So much packing!

Well it's been a very very busy week. I started working on Monday- and soon after, I realized the enormity of the project I'm working on. It's pretty overwhelming... but at the same time, my boss seems really great. I can't believe how I'm lucking out with supervisors. *Knock on wood* We've also been spending every spare moment researching moving companies and packing up boxes. I can't believe how much stuff we have! I can't even imagine moving an entire house or apartment even. Anyway, today we put down the deposit for the moving company to come pick up our stuff sometime next week. That means we will be without our bed for about 2.5 weeks. Not sure where we're going to sleep at the moment, but I'm not too worried about it.

We've pretty much got most of our things packed up in boxes in a big stack in the living room (See pictures below). What a pain! So much bubble wrap and packing paper and styrofoam peanuts- we're going to have a mess when we unpack it all! Hopefully we'll be able to salvage some of it and keep it for any future moves. That stuff isn't cheap!

The only downside of all this is the exhaustion. I'm so used to sitting around all day not doing anything, that all of this excitement has got me pretty tired all the time. I have no energy or motivation what-so-ever to go to the gym and exercise on a daily basis. I'm hoping that will change once I get into a new routine.

Well as of today (August 1st as I am writing this after midnight) we will be leaving south Florida in 3 weeks and 1 day. I can't believe how fast time is flying. I am reminded of how bittersweet this all is. I am absolutely thrilled to be moving to Hawaii for essentially my dream job (out of grad school anyway- you can't get much better than an entry position with the feds in my opinion!) But I am also sad to be moving so far away from all my family and friends. It's kind of ironic actually. I lived in Australia (Daland's home) for 13 months, and Daland lived here in south Florida (my home) for 2 and a half years... and now it's time we meet in the middle...From Florida to Honolulu it is approximately 4,800 miles- and from Sydney, Australia to Honolulu it is approximately 5,500 miles. So we'll pretty much be half way between the east coast US and Australia... in the middle of the big open Pacific... on the most isolated chain of islands on the face of the planet... WOAH.

Doesn't look like much in the picture- but it took us several days to get all this together!

First week of work!

Yesterday marked my first official day of work. Doesn't feel like working when you roll out of your bed in your PJ's and sit on the computer all day in your own house- but it's work nonetheless. I'm already set up on the payroll and all my paperwork is completed and submitted! Here's to making $$ FINALLY! I also got my wire from work for my relocation expenses (couldn't have come any sooner). Now all we have to do is decide on a moving company (ugghh) and set up the date... aaand start packing. To be honest- I'm dreading the whole process. I just want to get it over with.

Anyway, I don't have much to write today- as I am actually pretty exhausted. While my job doesn't require any physical activity- all my mental brain power has effectively been drained. Can't believe in less than a month we'll be getting on a plane. Can't wait!

Stress sucks!!

Today was somewhat of a stressful day. I'm not sure why this particular day was particularly harsh, but I'm going to blame it on the root of all evil: MONEY! (Or in our case, lack thereof!) It is exceedingly expensive to move to Hawaii, and while my job is paying for partial re-location (partial being the operative word) that's exactly the problem: it's not enough!

After careful thought and consideration, we've decided against selling our car. We weighed the pros and cons, and it turns out- we will more than likely be better off just shipping our car over there, rather than trying to sell it (losing pretty much half the money we invested in it) and buy a cheap used one. Going over car-less was a bit nervewracking to begin with- but the thought of trying to wheel and deal for a potentially really crappy used car (that may or may not break down soon after purchase) is just something I don't want to deal with. I'd rather have my low-mileage, dependable and very comfortable Civic that I know is in tip-top shape. But now we have to pay for it to be shipped over. *Sigh* Needless to say, it's been a very stressful topic of conversation between me and Daland, but ultimately, I think we've made the right decision.

We've also been trying to work out what our monthly expenses will be in comparison to our income. The cost of living in Hawaii is the highest in the United States (another source of added stress) and in the beginning, we will be living on my income only. We are hoping that Daland will be able to secure a job right away with the Hawaiian Blood Bank (since it's basically the same thing he does over here) but surprisingly, they pay more hourly in Hawaii than they do in Florida! Shocking, I know! And even though Daland's not thrilled with the idea of continuing on in the field of phlebotomy, it could potentially serve as an immediate source of income that will be very much needed while he looks for something more permanent.

So after all the number crunching and debating back and forth... we just decided we'd have to just let go, jump in with both feet, and have faith that we'll be just fine. I have to admit- it's been hard dealing with all of this without my parents around to solicit their advice and wisdom. Guess I'll have to get used to it.

In other news, I start working on Monday! No more lazying around watching soap operas in the afternoon. I have to say- I take great pleasure in DELETING the job announcements I receive through my grad-school E-mail. It feels good to finally have a job- and not just a job- but the first stepping stone into my career. Anyway, I'll just be glad to get on the plane and get out there.

Official Start Date (and other developments)

Ok here's the latest!

We spoke to Daland's Dad tonight and worked out our departure date and accomodations in Honolulu before we find a place to live. So even though the flights aren't booked quite yet- our official date of departure is .....

AUGUST 23!!!

I also found out my official start date for work. Since the people in Honolulu want me to start immediately, I will start working from home until I can make the move out there. And that start date will be this coming Monday, July 26! I also just received a very broad outline of basically what I will be doing:

For any of my *MAFers* that might be reading this, the job is essentially collecting information on any and all regulatory and non-regulatory mechanisms that will be affecting the proposed 82 coral species that are being petitioned to be listed under the ESA. 8 of these coral species can be found in the Caribbean, and the rest are found in the Indo-Pacific region. These 82 corals can be found in approximately 80 different countries around the world. So I will be in charge of compiling the information for all 80 countries about their federal, state/province/territory, and local laws and regulations that might be affecting these corals. It seems like a HUGE and DAUNTING task, but my supervisor has advised me that I shouldn't be scared away!

