I thought I'd post a quick update while the kids (and Ben) nap here in our hotel room at POP Century Resort.
This has been a whirlwind week (plus some), but things are good with us. I had a lovely send-off with my fabulous B&N co-workers on Saturday the 7th. That same day, Ben's mom flew in to help with the girls while Ben and I finished packing up the house, which was an absolute disaster. Packing, I mean. We seem to have underestimated the time it would take, so we ended up crying uncle and calling Two Men & a Truck to save the day. I honestly do not know how we would have gotten it all done without their help. They managed to move everything to storage in just over 3 hours. Even with their assistance, it took a gargantuan effort on our parts to get it all done. We had hopes of leaving just after Ben's last lecture, but we didn't depart Champaign until nearly 5pm on Wednesday. We drove to our usual stopping point of Sikeston, MO and continued on to the MS Gulf Coast on Thursday.
Ben's mother, Terri, took the girls and I to see Disney on Ice on Friday morning, and the girls had haircuts in the afternoon. After a nice visit with Ben's grandmother, we managed to throw our stuff in the suitcases and finally got to sleep around 1 o'clock.
We woke up at 4 a.m. and left at 5:30 to drive to New Orleans for our 9 o'clock flight. Only the excitement of Disney was keeping me upright at that point. I honestly have never been more exhausted, but we made it here, thank God. The girls are having an absolute blast, and none of us want to ever leave. Avery has been such a brave girl, riding Expedition Everest, Soarin', Test Track, and Mission Space. Carsyn has loved seeing the princesses and riding Dumbo. We've had a great time, and I'll go into more detail in another post.
That's all for now. I apologize if none of this makes sense. We're exhausted, but in a good (read: Disney) way.
By the way, if you're reading, PLEASE comment! I know lots of you "like" on Facebook, but it's also nice to have comments on my blog.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Counting Down - One Week (Eek!)
Since I have a minute while the girls are occupied, I thought I'd take a minute to post some updates on "Phase I" of our move. We're leaving Champaign one week from today!
I've been posting Craigslist ads left and right and have managed to get rid of most of our junk. I gave away a very worn out, yet still comfy chair, there's someone coming for our mattresses on Sunday, and our washer/dryer set has some interest. We've hired a junk hauler for a few things, though I'm hoping that when placed by the side of the road and marked "free", someone will just take them off our hands.
Ben has done the majority of de-junking and boxing up. God bless him. It is certainly a task. He's gone room by room mostly just cleaning out things that need to be thrown away. Many things that were stored in the garage have already been moved to storage. It's a start, but there's still so much left to do. I'll jump in heavily on Sunday when Ben's mom is here to help with the girls.
Moving day is Tuesday. We've rented a Penske truck and are hoping to do it ourselves, but one thing we did decide to take some help on is cleaning the house after we get everything out. We're having a cleaning service come in and clean the carpets, appliances, and pretty much everything else. If you've ever moved, you know what a help that will be to us.
We'll be staying at a hotel on Tuesday night. Ben's mom is flying home on Wednesday and taking Avery with her. Ben and I will take Carsyn and Kendall on our long drive to Mississippi. We'll leave just after Ben's class and take two days for the trip. Then, of course, we're flying to Disney on Saturday.
I'm exhausted just thinking about it. If I didn't have three children to look after, I'd take a nap. If only I could get away with sleeping as much as Kendall.
I've been posting Craigslist ads left and right and have managed to get rid of most of our junk. I gave away a very worn out, yet still comfy chair, there's someone coming for our mattresses on Sunday, and our washer/dryer set has some interest. We've hired a junk hauler for a few things, though I'm hoping that when placed by the side of the road and marked "free", someone will just take them off our hands.
Ben has done the majority of de-junking and boxing up. God bless him. It is certainly a task. He's gone room by room mostly just cleaning out things that need to be thrown away. Many things that were stored in the garage have already been moved to storage. It's a start, but there's still so much left to do. I'll jump in heavily on Sunday when Ben's mom is here to help with the girls.
