Preparations for Departure

Here we go!  Tom and I are gearing up for our upcoming move across the pond to Naples, Italy!  We have been married about a year and a half and have both been trying to find a way to get overseas for some time.  With this push from Uncle Sam, I think we've found our perfect opportunity!

However, moving abroad certainly isn't easy!  Since last June, when Tom got his orders, we've been going through the myriad of paperwork that is required to get the stamp of approval for moving.  We've both gotten medical screenings (check), passports* (note the 's' at the end!  A regular passport and then the 'No-Fee Passport'), an Italian Visa for me, the Rosetta Stone Italian package and have slowly, ever so slowly, been working on draining our alcohol, cleaning products and miscellaneous pantry items, though not at the same time!  Once we get down to 4 or fewer bottles of salad dressing, I'll know we're on the right path! 

Our movers are scheduled to arrive from the 18th to the 20th of May.  Spending two days packing our worldly possessions while I try not to hover and say "Don't break that!  It was a wedding present from ........"  [insert name of beloved wedding guest] 

The tricky part with our move is our three kitties; Neville, Sprout and Flit.  Yes, they are named after Harry Potter characters.  I figured it was better than Star Wars.  Calling "Come here, Vadar" would have made me cringe.  But I digress, once in Italy, we'll be staying in the Navy Lodge for 2-3 months.  This would equate to a one bedroom apartment with two queen sized beds and no living room.  The lodge will only allow two pets so we had a "Sophie's Choice" discuss with all parties, remarkably the cats didn't have much to say, and decided to leave Neville, our eldest, with my sister, Lauri, until we got settled in larger accomodations abroad. 

But we're not done yet!  To make things EVEN MORE FUN (!!!) we're going to do a "Goodbye, America" Tour (a'la Miley Cyrus - without her affinity for bangles and poor acting, I should hope) which will begin in San Diego and conclude in Newark, NJ.  "But why would two somewhat sane people want to do that?" you might be asking yourself.  Well, we're shipping our older car, a 2007 Civic to Italy with our worldly possessions and driving our newer 2010 Camry Hybrid to Tom's family in New Jersey.  And then figured "If we're going to be driving across country, we should see some of our friends and family along the way!"  Enter the aforementioned "Goodbye, America" tour.  A map will be included to show the fun trip across our great nation. 

As for me, I'll keep everyone updated as things arise.  We will miss all of our wonderful family and dear friends while we're gone.  If anyone wants to come visit, drop me an email!  We expect to be in a tiny Navy Lodge room for a few weeks up to 3 months.  So, anytime after Sept 1, 2011 would be best!

Hugs to all and I'll keep you posted!

Lynne
xoxo