International Movers... 1/25/11 (out of order a bit)

Calls have been made, questions have been answered (by me) and it is promised that this week all three Companies will be sending their “people” to do an inventory in order to best issue the quote.  Don’t worry, I am positive this will make for some great material… for this publication anyway.  (Watch the same man show up for all three… it is Fallon. ) He will probably be related to my Real Estate Agent or the Cousin of someone from the DMV)   For those of you in the know of my DMV stories… for those who don’t, let’s just say I am trying to forget… ALLL OF THEM!!!

So far, I have had two surveys completed.  No one was from Fallon, they drove from Reno and Carson… separately.  Nice enough, went smooth, and now we wait for the numbers to crunch.  Don’t worry… in this mess I am positive something will go sideways, not sure what but, something for sure.

Donations...

Anyone who has has ever made a huge move knows that when you must decide whether or not something is valuable enough to pack, ship and then unpack... lots of things get moved into the not-so-important-anyMORE pile.  Well, add to these filters the fact that we will be PAYING for said items to be moved (by weight) and most appliances will not convert with the power structure of another Country.  Where I am going with this:  well, we have given away about 50% of our belongings, sold some and will give away about 20% more.  When I say, "Give away" I mean give to friends, and mostly... DONATED.  It's is interesting really.  The whole situation.  I have reached a very strange place.  NOthing is really that important.  Nothing is worth the stress.  If it is not smooth and easy... it's free and take it.   Or sometimes the feeling is, "It is valuable and really nice, pay a few bucks... that is the right thing to do."  And worst,  is when someone has taken a valuable item on the honor system and I am forced to chase what is due.  You see a lot about a  person.

I have quick "funny" story...   I am heading out yesterday to do some crazy chores that I have on this list I've been working on but, delayed as ALL three kids have been sick a week.  My friend Kari has offered to watch the three while I run like a mad woman to get the list scratched.  Heading out of Fallon to Reno, I realize the back of my "Swagger Wagon/ Mini Van" is full of five, big trash bags that are loaded with Dave's give-aways... Nice.  So, I have to make a donation drop or else I wont have room.   I figure I will swing by the local  Thrift company (in Fallon they know me, as I have been taking endless van loads full of nice things)  I recall has a hub in Fernley, which is right on my way.  I  pull into the facility and a super nice guy greets me and asks me to pull around back to their drop door.  He helps me unload everything.  At the last bag, a woman opens the door and yells at the guy, "What are you doing?".  He easily responds the obvious, "I am helping her unload."  To which she responds with an irritated scratchy voice, glaring at me, "We aren't open!!!!!"  I respond, "What do you mean, you aren't open?  You are not OPEN for donations?"  She screams, "WE DONT OPEN TILL 9!!!"  I look at my cell phone and it is 8:56am.  Yep.  8:56am.  Calmly I say, "Well then, I guess you can huck it all in that dumpster.  Good-bye."  Wow.

She must've formerlly worked for the DMV in Fallon ;)

My return to Nevada

Upon my return home to the USA, I first had to make my way to claim baggage, then through customs and back onto the final plane home to Reno, NV.  Wow, only a one hour flight.  After my journey, this seems likes a blink.  And it was.  I met a lovely lady and she told me all about her three daughters.  Blink, we were landing and I was extremely excited to be with my kidlets.  Wow, a week away seems like so long when the end has arrived.  I walked in the back door to all three kids sitting happily at the counter having cheese balls.  I was so incredibly happy to see them and them to see me. Then, within an hour’s time, exhaustion.  Total and complete, melt into the couch, exhaustion.  Wow.  I have had a crash course in jet-lag and all its glory.  The days are lost, the time seems wrong and sleep won’t come in any true solid form… it comprises of cat naps.  Ugh.  Still, three days later, I am fighting to sleep through our nights till our mornings.

My Week in Abu Dhabi and Dubai

There are not enough glorious adjectives to explain my amazing adventure.  So, I won’t.  At first thought, I was completely open to whatever lay on this side of the world.  This is a risky venture and we have taken the plunge.

My worst travel experience was in Paris, France at the Airport.  Negative, abrasive, dirty and confusing; that about sums the entire three hours of people and facilities.

Off of the Airport in Abu Dhabi there was much construction to contend.  But each man, made his best attempt in English to assist.  Signage was wonderful and their system smooth. The people exude kindness, respect and helpful politeness.  This is a standard for the entire visit.  I feel confident that our experience however adventurous will be soft and comfortable with the kind and gentle touch of a Country that is peaceful.  It is easy for us as Americans to feel uncomfortable with the idea of restrictions placed on our freedom.  However, to see such order and discipline is very enlightening.  For example, there is NO tolerance for alcohol.  Therefore, you don’t see drunkenness and especially drunken driving.  Crime is not tolerated and severely punishable therefore, you feel safe.   I guess what I am saying is that there is an exchange for freedom.  And it is obvious. We will take this opportunity to teach our children tolerance, understanding and acceptance, while we too learn the same.  We take this experience to grow as individuals and see the beauty in what is different but not less.   And most of all learn to love what is ours and the freedoms we take for granted and come to expect.  We are American and must feel proud and act proud by living an example of openness, respect and kindness.  I am excited for the opportunity in the UAE to allow us to call this beautiful Country home for a bit of time in our lives.

As for our adventure, well we are taking a new path in housing. Instead of trying to duplicate our set-up in Nevada, we have decided to embrace the ambiance and beauty of the gorgeous coastline.  Yes, that means a high-rise.  That means; no garage, no backyard and no front porch.  Rather, we will have an enormous flat on the third floor with spectacular views of the beach, boardwalk and nightlife of the city of Dubai.  A hotel/ resort style community pool to share or walks to the beach are great choices.  This means we will have assigned parking in the building-parking garage.  It is funny really; this is what I dreamed about when we lived in San Diego all those years.  I guess sometimes you must revisit a long ago dream and grab the opportunity to fulfill it. 

The Beginning

So, I am starting (Thanks Kari for the push and well, the whole start) a blog.  What an odd idea.  I have sat here with a blank stare wondering where I start.  I feel like there is really no great place to return and begin.  Yet, it seems wildly confusing to just pick up here out of nowhere.   I will do my best to be informative yet, not make myself crazy trying to retroactively explain the how's and why's of where we come from.

                                                                                                                                     

My name is Lacey and I am Queen of the Sexson Kingdom.  That is totally a joke.  Unless, of course there is some royal value to being made crazy and covered in some kind of bodily fluid every waking hour.  In that case, I am certainly a royal leader of something likened to snot.  My whole Family is about to embark on an adventure to the other side of the World, literally.  From the small town we have been force planted in Fallon, NV to the place we choose to start over... Dubai, United Arab Emirates.  Why you ask?  It is not an easy answer but, to simplify it and make it smooth, I say we choose to take on the amazing opportunity presented to us and embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

I have met some true salt of the Earth lovely people in my life and some of them are in Fallon.  I try hard and I know, not hard enough, not to hurt the very few I have come to appreciate.  Jamie, you are one.  Your humor and candid, witty self-have been such a delight to know and love.  Kenny, you are another... simply, "Salt of the Earth good heart".

And some, oh Geez... ohhhhh geez the stories I could tell.  I won't though; I will leave this chapter of our life closed.   It has been good for countless hours of laugh and frustration.

We are nearing the end of Fallon, NV and beginning of something very different.  Please join me friends and well, whoever else chooses to follow along.  I hope to be informative, entertaining and most of all therapeutic for myself, as writing steals the crazy emotion and leaves it softly away from me enough that I am no longer stressed with the intensity as the person who can't see the whole picture because I am standing inside the frame.