Moving day is Tuesday. We've rented a Penske truck and are hoping to do it ourselves, but one thing we did decide to take some help on is cleaning the house after we get everything out. We're having a cleaning service come in and clean the carpets, appliances, and pretty much everything else. If you've ever moved, you know what a help that will be to us.
We'll be staying at a hotel on Tuesday night. Ben's mom is flying home on Wednesday and taking Avery with her. Ben and I will take Carsyn and Kendall on our long drive to Mississippi. We'll leave just after Ben's class and take two days for the trip. Then, of course, we're flying to Disney on Saturday.
I'm exhausted just thinking about it. If I didn't have three children to look after, I'd take a nap. If only I could get away with sleeping as much as Kendall.
French Consulate, Part Two
In my last post, I wrote about the various documents and procedures required in securing our French long-stay visas. Today I'll talk about the actual appointment at the French Consulate of Chicago.
As I mentioned before, children under 6 years of age are not required to appear in person, so we got a sitter for the day. It had snowed the day before, it was bitterly cold, and I was thankful that we didn't have to drag the kids out in that weather. There were a few icy patches on the roads, but we had no trouble at all getting to Chicago.
Now it's time for good news, bad news. The good news is that we easily found an underground parking spot close to the consulate, and we didn't have to step out into the icy Chicago wind. The bad news is that we were about 15 minutes too late to get the early bird special and paid an obscene amount for our glorious spot. Oops.
Once we arrived at the consulate, we had to check in at the security desk. We handed over our drivers' licenses, and the receptionist confirmed our appointments and handed us passes with bar codes. She mumbled something that Ben seemed to understand, so we set off for the elevators to our right. He scanned his pass and entered through the gate. I had plenty of time to dart in behind him, so I did.
The alarms blared immediately and loudly. I could have died right then and there. The security agent (smirking) came over and took my pass. She punched in a code, scanned my pass, and waved me on. I was beet-red and mortified, but we hopped in an elevator and quickly rose to the 37th floor.
After a wrong turn despite the sign giving us clear directions right in front of us, we arrived at the visa section of the consulate. It was a small office with small uncomfortable chairs that looked very French. We placed our passes inside the window as a sign directed us to do and had a seat. There was a gardening show on a small television, in French of course. I was a bundle of nerves, but it wasn't very long before a man called Ben to the window. I stayed behind, assuming they'd call me separately. However, the man took all the paperwork from Ben and only called me over for a picture. He said our visas would take a week to ten days to process. The whole thing took less than 15 minutes.
Relieved that something so crucial to our move had been taken care of, Ben and I were without our children in one of the greatest cities in America. So, we did what anyone in our situation would do: sought out some sights. I knew I wanted to go to Millennium Park to see Cloud Gate (aka: The Bean), but we really had no other plans, unless you count Garrett's Popcorn. I count it. It's fabulous.
Credit: Getty Images
We set out for Millennium Park. Cloud Gate is amazing. Truly. I wasn't expecting to think much of it, but it is fantastic. I love the way it reflects the skyline. Perfection. If you're ever in Chicago, go see it.
After walking a couple of blocks in the wrong direction, we set off north of the Chicago River for lunch. Unfortunately, we were complete unorganized and had no idea where we should go, so we stopped in one of the many Starbucks to warm up a bit with some coffee. I knew there was a burger place I was interested in, but I convinced myself it was several blocks away. In reality, it was literally right across the street from the Starbucks. Ah well, we ended up at Pizzeria Due, which is the sister store to the famous Pizzeria Uno. It was a long lunch stop because the pizzas took 40 minutes, but it was nice to be out of the wind for a while. The pizzas were good, not anything fabulous.
Next we headed to Garrett's Popcorn. I heard about this place on Oprah years ago, and I've been obsessed ever since. When faced with a decision between cheese and caramel popcorn, I just cannot choose. At Garrett's I don't have to, thanks to their Chicago Mix. It's equal parts of both, mixed together. When I first had it back in February when we were in Chicago for Avery's big American Girl birthday extravaganza, I carefully started picking out the cheese and caramel separately. Then, I got lazy and just grabbed a handful. This was a life-changing moment. Seriously, the best popcorn I've ever had. Of course, the Chicago Mix is what I wanted this time as well, so Ben and I got a large bag. We got the girls a small bag of Gingerbread Caramel and later wished we'd bought a large bag of that as well.
