Accomplishments and Adabtability

     We have had crazy Spring weather this past week, but that hasn't stopped me from getting a lot of things checked off my to-do list (which keeps growing, by the way!)  Here's what my week looked like:

1)  My flooring guy came to measure for the new laminate for the kitchen, breakfast nook and little bathroom.  I have used Brian Martinez for carpeting on a few other occasions and was very happy to find out that he installs all kinds of flooring.  I highly recommend him if you need any new floors, tile work or carpeting.
2)  I, myself, refinished the wood floors in the living room using the Rustoleum kit that I used on the floor in the little bedroom.  They look really good!!!

New living room floor

Old dining room floor

3)  I began a search for real estate agents using realtors.com and then narrowing down to meet my criteria.  I emailed 8 prospective agents and have set up interview times for this week and next to talk to 5 of them who responded to my enquiries and are willing to meet my demands.  Hopefully I can hire someone by the end of the following week.  Wish me luck!
4)  I put my profile on 3 different house sitting websites.  More about this in the "adaptability" section of the post.
5)  I have checked on long term leases in the SW of France.  More about this in the next section.
6)  I called the French Consulate in Denver to ask about the application process for long term visas only to find out that I have to apply for that through the French Consulate in Los Angeles!  So I may be making a trip to LA in the next couple of months.  (Hmmmm, Universal Studios is opening their version of the Wizarding World next month!  Renae says she's game!)
7)  I rented a storage unit so I have a place to put all those things that will not be used to stage my house which Beth is going to help me do the first week in April.
     And amid all that hustle and bustle I found time to meet Ken and Beth for dinner at Carrabba's, spent a morning at the zoo, Renae and I enjoyed dinner and a play performance, I made a trip to Home Depot and to the ReStore, and I cooked Easter dinner for Andy and me.  (And shoveled snow!)  Whew!!!!

My sweet baby Elsa

Zoya greeted me through her window

Little Ember always brings a smile

Grandma Juju relaxing on a snowy day

     So those were my accomplishments this past week.  It seems as though the more I do, the more I realize I still need to do, but everything is coming together - perhaps not as quickly as I had thought, but isn't that usually how it goes with house and moving projects?  Still,  I am very close to being ready to put the house on the market.  That's the next big step to moving to France.
     I feel that my years of teaching adolescents has helped me become a master at adaptability.  And I am finding that to be a helpful trait as I meander along the paths of twists and turns and unexpected bumps on my journey to France.
     It was really interesting to check out the house sitting websites this past week.  It was fun to see where all in the world one could travel to and stay for free in someone else's home.  What I found out, however, is that most house sitting requests are for 3 days (a long weekend) to 10 days (a short vacation).   Two weeks seemed to be the maximum time that most people required a house sitter.
     I really don't want to be packing up and moving every 2 weeks for months at a time.  I know that at some point I am going to want a permanent address.  So that's when I decided to check out some house rental websites.  There are lots of places to choose from in the SW area of France where I hope to eventually buy.  There are holiday gites (small cottages usually attached to larger farm houses) available all year.  In the warmer months they are leased by the week, but in the fall and winter many of them will offer long term leases for  6-7 months.  I contacted a few of these and got a response from a couple who said I could rent their cottage starting in September for 7-8 months at their winter rate of 425 euros/month plus utilities and no extra cost for CoCO.
     This cottage is very close to the place where Andy and I stayed a couple of years ago.  When I realized that, I decided to contact Monsieur and Madame Olive to see if they did long term leases for their gite.  Their website doesn't show any availability during the winter and I have a feeling they just lock it up and don't use it at all during the colder months.  But I felt like I wanted to at least ask them.  I will be contacting them when I arrive in France and am worried that they might feel hurt that I didn't even think of them when looking for a place to rent.  So I emailed them this morning and will see what they say.

The Olive's farmhouse where Andy and I stayed

     So I've decided (at this point) that I will do a combination of house sitting and renting.  I will sign the lease on the cottage to start in September.  I will then need to contact the Consulate in LA and prepare all the preliminary paperwork to be sent to them before I can make an in person appt.  But I will need an extension on my visitors passport to stay in France for up to a year so this will be a necessary trip.
     Once my house sells - and it's hard to say when that might happen - then I will look for house sitting jobs, here and in Europe, to fill the time before I head to France.  Sounds like a good plan to me.
     This next week I will be interviewing agents and getting new floors and beginning to pack up the things I will put in storage.  Things are moving along.  When I look at all I've accomplished in the past year I amaze myself!  But, as you know, this path has had its share of twists and turns and bumps.  It's all part of the journey and I feel good about where I am at this point.  I will admit to some trepidation and anxiety.  I think that's normal when one is about to change one's life dramatically.  But the excitement always overshadows the fear.
     I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful Easter Sunday.  As always, I thank you for taking the time to read my blog and for joining me on this journey to SW France.  Merci!

