Mum's the word

Where did this saying come from anyways? Is it French? I wouldn't be surprised if it is because that has been the theme lately in our lives. Ty and I are racking our brain on when we are actually going to be leaving and I have asked the relocation company 3 times to confirm if and when my application for my visa has been turned in yet and I have heard nothing....

Radio silence......

This is driving us nuts which is funny because we were told it would take 2-3 months once it was processed and mind you, I was told, that August is when the French on are on vacation so it could be longer.. but it might be a lot shorter too. Lovely.  Its really impossible to know when we will board that plane. Somewhere between the 2nd week of September and the 2nd week of October I guess. That would be going off of the 2-3 months from when I turned everything in.  I whipped out a calendar the other day to come up with Scenario A.. leaving in 2 months and Scenario B... leaving in 3 and those were the dates I came up with. Its a  good thing my work background is in scheduling, who knew I could apply it to real life outside of work as well? This did not include the month of August being a vacation month either so it could be longer I guess. My Mom said, it could be Thanksgiving time.  Please lord no! This sugar momma needs to get to work, 9-5 baby. Hook me up. 

So last night we were toying with the idea of staying a hotel in SF until we can leave and blogging from the bar each night. We were imagining the characters we would meet from all over the world coming to stay in SF to visit during the summer. We were at the Hilton last night having a drink at Cityscape with my family and we came downstairs at 9:45 to go home (school night) and the place was hoppin'.  People from ALL over were sitting and talking and enjoying themselves from what looked like all over the globe.  I always thought it would be fun to experience SF as a tourist and what a better way, than to just plant yourself at a hotel downtown?  We will see. It actually might make sense.  Maid service, breakfast, and fresh towels everyday.  Doesn't sound that bad, does it?  

I realized yesterday that in 2 weeks we will need to start the move process. Its been on my calendar for over a month but reality is setting in.  Our vacation is over, my family is no longer in town and time is a tickin... faster than normal, I swear!

Its funny, I know it will happen but since I have not heard anything, it seems like it is never going to happen. But I am going to assume that no news is good news. I was warned it would take awhile and that I wouldn't hear anything for sometime, but the reality is still unsettling. Just makes me realize one of the many social/cultural differences between the French and Americans. We like constant reassurance, they play it cool.  

I wish I had more information and a more fun update for you. I promise the second I hear anything to write about it here.  

We will get there... and will have much more stories for you soon, in 2-3 months and keep in mind that August is a vacation month, but it could be shorter. haha

Prozac anyone?

HAHA .. Wow.. My yesterday post was kind of a downer!
I guess thats the point of keeping a blog though -- to remember how your felt, right when you felt it!

Today actually feels a bit better.. Much like yesterday, there is no reason for this... It just feels better..

Maybe it feels better because today is also Court's birthday! We have secret plans for tonight, which I am not revealing yet, because she may read this and spoil the surprise!

Also, I got news that a few of my whale shark photos have a good shot at getting published in the next issue of Shark Diver Magazine! This is really a shark diver dream come true! Shark Diver is our sports only real magazine, and to have photos published in it makes me feel great both as a diver, and as a photographer! That would really be amazing! This is one of the shots I'm talking about:


This is a super low res version.... But the idea is there... I was PUMPED when I downloaded my shots and this one came up!!

Anyhow.. No new news.. Just minor updates....

So a few days have gone by----

Court and I had an amazing time in Mexico - Could not have been better -

This island was magical. I have never been to a place where stress and worry seem to just melt away..
So different from Cancun.. Where our hotel concierge tried to push us to try the new OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE down the road when we asked for someplace "Good and authentic."

Holbox is one of those places where you leave your shoes, blackberry, and watch on the boat when you arrive. There is no use for them there. As one of our guides said, "There are two times here.. Day and night."

I came back feeling like I had taken a year off...I haven't worn a watch since. Which I suppose is why I have been staying away from this blog for a while. As my life in the states seemed for the first time in months relaxed, the reality of our situation and move to Provence has seemingly been in a constant decline.

The Visa issues have been discussed earlier in the blog, so no point in reiterating that point. In fact, I cant really pinpoint what is making this move seem more difficult.. There has been no "new" news.. Which in a sense is both good and bad. However, my impending last day of work is creeping up on us, and with a last day of work, comes a last day of paychecks.