Of course, I don't know all the details yet beyond that broad spectrum of stuff- so I'm sure there is a lot more involved. I will be speaking with my supervisor over the phone tomorrow for the first time to get some more information.

That's about it for now. It's getting REAL! After 7 months of unemployment, I will be starting work on Monday!!!!

Stay tuned...

Feeling good!

Slowly but surely, with each day it feels like we are getting more and more prepared for the big move. I know we still have a little over a month before we'll be leaving, but I also know how fast the time is going to fly. It already is! Today we started to create the big pile of boxes that we will be shipping in order to attempt to get an accurate moving quote. There are still a few items missing from the pile (i.e. dive gear, jewelry case, and any extra clothing that won't fit in suitcases) but the hardest part about all of this is having to leave things behind. We got some awesome gifts for our wedding- some of which aren't exacly practical to move all the way to Hawaii- so we will have to leave some things behind... which is sad. I just want to take EVERYTHING! But, I have learned to compromise and just hope that one day we'll be in a big enough place to accomodate all of my awesome stuff!

One thing we're extremely excited about is learning that Daland's Dad will be meeting us in Honolulu to help us with apartment hunting. That's actually a huge relief. It's comforting to know that we'll have one of our parents helping us out and looking out for our best interest when we're pretty new to all of this! Not to mention it'll just be so nice to see Daland's Dad again. It's also a comforting thought to know we will pretty much be smack dab in the middle of my home and Daland's. And it will make visiting much easier on his family, which is really important to me. I have to say- I feel really lucky that Daland's family is so supportive and they actually feel like family to me. I love them all as I love my own family.

If we leave on the day we are aiming for (August 24) today marks exactly 5 weeks until our departure from the mainland. We are definitely planning on having a bit of a "going away" party and will most likely do it the Saturday night before we leave (August 21). I'm also going to have a bit of a "bucket list" for Florida before I say goodbye... visit my favorite restaurants, go to my favorite beaches, etc. But I am also excited to research new eateries and "favorite spots" in Hawaii as well.

Life's just one big adventure!!!

Being productive!

Well, so far we are being really productive! Today I faxed the official employment paperwork to Ocean Associates (health/life insurance and tax information etc.) and we got Roxy's bloodwork done for the rabies test and sent that off to Kansas State University for testing. We also bought a set of pots and pans from Bed Bath & Beyond because we figured it would be cheaper to buy them here and ship them with the rest of our stuff, rather than buying them in Honolulu. So now we have basically everything we need.

Other than Roxy's quarantine process, the biggest headache in all of this has been trying to find affordable housing online- which is virtually impossible considering we can't view the apartments we're looking at! I guess I just have to accept the fact that we won't be able to find a place before we actually get out there. I mean, as much as I just want to jump the gun and get a place secured- basically everyone I've talked to has advised me to just go out and look for a week. The next step is deciding on a moving company and figuring how much stuff we are going to take over so that we can get an accurate moving quote. Problem is, we don't really know how big our place is going to be- which is going to dictate how much stuff we can actually take.

On another note, I've been feeling very tired the last few days. I think I'll blame it on all the excitement (and to be honest- all the stress) plus all the celebrating (resulting in eating a lot of badness) and lack of exercise. Put it all together and you have one very exhausted Chelsey... especially since I've been used to doing a lot of nothing for the last 7 months!

It still feels very surreal. Because I've been so wrapped up in the "business" of moving, I sometimes forget WHERE and WHY I'm moving. I still can't believe it. Tomorrow we plan on getting the car professionaly detailed so that we can take some pictures and get it listed on the internet to sell. I wish I could take it over with me, but unfortunately I can't afford it. We'll also be continually working on figuring out how much stuff we will be taking so that we can get a moving company set up as soon as possible.

That's it for now!!

So much to do!

It's been two days since I was offered my dream job in Honolulu, Hawaii- and while I'm ecstatic, thrilled, stoked, amazed, bewildered, etc. I am also pretty overwhelmed with everything I have to do! Things that have been racing through my mind since that fateful phone call include: finding a place to live in Honolulu, preparing my dog for the quarantine process, selling my car, finding a moving company, packing my whole life up, filling out paperwork, etc. etc. etc.

Yesterday we found out that my pug Roxy will not be able to come with us right away. Apparently there is absolutely no presence of Rabies on the Hawaiian islands, which makes their quarantine process very stringent. So we took Roxy to the vet yesterday to begin the process (which includes getting her a microchip and bloodwork for Rabies to be sent to Kansas State University for testing). Once Kansas State receives her bloodwork, there is a waiting period of 120 DAYS!!! So that's 4 months before our baby can join us!!

On a brighter note, we are getting a timeline figured out. The people at the Pacific Islands Regional Office want me to be working in their office no later than September 7th (and earlier if I so choose) which is the day after Labor Day. We want to be moved into our apartment by September 1st to get situated and adjusted in our new city. We will also need to be there a week prior to our move-in date to be able to search for/view apartments. So our tentative departure date is August 24, which is only approximately 5 weeks away!!!

And even better still, yesterday we got to do something that was amazing: we went through all of our unopened wedding gifts for the first time since they were packed away 2 years ago. I can't believe that after all the waiting and ups and downs of the last 2 years, we are finally making the big move! Not only physically across the country and Pacific ocean... but the big move in our marriage. We are finally going to be able to REALLY start our married life together. I absolutely can't wait!