Wonderful, wonderful week...

It's been a very busy week and I am so glad to see that I have some followers eager for an update! Moving, new daycare, new jobs has made us all feel overwhelmed and at times a bit cranky. We made it although I haven't felt this busy in a very long time. This whole experience has been invigorating. There have been ups and downs. My husband had good and bad news. The German test was a wash - what a disappointment, but he scored higher on his written test this time around - here's hoping for a stellar OA score. I personally believe he's got all the right stuff for the job and he knows WAY more history, geography, and politics than I do but it is all in the timing.

Here we are in Virginia...

We made it! It's been nearly a week of packing, moving, driving, visiting, and adjusting to changes. There were a couple bumps in the road, but otherwise everything went well. Packers arrived Monday to pack our clothes, books, and toys for the unaccompanied air baggage. They also packed the rest of our belongings for long-term storage. They were courteous and professional. The movers came Tuesday with a tractor trailer to take away our 5500 pounds of household effects and furniture. Our neighbors weren't happy to have the road blocked, but the guys were fast. We were impressed by the service as this was our first experience using professionals to haul our stuff.

The only real bummer is that our unaccompanied air baggage hasn't arrived yet and we don't have an ETA for it. This would be fine if I hadn't packed all our work clothes and our son's entire wardrobe and many of his toys in that shipment. I assumed it would be delivered prior to the start of orientation on Monday. Lessons learned: don't make any assumptions about air shipments and be prepared for the first few days! I guess we have to get used to these things. Luckily there's an H&M nearby.

Our son visited his new daycare today at FSI and got really excited about starting school. He made friends with the security officer and with the assistant director. It's a lovely facility - spacious, clean, and everyone is very friendly.

Everything starts Monday - new jobs and new schools - we're all a bit nervous, but optimistic.

Update - 2.5 Weeks Until the FSS Orientation

Back in the States and getting ready for the big move to Virginia. I've got most of the pre-employment forms completed and signed, except for the few that require witnesses. On Saturday my husband's friends from work will be hosting a party for him as he prepares to transfer his job to DC. He will be so relieved to cut his commute time in half. He took the German language test again last week as well as the FSOT. We're encouraged by the good news from The B Files and will continue to patiently wait for his invitation.

I had a bad scare yesterday when I was informed that my check out date for Oakwood will be in November at the end of the initial three weeks of training. I frantically called my HR representative (who deserves an award for patiently fielding questions from me) and was reassured that IRO training will keep me in the Washington, DC area at least until January. I had it in my head that we would be there until the end of April, hence my need to get our son into the FSI daycare. Several emails later, I think the right people know about my extended training and we should be set. In the end, how long we will be in DC will depend on our first post and whether I will need language training.

For now we are trying to enjoy our last two weeks in Michigan. The weather is gorgeous and we have some favorite autumn activities like getting apple cider and pumpkin donuts, going on hayrides, and visiting the places we haven't had a chance to yet, like the Ypsilanti Firehouse Museum.