Consolidating, and...It's a different date!

I have been running around like a headless chicken this week. The house is now completely empty and clean, and ready for the new owners to take possession this afternoon. 

You'd think, and I had hoped, that once this was accomplished I might get to sit back and take a deep breath. I can tell you that I am sleeping WAY better, but sitting back hasn't happened. Now that we are in a hotel, I am sifting through all of our clothes and toiletries and working on making my one suitcase, one carry on each, plus one extra suitcase dream come alive. If it weren't for how bulky winter coats and all of our shoes are, I'd be set. 

Here's my challenge (we aren't taking all those suitcases, we just held some back for now until everything is sorted):

Wish me luck!

We are now leaving on the afternoon of August 15th, and will fly with Lufthansa from Cleveland to DC (about a 1.5 hour flight), to Frankfurt (8 hour flight) to Luxembourg (45 minute flight) by 10am on August 16th (Sunday). The company purchased round trip tickets that have us back 11/12/15, in case wooing the embassy and trying to talk to officials in Lux about residence visas doesn't pan out. Plus, weirdly, round trip was cheaper than a one-way ticket. 

Next up: Exploring Washington, D.C., starting Monday! I'll be putting my New Balance flats to the test, as the Tieks had toe cleavage and were too tight on my feet. 

I can't wait to see everything and have Boo experience it all with me. She's handled our transition very well. We made sure to take her to say goodbye to the house yesterday, and explained that her things would be waiting for her when we get back from Lux. She keeps saying, "merci beaucoup" and it is too too cute. Today is her last day of preschool so we brought cookies, and I'm curious to see how she will react when I come to pick her up this afternoon. Nonchalant? Sentimental? Guess we will see!

It's a Date!

We have been frantically packing and moving the past two days, whew. It doesn't help that it's been around 90° outside either!

John and I decided to go Spartan on our living conditions when we get back to the U.S., and keep almost all of our stuff in storage while holding back the essentials to live in a bare bones (but safe and Boo-appropriate) apartment. To that end, we set aside a foot locker of wires/electronics (if you've met my husband, this is unsurprising as an "essential"), one of linens, one 32" TV, one queen bed and mattress/box spring, and very basic kitchen utensils. It would be ridiculous to re-buy everything when the goal is to try to pay off our student loans ASAP and live on the cheap for a bit. 

Thanks to basically having to move an apartment's worth of stuff ourselves (including all the suitcases/clothing we are taking to Lux) while the movers tackle the big things, my FitBit has had a good workout this week. 17k steps yesterday and I'm at about 15k right now. I'm a bit tired, but anxiety is keeping me from sleeping well until everything is packed and gone. The movers actually have to come back in the morning because they brought too small of a moving truck. For being accommodating, we are getting hooked up (as in a deep discount) for this inconvenience and it's fine by me. I'll be able to relax a bit and sleep Thursday night... Until we move out of the hotel we just threw our suitcases into, of course. Yeesh!! *cute side story: Boo calls hotels "show and tells."*

By the way, this post is being typed out using the Blogger app on my phone as we drive to Canton to drop off the bed and TV to John's amazingly generous grandparents and their basement. I think I'm a fan; it is pretty convenient and easy to navigate!

 And finally, we (finally) have a date! We will flee this country August 16th, so D.C. and Chicago over the next two weeks are still a go at this point. Nothing has changed with the visa situation, but I have learned from a friend in Belgium that Luxembourg is very family-rights oriented, so I'm definitely visiting the embassy next week. We will arrive in Brussels, Belgium by August 17th. And that's about all I know at this point! But it is something!!

Juggling Responsibility, Fun, and Fitness

This weekend John and I got to sneak in “Jurassic World,” then tackled packing up the basement while Boo enjoyed a medieval fair in Rock Creek, Ohio with her Mimi. All the people dressed in theme would bow to Boo since she was dressed as a princess, and the King and Queen threw money at her. Sad we missed it, but we may take her again next weekend before we head to D.C.

So much cute. Boo was very excited about butterflies landing on her.

I had also planned to pack up half the kitchen, and do a bunch of other moving-related stuff on Sunday. But you know what? It’s also one of my last weekends in Cleveland. I still packed up Boo’s playroom and puttered through a few things, but John and I both went to Boo’s last swim lesson and swam a bit. Then, we took her kayaking on the Rocky River for a few hours. The weather was perfect and everyone was happy. 

