the boys all to themselves.
Tuesday Seb and I went to Worthing to see my good friend Emma. By now Isaac was 100 times better, so he went to preschool, and I had to cancel the doctors appointment I had made for him the previous day. Emma and I did some shopping, I enjoy shopping with Emma, she makes me giggle, and is very helpful, thorough and constructive, unlike me.
I caught up with my friend Laura on Wednesday afternoon, she looked after Isaac for me while I went to see Olivers new teacher. She seems very pleasant, it is a shame Oliver won't be there much longer. She got me all the required froms, and is doing the info his new school requested (and have since decided they don't need...) Paul finally had some contact with the shipping company. A lovely (?!?!?) lady called him to discuss the options. We also sat down this evening and ordered more suitcases/carry on bags......
Thursday Paul got an email from the shipping company and many, many forms to fill in. I caught up with my lovely friend Vicki and her 2 boys in the afternoon. Isaac and her eldest Alex played really well together, which was nice to see, considering Alex is a good year younger than Isaac. I think that is how Isaac behaves at preschool without his big brother around. Paul spent this evening filling in forms for the shipping company.
I should point out here that most mornings I have been attempting to finish my assignment for Uni, but I am getting nowhere fast. The problem is the mountain of stuff that I have been managing to sell through Facebook. So people are coming round every morning, thursday I had 5 people round between 10 and 12!!! Admittedly, I have made some good money this week, so I must thank all those who have bought from me. And its not really a problem....
The visas arrived at 7.50 this morning, even the boys let out a cheer when I came up the stairs with them. Today I had loads of paperwork/selling things/housework to sort this morning. We went to Lauras for a Netmums meetup this afternoon. There was 7 mums in total and 11 kids! It was chaos but fun chaos. will miss the Netmums and organising meetups sooooo much. I was exceptionally grateful to see Paul was home after I had got Oliver. We were both able to spend the afternoon sorting out the house/kids ready for the weekend. It is our leaving do's this weekend. I am looking forward to them lots.
I need to update more often, and I promise to try next week.....
To summarise, this week we have: Sorted Visas, sorted all travel arrangements (apart from where to check the cat in), got packers arranged (wednesday morning).
Its all coming together..... This time in 2 weeks we will be in South Carolina, in a hotel with 3 children and a cat.....
Sunday some of Pauls relatives and friends came to the house for a BBQ and to wish us well. That was nice to sit around in the garden and chat. That evening I went to bed quite early as I wanted to be sure of getting up early the next morning. The only downer on the weekend was that Isaac wasn't very well, he slpet an awful lot on the sofa, and was complaining of 'not feeling preoperly'.
Paul and I got up at 5.15 the next morning to get to Oxford to catch the 6.27am train. We were at the embassy by 8.10am. We found the chemists to put our personal belongings in and headed for the queue. We got inside, got our number and waited. We waited about 45 minutes to be called up to the first window. Paul spotted Damon Alburn in the waiting room. We had finger prints done, she confimed some details then we had to go and pay over some money. Then we had to wait again, this time for about an hour. We got called to the next set of windows, answered more questions, paid out yet more money to be greeted with 'Your visas are pre-approved, so you need to go and arrange delivery of them, congratulations'. With big smiles feeling very happy we went to pay over more money to arrange for a pre 8am delivery on the visas. We then headed back to the station and back to the boys in Oxford. I think the Gosling Grandparents just about survived their morning with the boys all to themselves.
Tuesday Seb and I went to Worthing to see my good friend Emma. By now Isaac was 100 times better, so he went to preschool, and I had to cancel the doctors appointment I had made for him the previous day. Emma and I did some shopping, I enjoy shopping with Emma, she makes me giggle, and is very helpful, thorough and constructive, unlike me.
I caught up with my friend Laura on Wednesday afternoon, she looked after Isaac for me while I went to see Olivers new teacher. She seems very pleasant, it is a shame Oliver won't be there much longer. She got me all the required froms, and is doing the info his new school requested (and have since decided they don't need...) Paul finally had some contact with the shipping company. A lovely (?!?!?) lady called him to discuss the options. We also sat down this evening and ordered more suitcases/carry on bags......
Thursday Paul got an email from the shipping company and many, many forms to fill in. I caught up with my lovely friend Vicki and her 2 boys in the afternoon. Isaac and her eldest Alex played really well together, which was nice to see, considering Alex is a good year younger than Isaac. I think that is how Isaac behaves at preschool without his big brother around. Paul spent this evening filling in forms for the shipping company.