I originally jumped the gun, and assumed we would be leaving Sept 1st. I would stop work August 15th, and spend the next 2 weeks packing and moving us to our awaiting storage unit. then we would get on a plane and leave. Now however, we have no idea when we will in fact be leaving.

As I said, none of this is really 'new' news.... I suppose we jumped the gun on resigning our jobs and buying plane tickets. I dont know what is making it feel so difficult. Perhaps it is the reality of the situation.. The coping tactic of "it will work itself out" which seemed so effective months ago, is no longer reliable.

I know that getting off the place in Provence will make this all worth it....

...

This sums the day up better than any words possibly could.

Does not working make it a vacation??

More news on the "Tyler needs a job" front.

So we found out that when I go over with C, that it is illegal for me to work. Yeah, sounds awesome. I thought so to.

Turns out also, that we need money for things like food and shelter. Merde (<-- I'm glad I learned this French word early because I'm sure I will be saying it A LOT).

We just learned that if I do manage to find a job, I can petition the French govt. to have my long stay visa turned into a work visa.. This also comes with a 1300 Euro application fee. That fee does not guarantee acceptance, either.

I guess as long as I have a shovel, overalls, a glimmering smile, and a mastering of the French version of "I dig you ditch" I will be OK.. But I really (And I cannot stress enough how REALLY) don't want it to come to this.

Moby Dick

2 big things in our lives are about to happen. The first one you already know about, we are moving to France. Duh!  The other one is that I am pregnant. Just kidding. 

(Sorry Mom, I know that wasn't funny)

The other one really is totally different and equally if not more terrifying than moving to another country and being away from your regular life for an undisclosed amount of time. This Saturday we take off for Cancun, Mexico to go diving with Whale Sharks.  I am have been thinking, how did my vacation sitting on the beach in a bikini with a good book and a bucket of beers turn into roughing it on 6am boat tours to jump in the cold water with a shark as big as a semi truck?  I have been planning on packing my new bather, some cute cover ups that I ordered from Victoria's secret and finding some cute sun hats to save my ever aging face from getting anymore wrinkles! You know, priorities?  I just got an email from the director of this trip saying we need wetsuits, to stock up on anything we might need from a pharmacy, and safety instructions for getting in the water 50 feet away from the whale shark. I am not going to lie, I am terrified and my little relaxing vacation is sounding more and more like my worst nightmare. I haven't been able to sleep all week. In my head, I have been looking forward to my first vision of a regular Mexico vacation but the harsh reality of this trip is setting in... fast.  You might say, you are complaining about a trip to Mexico? I am not, just realizing that this is really going to be an awesome experience and one that I was clearly not prepared for.  Its not quite the same as moving 1/2 way across the world but its like a starter life scare just to let us know what it feels like to be alive. I like experiences like that because out of the monotony of normal life, you don't get a good prospective or opportunity to realize the everyday normalcy's are truly precious and shouldn't be taken for granted either. 

Large animals in the water have always scared me, this is a huge fear of mine so maybe it is different for me than someone else. But I have always wanted to do something that truly terrifies me before I turn 30. Check. I will be 29 in 2 weeks, so I guess I will have to find something else after this one.  Maybe I can get an extra credit for this one? 

I have heard the phrase, "Do something that scares you everyday", but I am going to live my something different, do something that terrifies you once a year. I like to get more bang for my buck.

Here is a video of what these things look like:

Realization Day

Today will forever be known as realization day..

Today seemed to be the day that we realized that there are a lot of parts in this move that are going to be a total pain in the ass.

We are sort of running low on time, in the sense that we leave for France in 6 weeks, and we still have no idea when Court actually starts working.. It could be Sept 15th, or it could be November.. We really have no idea!

Also, we need to send a lot of documentation over to get our visas..

OH... We JUST also found out that my visa will make it actually ILLEGAL for me to wor

k in France, and if I do find a job, they "might" be able to make it a work visa but there are no guarantees.

Thank God there is wine there!

This is feeling real!

Yesterday we rented our town house! I was actually shocked at how many people were interested! C had joked that the ideal renter would be a couple with no kids and are allergic to animals. We totally laughed at the idea, but that is exactly what we found!

This really relives me quite a bit. The two things I was most worried about were finding renters and getting out of my car lease. One down!