Cleaning Up and Getting Gone

In which, we make a Final Decision

So, I have a confession to make - I actually had the Visa post written in January, but I forgot about it and just 'found' it again when I came to write this post so...you get a couple posts in succession! Also, due to some recent changes on the Ecuadorian  side, we've changed our minds (again) on how we're going to be handling that situation, so I'll be writing another post on visas in the very near future.

Anyway, onto the more important and INFINITELY more exciting news - we bought our tickets to Ecuador!!

We will officially be leaving Wednesday, March 25 from Atlanta at 5:50pm. We are so excited, especially me. It feels real now, you know? Like, it's not as if we weren't going to go, but having the tickets in hand (or at least, in electronic format) just takes it to that next level of reality. It's really on the books. It's really happening. I really have to make a concerted effort to get my house cleaned up and cleared out. Oy vey.

As I'm sure some of you will be curious about, we also got Jethro booked on our flight! Needless to say, I am so completely relieved to have that worry off my back. We ended up taking him to Petsmart to do an absolute, final double check on the crate-sizing issue. Wonder of wonders, he ended up fitting appropriately into the 2nd largest crate, which made him eligible to be shipped as baggage, rather than cargo. I might have done a crazy-happy dance in the middle of the store that had both Jethro and my husband acting like they didn't know me...

Ahem.

Jethro 'enjoying' his new crate

Anyway. We will be flying with Delta again, on a direct flight from Atlanta to Quito. When I called to ask them about shipping Jethro, they allayed all of my fears. Yes, we can book him now and guarantee him a spot. Yes, the plane can accommodate his crate size as checked baggage. No, he will not get bumped if the plane gets too full; basically, if we fly, he flies. Yes, we can pay the $200 crate-based shipping fee rather than the $2500 cargo rate. That last one especially made me ecstatic.

Torn apart music room

In other news, we have started clearing out the house, but it's been in fits and bursts. Our bonus room is pretty much done and I've started tearing apart our music room as well. Mainly it's just a matter of organizing what's in there, then relegating everything to its appropriate pile - store, donate/sell, throw away.

As you can see, it's a bit of a mess right now, but it's nothing a couple of hours and a few trash bags can't fix. My  mom graciously (!!) left me a ginormous box full of odds and ends encompassing my entire life as well as portions of my sisters'. Some of it has been really fun to go through and see, while other stuff is headed straight for the donate/trash bin. Sorry, Mom! I'll keep the important stuff, like these.

Sweet baby Nikes. circa 1987

The plan is to have our house available to rent for the beginning of April. We'll be putting it on the market in just a few weeks, so if you know of a couple or small family looking for a low-maintenance house for a year, send them our way. I'll be sure to post a link to the listing once it gets put up.

That box was FULL o' baby stuff

So there you have it. March 25th is the drop-dead date. Several people have asked if we're having a going-away party. We are not officially planning anything, but we'd love to see all of you guys! If you want to hang out, hit us up! The last week before take-off is sure to be a cluster, but we'll be happy to squeeze any and all available fun out of the time before we leave.

That being said...the sooner the better, y'all. Hop to it!