We’ve been talking about our upcoming trip for so long I’m sure there are people who see me around town and think, “You’re still here???” Plan A was to arrive in Mexico on August 1st, but when we found our house and the lease began on July 1st, we tried to switch to Plan B and go earlier. Because of a last-minute work trip we ended up back with Plan A except arriving on July 30th. The last month or so has been a series of get-togethers and “last times,” which will continue for the next 18 days – the last trip to Mad Willies for ice cream, last day spent in my office, last touch-up painting to be done, last night sitting around the patio table with friends.
All of this build-up was starting to get to me…not the actual events but the pressure to get everything done, get the tasks checked off the list, and the idea that this is the last time I’ll see someone or be somewhere. It’s really not the last time. It’s just a break, and the clock has already started ticking on our lease so by the time we leave we will likely only be gone for 11 months. Still a long time, yes, but once I started telling myself that we’re preparing for a long vacation (little white lie to self), it didn’t seem so overwhelming.
We’ve made more progress in the last couple of weeks. I think I’ve got the finances in order…I opened a second bank account as a back-up and got a credit card that doesn’t charge international fees. I finished a couple of work projects and spent most of this week with our apprentices, so the next two weeks will be more flexible work-wise. Ben has been working hard to get the yard in order, and is going through the process to take a leave of absence from work. He will be staying in the ‘Ham for a little while after the rest of us go, so knowing that I can leave a honey-do list is a big help.
One big relief has been resolving our prescription situation. There are 5 prescriptions that are critical for us to have – especially Norah who has to take thyroid medicine every day because of her thyroidectomy. There is a mail service that will deliver prescriptions to us, but I need to have at least a few months’ supply on hand to feel comfortable. I had a chat with the pharmacist and found out that I’ve basically been paying full price for our prescriptions anyway, because our health care plan changed and we haven’t reached our deductible yet. So if I paid $16 for a 2-month prescription I was thinking that the insurance was saving me big bucks, but $16 was the actual cost. I can buy as much medication as I want to take with me and the only difference is that I’m paying for it sooner. In a funny coincidence, I “met” (via email) a mom who is moving from San Miguel de Allende to Fort Worth for a year so her kids can have the experience of living in the US, and she gave me the name of a doctor who can do our lab work and make sure the dosage is correct while we’re there. I feel like we’re well set for health care.
This week we’ll finish getting the house in order, do some more purging, and we also need to update our wills and other legal paperwork. That’s one great thing about this process…all of the stuff that has been put off for years finally has an end-date. I think we’ve finished most of the last-minute shopping, and next week we’ll squeeze everything into 8 big bags, 4 carry-ons, and 4 personal items. After filling one entire bag with Aliya’s winter wardrobe, I’m hoping we have enough room for it all. Knowing that Ben is coming later, and that we’ll have other visitors throughout the year takes the pressure off a bit.
Here are some photos from our recent family gatherings…
Duende’s Birthday!
BBQ at Uncle Brady & Auntie Monica’s…
Water balloons…
