'Here comes your man'

Today was a good day. It is amazing how quickly my mood changes by just having the house back in order. Yesterday it was like an atomic bomb went off- I had really reached the bowels of the closets, sorted through dozens of keepsake bins, and created a mountainous pick-up pile for the Salvation Army. It was progress but it was awful and it was everywhere.

Today, I personally moved my entire living room as far as the front door (note to all: furniture sliders are the best investment I have ever made!), rolled up the carpet and finally pitched the last of the unwanted lamps and picture frames just in time for my cleaning lady to arrive. Soon after, my delivery men arrived (on time!) with my new living room set - one I have been pining over for quite some time. Ahhh. Bliss!

With a huge thank you and a tip (a "dash" as it is called in Lagos), they moved the old furniture into my garage and added it to the donation pile - all of which will be whisked away later this week. Ahhh.

Note to Self: DO NOT under any circumstances let any children near the new furniture!

Link to Lyrics I love:

Listen on Spotify: 

'Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup'

This week has been intense. Actually that is putting it mildly. We finally have the green light for our preview trip to Lagos which despite my previous statement is a good thing because I can get a lot of my questions answered (and fears put to rest). But it also signals that the move date is looming and somehow, I still have an endless "To Do" list. Some people seem to understand this and others just tell me it will all work out. Clearly I am doing something wrong because I can assure you, it is not working out. My house is trashed and I really hate a messy house, especially since I have probably spent more time in it in the last month than the past 3 years combined. The garage is filled with piles and piles of stuff that I personally have put there with these really reassuring notes to myself like:

"SORT THROUGH THIS ASAP!"

"DO NOT PACK THIS!"

"SELL? DONATE? TRASH?"

I mean at the end of the day, it really won't matter because the packers just come and it all happens at warp speed. But herein lies the issue.  I can clearly remember the day our shipment arrived in Australia and how desperate I was to find the baby things (Clayton was only a few weeks old) and Kerrigan's toys. My clothes, my coffee maker, my dvds, the things you really long for and miss. And do you know what you open instead?

1. Dirty laundry
2. What used to be a drawer full of semi-dead pens and pencils with no erasers
3. Heaps of crappy sippy cups that are probably seeping BPA or whatever that toxin is
4. Previously pressed clothes that are now at the bottom of a wardrobe box with heaps of crappy hangers stuffed inside (and WIRE HANGERS AT THAT!!)
5. Legos that will never create anything, ever. 
6. Puzzles that are missing pieces that are now a continent away and in a house you no longer own.
7. Old make-up you told yourself was still "good". 
8. Squirty bath toys with that nasty black moldy water inside
9. Dish towels that are far more tired and dingy than you remember even when you lovingly displayed them in your kitchen for all to see.
10. A black octopus of cords and chargers bigger than your kid labeled "OFFICE"

Alas, this is what I have been doing. Trying to sort, purge and organize our house so that what does eventually get shipped will at least be useful and not greeted by a huge groan. The thing is I know I should be doing other things- seeing friends, going to our favorite restaurants, saying goodbyes.

Honestly, unraveling a huge pile of cords is just a lot easier right now. 

Link to lyrics that I love:

Listen on Spotify:

Test post to the blog from my email..

this is a test post to the main blog site from my email.... today I am going INSANE!!!!!

but how cool is it that I can write an email and post it remotely??

'I don't know what awaits me...'

This week I continually find myself in that frustrating place of planning, prepping and constantly thinking about a trip that in reality isn't even booked yet. We have no visas so we have no "preview" visit and everything is on hold. This is mostly due to the fact that there is a nationwide strike and city-wide protests about fuel costs. Most of the employees are not in the office and no one is allowed in or out of the Lagos airport for security reasons. I remember this annoying part of the process when we relocated to Australia. It was late November/early December which caused delays due to Christmas but also because it was Australian summer and everyone was "on holiday". Also, for every week that went by, I was getting more and more pregnant - seriously pregnant. Third trimester nesting instinct + Overseas move = Something no woman (or man for that matter) ever wants to experience. If ever the Aussies needed a reason to think Yanks were tight-assed, stress cases, well I was it. I stalked the woman at the visa office until she couldn't stand me and miraculously we made it to Melbourne by the 31 week mark.

Lagos, on the other hand is a whole different story. There is an obscene amount of paperwork and the visas are very difficult to obtain. And what is ultimately pushing us this time is yet another ticking clock (thank god it's not a pregnancy related one!). In short, once we arrive in Lagos, we can't leave Nigeria for up to 90 days while they process our Long Term Visa. If we get there any later than April 1, then our whole summer will be spent in Lagos. Let me re-phrase that. Summer. In. Lagos. 1) It's Hot as Hades. 2) All the other expats will have left for their Home Visits or their glorious summer holidays around Europe. 3) It's really, really hot.

I am not saying I need to vacation in Europe (okay so I did tell the Cannons we would summer with them in Norway but still...) My biggest concern is that the kids will have a very short time to assimilate to their new school (while we are most likely still in temporary housing) and then just as we've made friends and found our support group, everyone but us will leave. I know in my heart that maybe we won't be the only expats in that boat, but I still want my kids to be excited about Lagos and have their initial experience as good as it can be. People keep reminding me that the initial transition is not very smooth but that most of it is just not in our control. So we keep pushing to get there as soon as we can. And if I have to be yet another annoying Yank, so be it.

Link to lyrics that I love:

Listen on Spotify:

'Trouble Sleeping'

Last night we hosted our first slumber party for 7 year old Kerrigan Mae. When I promised her a few months ago that she could have up to 7 girls, I clearly was not thinking - about anything. About floor space, the sugar intake, my hearing, sleep deprivation! That last issue, was, in retrospect, one I should have thought more about, especially considering I have not been sleeping at all lately. It's a vicious cycle I often find myself in when change is underway. I run around all day without stopping, or hydrating and make lists upon lists upon lists, and then crash early. Somewhere around 3am, I'm up and the lists start all over again. This party was actually a nice break from thinking about the move for both me and Kerrigan. The girls made their own pizza, gave each other manicures, attempted to put on make-up, watched their favorite shows (TV 7! finally!!), played dress-up, ate an obscene amount of ice cream and stayed up past midnight. Two of the girls wanted to stay up till they could see the sun, which I ofcourse agreed to and then bragged to the other girls in the morning that they had indeed done so. Kerrigan's friends know she is moving but luckily there was very little talk of the move and it was just hours and hours (and hours) of silly 7 year-old fun. What really put me at ease was the immediate reminder that she will make friends easily in Nigeria, as she always has. And at the end of the day, if you have a daughter, you will always have sleepovers. Regardless of what country you live in, there will always be dress-up parties, there will always be makeovers, and you will always pretend you are rock stars, even if it means the whole house is up to see the sun rise.

Link to Lyrics that I love 

Listen on Spotify: