T-minus 21 days

Whoa. I knew the holidays were going to be fast and furious, but this is crazy!

Not a whole lot of time left...

In other news, I signed the paperwork on my house and will be moving in January 9th. Not sure when my stuff will arrive, but it will be good to get in and start getting settled as soon as possible. I feel incredibly lucky to have found a house with such a quick move-in time. My new principal said that it was likely that I would be living in a hotel for at least 3 months. Looks like that will actually be a mere 3 days... YEEHAW!

I feel pretty good about setting up in the new place. I will need to buy a bedroom set for the guest bedroom. Maybe a wardrobe or two, depending on what I can borrow from the post. The house comes with an American-sized fridge, and I will be able to borrow a washer and dryer and microwave. Depending on how soon my furniture will be there, I will also be able to borrow essential furniture (like a bed) and dishes and stuff for the short term, if need be.

The biggest chore left on my plate at this point is getting all of the paperwork for the dogs in order. That means microchipping, at least another round of vet visits for shots and whatnot, and a trip to the USDA office downtown to have them sign off on the import paperwork. I got the shipping crates yesterday (Christmas present from my folks) and have them assembled and in my room so the pooches can start getting used to them. They are smaller than the wire cages they are accustomed to, but I think they'll be okay. I am definitely anxious about their travel. I know they will be terrified and barky and mad about all of it. I'm hoping for a zero-incident transport. (Unlike our last flight to Germany with dogs, where our lab Bailey decided she was done in the kennel and busted out during the flight. When they opened up the cargo door, there she was, loose as a goose.)

Three more weeks...