I should point out here that most mornings I have been attempting to finish my assignment for Uni, but I am getting nowhere fast. The problem is the mountain of stuff that I have been managing to sell through Facebook. So people are coming round every morning, thursday I had 5 people round between 10 and 12!!! Admittedly, I have made some good money this week, so I must thank all those who have bought from me. And its not really a problem....
The visas arrived at 7.50 this morning, even the boys let out a cheer when I came up the stairs with them. Today I had loads of paperwork/selling things/housework to sort this morning. We went to Lauras for a Netmums meetup this afternoon. There was 7 mums in total and 11 kids! It was chaos but fun chaos. will miss the Netmums and organising meetups sooooo much. I was exceptionally grateful to see Paul was home after I had got Oliver. We were both able to spend the afternoon sorting out the house/kids ready for the weekend. It is our leaving do's this weekend. I am looking forward to them lots.
I need to update more often, and I promise to try next week.....
To summarise, this week we have: Sorted Visas, sorted all travel arrangements (apart from where to check the cat in), got packers arranged (wednesday morning).
Its all coming together..... This time in 2 weeks we will be in South Carolina, in a hotel with 3 children and a cat.....
Friday 7 September 2012
What a week....
After awakening at lunchtime on Monday, Paul called the US Embassy appointment line to arrange our visa interviews. The earliest they said they had was 3rd OCTOBER!!!! Cue some mild panic. The gentleman on the phone did say that we could send an email direct to the Embassy requesting an earlier appointment if they had one and we would receive an email within 5 days.... Spent the rest of the day doing washing, unpacking and generally trying to sort our lives out.... Our neighbours sister came round in the evening to scope out what furnitiure we had that she may like in her new house, was nice for a chat, and to begin clearing the house
Tuesday, I had my wonderful friend Faye round in the morning. I had to wake the boys at 9.30am, even after hoovering! Isaac and Seb went downstairs fine, but Oliver looked ill and didn't get out of bed till nearly 11am. Was good to catch up with Faye, the long holidays can be hard for everyone. Once Oli got up, I got Faye to look at his finger (shes a nurse). She said it was definatly infected, so I called the docotrs, she gave me a call back and requested we went to see her. We trooped to the doctors that afternoon, she reckons he has an infection, not sure if its his finger, his ear or his respiratory tract, so gave us a generic antibiotic to cover all of the above.
Luckily in this time, Paul had received an email from the Embassy telling him that an appointment had become available on Monday 10th September, 8.30am. So we grabbed it with both hands, and did a hop, skip and jump around the room.
Wednesday was Isaac back to preschool, Oliver had an inset day. Had to wake them all at 8.30am. As they have been sleeping so long in the morning, Seb has not been napping till after lunch, which I am sooo not used to. Isaac went in a bit wary, but when I picked him up he was fine. We spent the afternoon vegging round the house.
Thursday was Oliver back to school. Isaac and Seb both woke before 7, Seb was shouting the house down. Again I had to wake Oliver, but he was much brighter and more himself. Got out of the house and to school just before the bell went. Oliver got a bit upset going in as 1) he didn't want to go and 2) he didnt know what to do with his drink/snack. He got very tearful. Made me feel awful, especially as he is still under the weather. Took Isaac to preschool, by now he was fine going in. Came home, played with Seb/did some housework. Put him down to sleep (finally a morning nap), and I was able to get on with some Uni work. My next assignment is due on 6th October, and given our current time frame, I am concerned about getting it done. Isaac had a massive smile on his face when I picked him up, seems to have one everyday! I had a bit of a wobble this day. We are 3 weeks from going and haven't been contacted by the shipping company, have no idea whats going on with the cat, and don't know our travel plans. Oh yes, I was feeling a little on edge and stressed out on Thursday
But Friday was a new day.... Dropped the boys at school/preschool and headed to see my good friend Laura and her 3 week old baby Lana. She is lovely..... Then after collecting Isaac, my 2 fabulous South African friends came round to see me, and brought their kids for a play. Lovely company, thank you ladies. After school Oliver decided to watch Kung Fu Panda 2, he is still not quite well. Paul came home early, with an email from the relocation company regarding the cat. Basically their usual preferred airline is a pain in the a**e when it comes to transfering pets, all sorts of rules and regulations. So they proposed a different route of travel, Heathrow to Munich, Munich to Charlotte. This is a good option, as we would not have to chance in the States, so would not have to pick the cat up then drop her off again. In theory, they should board her on the first plane, then transfer her to the second, as it is the same carrier.