Sadly, it was time to head home. We made promises to return to Chicago and explore further when we return from France. We have since received our passports with visas stamped inside, so all is set. The trip was both successful and enjoyable.
Relieved that something so crucial to our move had been taken care of, Ben and I were without our children in one of the greatest cities in America. So, we did what anyone in our situation would do: sought out some sights. I knew I wanted to go to Millennium Park to see Cloud Gate (aka: The Bean), but we really had no other plans, unless you count Garrett's Popcorn. I count it. It's fabulous.
We set out for Millennium Park. Cloud Gate is amazing. Truly. I wasn't expecting to think much of it, but it is fantastic. I love the way it reflects the skyline. Perfection. If you're ever in Chicago, go see it.
After walking a couple of blocks in the wrong direction, we set off north of the Chicago River for lunch. Unfortunately, we were complete unorganized and had no idea where we should go, so we stopped in one of the many Starbucks to warm up a bit with some coffee. I knew there was a burger place I was interested in, but I convinced myself it was several blocks away. In reality, it was literally right across the street from the Starbucks. Ah well, we ended up at Pizzeria Due, which is the sister store to the famous Pizzeria Uno. It was a long lunch stop because the pizzas took 40 minutes, but it was nice to be out of the wind for a while. The pizzas were good, not anything fabulous.
Next we headed to Garrett's Popcorn. I heard about this place on Oprah years ago, and I've been obsessed ever since. When faced with a decision between cheese and caramel popcorn, I just cannot choose. At Garrett's I don't have to, thanks to their Chicago Mix. It's equal parts of both, mixed together. When I first had it back in February when we were in Chicago for Avery's big American Girl birthday extravaganza, I carefully started picking out the cheese and caramel separately. Then, I got lazy and just grabbed a handful. This was a life-changing moment. Seriously, the best popcorn I've ever had. Of course, the Chicago Mix is what I wanted this time as well, so Ben and I got a large bag. We got the girls a small bag of Gingerbread Caramel and later wished we'd bought a large bag of that as well.
Sadly, it was time to head home. We made promises to return to Chicago and explore further when we return from France. We have since received our passports with visas stamped inside, so all is set. The trip was both successful and enjoyable.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
French Consulate, La Premiére Partie
A week ago, Ben and I visited the French Consulate in Chicago to obtain visas for our stay in France. Most people who visit France as tourists don't need visas, but if you plan to stay more than 3 months and/or work while there, you need one, and the process can be a little daunting.
First, you have to decide what kind of visa you need, and there are many different ones depending on what your purpose is for visiting France. Ben applied for a long stay visa for scientists, researchers, and university teachers since he'll be doing research while there. This particular visa allows a spouse (me) to work while in France, though it is highly unlikely I'll be able to find work while there due to my francophone deficiency, not to mention the fact that I have three small children.
One of the key requirements of this type of visa is a convention d'accueil. Basically, that's a formal invitation from the institution hosting Ben (Institut Fourier). In order to get the document, Ben had to scan and email proof of his NSF award ($$$), identification documents, and proof of insurance. We received the convention several weeks ago via Express mail. The only English words were Ben's name, so naturally I have no idea what it said.
Now that we knew what kind of visa we needed and had the convention in hand, we were ready to make our appointments at the consulate in Chicago. There are several French consulates in the U.S., and each one has a region it serves. I guess it's a good thing we live just 2.5 hours south of Chicago.
First, you have to decide what kind of visa you need, and there are many different ones depending on what your purpose is for visiting France. Ben applied for a long stay visa for scientists, researchers, and university teachers since he'll be doing research while there. This particular visa allows a spouse (me) to work while in France, though it is highly unlikely I'll be able to find work while there due to my francophone deficiency, not to mention the fact that I have three small children.
