Pre-Move

The possibility of moving to the UK has now become a reality. It's been a long six months since we first caught wind of this ex-pat assignment, and within the next month we should be getting settled in the Old Country. ("Should" being the operative word!) Like I said, it's been a long six months living in the land of the unknown - located somewhere between Columbus, Ohio and London, England.

I just got done reviewing e-mails from the moving company. We aren't moving much more than clothes, toys and a few key pieces of furniture, and will rent the rest. Having just moved from Cincinnati to Dublin last year, I'm all too familiar with the pre-move survey, the moving company invading your house with packing tape and boxes, and of course lots and lots of paperwork. This time we'll pile-on a bit of customs paperwork to shake things up a bit! All in all, I'm not that worried about the actual shipment of goods, because as I said we are renting virtually everything when we get to England. From beds, to TVs, to silverware.

Chris and I were in England for our househunting trip a few weeks ago and in the afternoon of Day 1, we found our house. All the pieces just came together for us - it's a charming semi-attached home located in a classic English village called Claygate. It is the perfect location, with easy highway access for Chris to drive south to the Scott's offices in Godalming, and just a 5-minute walk for the girls and me to hop on a train and head north into London for the day. And, of most importance it is also just a 5-minute walk to the local pub! I will write more about our house and Claygate once we get settled, but all in all, now that I'm able to visualize where our family will be living for the next year or two, I am feeling exponentially better about the entire move. Because, let's be honest - I have definitely had my fair share of freak-out moments over the last few months!

Just a couple of housekeeping items before I wrap-up my first blog...the purpose of me "blogging" about this experience is two-fold. First and foremost, Chris and I recognize what an incredible opportunity we've been given. Not only will the day to day cultural experiences be eye-opening, but we hope to travel a lot, and I want to document everything for our memories. While Sadie (6-months) might not have a clue what is going on, I think this experience is going to have a profound impact on Caroline (3 1/2-years). I can't wait to see how she responds to living in the homeland of Harry Potter! She's very excited about that...

Secondly, I am "blogging" to keep our family and friends in the U.S. updated on our adventure. Once we are settled, I hope to do a weekly post. (Probably a stretch goal...) To encourage everyone to stay in touch, I am dedicating a "shout-out" at the end of each blog! I hope this little incentive will encourage some visitors - i.e., you are guaranteed a shout-out if you come visit! So, without further a-do, my first "shout-out" goes to....(drumroll please).... Sarah and Brian Rudie!!! The Rudie's are our long-time friends from the 'Nati. Also ex-Procter, they are 1 1/2 years into their ex-pat assignment in London with Brian's company. The emotions of this move have been all over the place for me, but after talking with Sarah for the first time, I calmed down - for a day or two at least! During our first trip to England, we stayed with the Rudie's one night and completely picked their brain about everything from English schools, to on-line grocery shopping (which I am REALLY looking forward to), to Brian's new Euro fashion style! Sarah and Brian have truly been an invaluable resource for us, and we look forward to exploring some of Europe with with them over the next year!

Signing off for now. I have pictures from our househunting trip to post, but am having trouble getting them downloaded. Chris is in France right now, but will have him work on it when he returns. I will write more when we get up and running in Claygate. Cheers!