Getting on the plane today to the Netherlands! Andrew says they got about 3 inches of snow this morning. He walked me around the house with his computer while we talked via Skype so I could see it! It's beautiful!!!
So, I'm bringing a couple of extra scarves and gloves!
My husband and I are expats. We have relocated to the Netherlands from California, USA. My blog began with our preparations to leave all we knew and continues through our journey in our new home! Join me in our adventure!
Friday, February 3, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
House about ready to put on the market!
Today, being my day off work, I am at home while there are workers fixing all the things called on the termite report-mostly water damage problems outside and under one of the sliding glass doors. Our realtor came over earlier with a woman to take pictures for the virtual tour. I'm hoping the house shows well and will sell quickly, we just don't know what will happen in the market. I hope a nice family can buy the house so my neighbor's kids will have someone to play with! It's getting more difficult the closer I get to putting it on the market to think about selling and not living here anymore. On the other hand, I'm ready to move on to the next chapter!
Last week my father-in-law was in the hospital for pneumonia. A few days ago his doctor called me and said they'd be releasing him Thursday, but that he would need help when he's sent home. They did not want him to be alone anymore. So, frantically, I called and emailed people that could help me find a new home for him where he could be comfortable and get the help he needs. I went and looked at a Board and Care home and an Assisted Living facility. I had to do all this and work full-time too. Yikes! Both places are close to the hospital where he will have doctor appointments. The Board and Care home was nice, but I think he would be bored there. He would also have to share a bathroom with the other five residents. He is still "with it" mentally, and I think he may not do well there without things to do and more people to socialize with.
So, I chose to have him live in the Assisted Living place. They will have three meals a day for him (and the food looks good!), and he can get snacks anytime he'd like. They will figure out his medications, order them for him and dispense them to him when he needs them. Less for him to worry about. He has a nice sized room, like a studio apartment. He has his own bathroom and shower. They will transport him to doctor appointments when necessary. He also has a life alert buzzer to wear around his neck in case he needs help, someone is always there. They also have all kinds of activities for him to get involved in. I hope he likes it.
Now we have to move everything out of his apartment at the Senior Living place he was at before. We'll have to find someone to take his furniture or sell it somehow. Then, make sure we bring all his personal items over to his new place. We have to buy him a bed because the one he has at his other apartment is too big for his room.
Last week my father-in-law was in the hospital for pneumonia. A few days ago his doctor called me and said they'd be releasing him Thursday, but that he would need help when he's sent home. They did not want him to be alone anymore. So, frantically, I called and emailed people that could help me find a new home for him where he could be comfortable and get the help he needs. I went and looked at a Board and Care home and an Assisted Living facility. I had to do all this and work full-time too. Yikes! Both places are close to the hospital where he will have doctor appointments. The Board and Care home was nice, but I think he would be bored there. He would also have to share a bathroom with the other five residents. He is still "with it" mentally, and I think he may not do well there without things to do and more people to socialize with.
So, I chose to have him live in the Assisted Living place. They will have three meals a day for him (and the food looks good!), and he can get snacks anytime he'd like. They will figure out his medications, order them for him and dispense them to him when he needs them. Less for him to worry about. He has a nice sized room, like a studio apartment. He has his own bathroom and shower. They will transport him to doctor appointments when necessary. He also has a life alert buzzer to wear around his neck in case he needs help, someone is always there. They also have all kinds of activities for him to get involved in. I hope he likes it.
Now we have to move everything out of his apartment at the Senior Living place he was at before. We'll have to find someone to take his furniture or sell it somehow. Then, make sure we bring all his personal items over to his new place. We have to buy him a bed because the one he has at his other apartment is too big for his room.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
1/2 way point (this time.......)
So, Andrew and I are at the half way point till we are together again!
Andrew got the internet hooked up in the house yesterday so he was able to walk around the house with his laptop and show me the house while we were talking via Skype! It's starting to look like a home! When I get there we'll go get a couple of rugs, a bed for the master bedroom and a few other little things and we'll be set....it's a small house, so not much to buy...
I've been working on getting all the paperwork together to file for my retirement. There are two places I need to file and it has to be done simultaneously. After work today I stopped at Office Max and got a few folders to help organize all the paperwork. I'll have to bring some of the things to the Netherlands with me so I can go over the choices that have to be made with Andrew. All of the choices are irrevocable...soooo, we need to get it right!