Then we got our propsed itinery for our travel to the States. Visa permitting, we should be flying on Friday 28th September from London Heathrow at 6.40am (we will be put up in a hotel the night before), landing in Munich at 9.25am, flying from Munich at 11.25 into Charlotte, NC (about 1 1/2 hours from Greenville). Landing 3.15pm local time. Pick up the rental car, and drive to the same hotel in Greenville. In theory it should work well. We should not have to transfer our bags like we would have to by doing a direct flight to the States then changing, especially as it is with the same carrier. Plus we get to go to Germany, albeit just Munich airport....
So thats it.... We are going.... Visa interview permitting..... I need to call the airline and check their policy with taking car seats, as we want to take our own, rather than buy new ones. I also have to be sure of all the paperwork we need for the cat, so again this is another call to the airline.
We are off to the Goslings in Stanford in the Vale this weekend for our big family good bye .... Hoping for not too many tears....
Tuesday, I had my wonderful friend Faye round in the morning. I had to wake the boys at 9.30am, even after hoovering! Isaac and Seb went downstairs fine, but Oliver looked ill and didn't get out of bed till nearly 11am. Was good to catch up with Faye, the long holidays can be hard for everyone. Once Oli got up, I got Faye to look at his finger (shes a nurse). She said it was definatly infected, so I called the docotrs, she gave me a call back and requested we went to see her. We trooped to the doctors that afternoon, she reckons he has an infection, not sure if its his finger, his ear or his respiratory tract, so gave us a generic antibiotic to cover all of the above.
Luckily in this time, Paul had received an email from the Embassy telling him that an appointment had become available on Monday 10th September, 8.30am. So we grabbed it with both hands, and did a hop, skip and jump around the room.
Wednesday was Isaac back to preschool, Oliver had an inset day. Had to wake them all at 8.30am. As they have been sleeping so long in the morning, Seb has not been napping till after lunch, which I am sooo not used to. Isaac went in a bit wary, but when I picked him up he was fine. We spent the afternoon vegging round the house.
Thursday was Oliver back to school. Isaac and Seb both woke before 7, Seb was shouting the house down. Again I had to wake Oliver, but he was much brighter and more himself. Got out of the house and to school just before the bell went. Oliver got a bit upset going in as 1) he didn't want to go and 2) he didnt know what to do with his drink/snack. He got very tearful. Made me feel awful, especially as he is still under the weather. Took Isaac to preschool, by now he was fine going in. Came home, played with Seb/did some housework. Put him down to sleep (finally a morning nap), and I was able to get on with some Uni work. My next assignment is due on 6th October, and given our current time frame, I am concerned about getting it done. Isaac had a massive smile on his face when I picked him up, seems to have one everyday! I had a bit of a wobble this day. We are 3 weeks from going and haven't been contacted by the shipping company, have no idea whats going on with the cat, and don't know our travel plans. Oh yes, I was feeling a little on edge and stressed out on Thursday
But Friday was a new day.... Dropped the boys at school/preschool and headed to see my good friend Laura and her 3 week old baby Lana. She is lovely..... Then after collecting Isaac, my 2 fabulous South African friends came round to see me, and brought their kids for a play. Lovely company, thank you ladies. After school Oliver decided to watch Kung Fu Panda 2, he is still not quite well. Paul came home early, with an email from the relocation company regarding the cat. Basically their usual preferred airline is a pain in the a**e when it comes to transfering pets, all sorts of rules and regulations. So they proposed a different route of travel, Heathrow to Munich, Munich to Charlotte. This is a good option, as we would not have to chance in the States, so would not have to pick the cat up then drop her off again. In theory, they should board her on the first plane, then transfer her to the second, as it is the same carrier.
Then we got our propsed itinery for our travel to the States. Visa permitting, we should be flying on Friday 28th September from London Heathrow at 6.40am (we will be put up in a hotel the night before), landing in Munich at 9.25am, flying from Munich at 11.25 into Charlotte, NC (about 1 1/2 hours from Greenville). Landing 3.15pm local time. Pick up the rental car, and drive to the same hotel in Greenville. In theory it should work well. We should not have to transfer our bags like we would have to by doing a direct flight to the States then changing, especially as it is with the same carrier. Plus we get to go to Germany, albeit just Munich airport....
