Another crappy day

I'm so completely unmotiviated and depressed right now I'm not exactly sure where to start. You know, I'm not sure that I signed up for the ridiculous ups and downs of emotions that come with this whole international relocation business. Its really starting to get on my nerves.

It probably doesn't help much that I'm hung over. I really didn't drink that much last night (seriuosly mom, I didn't!) but I think the altitude along with the fact that its been a while since I have imbibed were working against me. In any case, it was a bad lapse in judgement that caused me to miss work for the first time.....I blamed it on the food or water and irritable bowels. hey, might as well take advantage of it while you can!

So why was I out you may ask? My friend Maria Yanez came to Mexico City for work (she's a Holcim chick too). Her brother works in Mexico City as well, so we met up at her hotel and went out to a pretty cool restaurant called La Valentina. Mariachi's and all. Her brother David is somewhat of a high roller, so he ordered two bottles of really expensive Tequila and we drank most of it. Not shots mind, you. No, that is not how they roll here. It was like in a teeny tiny brandy snifter, followed by a sip of sangrita (think mega heavy bloody mary in a little shot glass). I admit, it was good, although it didn't taste good coming up this morning. We stayed in her hotel room to sleep for a bit because she didn't want me driving in Mexico City at night (for good reason, I suppose). So I woke up at 5:30 and Keith and I drove back. It was really good seeing a familiar face.......and being able to talk in Spanish and English at will (she's from Ecuador). Also, she's on her way back to Ecuador for three months to take care of her ailing mother, so any prayers for her and her family would be appreciated!

OK, so, despite a fun night here are other reasons why I'm crabby/sad/depressed:

• Thanksgiving is tomorrow. And I have to work. I didn't think it would really bother me, but it just reinforces how much I miss my family and back home. The more spam I get in my inbox about after-thanksgiving day sales makes me think about it more, and the more sad I get.
• I don't think that I am going to get the homes that I would like. The girl emailed me today and said someone else has an offer in for $500 more a month, and I just don't think its in my budget to match it. I knew I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up!!!
• I can't figure out how to work my damn phone voicemail. Its really starting to miff me off.
• I don't have any friends here.
• I want my OWN stuff in a apartment that I can call my OWN in a place where I can have my OWN wireless internet service!!!!!!!! This temporary living nonsense is Crap.

OK, I promised myself that I wouldn't cry in the stupid business center, so I guess that will be all for now.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving Day everyone! And please be sure to be super Thankful that you have your family close to hold in your arms!

Top 10 lists

Figuring I really need to embrace my new found surroundings, here is a list of things I love most (so far) about Mexico

1. Fruit, oh so fresh and succulent fruit!
2. Homemade tortillas (corn or flour!) at tortillerias around every corner
3. The smell of barbacoa wafting through the air
4. COLOR!! (Biege? Whats beige?)
5. Working for a company that people have actually heard of
6. 2 hour lunches (and yes, I did take a siesta today)
7. People enjoying their family
8. Beautiful sunshine and mild weather
9. Daily maid service
10. Mexican music on the radio
    

And, on the flip side, here are 10 very important things I miss most about home

1. My Family & Friends
2. Pat O’Brien
3. Chips without Chile flavor (i.e. Doritos and Tostidos)
4. Potable water
5. Being able to communicate well
6. Pat O’Brien
7. Being able to eat produce without wondering about amoebas and human excrement in fertilizers.
8. Bright lamps and lights
9. Being able to drive and breathe at the same time
10. and last but not least……..Pat O’Brien
    

Mercados and Deportes

What a difference a couple of days makes. I’m still a bit on the lonely side, but I suppose it would be pretty difficult to round up a network of life long friends in one week. *sigh* I often have too high of expectations for myself. One of the many things I need to continue to gain patience with……

Today wasn’t very exciting at work. I had to read through and prepare a bunch of standards for testing, and also go buy some steel toed boots. On the way to the zapateria was our little pueblito in Metepec. It was hoppin because apparently Monday is the day of the Mercado. There were people and goods everywhere! I really wanted to stop, but we had to drop off some aggregate samples, so it wasn’t going to happen. The fresh fruit everywhere is enough to make your mouth water!!!!!