Today I went to Cost Plus and stocked up on items to send to Kevin and another Marine over in Afghanistan. I will need to go shopping for a few more things to fill the boxes. It's fun gathering things together for them!
The other night a friend and her husband were kind enough to have me over for dinner and teach me how to use my IPAD! I had no idea you could do so much on that thing! Apparently there's still a lot more to learn too......
The realtor and woman who will help stage the house are coming over next week to put the finishing touches on the house! After that they will film the house and yard for the virtual tour.
Andrew got the internet hooked up in the house yesterday so he was able to walk around the house with his laptop and show me the house while we were talking via Skype! It's starting to look like a home! When I get there we'll go get a couple of rugs, a bed for the master bedroom and a few other little things and we'll be set....it's a small house, so not much to buy...
I've been working on getting all the paperwork together to file for my retirement. There are two places I need to file and it has to be done simultaneously. After work today I stopped at Office Max and got a few folders to help organize all the paperwork. I'll have to bring some of the things to the Netherlands with me so I can go over the choices that have to be made with Andrew. All of the choices are irrevocable...soooo, we need to get it right!
Today I went to Cost Plus and stocked up on items to send to Kevin and another Marine over in Afghanistan. I will need to go shopping for a few more things to fill the boxes. It's fun gathering things together for them!
The other night a friend and her husband were kind enough to have me over for dinner and teach me how to use my IPAD! I had no idea you could do so much on that thing! Apparently there's still a lot more to learn too......
The realtor and woman who will help stage the house are coming over next week to put the finishing touches on the house! After that they will film the house and yard for the virtual tour.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Overtime today
Went for overtime today from 0630-1330hrs. After work I went over to a shredding company where I had 7 boxes of old paperwork (yessssss, I had old tax paperwork from the late 70's to get rid of!) shredded as I watched. Afterwards I went to my father-in-law's apartment to pick up some of his medication (an inhaler for his emphysema and some eye drops for his glaucoma). Then I dropped some things off at my daughter and son-in-law's house and headed out to visit my father-in-law in Emeryville. When I got there he told me about some paintings in the hallway where he is living right now that he wants to try to replicate. He is quite an artist, but hasn't painted in a long time. I took pictures of the paintings, sent them to Walmart.com and I'm having prints made so he can have them in his apartment when he gets home. I'm hoping this will inspire him to start painting again! If nothing else, I can have them framed and put up in his apartment...
When I got home I moved all the furniture back where it belongs...I had moved it to have the carpets cleaned yesterday. The realtor is coming over Monday with a house cleaner who will take a look at what needs to be done (not much....except the windows!). The house should be ready to film for the virtual tour by next week.....sure is a strange feeling knowing this house won't be "home" much longer.
Andrew and I have been Skyping every day, usually at my lunch time at work (which is 1015 hrs here, 1915 hrs in the Netherlands). It's difficult sometimes with the time constraints at my job. I have to be back to work exactly on time (I have exactly 30 minutes for lunch, not a minute more...), or the break schedule gets messed up for everyone after me. There have been times when we've Skyped at 0400hrs-before I leave for work.
Andrew still doesn't have the internet hooked up at the house, they're having trouble getting a signal there. So he's having to go to the hotel across the street where he can get free internet, but we have to make sure to arrange it ahead of time. It's worked out okay so far. We've been texting on our phones quite a bit too!
Yesterday I got the results from my blood tests. Everything looks pretty good, except my cholesterol-it is 259! Yiiiiikes! Today I e-mailed my doctor and asked that she give me a couple of months to work on lowering it before considering putting me on medication. So, I went to the store and bought some McCann's Irish Oatmeal. I literally hate oatmeal, but I had heard this wasn't bad, so I thought I'd give it a try. This morning before work I prepared a bowl (only takes 5 minutes) and guess what?!?!? It is pretty darned good! I put some soy milk in it along with a little bit of cinnamon/sugar......Yummmm!
