Paperwork Blizzard

Lyle sent the scanned documents today! Our visa applications progress as all requested info has been sent to the lawyers office that is handling the paperwork. Passports, birth certificates, college transcripts and diplomas, resume and work history. Oh, and the copy of the marriage certificate. AND authorizations to access information on our behalf AND other assorted immigration forms. Noteworthy-the ability to scan and save as a pdf or picture file is a marvelous invention(s). We still will take original documents with us, but being able to scan and email within minutes is amazing. Should take about a month, and expecting to also have to send immunization records for myself and the kids as one of the questions was very specific about spending time in school, daycare, or health care setting. So, just in case, I will have the doctor's office run me a copy for us to have on hand to "scan and send." Think that will be my motto for the next few days!

Lyle is enjoying his time unemployed. He's staying busy straightening up the house after we head to school, gaming, running, fielding calls for the stuff we put up on craigslist, and emailing me at work with questions about the stuff on craigslist! My bet is 2 weeks of this and he will go stark raving!

First Showing

We had our first house showing today-exciting! Now to get this sold and out of here! Also go a lovely file to complete for the visa application process. Original scans of all birth and wedding certificates, all sorts of background questions, and betting the immunization records will be next. So, so, so excited to get this really going. Lyle is now off work and has a list a mile long to work on to prep the move. Yay him! He will get to run every day if he wants to, and the weather will be perfect this week for it too.

House on the market!

Oh, the joys of mucking out the house! Photos are taken and handed to the realtor and we already have a showing scheduled for Sunday afternoon. Thinking a movie will be in our future there, maybe the new Pirates of the Caribbean? We hauled and dumped 10 yards of bark mulch, and I must say the yard looks amazing! I need to figure out how to post pictures on here next.

De-Cluttering

Ok, so it's not like we are clutter hounds, but moving every few years for the last almost 2 decades has kept the "stuff" piles smaller than for most. Acquiring the kids along the way though has added to the stuff we have to sort!

The house listing will go up this week and we are in "pitch and toss mode." Time to craigslist stuff and sort for the Salvation Army delivery this weekend. Spent all evening boxing up books, papers, shredding stuff (the kids LOVED feeding the shredder!) We'll be doing more of the same the rest of the week-digging through closets, etc. We should have done this 2 years ago! Our past indicator that it was time to move was the 4 boxes of checks we order with the new bank account ran low. I reordered this last time-still have 2 boxes to go!

On a good note, our listing agent put her neighbor's house up Monday of last week and it sold on Friday. She says our price is good and it looks amazing outside, so once the inside is ship-shape we'll all be in a better frame of mind. Let's sell this beautiful house and get ready to move Down Under!

Housing in Australia

First of all, serious sticker shock on our part! We have always lived in pretty cheap parts of the country, so when we took at look, HEART ATTACK!! Places are let by the week, not month as well. $350 per week is pretty cheap and does not get too much either. Of course, we could pay less, but then have to commute over an hour each way! We're looking in 2 neighborhoods right now-Bulimba and Carrindale. Bulimba is across and down the river from the Central Business District (CBD)where Lyle will be working and they have catamarans called FerryCats to provide a ride to work. Way cool! And only 20-25 minutes total including the walk down to the ferry landing. Carindale is connected via express bus at the regional shopping mall for a 28 minute ride and 5 minute walk from the bus terminal. Either way, the schools are nearby and good as well. We won't make a final decision until Lyle is there to inspect the housing.

This is the website we have been browsing in case you are interested!

www.realestate.com.au

Ready, Set, Go!

So, it is really happening! Lyle gave his notice on Monday, his last day will be next Friday. The paperwork bomb landed in the email last week-lots of forms to get started and copies to make. House will go up for sale sometime this coming week and we start selling off appliances and extras as well. Big breath-the ride is just beginning!