100 days!

100 more days then I'm gone.  Whoa.

ANOTHER bump in the road

So I just got the call from my vet I have anticipating for the past three weeks....... it wasn't what I was hoping for.

I took Ness in to get her titer test done three weeks ago which counts the level of rabies antibodies she has in her bloodstream.  In order to move to a rabies-free country, such as New Zealand, she needs to have a level over 0.5 at least three months before departure.  She barely had a 0.25.  Turns out she probably never had the usual kitten vaccinations which leads me to believe she came from an atypical household the first three years of life before I adopted her from the SF SPCA.  So tomorrow I will bring her in to get a SECOND full rabies vaccination (her second shot of this in two months).  It will most likely be torture for her.  Then we have to wait at least three weeks before her antibodies build up to standard levels.  Then we have to wait to get the results back from Kansas, which usually takes about 3 - 4 weeks.  It is a good thing I like ramen so much.... these tests and vaccinations aren't cheap.

All-in-all, Ness will have to leave after me.  Ness will have to go into the loving hands of someone for a couple of weeks who will take her to the vet once or twice before her departure.  It seems that no matter how hard you try, you can't plan life.  Perhaps this plan is for the better.  I will get to NZ, have some time to be with Guy then set up a happy home for Nessie.  This waiting period is killing me.  I just want to be in the Shire already!  With my furry hobbit in tow!

Why

So why New Zealand?  Why am I moving to another hemisphere?  Why is my cat coming with me?  Why am I putting such crazy amounts of stress on my current life to save money, sell everything, and say goodbye to those I love?  Because this is a time in my life that I can easily do all of this and I could use the challenge.  (Plus this adventure, unlike other opportunities, has its own romantic perks)

The last time I challenged myself to do something like this was when I moved to San Francisco from Encinitas.  I was accepted into SFSU for a major I wasn't sure I could get into (turns out nursing was so impacted I had to do health education instead) and I moved to a city I had only briefly visited on a long road trip prior.  I had no friends in the city.  I had no idea what city life was like.  I had no idea how much I would miss my family and my first boyfriend.  I remember after the long drive in a rental van (where my parents sat in the front seats and I sat in the back of the van on a lazy-boy chair chained backwards to the front seats, facing the back of the van, with no windows, [true story]) we ended up at a HoJo's in South San Francisco.  I would be moving into the dorms the next morning.  This was the site of my first ever panic attack.  My Mom walked around the HoJo's parking lots with me until I got tired.  She listened to my fears and wiped away my tears and did her best to fortify me for my upcoming adventure.  It worked.  I slept like a log and dove into my terrible dorm situation with enthusiasum.

Now I move again to a city I know nothing about.  To a city where I can count those I know on one hand, most of which I have never met in person.  To a situation that is completely new to me.  It may not be another dorm this time but it is a living situation WITH A GUY.  Omg.  I always said that my next apartment would most likely be with my "plus one," I just never had any idea that the apartment would be in a place where there are no Thanksgivings.

I am excited for this challenge but am weary for the panic attack that I am sure is on the horizon.  Where is my Mom and a HoJo's parking lot when you need one?  I take comfort in the thought that my friends are close by, my family can always be reached with a phone call, and Ness will always be at my side (covering everything in fur).  112 days to go...... but until that countdown on my phone app hits zero I will continue to live life according to my 2013 motto: "Save money.  Pack.  Do good".  The outcome will be well worth the wait.

Two more check boxes checked off

Today I told all the faculty and staff at work that I will be leaving.  I didn't cry but I did get flustered. It will be hard to leave this strong community I have been a part of for six years.  My boss backs me up and said that she will write a letter of recommendation.  It's a step mostly because I applied for my first job and I still have not set a foot on NZ soil.  It's a receptionist job in a maternity ward at a hospital that fully supports holistic birth.  OMG.  Here is to hoping that I even hear back from them, but it never hurts to put myself out there.

Secondly, I bought health insurance for my entire first year in NZ!  Only $250usd too!  This was the last detail of the requirements to my working holiday visa.  As long as I don't get deported from any countries or develop a serious illness that require regular hospitalization... I'm all set!

PS Don't forget to keep for fingers crossed for Ness' test results.  Thanks!

Garage Sale #2!

I sold more stuff today and it was a great day for it!  Karli came early to help set up and stayed with me all day.  It was godsent.  A second person is extremely helpful because it gets lonely and pee breaks are important.  I sold three bookcases, and even though I could have gotten more for them, I now have a much emptier house for it.  Just a couple more big things to sell and I have to pack up a couple of bins to storage stuff at my sister's house.  

And who wants a Ness update?  All of you, I'm sure.  She goes in for her titer test tomorrow which will hopefully result in good news so I can fill out some forms and book her quarantine.  I bought her a travel crate for her long journey and am trying to get her accustomed to it.  It is her own private den with her favorite blanket inside and her favorite toys standing guard.  I have found her inside several times taking a nap.  In a couple of months I will put the door on the crate and hope she doesn't freak out.  I am probably freaking out more than her.  

I am 80% to my first monetary goal.  Then I can relax a little bit.  

I become an expat on July 3rd

It is very official.  I am leaving.  I have my flight.  I leave July 3rd to enter NZ on July 5th.  Perhaps I should start writing my dates they way they do?  "3 July is when I leave".  That will always seem backwards to me. This will be my third consecutive Fourth of July I will miss.  Will they served BBQ on the flight and show video of fireworks?  Can I get rowdy from beer and sing all American songs I know on top of my lungs? 

This experience is becoming very real to me now.

RIP Grandma Pattison.  Thank you for being the motivation I needed to kick myself in the butt and get things going.  Life may last awhile but it is never too late to get started on your dreams and to see them bloom into full reality. 

Garage Sale #1

Well I prepped.  I stressed.  I sat.  I made almost $60.  It is $60 more than I had before but I didn't sell as much as I wanted.  Looks like I'll be doing this again next month.  A big thanks to Amanda and Leslie for helping me set up, sell, and take down my garage sale.

Things I learned from this experience.  I am really good at talking to strangers and making them laugh.    It was nice to just give things away to people.  I know I a lot of my neighbors and I got to talk to many of them.

Here's to hoping that the next sale will earn a bit more cash!