So Much To Take In...My Brain May Burst

We just had a 1.5 hour conference call with our relocation specialist in Shanghai.  There's a 13 hour time difference, so our window to communicate is limited, but at least we have 2 windows each day.   She missed our request for Wednesday evening (Thursday morning for her), so we rescheduled for Friday night (her Saturday morning).  A couple of times during the call, there were fireworks in the background...apparently her sister-in-law was getting married, and she stepped away from the festivities to talk us through the details of our move.  THAT's dedication to the job!
Finances, housing, schools, dog, medical care...we covered it all.  Most of it is similar to the deal when we were in France.  Then there are the 8 passport photos that we each need for visa and licenses (and the various government agencies that will be keeping tabs on our whereabouts and whatfors)...it'll be different!  When we entered AAA on Wednesday to have them taken, the guy told us it would be expensive.  Yea, like that's an issue...tell China that the pictures cost too much, deal over!

Yes.  Zebra is going along for the adventure.  Some nice dog-relocation company will pick him up here and calmly transport him for us.   There'll be 30 days of quarantine, but only 7 of them will be in confinement; the rest with us.  He'll probably have a nicer journey than we will...as long as no one EATS him!

Meanwhile, the grand clean-up of the house has begun.  I'm not sure why GM continues to have me move in the dead of Winter, but preparing for this with the holidays looming really takes away from things I'd rather be doing.

I prepared the gardens today for Winter and beyond.  Things were pruned, pulled or put away...ready for whatever.  Hopefully, my HOA won't send me nasty-grams if my house isn't kept up to neighborhood standards :-/

Planning a trip to China on December 10th to seek housing and school.  D's parents will be here for the holidays, so child care is covered.  One thing I don't have to solve...YEA!  Just gotta be home for W's 10th birthday on the 19th...nope, December is just another month in this family!