That’s what I mean about juggling responsibility and fun. Great, I can have the entire house packed up by Tuesday morning, which the control freak in me would celebrate… but the movers come Wednesday. I can just stay up a little later if I have to, and then I can enjoy some outside daylight hours with my family before we take off. This is especially important to do during this beautiful weather, because I need something to remind me why I love Cleveland when I return in the dead of winter.

As for fitness, I regularly attend CrossFit classes here and this is my last week *sob*. If you are living under a rock and haven’t heard of CrossFit, CrossFit workouts incorporate elements from high-intensity interval training (aka HIIT), Olympic weightlifting, plyometrics, powerlifting, gymnastics, calisthenics, and other exercises. I suck at the gymnastics parts (pull-ups, etc.), but I love doing squats with barbells and medicine balls. Lots of people make fun of CrossFit and refer to it as cult-like because members are often quite passionate/vocal/addicted to attending. Guilty. I enjoy the community, I’m getting stronger, I don’t get judged for eating bacon, and I challenge myself every day.

I have managed to find four CrossFit gyms in Luxembourg, though I'm not sure how close they are to where we are living. While I’m going to attend at least once, I think I’m going to be taking a hiatus until I return. For one, CrossFit is expensive, and we will be down to one income. Second, I’m not sure how the language barrier will play out, or the childcare aspect. Here, the gym (or "box") I attend has a kids’ room that Boo can sit in and play with toys or mess around on her iPad. That isn't the norm at CrossFit, so I'm not going to hold my breath.

Finally, I don't want a workout to stop travel plans. I want to jump on a train or bus and just go. I’m sad about losing all the progress I’ve made in strength training, but them’s the breaks. For now, I’m planning to stay fit by walking, walking, walking, and eating sensibly. Maybe I’ll try to focus on becoming a better runner jogger while there. I've also considered buying/renting a bike while we are there and biking all over with Boo, but I have read that Luxembourg is more bus-based than the rest of Europe, so I'll assess when we arrive. 

No updates on the visa situation at this point. I have reached out to Senator Portman's office to see if they can do anything. If I have to go to the embassy next week, so be it. 

Some updates

1.    I have ordered two pairs of shoes to try out, on either extreme of the price scale. These Tieks, and these New Balance flats. Both had free shipping and returns. Both have great reviews for walking/being on my feet for a long time. The NB flats will arrive today, because Zappos is awesome, and Tieks are being shipped priority mail and should arrive Monday or Tuesday. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I’ll start moving outward and try other ones if either of these two pairs don’t work. I pulled the trigger last night after walking about downtown Cleveland on my lunch break in my Payless flats, because my feeties got really sore.

2. Last night while Facetiming Nana (my mom) while Boo was taking a bath, I also decided to give my phone a bath. Soooo, I had to get a new phone today. Great timing after ordering some expensive Tieks, amirite? But y’all are right, investing in shoes is a good idea! Now I have a shiny new iPhone 6 with extra memory for photos and videos, with a glass shield protector and rubber case to avoid any cracked screens when it is inevitably dropped. At least I now have a nice camera phone before Europe, even if it was really bad timing to fork out more moolah.

This is what happens when you let a Boo pick your phone case. 

3.    John may be sent to work near Chicago the week after Boo and I head to D.C. Since my last day at the office is next Monday, this means yet another domestic trial run for us to take! Since he will be in Elk Grove, Boo and I will navigate the public transportation system in to Chicago. Should be a good time. The only time I’ve been to Chicago was in the dead of winter and five months pregnant. I think I’ll enjoy the Bean (and Sprinkles cupcakes) a bit more this time through the eyes of a Boo.

4.    We’ve hit some snags, outcome to be determined. John has been approved for his work visa, but Boo and I were denied our residence visas because we do not plan to stay for longer than six months, but want to stay for longer than three. I don't get it, either. And you'd think this is something the company his work hires to handle these types of things would have realized before. Just sayin'. *insert annoyed emoji here*

At present, we would be allowed to stay in Luxembourg for 90 days. We are working on determining if there is something we can do about this, since, ya know, WE SOLD OUR HOUSE AND I ESSENTIALLY QUIT MY JOB TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. The laws only allow us to be in the EU for 90 days, then we would have to leave for 90 days (basically, 90 days per 6 months is permitted without a residence visa… and my residence visa was denied. I am aware there are some countries that do not require this long-term visa, but I’m not interested in living in Lichtenstein on my own, and paying rent, while John is in Luxembourg.). I may end up going to the Luxembourger embassy in D.C. and begging them to see if they can do something. Arrogant American, I know.

And no, 90 days isn’t long enough. That extra two months is a lot. I’m not going to accept this unless it is absolutely the only possible way we can be over there with John *deep breath*

More later when we know. Now I get to continue packing my damn house, because there's no going back now.

Cinderella I'm not

I put my query out into the Facebook world before, but I still have not received any satisfactory answers. I can’t figure out what walking shoes I need! I'm too vain to sport tennis shoes/sneakers. Plus, I primarily wear dresses, so sneakers would look REALLY stupid. I want a shoe that will translate into the night, since I am not taking/wearing heels (see below). What's a girl to do?

To complicate matters, I have a wide foot. Living in Korea was a nightmare because all of the cute, incredibly inexpensive shoes were way too small and/or narrow, and the sidewalks ate up all of my shoes. By the end, I think I was down to one pair of flats that barely survived. Here in the U.S., I’m almost exclusively relegated to Payless, the one store that manages to sell wide width. I have one pair of sensible heels, and that's it. And they're more courtroom-style than Parisian. I'm not exactly a fashion plate, but I also don't need to be looking all Murphy Brown in Europe. I managed to find a ballet flat that goes with everything and has decent support, and I wear them every single day. I bought five pairs, and am down to three because Payless quality is crap. I’m taking them with me, but I don’t know how supportive they will be after miles of walking, or how long they will last.

Thanks to free shipping and returns by Zappos (hint: search on your desktop, but order off their mobile app; it's same-day shipping when you use mobile!) and Google searches for “travel flat Europe” and the like, I’ve tried out a few suggestions. I even ordered a pair of Croc flats (!) after some great reviews. Alas, although they started out promising, my fat foot rebelled after a mile or so. Plus, the rubber is definitely going to stink and slide if my feet sweat. No thanks.

And then I found them. The flats that could very well solve my "problem"… if I could justify dropping ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-FIVE DOLLARS on some ballet flats. I read this blog, where the author tried out a bunch of different flats for the same reasons as me, and came to one overall winner. Enter the Cole Haan Air Monica:

My Precious

I can’t do it. That’s just too much money. I can justify like $80, but twice that? Nope. I looked up all three of the blog author's runner ups (Cole Haan Manhattan Ballet, Patagonia Maha Breathe, and Tieks by Gavrieli), and all of them (even the ones I probably wouldn't buy due to her review) are in pastel colors or not my size. Argh!

So I make a plea to you, internet friends: I want comfy, semi-stylish ballet flats in black that can withstand walking for 5+ miles a day. Suggestions??

Let's get physical (AND mental)

Aside from administrative preparation for The Move, such as handing off my cases to coworkers, calling to forward our last utility bills, changing homeowners’ and auto insurance, and getting in our last-minute vision, dental, and medical appointments, I’m starting to physically and mentally prepare Boo and myself for what’s coming. How? By walking. Everywhere.

Boo wants to go to the park a half mile away? Okay, but we’re walking. Boo wants to grab an ice cream a mile away? You guessed it. Walking. All things I should probably be doing anyway, but I know that once we’ve reached the park and Boo is worn out, she wants to be carried back (so we drive there, because 32lbs. isn’t chump change). And that ain’t happening in Europe, so time to get ready. John bought me a Fitbit, and I’ve been walking at least 12,000 steps a day (approx. 6 miles), and Boo is along for most of the ride. We went to Lake Erie and walked up and down the beach at least a dozen times looking for lake glass and getting in those steps. Bonus: she sleeps like the dead when we get home.

I’m not bringing a stroller. People are giving me some major side eye for declaring so. I can’t tell you if they’re right. If so, I’ll buy one. However, I hate strollers. They’re bulky, annoying to navigate, have to be monitored if I set them somewhere, and go against my minimalist attitude with every fiber of my being. Accordingly, I’m going into this with the mindset that Boo can walk as much as she is able, and then we will take a break and enjoy wherever we are, take a bus, whatever.

Maybe I’ll eat crow. If so, I’ll be the first to admit I’m wrong. But for now, Annora and I are very physically healthy, and there’s no reason we can’t try to walk as much as possible.

Next, the mental preparation. I am committed to not rushing everywhere in Europe. I am a person who has a hard time relaxing, I am bad at letting messes be, and I abhor wasting time. I cross stitch while I’m waiting for my oil to be changed. I pull weeds while the BBQ is heating up. I wipe the bathroom down while Boo is bathing. I won’t eat breakfast on the weekend until the laundry is going and the house is picked up. I stare at my phone WAY too much. And I want this to stop. It is so exhausting. I don’t need to be remembered by Boo as a half-participating mom because I’m always in the background cleaning or multitasking.

I’ve already managed to tone it down a bit thanks to becoming her mom. It is LITERALLY (not figuratively) impossible to rush Boo. Can’t do it. She couldn’t care less that we have to hurry or Mommy is going to be late. She still NEEDS to buckle her imaginary brother, Michael, into his imaginary freaking car seat before she will settle in to her own. It is both maddening and adorable at the same time. And it teaches me to 1. Get out the door earlier to allow Michael to be buckled; and 2. Take a breath, realize I’m a state employee, and it’s okay if I’m at work at 8:34, not 8:30. After all, car seat safety is crucial. Even with Michael.

As for mentally preparing Boo, I know this sounds weird, but these past few weeks I’ve been making a point to spend a lot of time going places and doing things with her one-on-one during the weekdays. I work full-time, so while we spend lots of time together on the weekends, she is in daycare/preschool all week beginning at 7:30am-5pm. Presently, I no longer leave her at home while I run errands. Boo has always behaved very well in restaurants, because we’ve taken her with us since she was 3 days old (I HAD to have sushi). But in addition to eating out here and there, I suck it up and take Boo to the park or a board game café after dinner (plug: Clevelanders – you will LOVE Tabletop in Ohio City. www.tabletopcleve.com.), even when I’m tired and I’d rather turn on the TV and veg out. I drag her to Crossfit with me in the evening instead of going in the morning while she and John are asleep. And so on. Doing weekday activities together means that Boo and I are getting in sync, creating dialogue, and developing a travel relationship. And, since not everywhere we go is fun and games (grocery shopping, Crossfit, etc.), I’m hoping Boo learns a little patience. We aren’t quite there yet, but I’m optimistic.

Will my preparation favorably translate into a new place and dynamic? Who knows. I’ve already seen improvement on me looking at my phone less and feeling more patience with Boo. I’ll do whatever I can to make everything as seamless as one can when moving thousands of miles away to a foreign country. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. 1.    What will you do with Izzy while you are away?
   Although it was possible to take our English Bulldog, Izzy, with us, jumping through the hoops with the Department of Agriculture and having our sweet pup under the plane for 13 hours each way wasn’t appealing. Often, airlines won’t even fly dogs that have flat faces (such as bulldogs or pugs) because it is dangerous for their breathing. Miss Izzy had a doggy nose job when she was little, but the risk is still too great. Further, we do plan to travel a lot on the weekends, and didn’t want to be hindered worrying about what establishments allow dogs, etc. So, one of John’s coworkers had mentioned that she wanted to get a buddy for her dog while she was at work. Voila! Mutually-beneficial situation. I bet Izzy won’t even want to come back to us when we return.
   
   
   We do plan to FaceTime/Skype Izzy here and there. Boo cries when we are away from the dog for less than a week, so this will be a little bit of an adjustment.
   
   
   2.    You sold your house! What are you going to do when you return?
   
   
   Good question! Still figuring out the answer. We will probably be in an extended-stay hotel for a few weeks while we find a furnished apartment to rent for a few months until we are completely sure where we will be for a few years. This allows us to keep everything in storage until we move to a more permanent setting. Storage is super cheap so it isn’t a big deal. Why are we renting? I can’t buy another house and turn around and sell in less than a year! John will be finishing his leadership program with work next June. Once he is finished, he will probably go for a plant manager position. His company has plants all over the United States, but we both want to stay in Cleveland right now. Low cost of living, Lake Erie, and excellent schools on the West side make doing so very desirable. We will know more early next year.
   
   
   3.    Where is Luxembourg?
   
   
   Many people think we are going to Germany when we tell them we are headed to Luxembourg. Actually, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is its own, albeit tiny (less than 1,000 square miles!), country, with a population of about 525,000. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France to the south. For more information (it is really interesting!) see here:
   
   
   Luxembourg Info
   
   
   Sidenote: They are six hours ahead of us here in Ohio (EST).
   
   
   4.    What's the weather like?
   
   At last check it was 84°F, with a low of 60°F today. I pulled this off a weather website:
   
   
   The warm season lasts from June 1 to September 6 with an average daily high temperature above 67°F. The hottest day of the year is August 5, with an average high of 74°F and low of 57°F.
   
   
   The cold season lasts from November 14 to March 4 with an average daily high temperature below 44°F. The coldest day of the year is January 8, with an average low of 30°F and high of 37°F.
   
   
   Basically, Cleveland is WAY WORSE. Like, this is going to be heaven for the winter. No -40°F horrificness? Come to mama.
   
   
   However, Germany gets much colder, so we will still pack Cleveland gear to be comfortable when we traipse around Christmas markets, etc.
   
   
   5.    What language(s) do they speak in Luxembourg?
   
   
   French, German, and Luxembourgish (I understand this to be heavily influenced by French).
   
   
   6.    You don't speak French or German… how are you going to get around?
   
   
   My first thought is that if I can navigate Asia for 15 months and survive, I will handle Europe just fine. I seem to pick up on languages decently quickly. Korean came pretty easily, anyway. John took French in high school, so he knows a bit. Before we go, I’m going to learn “I don’t speak (insert language here)” and “please say that again,” and see how I do.
   
   
   At the least, I am confident I will know survival French and German by the end. I’ll probably do a little bit of studying on the plane over, but I’m not going to stress too much. We’ve been teaching Boo “hello,” “goodbye,” “please,” and “thank you” in both languages, and she has an amazing French accent. It is way too cute. She seems to prefer speaking in German.
   
   
   7.    How will you get around in Europe?
   
   
   John will have a company car, and I receive €100/month for public transportation. For longer distances, I’ll take a train or fly. From what I have read, Luxembourg has an amazing bus system, and lots of train lines to go elsewhere. I am going to enjoy not driving for a few months. I loved taking the subway in Korea and people watching or reading a book. Glad to get an opportunity to do so again!
   
   
   8.    Are you (Amy) going to be working overseas?
   
   
   If by working, you mean chasing Boo around all day long and exploring everywhere humanly possible, then yes, I will be working. My job was generous enough to allow an (unpaid) leave of absence, so I will return to full-time employment when we get back in January 2016. I am so grateful that I can go on this adventure and still come back to a job!
   
   
   John will join us on weekend adventures and whenever he can. If his work projects take him to different countries, Boo and I will probably follow.
   
   
   9.    Are you doing anything to prepare for the culture shock?
   
   
   Other than read BuzzFeed articles about what Europeans hate about Americans? Nope. I’ve been a little busy packing, etc. (see previous post). I’m going to start reading up a little more once I stop working August 1. John’s company provided us with very useful mobility guides that I will browse when I have a little more time.
   
   
   10.Have you explained what is going on to Boo?
   
   
   One amazing thing about our Boo is her resilience. She rolls with the punches like a champ. We had to live in my mother-in-law’s living room on an air mattress for almost two months while we waited for escrow on the house (that we sold eight months later...). She did great. We just got back from a flight to California immediately followed by a 9-hours-each-way trip to Tennessee. She was amazing. I think she will be fine, if a little tired when we arrive.
   
   
   We’ve explained that right now, we live in Rocky River, Ohio, and we are going to be moving to Luxembourg, where they speak differently than us. I’ve also told her that I won’t be working and that she and I will be exploring a lot, and taking buses and trains to museums and castles. We showed her where Luxembourg is on the globe, compared to the U.S., and that’s about all I’ve done. I think she is going to LOVE it.
   
   
   11.When are you leaving?
   
   
   We are still waiting for our visas to be finalized, but should know in the next week or so. No plane tickets, no dates right now. We live life on the edge.
   
   
   
   
   Any other questions you’d like to ask me? Please, feel free! I’m so glad I posted about packing. I’ve already received great advice from a few people who live in Europe or just got back. Turns out my instincts on vitamins were correct, and I should bring allergy meds just in case!
   
   

Packing: The Final Frontier

As we await final visa approval to legally step foot in Luxembourg in the next few weeks, the stress of packing, and all of the various administrative duties I still have to complete before our adventure begins have been weighing heavily on my mind. I won't even get into the fact that we are also simultaneously packing up our entire house to be put in storage starting next week, but to do so, I have to plan and pack for our trip first. Yeesh.

Fortunately, this isn't exactly our first rodeo moving overseas. John and I moved to Seoul separately (and met there), then moved to Alabama together, then Hawaii, then I moved back to Ohio while he deployed to Iraq, then back to Hawaii when he returned, then we moved to Ohio together. None of that includes the four or five places we've moved to with Boo in her four years on this Earth. I can confidently say that we are getting to be pros at knowing what we need and how to pack minimally.

