The same story over and over! We did some more sorting and packing this past week and weekend. Finally got the suitcases out to see what we needed and Loki promptly claimed one and slept on it all day. We did buy another large suitcase for Tim. I will look for something when I am in the US. Not sure if an outlet or TJ Maxx would have the best prices. A little bit more packing will take place today.
Hard to believe that I leave in 8 days! That is the plan anyway, to leave Montreal early on Monday, June 22 and drive for two days straight to Colorado with all the stuff that I will take to Finland and our kitty. The departure date really depends in part on how organized I am but also on the weather. 28 hours on the road is hard enough without spending long stretches driving through massive rainstorms. The movers come on Tuesday, June 23 to pick up all of our furniture and boxes and then Tim leaves on Thursday, June 25. This last week will super busy and will fly by in a blink of an eye. Monday I will be going to the Canada v Netherlands women’s World Cup game at Olympic Stadium with friends and Tuesday will be my last soccer game with the Bambinos. Of course there will be a going away party later in the week too.
The best news though is that our residency permits have arrived from Finland and are at the embassy in Ottawa! Tomorrow, Tim and I will drive a quick trip there and back to pick them up. I am relieved that they are here and we don’t have to worry about overnighting them to Istanbul or where ever. Still no Apostille from the Secretary of State’s office in Austin. I guess I will call on Tuesday to see when it shipped. I would hate for it to arrive after we left. Mail forwarding isn’t free in Canada. Our friends and neighbors offered to have our mail forwarded to their house, but to forward it (within the province) is $50 for 4 months. Ug. At least we are in email contact with the people who are renting our apartment next and I guess if something important shows up, Steffi could still pick it up for us.
Last night was beautiful and as we rode our bikes to a park to celebrate a friend’s birthday I was struck at how much I will miss Montreal. I haven’t always loved living here, but there are moments are moments that really make it worth it.