I also finally got up the guts to give my little souvenir gifts to my new co-workers. It was actually pretty hard, because you never know what they are thinking (like, what the heck is this crazy American giving me this dumb little thing for?!?!). I figured you really can’t go wrong with things from the homeland. I stuck with sports teams, and brought a plethora of Michigan, Pistons, Redwings, Lions and Tigers stuff…..keychains, shotglasses and cozies and the like. I am not even sure if they know what cozies are, since most beverages are served luke warm at best because even they don’t want the ice in their drinks. Its amazing how a country so big can have high speed internet access and not have potable water. I just don’t get it.

The gift giving seemed to go pretty well. Especially since they have no idea how badly the Lions and Tigers stink! Although, now they might now. The Lion’s game was broadcast here Sunday on Fox Deportes. It was exciting to get to watch the game – terrible that they lost. Also exciting (mostly for Keith) is the Thanksgiving Day game is on here too. Bummer for me, it will be one of the only times in my life that I have not watched that game. Alas, I will be working because Mexicans have no inkling of Pilgrims, Indians and cranberry goo shaped like a can.

Lonely Planet

I’m not even sure if I’m going to post this on the blog, even though I know I should. My expatriate experience would not be complete if I didn’t convey the wild range of emotions that I go through at any given time. So, if you’re reading this – welcome to my real world :) Its not like I’m a wild and crazy psycho or some super duper freak or something, but these emotions may contradict the image that some people may have of me…….

Here it goes. I’m completely co-dependant. I pretend to be this self sufficient independent take over the world person, and I really am not. At all. Case in point – I have not NOT had a boyfriend/male companion for more than a month since I was 14 years old. I’m not sure if its because I need to be needed, or if I just need to have someone there for me. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I have plenty of friends and family who are there for me at any time, but for some reason I have always needed and had a man in my life. Which is also strange because 3 out of the 4 serious relationships I have had in my life have been long distance ones. I suppose I feel like I need the security while having the freedom as well.

The difference now being that I had an established life before I met any of these men, and had plenty of friends and activities to occupy my time while we were apart. Now, its quite different. Right now, because I don’t know the city and don’t have the energy to go out and explore I have a lot of free time at night. So, what do I do? Pine. Yearn and pine. Cry, yearn and pine. Most nights are not that bad to handle, but occasionally, there is the anomaly. Such is tonight. I’m lonely, sad, and in desperate need of comfort, and there is no one here to do so. Tonight, Chicago feels like a million miles away. I know I can’t have a hug or a gentle kiss, but sometimes, like now, even a phone call isn’t feasible. And it really sucks. And, of course, it feels like the end of the world.

I talked to my ever wise mother, and she gently reminded me that I need to learn to stand on my own two feet – even if it stinks. And she’s right, because I have never been able to do that on my own; there has always been a crutch. I shouldn’t have to rely on any one person to lift my spirits, or make my day. I need to make my own sunshine. Not that doing so makes me love Pat O’Brien any less or need him any less. It just will make me more self reliant, hopefully a better person, and maybe able to maybe fix the things about myself that are less than stellar and that have contributed to things going awry in previous relationships. Or, if nothing else, it will help me cry less….because I think I’m running out of tears!

First days are sucessful!

Thursday was my first day of work. It went pretty well. Friday I had to go to Ciudad de México to get some immigration information taken care of at the government and our corporate offices. My first experience driving during rush hour of México City went well! No accidents, and no careening of cliffs. Keith came with me though, just to keep my sanity. Driving in México City is kind of like driving in Toluca.....times 23 (Toluca has a population of 1,000,000. México City is ~23,000,000). Anyway, it was rather uneventful, we didn't get lost and we didn't get kidnapped, so I guess we are off to a great start!!!

Driving and other such dangers

Let me say that first off, I am well aware that people in México drive crazy. I learned that lesson the first time I took a ride in a Bochito (little VW bug) taxi many moons ago. Or when we took that bus ride from Puerto Vallerta to Guadalajara and the driver almost plunged off a cliff twice while drinking his jug of tequila hidden ever so discreetly behind his seat. But it really does take on a whole new meaning when you are doing it yourself.

First off, driving here has been refered to as "anarchy", which is an appropriate description. Anyone who has ever driving in Boston might have an inkling of what I am talking about. People have a complete disregard for any traffic signals or signs. They apparantly are merely a guideline.....only if you feel like listening to them. They cut you off, merge when they shouldn't, blatently run red lights and the buses - oh don't even get me started on the buses!!