So thats it.... We are going.... Visa interview permitting..... I need to call the airline and check their policy with taking car seats, as we want to take our own, rather than buy new ones. I also have to be sure of all the paperwork we need for the cat, so again this is another call to the airline.
We are off to the Goslings in Stanford in the Vale this weekend for our big family good bye .... Hoping for not too many tears....
Wednesday 5 September 2012
Coming home....
We awoke on Saturday feeling pretty down about coming home. We lay in bed and watched the Formula one qualifying, that will be an interesting thing to get used to, most races in the morning....We went and had breakfast, then came back and started packing. We checked out about 10 minutes before we had to, and went for some lunch followed by a drive around till we had to return the rental car.
We got to Greenville airport with plenty of time to spare for our flight to Atlanta. In fact we were the first ones there! At least Seb got a good run out whilst Paul, Oliver and Isaac played each other on iPods. We boarded the plane, no worries. Oliver decided he wanted to read his Lego book. He put it down after about 20 minutes and went very quiet. We landed at Atlanta, thank god we didn't have to get our bags. We headed straight for the international terminal, found our gate, then went to the Sky Club Lounge. There was only a selection of nibbly foods like apples, peanuts, biscuits, olives, cheeses. Not exactly a meal, but the boys munched out well. The boys were well behaved, despite it getting late. It was nice to watch the sun set whilst the planes took off. Very cool. They called our flight for boarding, so of we went.
We had our usual glass of champagne when we got on the plane and got settled. Oliver and Isaac both had an orange juice. The plane was 45 minutes late taking off due to one of the business class seats not functioning, and the engineers trying to fix it. If I had been in economy I would of been screwing, I was pretty annoyed, and I could see everything that was happening. During this time, Oliver decided to be VERY sick... He has had travel sickness before, on a boat and in a car, so just trains to do now.... It is the reading while travelling, I used to get it myself. The air hostesses helped us out as best they could, but they were obviously concerned. So concerned, that they went and told the Pilot, who came and spoke to us. He wasn't sure Oliver was fit to fly, but we reassured him he would be fine now, he just needed to sleep (it was 10.30 at night by now). He took us on our word, but was still worried and didn't want to have to divert the flight. Thing is, if the business class passenger hadn't complained about his seat, and insisted on them trying to repair it, Oliver would have been sick mid air! Not sure if it was a blessing or not....Isaac and Oliver were both asleep before we took off, Sebastian was a different matter. He feel asleep on me during take off, so we tried to transfer him to the seat next to me, but oh no, he woke up, and stayed awake for a good hour. We eventually got him to settle down, but he didn't sleep much. He woke up about 2 hours before we landed, so 4am US time, 9am UK time. The boys woke up gradually, but didn't eat much breakfast. Oliver didn't eat anything...
The plane touched down quite smoothly at 11.15am on the Sunday morning. We got through customs and immigration easily, picked up out bags and headed to the car. Everyone, other than Paul slept on the way home. I had to go to bed in the afternoon, I was so tired. The boys went to bed at 7.30, paul and I at 10.30.
We all awoke at midday the next day....
We got to Greenville airport with plenty of time to spare for our flight to Atlanta. In fact we were the first ones there! At least Seb got a good run out whilst Paul, Oliver and Isaac played each other on iPods. We boarded the plane, no worries. Oliver decided he wanted to read his Lego book. He put it down after about 20 minutes and went very quiet. We landed at Atlanta, thank god we didn't have to get our bags. We headed straight for the international terminal, found our gate, then went to the Sky Club Lounge. There was only a selection of nibbly foods like apples, peanuts, biscuits, olives, cheeses. Not exactly a meal, but the boys munched out well. The boys were well behaved, despite it getting late. It was nice to watch the sun set whilst the planes took off. Very cool. They called our flight for boarding, so of we went.
