September 24, 2006


I'm feeling a little fuzzy today. Last night's Oktoberfest celebration was a lot of fun. Fun that I'm paying for today. The thing about imbibing a little too much and feeling it the next day is this: I don't have days I can afford to waste. This move to Canada has taken over most spare moments I have. With the open house coming up this weekend, I'm trying to get things organized, put away, packed up and moved to the storage unit. The whole moving van thing I will need to address soon. I know it will be expensive. I have budgeted about $25,000 for the move alone. I hope that is realistic. I have adjusted my budget spreadsheet many times as money comes in and goes out.

Yesterday I visited my friend and hairdresser Susan. I got my hair all cut off on a whim. I'm adjusting to it. Diane (my partner/wife) loves it, she says. I don't know how much of that is being supportive or being sincere. It's okay either way, I guess.

I read a lot of blogs in which people ask "Why Canada?" At 50, I just want some peace. I look at situations in my life and ask, will this bring me peace or turmoil? At the end of this journey, I'm sure I will find peace. For now, the road to get there is the most stressful thing I have ever done in my life. I'm never moving again after this. (I know I should never say never) I'm going to a new home, a new country with no job, my excellent credit score becomes meaningless, so I hear, and I'm competing in a new job market with younger native born competitors. This is not a decision entered into lightly.
I am more than just a disgruntled Bush-ugee.

The next 4 days will pass quickly. I will be at my home in Canada before I know it. Soon, for good.

Saturday September 23

This evening we are going to meet with friend's at the Hofbrauhaus for Oktoberfest. It's the Autumnal Equinox and we thought that would be a nice way to celebrate. A mass of Dunkles, a rousing chorus of beer hall tunes.


Next weekend when we are in Canada, our realtor is having an open house for us. It is the best timing, as the dogs will be boarding for the weekend. Believe me, trying to show a house with 5 Jack Russell's at home, is insane. They are cute little Tasmanian devils.


There is so much to do to prepare for the move. The amount of @$%# you accumulate when you have lived in a house for 13 years amazes me. There is somehting so liberating about throwing it out. We have donated a great deal and had our garage sales but the real fun happens when you leave it out at the curb.

My work continues to trip about my leaving. On one hand they want to extract as much information from me before I go and on the other hand they want to keep me in the dark about anything that is coming up. I am truly getting short-timers disease. My response to job emergencies is less frantic. It is good in many ways. My dress has become more relaxed on Fridays. This is the message on the shirt I wore to work yesterday.


I'm counting the sleeps before next weekend.

September 20th, 2006

I'm slow to find these Canada blogs . . .but here goes. My partner and I have been officially in the system since June 8 2005. We took our first round of medicals a month ago. Then 2 days ago, I received the brown envelope you can not open. Only the doctor can open it. It is a request for a further of medicals. I was totally stressed about it! L-Girl really helped to calm my fears. I just got back from the doctor (I took the whole day off from work) and all they needed was another blood test. It seems the first time around my blood pressure was slightly elevated (NO, ya think?) I am hoping that this will suffice and that we are on our way to Canada. Finally!

We purchased a home in Victoria, B.C. about a year and a half ago. The market is so hot there, that we were afraid if we waited, we couldn't afford the kind of property we wanted. We have rented it out for the last year and are going up next weekend to final out the renters.

We were married 2 years ago at the UU church in Victoria, BC. We have made some great friends there, including the minister that married us. One of the most surreal moments of my life was walking into the license bureau and getting the marriage license. Part of me was sure they were going to turn us away because we were 2 women. They didn't flinch. They were kind and offered us congratulations. We had been together for 14 years already at the time we were married. We look much different 2 years later.


I have already told my employer that I am leaving. Since I work for a large library district, we are government. They couldn't fire me. But I sure have noticed a change in my work assignments. Its the government. When they know you are leaving they 'dumb you down'.

My partner's employer (2 owners) cried when she told them we were leaving and why. They asked what they could do to change things. Both are staunch Republicans. So that opened up a fantastic dialog of ideas. She told them unless they could change the laws in America, there was nothing they could do. No amount of money they offered can change the freedom we will gain by leaving the United States.

So hopefully soon, we will pack up our 5 Jack Russell's (I know, what were we thinking) and make the move.

Our house is on the market here and the market is really slowwwww. I just have to hope the right person (s) will see it and want it as much as we did.

Mary