Keith put it quite eloquently as we were driving home from the mall last night.....and I quote "For being such nice people, they sure are cock suckers!"

Really though, the worst part isn't fearing for your life. Seriously, its not! As long as traffic is moving its not so bad, you get used to it and become accustomed to being an aggressive and offensive driver. The worst part is being stuck in traffic. Its not like any other traffic jam. Its like the worst traffic jam you can imagine, with people weaving in and out of traffic trying to sell you bananas or dolls or wash your windshield, all while sucking on a tailpipe. Thats what it felt like. I swear I could feel capallaries in my lungs collapsing from the polluted air. It was so bad that I could taste it. I was nauseous for three hours after I got home.

The buses and trucks are by far, the worst. They pull up next to you, or stop right in front of you and say "Hey, Hola! Hows it going? Open up - I'm going to stick this ginormous tail pipe in your mouth and suck all of the available oxygen from your area and replace it with fossil fuel dirtied carbon dioxide. I hope you like tar flavor!"

Lucky for me, Keith enjoys driving. I think its the guy-video game connection. Now, if I can only find an oxygen tank to keep handy........

All Caught up

OK, now that everyone is up to speed......we have narrowed it down to a few places to live. Here are a couple pics.....we found plenty of places that were beige and lacking character, but these two places topped our list because they had a bit more.....um.....Mexican Flair :)

Here are pics of Las Palomas

And, of Vitrales....

Un Buen Dia

I arose this morning fresh and awake and with a completely new (and much better) attitude. As you can imagine, I was in a pretty crapola mood yesterday, and was contemplating, although not seriously, bailing ship and coming back home. Alas, a new day, a new outlook. Thankfully, the shower has great water pressure and my morning as off to a great start.

We met with Claudia, our Latin American Relocation Management consultant (hereby referred to as LARM) and were off to view some potential habitations. She’s very cool, and young like me, so will prove to be a very good resource. Oh, and Claudia’s mom joined us, as she had not seen her daughter in a while (she recently returned from a trip to Russia). We saw some pretty incredible homes, a couple of which I of course, fell in love with. And, of course, they were the more expensive ones. One of the homes was on a old plantation type place, which was unbelievably beautiful, with a lake and many many old Cyprus trees and its own on site chapel (think of the Three Amigos chapel in Santa Poco…….soo cute!). But, it is farther away from the city, and mostly families and very quiet. Another place had a ton of incredible tile work, and the most fabulous garden I have ever seen. So, who knows. I or should I say ¿Quién sabe? We see more homes tomorrow.

In the meantime, we’ve figured out how to use our calling cards, our apartment phones still don’t work, and I still don’t have internet access. Keith finally figured out how to start the oven, so we had some awesome pizzas for dinner. I have had an incredible headache since lunch time (which is way later here), but thankfully I purchased an industrial size bottle of Excedrin (which by the way they don’t sell here). The caffeine makes me jittery – and a little anxious. I guess this whole situation in general is bound to wind me up, but I would rather not revert back to my old panic attack ways. I have meds for it and everything, but I’d rather not take them…….understandably.

Viva México

13 Nov 05
We have officially and safely arrived in Mexico, albeit not without incident. There are many stories to tell about this one-day-but-felt-like-ten journey, so I will try to break it down as best I can.

The Day Before
Let me preface this section by stating that I have been in incredibly good spirits, especially after talking to my cousin Will and realizing (again) the amazing opportunity that lies ahead of me, instead of focusing on all the crappy bad stuff that I’m feeling.

So, the day before our departure, Saturday Nov 12, we had a family dinner at my Aunt Joni and Uncle Jerry’s house in Detroit. It ended up being a fantastic idea, and we even took cheesy family pictures with all of us matching. I was too busy visiting to be sad, and it wasn’t until the end that I even got a bit teary eyed. I was very proud!

The Morning Of
Mom, Dad, Keith, Kyle, Karli, Austin and Pat and I all stayed at the Airport Westin for the night seeing as how we had to get up at the ass crack of dawn. Keith and Kyle decided that it would be a good idea to go out in Royal Oak for one last hurrah. Yeah, good idea, until they woke me up at 3:30am asking for directions to the hotel and then again at 4:30am when they finally arrived. Did I mention that I had a 5:30am wake up call? And that I didn’t go to bed until 1:00AM because I was bawling in Pat O’Brien’s arms?

Anyway, everyone came to the terminal to make sure we got all the bags checked – and we ate a quick breakfast. I felt good because everything was checked and went well, and the only thing I had to worry about (which I mentioned to Pat O’Brien) was if the cats would fit under the seat. Wink Wink.

Then, it was time to say goodbye. I was doing great until I got to Karli, and she started crying, then mom started crying, then Keith, then me, then dad, and of course, Pat. It was kind of like the Stand By Me blueberry barf incident, minus the barfing. OK, so it’s really not anything like that. Anyway, of course, as I hugged and kissed Pat O’Brien and said goodbye I was a wreck; which is ironic because I’m going to see him again soon (He’s flying down to see us on December 1).

Cats Galore
So we get to the gate, and an airport chick said “Um, I really don’t think those are going to fit – there is only 9” of space”………and she was correct. So, she said I had to check them in cargo, of which I adamantly rejected. I ended up spending an extra $100 to buy different carriers which luckily American Airlines sold. Those of you who have met my furry feline companions know that Milo, our orange cat, isn’t of small girth. I really felt like I was shoving him into a teeny tiny Chinese food container. He did have enough room though, and I did get to take them on board. The best though, was yet to come.

Barf, Poop, Pee
Keeping with the theme of really bright ideas I decided to not sedate Milo even though I know he doesn’t travel well. Thalia is a dream. All she does is squeak and you can’t even really hear it over the engines. Milo – even though he doesn’t make much noise – tends to make up for it in other regards. So, after our first leg to Chicago, I peeked down to see how he was doing, and sure enough, my nose caught wind of an awful smell. I took him out to see how he was doing, and saw barf. Then a nice little dump pile of poop. Then all the other pee. Then, I saw my pathetic orange cat completely filthy in his own excrement because he has all of two inches to move around. Keith and I managed to get him out, Keith scored a bag and some paper towels, and I went to work to clean Milo and the cage as quickly as I could so we could make our connection. I also popped him a quick tranq.

Really it’s mostly my fault because I put the absorbent “Wee Wee Pads” on upside down. Yeah, really, it’s funny. You’d think the absorbent side would be the soft, cottony side, but apparently I thought putting the plastic side up would be a much much better idea. The mess would have been much easier to clean up if I would have thought about it for more than two seconds.

Immigration, agriculture, customs, my Spanish.
We made it through all of the above with little incident, thanks to my new found Spanish skills. I was very impressed with myself, as was Keith. It’s still pretty broken, but more than functional. And, I was able to complete each step without as much as a hiccup.

Rental car and driving in Mexico City
Until we get to the budget rent-a-car counter. With no one there. For hours. We finally managed to make it to the rental area and get a car, and follow our hosts to our hotel area. I could get into the depths of the frighteningness of driving in Mexico City, but I won’t just yet. Let’s just say, it was a tranquil Sunday afternoon, and I was still pretty white knuckled in a little ford focus.

Apartment, Telephones, Wal-Mart and internet withdrawal
Our apartment wasn’t ready, our phones don’t work, and we don’t have internet service in the apartment. Which meant I couldn’t skype my family and Pat to let them know we were OK. Which, you know, having a laptop it makes me soooooo frustrated to not have wireless or any kind of internet service!!! Anyway, I couldn’t call anyone to tell them we were alive until about 9PM today, central time. Before we got the calling card we managed to navigate in the dark to Wal Mart and find a McDonald’s for some dinner. It was quite an adventure.

But now, we’re settling in. I’ve had a good 30 minute fetal positioned cry on my new bed, the cats are done being pissed at me, and have joined me on the bed instead of under, and, I’m listening to some Jack Johnson. Rest assured in my heart - tomorrow will be a better day.

Quick update - not much time!!!

Hello Everyone!

I just wanted to send a quick note to everyone to let you all know that Keith and I (and my two cats) arrived safely in Mexico on Sunday night. Yesterday, today and tomorrow are devoted to househunting (and we have seen some MAGNIFICANT haciendas/casas!!) and I start work on Thursday. We're right now working on getting Keith some contacts so he can either take classes to learn spanish, or begin teaching English at some schools here. Keep your fingers crossed!!!

The weather here is beautiful! Sunny and 70 all day, low 40s at night! But so far, in our temporary apartment, the best part has been the daily maid service :) I'm definitely going to get used to that!!! All the homes we've looked at have a maid's quarters included!!

OK, off to drink Manzanitas and some Sol.......y mi casa esta siempre abierrto!!!!!After I get work internet access I{ll post the real details, but you will have to patiently wait! :)

The countdown begins.....

First, I shall apologize for not updating much during my two week learning rampage. Seriously, its been WAY tough. I get home and I'm incredibly exhausted. The first day I came home and just layed down in bed and zoned out for a while. My brain was fried. And, even though I was bummed out about my placement, turns out they knew what they were doing :) go figure! It was a great place for me to start, and I've progressed very quickly and very well. Those of you who know me, however, will also know that I don't think I ever progress quickly or well enough!

So, my spanish is coming along. Rather functional, I would say, although it still does take me some time to think about what I'm saying. Thats the problem with engineers! They always take too daggone long to think! It will give me a good foundation for which to learn. I'll be fluent in three months. Anyone want to bet???

Important other goings on - I got a STUPENDOUS going away present from Pat O'Brien - my very own super new fabulous iPod video. Way cool. I also bought a new computer so I won't be computerless my first few months in Mexico.

I can't believe its actuallly happening!!!!!! I got a presentation of pics from my relo company of potential living places......they look pretty darn awesome, and they ALL come with maid service!!!

My Kind of Town - CHICAGO!

I took my first trip solo on the Subway this morning, and managed to get to my destination without turning around one time! Its a record! Pat O'Brien was kind enough to print out a map showing the place I needed to go, and also marked on the map where the train stations were. It worked out pretty well. And, the more important thing, no one manged to grope me on the subway like they did in New York. Hooray!

I'm waiting right now for my spanish class to begin. I'm pretty bummed out. I really thought I had a pretty good head start on the language, and that I would test as an intermediate level. But, to no avail. I tested into the level 2 class, whcih means I'm just a 2nd level beginner. Its a pretty big blow to my ego since I thought I was at like a 4. (Berlitz puts you into levels - 1 - 10) Bummer. Well, at least I know that the class will be benificial, even though I can see myself resisting only talking in Spanish. I just hate doing things that I'm not good at, which also means Pat O'Brien is going to find a very crabby girl at his apartment this afternoon!

Obsessive Compuslive Procrastinating Fatalist

I've determined thats what I am. An obsessive compulsive procrastinating fatalist. I have merely two working days left in Ann Arbor, and I'm convinced that I'm not going to get anything I need done. So, I'm obsessive compulsive thinking about everything that needs to get done, but I'm a procrastinator so nothing ever really gets done, and I'm a fatalist because I'm SURE none of it will ever get done.

So, I procrastinate more and enter posts into my blog.

Today I got my Hepatitus A, Tetanus, and Typhoid vaccinations, along with a lecture about Malaria and Dengae Fever. Really, its enough to make you not want to go to Mexico. But I suppose its better to be safe than sorry. The nurse was rather thourough in her descriptions of things I need to be on the watch for to stay healthy. I also got a perscription for some drugs incase I get a mean bout of Montezuma's Revenge. Its good to be always thinking ahead.

Homeless

Its wierd being back in Ann Arbor when I really don't have a place to call home. I did check into a really snazzy Residence Inn for the week - and could really get used to this place. They have breakfast and dinner prepared everyday by local restaurants, and cleaning service to boot. The room I have is a little studio, maybe 400 sq feet. But its cozy - and I could totally live in a place like this. My plan in life is to not live in a 2500+ sq ft house again......unless I have eight kids :)

The weekend was fun - Pat O'Brien and I had a wedding to go to in Chi-town and we also saw the Bears play the Ravens on Sunday. Soldier Field....way cool. Sitting outside in the rain when its 40 degrees out.....not so cool. Freezing. Really freezing.

The wedding was also very cool. Reception had top shelf liquor and the DJ played pretty good music, despite looking like a complete dork-o. And, I had a great dancing partner all night. Yes, despite my first outing in heels (3 inch heels, mind you) I managed to bust out some little moves Pat O'Brien likes to call "The White Man Dance". Hey man, can you blame me? I'm working not biting the big one while I try to walk in heels here, and he won't let me sit down for more than a minute because "Let Me Clear My Throat" is blaring. Overall though, worth the pain the following morning :) Yes sir, Pat O'Brien is the life of the party :)

Empty House, Full of Memories

It is done. The movers left my home last night about 8:30PM with my life packed away in brown boxes. To be honest, it was a lot tougher than I expected it to be. I think I've been so busy with details, cleaning and getting ready that I had not had any real time to think about what that house meant to me.

(insert sad music here.....think Fix You by Coldplay)

This house was my first real home since I graduated from high school. Sure, I lived in a lot of places, but never for more than a few months or a year at best. I lived in this house for over three years. I poured my heart into painting, fixing, digging, laying sod, decorating. It was a place of some really great memories. As I wandered through room to room, making sure the movers didn't miss anything, a flood of great times came flashing back. Like, the dining/living room filled to the brim with boxes shoved in the middle so Troy and I could paint around them, or when our house was filled with friends trying to be adult and drinking wine before the Mad Dog was busted out, or my Grandma coming to visit and telling me what a beautiful home I had, and that I could fit at least three kids in each of the rooms upstairs. Or, having the entire Mayer family over for Christmas sitting around a tree that took up half the room.

Yes, it was my home. A new chapter of my life is officially beginning, and I'm honestly petrified, but in a really good way. I just have to remember that the house doesn't hold the memories, but rather my heart. Where they will be safe for a long, long time.

As the last box left and I got ready to leave my home for the last time, I wondered if I should leave a light on so it would look like someone was home, as I often did in the past. But I realized it was kind of silly. There was nothing to steal - and nobody was home.

Good bye house! Thanks for the memories :)

My Family!

Here's a great photo taken by Pat O'Brien featuring the whole Mayer Clan, plus Grandma Medel.....it really came out well! I love my family, and I will miss them terribly while I'm gone in Mexico!

¡Amo a mi familia!

Racing Mind.....

Ugh. Its finally catching up with me. I'm doing my best not to stress out completely, but I'm not sure how good of a job I'm doing! There are a trillion things that need to be done, and although I'm chugging through them, I always feel like I'm missing something. My mind is continually racing. In order to cope a bit, I have a pad of paper with me at all times so I can write things down as they pop in my brain. At least that way I won't feel like I'm forgetting anything! *whew* Its intense! Quite frankly, I'm beginning to feel a little crazy.

On a happier, less stressful note - we had a great time Halloween camping! Gumby was a big hit, and our Mad Scientist Lab won the Staff Prize for most creative site! It adds hardware to the awards last year which were Best Decorated and Spookiest site. I think the coolest part this year was the cow tongue we had out on the lab bench that people could actually touch. I just hope that we didn't give anyone mad cow disease or TB.

The funniest part of the whole weekend was listening intently to the end of the Michigan / Penn State game, which apparently half the campground was listening to as well. After that last 1 second play, it felt like the whole campground erupted in hoorays! It was pretty exhilarating! The other hilarious part was the amount kids dressed up as Napoleon Dynamite. There were at least five or six, most did a pretty good job with I Tots and Pedro for president Tshirts along with really high pants and a fuzzy wig. Pretty ingenious.

Alas, now I'm back to the real world and feverishly scrambling to get my life in order before I leave.....say some prayers that I don't loose my mind in the process!

Crutches be gone!

I've officially been authorized to ditch my crutches - although I've been not using them around the house for about a week or so now. It feels liberating! I will still need them for longer distances, but as long as I can walk controlled without a limp, I can not use them! Hip Hip Hooray! I'm well on my way to recovery!

This weekend is our annual halloween camping gig. I'm totally stoked to be able to participate another year - I really thought I'd be gone by now and not able to take part. We're re-using our theme from last year, which is "Dr. Moco's Mad Laboratory". I'll make sure to post pics on Monday. A new addition - our growth experiment will now include a life size Gumby, courtesy of Pat O'Brien! Spooky!