Approved for Take Off and Welcoming Spring

     I had no idea what to expect in Albuquerque on Friday.  As I mentioned last week, I had been approved for a Global Entry Pass and had an interview scheduled at the Customs office at the Albuquerque Airport.  So, CoCo and I made a quick trip there, driving on Thursday, spending the night at a hotel near the airport and then driving back home on Friday after my 12:15 appointment.
     I had no trouble finding the airport Thursday when we arrived around 4:00 having left the Springs around 10:00 that morning.   I love driving 75 mph!  We checked into the hotel and I tried to get CoCo comfortable with being there.  She has only stayed one other time in a motel room and it made her really anxious, even though I never left her alone in it.
     There was a Burger King just down the street from the hotel so I took her in the car and went through the drive through, returned to the hotel and ate dinner in the room.  She settled down a little bit when she saw the french fries!  ha!  The next morning I left her in the room briefly while I grabbed a plate of breakfast food from their free "buffet" which didn't amount to much, but then I don't usually eat breakfast so it didn't really matter.  And, once again, CoCo was happy to have some friend potatoes!
     I had googled the airport layout the night before and so I had a general idea of where I needed to go in the airport.  I had no idea where to park, however, and ended up parking in a lot where I could easily walk to the entrance.  I put CoCo in her airline approved carrier and off we went into the airport.
     They are undergoing renovations so things looked different inside than my google map had shown so I ended up asking someone where the Customs Office was.  We walked in to find three other people sitting there, in a rather small waiting area.  I was about 45 minutes early.  I wanted to leave myself plenty of time to find the right building and the right room.  Everyone else there was waiting for the same thing - an interview to get their Global Entry Pass.
     CoCo was not happy being in her carrier, but sticking my hand inside and petting her regularly seemed to calm her down.  Not sure how I can do that on a nine hour flight to Europe!  Drugs - that's what I'm thinking - for both of us perhaps!  Anyway, when it was my turn we met with a very nice Customs Agent who explained the entire process, took my passport and driver's license and put all the info into his computer.  Then he took my photo and fingerprints which he also had to process into his computer.  At which point he said I had been officially approved for TSA precheck on domestic flights and Global Entry passport checks (basically, no check!) on international flights.  Whoo hoo!  No more standing in long security lines.
     Meanwhile back in the Springs it was snowing.  I left NM in bright sunshine and didn't hit any weather problems until Raton Pass where it was a light freezing drizzle.  Fortunately, that didn't last very long, but I never did see the sun again.  I appreciated getting a text from Andy telling me that the roads were all clear, and indeed, I had no problems getting home around 7:00.  A quick trip, but very productive.
     And things are getting done on the house.  I have a flooring guy coming in the morning to measure for the new floors in the kitchen, the breakfast nook and the little bathroom.  I will be renting a storage unit starting next month so that I can get my belongings out of the house so my dear friend, Beth, can give me pointers on how to stage it for selling.  I have started the wood floor renewal process in the living and dining rooms (having already done this in the small bedroom that's on the main floor.)
     Then all that's left is to hire a carpet cleaner and do some "curb appeal".  I will hire an appraiser and a home photographer (suggested by the book I'm reading) and start interviewing realtors so I can get the house on the market in April.
     Cindy is coming for a week in April and that will be a most welcome distraction from all this work.  I am excited to show her the improvements.  Everything should be done by then - April 9 - so that she and I can just "play" and do all the things we love doing in Colorado Springs.  She is anxious to see the cubs at the zoo.  They have changed so much since she saw them in October!
     And now it's Spring - officially!  My favorite time of year.  I know it's extremely schizophrenic and you never know what to expect.  In fact, we often have our biggest snow storms in the Spring.  But I love the green shoots that are appearing, the crocuses are blooming, there's a tinge of green on the lilac bushes and the trees.  The grass is turning from brown to green and the sun is staying longer in the sky. The fat squirrels are frantically trying to find the food that they buried last fall, the robins are enjoying the birdbath, the finches are singing me awake every morning.
     It's funny that when we got back home from our trip to NM I said to CoCo, "it's good to be home, isn't it?"  And then realized that there will come a time when I won't have a home to come home to - at least not my own home - at least not for awhile.  But, I am excited about the time when I can enjoy someone else's home.  Life is good, life is always changing and I am very good at adapting and looking forward to my next great adventure.
     And since I have no photos for this posting I'll just post a few old ones so I can keep that new adventure always fresh in my mind and heart.
 