We had our usual glass of champagne when we got on the plane and got settled. Oliver and Isaac both had an orange juice. The plane was 45 minutes late taking off due to one of the business class seats not functioning, and the engineers trying to fix it. If I had been in economy I would of been screwing, I was pretty annoyed, and I could see everything that was happening. During this time, Oliver decided to be VERY sick... He has had travel sickness before, on a boat and in a car, so just trains to do now.... It is the reading while travelling, I used to get it myself. The air hostesses helped us out as best they could, but they were obviously concerned. So concerned, that they went and told the Pilot, who came and spoke to us. He wasn't sure Oliver was fit to fly, but we reassured him he would be fine now, he just needed to sleep (it was 10.30 at night by now). He took us on our word, but was still worried and didn't want to have to divert the flight. Thing is, if the business class passenger hadn't complained about his seat, and insisted on them trying to repair it, Oliver would have been sick mid air! Not sure if it was a blessing or not....Isaac and Oliver were both asleep before we took off, Sebastian was a different matter. He feel asleep on me during take off, so we tried to transfer him to the seat next to me, but oh no, he woke up, and stayed awake for a good hour. We eventually got him to settle down, but he didn't sleep much. He woke up about 2 hours before we landed, so 4am US time, 9am UK time. The boys woke up gradually, but didn't eat much breakfast. Oliver didn't eat anything...
The plane touched down quite smoothly at 11.15am on the Sunday morning. We got through customs and immigration easily, picked up out bags and headed to the car. Everyone, other than Paul slept on the way home. I had to go to bed in the afternoon, I was so tired. The boys went to bed at 7.30, paul and I at 10.30.
We all awoke at midday the next day....
Tuesday 4 September 2012
School visit
Friday was another early start as we had to be at Oliver's school for 9am. It is lovely. They have 4 classes per grade, with no more than 14 in a class. Oliver will go into grade 1, the equivalent of our year 1, but apparently they are quick to move them if they are achieving beyond their grade. I think Oliver will love it. Sports hall was like something from a film. The school goes from kindergarten to end of high school. The boys loved the library, and the outdoors space. Olivers school day will be slightly longer 8am-3.05pm, but that is fine, as isaac's preschool starts at 8.30, so I can take him on the way back home. Oliver does get 10 weeks summer holiday. They break up the end of May, go back the 3rd week of August. That's a long holiday. But the school do run day camps during the holidays. I have checked out last years schedule, and there are quite a lot for Oliver, and even a few for Isaac!
Paul had to go for a meeting in BMW that afternoon. It was literally a whole hour talking about his visa. Man that is one complicated procedure...glad he is dealing with it......he then had a meeting with his new boss which went well, before heading home for some pool time.
That evening we went to meet the owner of the house to drop off the security check. He seemed very pleasant. They had lived in the house from when it was built till they moved to Charlotte,NC. They have many friends in the area still, and said it is a lovely place to live.
From there we went to the Bartons, one of Paul's work colleagues who moved out recently. Their house is also beautiful, and we enjoyed some pizza while the kids played and watched Cars 2 for about the third time that week...
Was late by the time we got back. To the hotel, and the kids went straight to bed. We did not want to have to think about coming home the next day...
It
Paul had to go for a meeting in BMW that afternoon. It was literally a whole hour talking about his visa. Man that is one complicated procedure...glad he is dealing with it......he then had a meeting with his new boss which went well, before heading home for some pool time.
That evening we went to meet the owner of the house to drop off the security check. He seemed very pleasant. They had lived in the house from when it was built till they moved to Charlotte,NC. They have many friends in the area still, and said it is a lovely place to live.
From there we went to the Bartons, one of Paul's work colleagues who moved out recently. Their house is also beautiful, and we enjoyed some pizza while the kids played and watched Cars 2 for about the third time that week...
Was late by the time we got back. To the hotel, and the kids went straight to bed. We did not want to have to think about coming home the next day...
It
Signing our lives away....
Thursday began with a trip to the relocation company to sign the lease on the house. This was fine. They also sorted the utilities, so these should all be running when we move in. The landlord had requested an extra form, which the company did. They handed us a big security deposit check and sent us on our way.
From there we went round the corner to Greenville Zoo. Not the biggest zoo in the world, but perfect for my children's concentration spans. It is a nice zoo and I look forward to going back many times. It is set on the outskirts of another park in Greenville, so it had some play parks just outside it which the boys loved, despite Sebastian making a run for it and going no where near the play facilities. Isaac and Oliver loved it though. We headed for some lunch then drove around a bit, so the boys could have a nap. By now they were all flagging.
The afternoon was concluded with some testing for Oliver for his school. It was set in a child development centre. Oli was in for 45 minutes, in which time we waited for him. He did really well, think the tester was very impressed with him, and I don't blame her!!! This was one of the best places to eavesdrop on conversations about everyday life in Greenville, interesting stuff!
From there we went round the corner to Greenville Zoo. Not the biggest zoo in the world, but perfect for my children's concentration spans. It is a nice zoo and I look forward to going back many times. It is set on the outskirts of another park in Greenville, so it had some play parks just outside it which the boys loved, despite Sebastian making a run for it and going no where near the play facilities. Isaac and Oliver loved it though. We headed for some lunch then drove around a bit, so the boys could have a nap. By now they were all flagging. The afternoon was concluded with some testing for Oliver for his school. It was set in a child development centre. Oli was in for 45 minutes, in which time we waited for him. He did really well, think the tester was very impressed with him, and I don't blame her!!! This was one of the best places to eavesdrop on conversations about everyday life in Greenville, interesting stuff!
Bank of America
We began Wednesday with a trip to Bank of America. Here we set up our bank account and savings account. Was fairly straight forward although their payment methods seem a bit antiquated, but that's how they do things....
We then had lunch and travelled to our house of choice to meet the realtor. Seeing the house again just made it seem even more perfect, just what we needed.
From the house we travelled to the preschool, it was not a very far journey. It is actually a school, Five Oaks Academy, which teaches using the Montessori method all the way to 14 years old. Isaac will go into a Class of kids aged 3-6, perfect for him. The place was beautiful, the staff and resources seemed amazing. The lady who showed us round was fab, and we all felt very happy leaving there in the hope it will be the preschool for Isaac.
We headed back to the hotel, the boys chilled out for a bit, then headed out for a bite to eat at Chillis. It was good. We are looking forward to lots more eating out in the future....
We then had lunch and travelled to our house of choice to meet the realtor. Seeing the house again just made it seem even more perfect, just what we needed.
From the house we travelled to the preschool, it was not a very far journey. It is actually a school, Five Oaks Academy, which teaches using the Montessori method all the way to 14 years old. Isaac will go into a Class of kids aged 3-6, perfect for him. The place was beautiful, the staff and resources seemed amazing. The lady who showed us round was fab, and we all felt very happy leaving there in the hope it will be the preschool for Isaac.
We headed back to the hotel, the boys chilled out for a bit, then headed out for a bite to eat at Chillis. It was good. We are looking forward to lots more eating out in the future....
House hunting day 2
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| The boys in the Zentrum |
After we went for some lunch then on to meet out relocation company realtor. We had arranged to meet at a show home for a house that has not been completed yet. The show home layout was fab, and we were quite interested, so we went to see the incomplete house on the plot. First thing that put us off was the distance to the communal pool. Then it was the dog barking in the house behind. It was quite overlooked too. So this was another no no. We the went to see the neighbourhood of a house the realtor seemed pretty keen on, but we could not get to see inside till later that afternoon. All of the houses on this day were quite near each other, and all in our advised area of Simpsonville/ Five Forks. We drove to the next house. The realtor took us on a little tour of the area before pulling up at the house we were looking at. All we could think while driving the neighbourhood was "bloody hell these houses are massive". When we pulled up, we were impressed. It was big but not too big. Greeted by a lovely tenant who showed us around, first thing for the boys was the toys belonging to the tenant's children. They were happy. The tenant was so helpful, answering questions, she had things laid out well. The house was lovely. Big entrance hall with formal dining room one side office space the other. Small bonus room next to the downstairs toilet and big open plan living room/ kitchen/ diner. Large fenced in back garden, but a manageable size. Upstairs the master bedroom has a den to one side plus built in wardrobe, full ensuite. There is another bedroom with ensuite, then down the other end of the hall 2 further large bedroom with built in storage areas. There is another bathroom between these two bedrooms. This was by far the best house we had seen. The tenant asked questions about school and preschools, she advised not going to see one of the ones we had down to visit, but highly recommended another which we had planned to visit, just a couple hundred metres down the road. We thanked the tenant, and headed to the next house, which was even bigger. It was over 3 floors. It had 5 bedrooms a massive living space leading onto a decking overlooking the lovely grassed fenced on back garden. The only way to access this garden was through the basement, so we went and checked it out. It was a massive granny annexe with its own kitchen, bathroom and living space. It was huge, but too big for us. The realtor Said she had in provisionally line dip for a German family coming next month with 6 kids!!! We then went and checked put the previous house to see inside. Again, it was totally amazing, huge, with a mega basement. But the garden was a no go, there was no fences on the side, and it dropped off to a steep incline at the very back.
We concluded that there was only one house we wanted to go back and look at the next day. The agent said she would arrange it, and true to her word she did. After we left her, we went to the supermarket, bought some more food for a nibbly dinner and headed back to the hotel,for an early night for all concerned.
House hunting day 1
We awoke bright and early on the Monday morning, and headed downtown for our 2 hour meeting with the relocation company. The company were great with the boys, put on a film for them to watch, although after half an hour they were bored, so we handed over the iPhones. Seb was a bit unsettled but once I let him out to have a little explore he was very happy, plus the staff loved him!
Interesting things we found out at the meeting: we both have to apply for South Carolina state driving licenses, take a theory and practical test within 90 days of arriving in state. I do not get issued with a social security number, but it will be easier for Paul's tax return if I have one. We have 8 hours of inter cultural training to do, any where and time we can fit it in.
After the meeting we began the house hunt... The first one we saw was in the middle of no where with no communal pool. A lot of the ones we saw on the first day were in Greer, a small town between Greenville and Spartenburg, but not too far from the plant. We had been advised against this area, so we're not too keen. The second one was nice, in Greer again, but with community pool and a fenced in back yard. This was a maybe house. The next house had no fence, backed onto a stream then a road, not too mention the basement was awash with fleas....we left that house pretty quick.the next one had 3 levels of the basement, 4 bedrooms, but was in a very shady area, no proper fencing, still under renovation (admittedly the work they had done was to a very high standard). We moved onto the final house. This was a really nice house, in a good community, near the communal pool. Unfortunately the garden was only about double the size of our current garden, and fenced in. For this reason we had to say no.
We left our agent about 2.30 feeling pretty despondent, wondering if we were ever going to find the right house. We headed for some lunch, then back to the pool to let the boys let off some steam. We headed to TGI Fridays for dinner that night, all I can say is yummy. The food was great, we will defiantly be back there again. The boys had a slightly later night, ready for their even earlier morning the next day.
Interesting things we found out at the meeting: we both have to apply for South Carolina state driving licenses, take a theory and practical test within 90 days of arriving in state. I do not get issued with a social security number, but it will be easier for Paul's tax return if I have one. We have 8 hours of inter cultural training to do, any where and time we can fit it in.
After the meeting we began the house hunt... The first one we saw was in the middle of no where with no communal pool. A lot of the ones we saw on the first day were in Greer, a small town between Greenville and Spartenburg, but not too far from the plant. We had been advised against this area, so we're not too keen. The second one was nice, in Greer again, but with community pool and a fenced in back yard. This was a maybe house. The next house had no fence, backed onto a stream then a road, not too mention the basement was awash with fleas....we left that house pretty quick.the next one had 3 levels of the basement, 4 bedrooms, but was in a very shady area, no proper fencing, still under renovation (admittedly the work they had done was to a very high standard). We moved onto the final house. This was a really nice house, in a good community, near the communal pool. Unfortunately the garden was only about double the size of our current garden, and fenced in. For this reason we had to say no.
We left our agent about 2.30 feeling pretty despondent, wondering if we were ever going to find the right house. We headed for some lunch, then back to the pool to let the boys let off some steam. We headed to TGI Fridays for dinner that night, all I can say is yummy. The food was great, we will defiantly be back there again. The boys had a slightly later night, ready for their even earlier morning the next day.
Look and See Sunday
Day two....
We awoke not too early, had a leisurely breakfast. We decided to visit the local supermarket, Whole Foods, who we later discovered are the US equivalent of Marks and Spencer. We then decided to go for a little drive into Greenville to scope out where we were meeting Paul's work colleagues/ friends for lunch. Luckily the boys had a sleep in the car, and we had a nice drive. Greenville is a beautiful up and coming city, with a nice downtown area.
We met Paul's work colleagues for lunch at an Indian buffet restaurant. There were 6 adults and 7 kids sitting down, so it was difficult to hold a decent conversation (always is with kids around). Paul's colleagues have been out for a while, one for 6 weeks, the other for about 6 months. It was nice to meet them, and get some hints and tips about what we are about to go through. After lunch we took a walk, in the sweltering heat down to Falls Park. They have a beautiful waterfall and a swinging bridge. It was very hot so we headed back to the joyous air conditioned car and back to the hotel .
The boys thoroughly enjoyed their swim in the pool, followed by a nice leisurely dinner of crackers and cheese. They went to bed fairly early, ready for the excitement of the next day.......