One of the key requirements of this type of visa is a convention d'accueil. Basically, that's a formal invitation from the institution hosting Ben (Institut Fourier). In order to get the document, Ben had to scan and email proof of his NSF award ($$$), identification documents, and proof of insurance. We received the convention several weeks ago via Express mail. The only English words were Ben's name, so naturally I have no idea what it said.
Now that we knew what kind of visa we needed and had the convention in hand, we were ready to make our appointments at the consulate in Chicago. There are several French consulates in the U.S., and each one has a region it serves. I guess it's a good thing we live just 2.5 hours south of Chicago.
I'm betting 90% of my U.S. readers would visit the Atlanta consulate.
Once appointments were made with the Chicago consulate, we sought about gathering the many documents required. Each consulate has a website with specific documents they want you to have and these may vary by individual consulates. They're also subject to change at any time, so you need to keep checking. We had heard that the French can be quite picky with their documents and possibly request more than what is listed, so we made extra copies of everything. Ben organized all of our documents into five folders labeled with our names. This made things go a bit more smoothly than they would have otherwise. We each needed: valid passport + 1 copy, 99 euro (You didn't think they were free, did you?), long stay visa application, passport sized ID photo, marriage license +1 copy (me), birth certificates +1 copy (kids), Ben's convention +2 copies, residence application form, and one postage-paid express mail envelope.
Daunting indeed. Next up, the consulate visit and our day in Chicago.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Stuff
When we moved from our home of six years in Georgia, we paired down our belongings significantly. I essentially allowed Ben to go through our belongings and get rid of anything he wanted. We won't mention the fact that these items included many baby items that then ten-month-old Carsyn had outgrown, and since we weren't going to be having any more babies, were unnecessary.
Wait. I think I did just mention it.
Anyway, the point of all of that is to say that we got rid of a bunch of stuff. Still, a year and a half later we have more items to sell/donate/trash. Lots of these items are baby related. We will definitely not be having any more children, so I'm looking to Craigslist and a local consignment boutique to help me sell those items. We also have furniture and appliances that aren't worth storing for two years. We're not quite sure what to do about those, but they aren't staying.
Even with all the items we're getting rid of, we still have quite a few things that are worth storing, so on Tuesday Ben and I went in search of an affordable, safe, climate-controled storage unit. There were three on our list to start. The first was okay, a typical storage unit located just off the interstate. The second absolutely blew us away. Please don't judge me for making such a statement about a storage unit (of all things). This place was brand spankin' new, had a security system that would make Batman whistle, and the owner was amazingly nice. It was a few bucks more per month than place #1, but we were sold. I did ask about a discount for such a long-term rental, and the guy gave us a month for free. He even threw in a free lock!
I'm gushing, aren't I? I'm sorry, it's just that we haven't encountered many truly kind people here in the midwest. I know some of you will be offended in reading that, but it's absolutely true. Midwesterners are sort of aloof, even when they're trying to sell you something. This guy had it right. So, that's my plug for Country Fair Self Storage. By the way, we never made it to the third place. It was significantly more per month than options one and two, plus the second place was all we could have hoped for.
Today Ben began the daunting task of cleaning out the garage. He made quite a dent and transferred about 1/4 of its contents to our unit. Hey, it's progress.
I'm off now to take pictures of baby items for Craigslist, and I'll leave you with one of my favorite internet graphics ever. Ben is the brawn, but I am the Tetris expert.
Wait. I think I did just mention it.
Anyway, the point of all of that is to say that we got rid of a bunch of stuff. Still, a year and a half later we have more items to sell/donate/trash. Lots of these items are baby related. We will definitely not be having any more children, so I'm looking to Craigslist and a local consignment boutique to help me sell those items. We also have furniture and appliances that aren't worth storing for two years. We're not quite sure what to do about those, but they aren't staying.
Even with all the items we're getting rid of, we still have quite a few things that are worth storing, so on Tuesday Ben and I went in search of an affordable, safe, climate-controled storage unit. There were three on our list to start. The first was okay, a typical storage unit located just off the interstate. The second absolutely blew us away. Please don't judge me for making such a statement about a storage unit (of all things). This place was brand spankin' new, had a security system that would make Batman whistle, and the owner was amazingly nice. It was a few bucks more per month than place #1, but we were sold. I did ask about a discount for such a long-term rental, and the guy gave us a month for free. He even threw in a free lock!