I think the wierdest thing about this weekend is it will be the last time my family will be together before the big move. I'm excited to see my nephew, Austin, and hopefully meet my brother's new girlfriend. A good time to be sure; pending that it doesn't rain all weekend!

Moving is approaching fast - its a harsh reality! Especially when it just dawned on me that they are packing my stuff ONE WEEK FROM TODAY! That means with my trip to Caseville, I only have five more nights in my house. Which also means I have even less time to pack the items I will need for the next 60 days. Whoa, at least 60 days without a real home. Thats going to be crazy! To tell you the truth though, even though I cry a bit when I think about leaving, I know its going to be one of the best decisions I've made in my life. Seriously. I can't wait for this new chapter of discovery and learning to begin!

I'm a Divorcee

Its done. We had our conference with the judge today and everything went well - the judge and clerk were really nice; which helped because we really didn't know what we were doing. The judge was so adorable! Bald old wrinkley head with a big ol' bow tie. He asked us a couple questions about alimony and pensions and such, but nothing earth shattering. No lawyers and all saved us about $5000, but it makes for a little more leg work. All and all, worth it though.

There were a couple cases before us with kids and lots of splitting up and lawyers and stuff - it was super messy and ugly at times. I think there was actually an Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore reference by a lawyer at one point. Funny.

So, the judgement was entered and I am now officially a divorced person. With an ex-husband. It feels pretty wierd. I did cry a little bit on the elevator on the way down, but other than that, it was pretty much relief. One more thing that is closed, one step closer to waiting for my new life to begin.

Coming together....FINALLY!

With my return to work comes, well, work. I've been putting in some killer hours (killer for marketing folk anyway) and its really been draining. Especially since my knee is still bum. I've been engaging in physical labor, and secretly walking without my crutches at home. Lets face it folks, crutches are not on my top ten list of things I love; I'm anxious to ditch them so you can't really blame me. Its been three weeks.

I was chastized by my physical therapist for being up on it too much, and not icing and elevating enough. So, I shall abide by his words of 5 times of icing a day, and 10 minutes each hour of elevating, and see if the swelling and fluid retention improve. I hope so. I hate feeling scar tissue and other crap floating around in my knee. it doesn't hurt, but it feels really wierd.

Anywho, in addition to how productive at work I've been, I've also been very much working at aligning my move. things really are starting to come together. Here's what I have lined up (tenatively) so far:

• Divorce hearing - October 5 (tomorrow!).
• Movers arrive to pack up the house - October 19 & 20
• Closing on the sale of the house - October 24
• Training the new guy - October 24 - 28
• Last meeting with surgeon - October 27
• Last day o' work - October 28
• Intensive language training - October 29 - November 11 in Chicago
• Leave for Mexico - November 12 or 13
• Start working for Holcim Apasco - November 15
• Return to U.S. to bring cats and brother to the motherland - November 23

I'm pretty stoked about having my language training in Chi-Town. That means I get two whole weeks with Pat O'Brien before I leave! And, after 8 hours a day (for 14 days) of speaking/thinking/listening in Spanish, I will be ready for a good shoulder rub, which I'm sure he'll gladly oblige! The place where I'll be taking the immersion training is about a mile and a half from his apartment, so it will be an easy walk if my wheel is running well then. Otherwise, I'll be all about taking the train. This also works out well because Holcim only pays for one week of temporary housing in the U.S.;so I'll use up that one week after the house is sold and mooch off the Irish/Polish man for my remainder of time in the states.

Its all happening pretty quickly. The big ones are getting divorced and selling the house. As soon as the house is sold, I can pay off all my bills and loans, and travel south of the border DEBT FREE!!!!! Can you believe it? I am totally excited for that. The divorce thing should go well. We have a conference with the judge tomorrow - I'm not really sure what that means. I'm figuring they have some question about our paperwork, since it was done by me and all and not by a lawyer. Troy and I will both be there so any questions that do arise should be taken care of right away. If the judge doesn't finalize the divorce then, we'll schedule another date to take care of it. Hopefully if we do have to reschedule, they will be sympathetic to my leaving the country and take care of it pronto!

By the way, I bought a new outfit for the occasion - including really cute suede boots, with heels. I'm going to wear them tomorrow; sometimes fashion has to take priority over pain. If only for a couple hours.

OK - time to gather paperwork for the Wayne County Circuit Court.