We are permitted to take four suitcases each, and ship 500lbs. of household goods. Holy overkill, Batman. Fortunately, we are arriving to a fully-furnished apartment, so I do not have to worry about any appliances or linens. Thus, we want to keep it to as few suitcases as possible, no shipping of goods. I plan to buy toiletries and a hair dryer over there (my hair dryer blew up in Seoul even with an adapter and converter, so I don't want to deal with that again). 

For us, fitting everything into one suitcase each isn't a volume issue, it's a weight issue. Winter clothes and boots are heavy, so we will probably end up taking one checked suitcase each, one carry on each (this way we have a small suitcase for weekend trips anyway), and sharing one checked suitcase for overflow. I have a very minimalist wardrobe, where I just add tights and sweaters to differentiate between seasons, plus I have a heavy jacket and light jacket. Makes it easy to pack! 

Europe won't be any colder or snowier than Cleveland, so we already have all the necessary gear. Boo is currently a solid 4T, so I'm hoping no growth spurts, but if we have to buy her cute new clothes, well, that's the heavy burden I must bear. *Excuse me while I feverishly feed her milk and veggies* 

I've  also purchased luggage straps to allow us to navigate the airports and get to a cab easily when we arrive:

Multi-Bag Stacker

In addition to clothes, we are taking Boo's carseat, her three-wheeled Razor scooter (good PT for her bum knee..see below), a stuffed animal or two, a few primers to practice math, reading, and writing in the mornings, various electronics like laptops and iPads, an eight-pack of outlet adapters, a years' worth of contact lenses, and a ridiculous amount of medication. I've secured six months' worth of our vitamins and prescriptions, including syringes so mama can relax and know her Boo is covered.  

Why so much medication? Are you guys okay?? You arrogant American - you know there are pharmacies/drugstores in Europe, don't you? 

You see, though Boo and I are very healthy individuals who rarely go to the doctor for illness, I have hypothyroidism, and she has extended oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis, aka juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. I require a daily Synthroid pill and bi-monthly blood draws to stay healthy, and Boo requires weekly injections, a blood draw every few months, and a daily multivitamin because her folic acid is depleted by the drugs. 

Yes, I'm aware the Luxembourgers (locally called Bourgers) probably take multivitamins, but I don't speak French or German (do the labels have English? Probably, but I don't know that with certainty), and the 100% folic acid requirement is too important to not take a few freaking bottles of vitamins to be completely sure. Even in Ohio, most childrens' vitamins here don't have enough folic acid in one pill, and I have to hunt for the right ones! 

As for the prescriptions, I can't risk shipping medication only for it to get stuck in customs. I am so thankful that the wonderful doctors at Cleveland Clinic made obtaining so much medication a relative breeze, and for the pharmacists at CVS for being awesome and quickly obtaining everything I needed. Now, I just have to call customs and make sure I don't get stopped for drug trafficking! 

Spinning off why I'm taking so much medication, the treatments make Boo's immune system a little weaker, so she is unable to receive live virus vaccines right now (don't you fret, she is FULLY vaccinated and covered until age 6 for now), and she must see a rheumatologist every 4 months to check her blood cell counts. Thus, going without full health insurance is a no-no. My health insurance with the state government, though fabulous while in Ohio, only covers "true medical emergencies" overseas, for which we are reimbursed later only if we've obtained all the proper documentation in English. That isn't enough coverage to keep me comfortable. Fortunately, we were able to switch over to John's medical insurance, which does keep us covered and able to see doctors. I've even found a pediatric rheumatologist in Luxembourg, and will call for an appointment as soon as we arrive.

Because Boo and I will be doing so much walking, we will not be needing a physical therapist for her knee (here she goes every other week), but her therapist suggested we purchase shoes with a gel heel to make sure her feet are fully supported. That's on my to-do list. 

As for the other various administrative tasks, John will have a work phone when we arrive, and I plan to get a SIM card and continue using the same iPhone. I've heard rumors and need to research whether or not I have to switch SIM cards each time I step foot into another country, or whether the roaming charges aren't so bad. Boo and I plan to travel extensively in Germany and France, so I don't want to get surprised with a big bill. 

The next few weeks are going to be a little fast-paced and uncertain, but what lies ahead is so worth it! Boo and I plan to go down to Washington, D.C. the first week of August to visit a few of my friends living there and do a "domestic trial run" of us traveling together alone and visiting tourist attractions/crowded areas.  I'm excited!

Next up: what am I going to bring on the thirteen-hour flight to entertain Boo? I should probably get on that...