I'm gushing, aren't I? I'm sorry, it's just that we haven't encountered many truly kind people here in the midwest. I know some of you will be offended in reading that, but it's absolutely true. Midwesterners are sort of aloof, even when they're trying to sell you something. This guy had it right. So, that's my plug for Country Fair Self Storage. By the way, we never made it to the third place. It was significantly more per month than options one and two, plus the second place was all we could have hoped for.
Today Ben began the daunting task of cleaning out the garage. He made quite a dent and transferred about 1/4 of its contents to our unit. Hey, it's progress.
I'm off now to take pictures of baby items for Craigslist, and I'll leave you with one of my favorite internet graphics ever. Ben is the brawn, but I am the Tetris expert.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
We're Moving to France!
At some point I'd love to share the whole (long, drawn-out) story of how this came to be, but for now just pretend you're up to speed. The time is near, and preparations are being made. Big preparations. In fact, just this weekend we secured temporary housing in Grenoble. Ben and I are ridiculously excited about our little apartment in the heart of the city. Neither of us has ever lived in a city before, so it's bound to be an adjustment; however, we are going into it open-minded and ready for adventure.
We're thrilled with having found a place, but we're a bit concerned that it won't be big enough for us long-term. That's why we decided to reserve it for two months with the option of continuing if it does end up being appropriate for our family of five. We're optimistic, especially since we've both agreed that we'd like to keep living costs down in order to "see" Europe in the two years we'll be living there.
Our apartment building. Thanks to Google's street view, I'm becoming familiar with the neighborhood already.
While having a place to stay at least initially in Grenoble is a huge relief to check off our to-do list, there are still many, many things that need to happen in the very short time we have left in the United States. Next week, Ben and I are heading to Chicago to obtain our long-stay visas at the French Consulate. This requires a lot of paper work that hasn't even been started yet. Adults have to appear in person, but mercifully we're able to leave the girls with a sitter. Schlepping my three little ones through the streets of Chicago is not how I'd like to acclimate myself to city life.
So that's where we are right now. This adventure began nearly three years ago, and now we're within double-digit days of departure. I can't even begin to convey my excitement!
I'll leave you with a timeline of our adventures-to-be...
November 12: Visa appointments at the French Consulate of Chicago
December 7: T (Ben's mom) comes to help watch the girls during our final days in C-U
December 11: Depart Champaign
December 12: Arrive in MS to stay with Ben's parents until we leave for France
December 14-20: Ben, Avery, Carsyn, and I will go to Disney World.
January 12: Bye-Bye America!
January 13: Bonjour France!
We're thrilled with having found a place, but we're a bit concerned that it won't be big enough for us long-term. That's why we decided to reserve it for two months with the option of continuing if it does end up being appropriate for our family of five. We're optimistic, especially since we've both agreed that we'd like to keep living costs down in order to "see" Europe in the two years we'll be living there.
Our apartment building. Thanks to Google's street view, I'm becoming familiar with the neighborhood already.
While having a place to stay at least initially in Grenoble is a huge relief to check off our to-do list, there are still many, many things that need to happen in the very short time we have left in the United States. Next week, Ben and I are heading to Chicago to obtain our long-stay visas at the French Consulate. This requires a lot of paper work that hasn't even been started yet. Adults have to appear in person, but mercifully we're able to leave the girls with a sitter. Schlepping my three little ones through the streets of Chicago is not how I'd like to acclimate myself to city life.
So that's where we are right now. This adventure began nearly three years ago, and now we're within double-digit days of departure. I can't even begin to convey my excitement!
I'll leave you with a timeline of our adventures-to-be...
November 12: Visa appointments at the French Consulate of Chicago
December 7: T (Ben's mom) comes to help watch the girls during our final days in C-U
December 11: Depart Champaign
December 12: Arrive in MS to stay with Ben's parents until we leave for France
December 14-20: Ben, Avery, Carsyn, and I will go to Disney World.
January 12: Bye-Bye America!
January 13: Bonjour France!
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