Just an update (more like a rant!). STREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!! With only 4 more days to get this family of 5 people and 3 animals across the pond, it is stress stress stress. Trying to go to bed earlier to get up earlier to try to get a grip on the 6 hour time difference a bit quicker.
Girls UK passports only arrived today after much freaking out at the British consulate My youngests US passport arrives tomorrow after forking out nearly $500USD to emergency expidite it as at that point the British consulate had not committed to getting the UK passports to us in time The cats were refused by the vet as the titer result label was not attached to the paperwork and after calling kansas lab it turns out they never even received the serum so previous vet who was supposed to organize it is now footing the bill of housing, feeding and shipping our 2 moggies over to us in 6 months USDA called today to say our Doggie's vet had forgotten to sign the European Journal and written in the titer draw date incorrectly!!!! Between 2 adults and a teen we have to push 2 strollers with 2 children in, 2 golf bags 9 suitcases 5 hand luggage and a dog cage through the airport, and someone on craigslist has just offered me $100 bucks for a JVC 42" tv that cost $1449.00 + tax! . Surely I deserve medication by now?!

OMG - more wine garcon, more wine

Oh yeah, drag out the wine bottle.
Just think in a few weeks it'll all be over, and you can breathe a sigh of relief.

Oh my goodness you do have a lot on your plate

At least you can take a few seconds to vent to us on here, we are all ears!

Hope everything goes great for you, try not to sweat the small stuff, it will all work out fine & by Christmas any of this stress should be a distant memory

Good that the vets took responsibility about the cats too, that could have been costly!

Fingers crossed for you!!

Take some deep breaths!I would go with the flow if it were me!(yes been there and done it myself 10 years ago)If you feel stressed......GOOD!Go with it!No point in trying to put on a happy face if its false at the mo!I'm sure it'll all work out 100% fine.Soon you'll be settled again in a new home,and all this will be a distant memory!Good luck and best wishes for the future!

Wow, that's a lot at once!

If there are porters at the airport, grab one or more. They and their enormous carts are really worth it.

Bev

Thanks for the support This international moving is not for the faint hearted and if I could give any advise it would be 'don't do it when you have a 1 year old who recently learned to walk and screeches everytime you try to restrain her' LOL
The cats have been flown to FL and are now in the care of the kennels (fortunately we know them so feel happy about that), The dogs signed PETS documents arrived UPS today. The US passport hasn't turned up needless to say DH is blasting the company asking 'why did we pay for 24 hour turnaround if it's actually taken 72hrs???' Our naturalization certificates came in the mail today too after we had had to mail them off when we applied for their passports so all I'm waiting for now is my youngests US passport and return of her Birth Certificate.
The latest dog problem is that he needs to have his tick and tapeworm treatment 24-48 hrs before departure however that means he needs it on the 16th as we drop him off early on the 18th and the 16th is a Sunday! So now the vet has dispensed the medicines/treatments to us and we have to go to an urgent care facility on Sunday and get them to administer the treatment and sign the European Journal. god I hope they do everything right - I don't think I can take any nasty suprises at the airport again - not after what happened with the cats yestersay (they were nearly refused but after much swearing from our Kennel guy down the phone to the Continental guy, they accepted them).

I think you are all absolutely right... Where's the Vino? Think I may have to send Hubby to Tom Thumb for a bottle of Frascatti

The bright side is there of course. The house is ready and waiting for us (tenancy starts tomorrow) and our car is ready to pick up. Furniture/appliances deliveries are booked. Everything here seems to be selling for close to what we hoped for and we seemed to have budgeted quite sensibly. I think only once we are on the plane and taken off will we really be able to reflect... and say thank god that's over.... or s*** what have we done

Sorry to hear you're so stressed, but eyes on the prize and all that. It'll be worth it to be happy.

What did you do about a car? Did you buy one over the internet?

Bev

Thanks Triboy I'm feeling better now that all the documents have been returned to us... just the little ones US passport outstanding but they've promised delivery tomorrow. Need to take pup to get his treatment today at the urgent care place the vet arranged. If we're getting the tick and tapeworm treatment we must really be on the countdown..... oooooh belly wobbles!!!

Bev... yes DH went searching on the Internet and found the car we had decided on. He got them to take a deposit and forwarded all the documents they wanted. He's basically bought it on the condition that when he arrives to see it he can change his mind if anything is not as described. It's coming direct from a Mercedes dealer so hopefully no Arthur Daily (sp?) involved

Where are they delivering it? And do you reckon you got a better price, or the same as you'd get at a dealers? We'll be going to a friend's, and he can take us about a bit, but we're toying with buying on the internet.

Looking at a Honda Jazz, as we want something fairly small and there's just the two of us. Anyone have any opinion?

Bev

Honda Jazz was highly rated recently by Which? magazine.

gosh i hear ya...i can't wait for the stress to stop???? but does it???...

how did you get deliveries of furniture and appliances? where did you buy? I haven't a clue of all furniture shops etc...we need a fridge/freezer..hopefully american size...since that is what we've had for ages.

We didn't get an American size fridge freezer it wouldn't have fit the space. I went to the local builders center with the measurements and looked through the catalogues with them, their price came in better than everywhere else I checked for the size and they delivered and put it in place for free.
I ended up at Comet for a Washer, it was that weeks special and a good price. The dryer was the same a few weeks later, only from another shop with free installation. (gas)

Ahh the crazy things we do in life hey!..

I wish you all the best. Just to think one day you will be able to look back and laugh at that crazy few weeks you had before coming home.