We awoke not too early, had a leisurely breakfast. We decided to visit the local supermarket, Whole Foods, who we later discovered are the US equivalent of Marks and Spencer. We then decided to go for a little drive into Greenville to scope out where we were meeting Paul's work colleagues/ friends for lunch. Luckily the boys had a sleep in the car, and we had a nice drive. Greenville is a beautiful up and coming city, with a nice downtown area.
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| Falls Park |
The boys thoroughly enjoyed their swim in the pool, followed by a nice leisurely dinner of crackers and cheese. They went to bed fairly early, ready for the excitement of the next day.......
The beginning of the little adventure....
We are home.... Think
the boys are still a bit jet lagged, given that they slept for 13 and a half
hours last night, and 17 hours the night before....
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| Ready to go!!! |
Think I will start at the beginning of the trip. So Saturday 25th August, Paul and I got out
of bed at 5am, packed what was left into the car, then woke the boys and put
them in the car, hoping they would sleep all the way to Heathrow. Naturally they didn't. Got to the airport parking, got them dressed,
went and checked in. Went through
security, my bag got searched, as I had forgotten to take my iPad out. Had to show my letter for my needles, no
problems. We then went and found the
Delta Sky lounge. Had some
breakfast. Oliver played the Playstation
whilst Isaac bounced off the walls, till we gave him the iPod. We let Seb out of his buggy, he was very
interested in the computers, as usual.
Not sure how many he broke....Flight began boarding, so we left the
lounge to walk down to the departure gate, right at the other end of the
terminal.
 |
| Isaac enjoying his flight |
We had 5 seats pretty close together on the plane. They were the lovely huge lay flat seats. Got settled in, the boys were great during
take off, and once in the air, they made full use of the multimedia and watched
Cars 2, followed by more Disney programs (they are already well brain washed). They weren’t that interested in their meals,
they preferred the snacky foods, but our meal (all 4 courses of it) was
lovely. We landed in Atlanta at 2.30pm
local time, 7.30pm UK time. By now the
boys were starting to wilt. Had to wait
at immigration for a good 20 minutes, given our lay over time was only 1 hour
45 minutes, I was starting to get a bit antsy.
Got through with no problems, then I headed to the carousel to pick up
luggage while paul took the boys on a toilet stop. By the time he had returned I had all the
luggage, so we headed to the luggage drop off point, then on to our gate with
about an hour to spare. Atlanta airport
is HUGE!!!! And very nice, as airports go.
We boarded the next plane to Greenville. A much smaller plane, and we managed to sit
together. Paul held Seb through all the
flights, as he was just too wriggly on me.
Isaac slept through all of this plane journey, which was a good thing as
by now it was 9pm UK time. We arrived in
Greenville-Spartenburg airport, again a nice but much smaller airport. Picked up our bags, and called the rental car
company to come and collect us and take us to our car. We went and waited outside, thats when the
heat hit us. Man it was hot!!!! They came
quicker than anticipated, as there was another gentleman on our flight who was
on his look and see from Germany. Got to
the car rental place, ended up with a Ford Flex, a 5/7 seater mini van with
plenty of space for all of us plus our luggage. They also provided us with a
Sat Nav.
 |
| Bit blurry, but this is how we felt by this time |
We headed for the hotel down I85, what a huge road, at least
4 lanes wide on both sides. The
directions and sat nav to the hotel were good.
Once we turned off the I85 onto the Woodruff Road, the consumerism was
blatant and everywhere. Shops and
restaurants as wide as the eye could see, and if there wasn’t a shop in view,
there was an advertisement board or poster.
Turned off Woodruff towards our hotel, which was just on the outskirts
of an area that was being redeveloped.
Checked in, had a complimentary bag of goodies waiting for us from the
relocation company (hello Wine....) got to the suite, let the boys have
computer time while we unpacked. By now
it was 7pm local time, and we were getting hungry. We decided to walk to one of the nearby
restaurant to get some dinner. The boys,
however, were too tired for a sit down meal, so we ate as much as we
could. I should mention, the food was
lovely, and HUGE portion sizes. The
service was fab, as to be expected. We were
offered boxes, if we wanted to take it home, which we declined.
Got the boys back to the hotel, put them straight down to
bed. Oliver and Isaac both had double
beds and Seb had a metal cot on wheels.
The only way to describe it is like something out of a Romanian
orphanage. Paul and I had a quick glass
of wine, then crashed ourselves, very tired, but very happy to finally be in
the good old U S of A....
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