My valley in SW France

The beautifully majestic Pyrenees

     Thanks for coming along with me on this journey.  Merci!!!

A Diminishing Checklist, A Magical Adventure, and the Return of Birdsong

     Did you miss me?  I've been gone the past two Sundays and so have not done my usual weekly posts.  I'm so sorry.  Last week I was in Orlando (the Magical Adventure I'll talk about soon) and the week before I was in Texas at my aunt's funeral.  And now it's March!  Oh my!
     I see things being crossed off my checklist for house projects and moving projects.  This feels good.  The only things I, personally, have left to do on my house are refinishing the wood floors and painting the basement.  I am hiring someone to replace the vinyl flooring in the kitchen, breakfast nook area and the small bathroom.  Then I will hire a professional carpet cleaner and "spruce up" the yard. 
     I have been reading a book called "The Intelligent Home Seller" which has some great advice on how to hire an agent and gives a detailed insight into the entire process of selling a house.  I hope to begin interviewing agents the beginning of next week. 
     I have done some research on climate controlled storage units and am pleased that I can rent one for about $75/month.  As soon as my house is listed I will need to put things in storage as I don't want people walking through my house and seeing my art, collectibles and personal items.
     Next week I should be ready to put my profile on some house sitting web sights and then I can start looking for what's available in France in the next few months. Although I still can't put anything in writing until my house sells.  I am headed to Albuquerque on Thursday for an interview with a branch of the NSA so that I can get what's called a "Global Entry Pass."  This would allow me permanent TSA precheck on all domestic flights and a special passport check (very short lines) on international flights.  The closest and soonest I could get an interview is Friday morning in Albuquerque.  Denver is booked til July!  Since I will be traveling from here on out with CoCo I don't want to be standing in long lines with her in a carrier while in airports.  I'll let you know about the interview in next Sunday's post.
     It feels good as I look around my house to see how much I've accomplished in the past year.  I may be a little off my game plan for being in France the first part of 2016, but everything happens in its own time and I don't have to be in a rush.  "Que sera sera" as the saying goes!  (I love that song, by the way!)

The Hogwarts Express

     Last Sunday Renae and I left for our Magical Adventure - The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando.  We had so much fun!  It actually felt like we were in England and Scotland and a part of the magical world of wizards and Hogwarts students.  We were amazed at the attention to detail in every aspect of the parks.  It felt like we had walked into the books and the movies!  If you are at all a Harry Potter fan you need to visit these parks.

Info about my wand

 
     We spent all day Monday at Diagon Alley which is the magical part of London where Harry first is introduced to the magic world.  We rode the Hogwarts Express into Kingscross Station and got off at Platform 9 3/4 which then led us to the Knight bus at Piccadilly Circus before entering the "secret" passage way into Diagon Alley.  We explored every shop and corner and pub and event.  I bought my wand at Olivander's.  We loved the ride at Gringott's Bank so much that we rode it 4 times over the 3 days that we were there!

Gringott's Bank

A performance of "The Three Brothers" from the Tales of Beadle the Bard

     Tuesday we spent in Hogsmeade, the magical village closest to Hogwarts castle.  We had breakfast at The Three Broomsticks and then wandered the streets.  I practiced casting spells with my wand (there are wand stations throughout both parks!).  We rode the castle ride and then walked through the castle so we could take our time and see everything without being in a line which made us hurry.  The castle is wonderful - the talking portraits, the Fat Lady welcoming you to Griffindor house, the quiditch and house apparel, the copies of The Daily Prophet, a welcome from Albus Dumbledore, a warning from Ron, Harry and Hermione - we walked through three times.

Inside The Three Broomsticks

Hogwarts Castle

Hagrid's Hut

Buckbeak, the Hippogriff

     Wednesday we went back and forth from Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley and took in some stage performances that we had missed on the previous days and also some shops that we wanted to revisit.  We had breakfast that morning at the Leaky Cauldron.  We were so sorry to tell them all goodbye Wednesday evening as we left the parks.  Then we flew home on Thursday.

One of the streets in Diagon Alley

Olivander's Wand Shop

Walking through Kingscross Station

     The first thing I noticed Friday morning was that the robins had returned!  My backyard was filled with the sound of birds welcoming me home - like magic!  The finches, the chickadees, the robins, and I even caught a glimpse of one of the neighborhood falcons soaring overhead.  I love Springtime! 

The robins are back!

 I thank you for reading this post.  And as always I thank you for joining me on my journeys, wherever they may lead.