As I was going through my bank account statement, I noticed there were two charges (for two different amounts) from a restaurant I went to the other night. So, I called the bank. They said there was yet a third charge pending from that same restaurant. So, the bank had to shut down my card and they will mail me another one which I will receive in about a week. I plan on going to the restaurant and speaking with the manager to let him know they have a thief working there!
Well, it's after 1900 hrs.-time to start getting ready for bed, my brain is fried!
When I got home I moved all the furniture back where it belongs...I had moved it to have the carpets cleaned yesterday. The realtor is coming over Monday with a house cleaner who will take a look at what needs to be done (not much....except the windows!). The house should be ready to film for the virtual tour by next week.....sure is a strange feeling knowing this house won't be "home" much longer.
Andrew and I have been Skyping every day, usually at my lunch time at work (which is 1015 hrs here, 1915 hrs in the Netherlands). It's difficult sometimes with the time constraints at my job. I have to be back to work exactly on time (I have exactly 30 minutes for lunch, not a minute more...), or the break schedule gets messed up for everyone after me. There have been times when we've Skyped at 0400hrs-before I leave for work.
Andrew still doesn't have the internet hooked up at the house, they're having trouble getting a signal there. So he's having to go to the hotel across the street where he can get free internet, but we have to make sure to arrange it ahead of time. It's worked out okay so far. We've been texting on our phones quite a bit too!
Yesterday I got the results from my blood tests. Everything looks pretty good, except my cholesterol-it is 259! Yiiiiikes! Today I e-mailed my doctor and asked that she give me a couple of months to work on lowering it before considering putting me on medication. So, I went to the store and bought some McCann's Irish Oatmeal. I literally hate oatmeal, but I had heard this wasn't bad, so I thought I'd give it a try. This morning before work I prepared a bowl (only takes 5 minutes) and guess what?!?!? It is pretty darned good! I put some soy milk in it along with a little bit of cinnamon/sugar......Yummmm!
As I was going through my bank account statement, I noticed there were two charges (for two different amounts) from a restaurant I went to the other night. So, I called the bank. They said there was yet a third charge pending from that same restaurant. So, the bank had to shut down my card and they will mail me another one which I will receive in about a week. I plan on going to the restaurant and speaking with the manager to let him know they have a thief working there!
Well, it's after 1900 hrs.-time to start getting ready for bed, my brain is fried!
Friday, January 13, 2012
Friday, the 13th!
Whew, what a day! Yesterday the appointments I had lined up for today were: Friend coming by at 10:00 a.m. to bring dog crate; 10-11 a.m. shipping company coming to pick up items for shipping;
1-2 p.m. carpet cleaners coming to clean bedroom carpets. Last night my friend called and said she couldn't make it till about 1p.m. and the shipping company called and said they'd be at the house between 1-2 p.m. So, needless to say, I was a little stressed out this morning thinking everyone was going to be at the house at the same time!
I spent the morning cleaning, cleaning, cleaning! The only room that needs a little more care is the kitchen. The countertops and table just need to be cleared off....
The carpet cleaners called around noon and said they could come earlier than planned, which was great! While they were here my friend texted and said she'd be here around 3:30p.m., and the shipping company called and said they were going to be a little later than planned.
The shipping company got here around 3:30 p.m. and took all of our belongings to be shipped. We aren't shipping much....just our Sleep Number bed, my sewing machine and a few household items. They will put it all in a crate, wrap it up and ship it overseas! It'll take 4-6 weeks to receive it. We'll have to pick it up at the ports in Rotterdam.
After everyone left I went over and got a pair of shoes repaired, and dropped off the Keurig coffee machine at a friend's house. I never use it and she said she'd like to have it...so it's now hers!
1-2 p.m. carpet cleaners coming to clean bedroom carpets. Last night my friend called and said she couldn't make it till about 1p.m. and the shipping company called and said they'd be at the house between 1-2 p.m. So, needless to say, I was a little stressed out this morning thinking everyone was going to be at the house at the same time!
I spent the morning cleaning, cleaning, cleaning! The only room that needs a little more care is the kitchen. The countertops and table just need to be cleared off....
The carpet cleaners called around noon and said they could come earlier than planned, which was great! While they were here my friend texted and said she'd be here around 3:30p.m., and the shipping company called and said they were going to be a little later than planned.
The shipping company got here around 3:30 p.m. and took all of our belongings to be shipped. We aren't shipping much....just our Sleep Number bed, my sewing machine and a few household items. They will put it all in a crate, wrap it up and ship it overseas! It'll take 4-6 weeks to receive it. We'll have to pick it up at the ports in Rotterdam.
After everyone left I went over and got a pair of shoes repaired, and dropped off the Keurig coffee machine at a friend's house. I never use it and she said she'd like to have it...so it's now hers!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Cleaning and more cleaning!
Yesterday, after work, I went over to my father-in-law's apartment complex to do some cleaning. I scrubbed everything and cleaned out the refrigerator. He should be going home in about a week and a half, so I wanted to make sure it was spic and span! I'll make a trip to the grocery store for him right after his surgery to make sure everything is fresh.
Later, Jackie, Allen, their son Dillon and I had dinner together. They are talking about moving out of state. It's just too expensive to live in California. The taxes are too high, medical insurance is too high, the cost of housing is too high.......
This morning I was up at 6:00 a.m. Since I usually get up at 3:30 a.m. I felt pretty rested after sleeping in! I went over to Kaiser to have blood drawn (just a routine check). Now I am home readying myself to clean, clean, clean!
The pile of things we're shipping overseas is being picked up tomorrow, so I have to move everything to the garage for easier access. Then I am going to scrub the back patio and vacuum the house. The carpet cleaners are also coming tomorrow. Today I also need to make a trip over to the sewing store to get more thread and a couple more things that I'd like to have before I ship my sewing materials tomorrow! While I was there I stopped in to the Thai Restaurant down the street and had chicken curry (which was "okay" and a very yummy dessert which was a crepe filled with Nutella, bananas and strawberries-with a scoop of vanilla ice cream). Oh yeah--it was gooooooood!
Later, Jackie, Allen, their son Dillon and I had dinner together. They are talking about moving out of state. It's just too expensive to live in California. The taxes are too high, medical insurance is too high, the cost of housing is too high.......
This morning I was up at 6:00 a.m. Since I usually get up at 3:30 a.m. I felt pretty rested after sleeping in! I went over to Kaiser to have blood drawn (just a routine check). Now I am home readying myself to clean, clean, clean!
The pile of things we're shipping overseas is being picked up tomorrow, so I have to move everything to the garage for easier access. Then I am going to scrub the back patio and vacuum the house. The carpet cleaners are also coming tomorrow. Today I also need to make a trip over to the sewing store to get more thread and a couple more things that I'd like to have before I ship my sewing materials tomorrow! While I was there I stopped in to the Thai Restaurant down the street and had chicken curry (which was "okay" and a very yummy dessert which was a crepe filled with Nutella, bananas and strawberries-with a scoop of vanilla ice cream). Oh yeah--it was gooooooood!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
More "stuff"......
While I was at work today I received an e-mail from the Retirement Board stating that I have to work till the end of the pay period after my birthday-so I can't retire till May 26th! She also told me that Andrew has to sign my application for retirement-and it has to be notarized. Well, since he is in the Netherlands, that is going to be difficult. Now we have to figure out how we're going to get that done...
After work I stopped at the County building to get a copy of Kevin's birth certificate for my retirement papers (they need it if I am going to keep him on my insurance). I also stopped at Walmart and bought a few more plastic containers. While I was at Walmart I got a call from my father-in-law who said he's scheduled for surgery Friday, January 20th. He sounded very happy and is looking forward to having his gallbladder removed so he can go back on a regular diet!
When I got home, I packed up some things in one of the new containers I bought and brought another load of things to the storage locker. It's nice to get that pile away from the front door. Now, it's almost time to go to bed for some shut eye!
After work I stopped at the County building to get a copy of Kevin's birth certificate for my retirement papers (they need it if I am going to keep him on my insurance). I also stopped at Walmart and bought a few more plastic containers. While I was at Walmart I got a call from my father-in-law who said he's scheduled for surgery Friday, January 20th. He sounded very happy and is looking forward to having his gallbladder removed so he can go back on a regular diet!
When I got home, I packed up some things in one of the new containers I bought and brought another load of things to the storage locker. It's nice to get that pile away from the front door. Now, it's almost time to go to bed for some shut eye!
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