Appointment and Adventure

     I have an appointment at the French Consulate in LA on Tuesday, June 7, at 10am.  Miraculously, or so it seemed to me, there were 2 days in June which finally showed up on their website calendar a couple of days after I sent emails to both the Consulate and their webmaster.  I checked on other consulate sites (LA is the one for the SW States) and their calendars showed easy access to numerous days and appointment times.  I then thought that perhaps the LA's website was not working as it was supposed to, so I'm not sure who to blame - or thank - for getting the calendar working.
     But . . . I now have an appointment to apply for my long term stay visa.  Yay!!!  I'm am so relieved by that fact.  I immediately checked airfare and found a great deal through Southwest Airlines - round trip Denver to Burbank - for $220.  I hate driving to and flying out of Denver, but SW offers non-stop to Burbank and that's so much easier for Jane to pick me up.  She has so graciously offered her guest room to me for those 2 nights and will drive me to my appointment and then to Universal Studios!  So, I'm a happy camper!  Now, I just need to make sure all my paperwork is in order so that they can process my application without any problems.
     As I was cleaning out drawers and going through papers from the past, I came across a journal I had in which I had written down quotes from travel memoirs that I had been reading in 2008.  I thought I would like to share them with you as they seem quite apropos at this moment in my life.

          "I am moving the rudder, shifting the course of my existence . . . And there is nothing
     more sacred in life than that.  Choosing a direction, but how often do we miss the sign-
    posts?"            
                   Carol Drinkwater

          "I am taking it as it comes, making it up as I go along.  Pushing the boundaries of
     identity, hopefully to enrich, deepen, cultivate the spirit."
                   Carol Drinkwater

     I also came across a journal I kept on my first solo trip to Paris in April of 2001.  I had been numerous times to this beautiful and amazing city, but always with groups of students/friends.  But the trip in 2001 was just me for five fabulous days of exploring Paris on my own with a metro pass and a museum pass.  I was teaching mornings and doing my counseling internship at Pikes Peak Hospice afternoons.  I needed a break.  I had been randomly looking at travel websites and their "deals" and when I found this one - five days and four nights in Paris - for $500 (yes, you read that right!) I didn't even blink twice before I snatched it up.
     Then I went to my principal the next day and told him I was headed to Paris in 2 weeks.  Fortunately, he completely understood my need to escape from all the craziness which was my life at that time and was very supportive.  So, off I went.  Here's an excerpt from what I wrote on the flight over.

           "I'm really doing this.  I'm actually going to Paris - by myself - on the spur of the
     moment.  I've been thinking about it since Christmas, knowing I wouldn't have a Spring
     break or a summer vacation.
          "It's been a busy past three years.  I started my Masters in counseling, moved to another
     school, started my internship at Hospice.  It has all been wonderful, but I'm ready for a
     break. 
          "Where does my spirit of adventure come from?  I'm sure one of my ancestors must have
     been an explorer or seafarer or just someone who wanted to know what was on the other side
     of the mountain."

     Or what's around the next bend? :-)   Thank you, Daddy, for sharing your sense of adventure with me.  Andy and I spent the day in the Garden of the Gods - at the Trading Post and the Visitors' Center.  As we looked at the rocks and all the books on rocks, we thought of you.  I remembered laying all the rocks out on our camp trailer's table and comparing them to the pictures in our rock books.  Oh, what fun!
     And then, of course, my sweet Momma has been on my mind.  I think of her often, but more so on Mother's Day.  So, I shall add a couple of photos of the three of us.  Happy memories from a girl who had the best parents in the world!

     Before I go, let me thank all of you who sent up prayers and positive energy on my behalf so I could get that appointment in LA.  Such a relief!  Now, to get the house on the market and sold.
     Thank you for all your support and encouragement over the past year.  It means so much to me that many of you are following my blog and joining me on my journey!  Merci!!

A Leap of Faith - or Putting the Cart Before the Horse

     The idealist in me chooses the first expression and the pragmatist chooses the second.  In the past few days I have made all the arrangements and reservations I need to travel to France the end of August, but I still haven't been able to get an appointment in LA with the French Consulate for my long term visa and my house isn't on the market yet!
     I am so frustrated with the consulate's website in my multiple attempts to set up the appointment.  You can only see one month at a time so it's impossible to plan ahead.  And this morning when I went online to see May's appointment times, I got a message that said they are "at capacity" and to try again later!  What?!  How is it possible that that many people could have gone on the website before I did and filled all the appointment times for the entire month?  I sent an email to them to ask if there is a problem with the website.  They don't take phone calls so my only recourse is to email and keep my fingers crossed!  How annoying . . . .
     My realtor is coming over Wednesday morning to work on the listing with me and fill out all the paperwork.  I still have some things to get done before I'm ready for the house to go on the market.  Hopefully it will all fall in place by the end of next week.  The dumpster was delivered on Wednesday, but then we had snow and rain and freezing weather so I didn't get anything done with the yard.

Daffodils in the snow

A confused dove

     But when I got home from church this morning I saw that my sweet son had cleaned up a lot of the yard for me.  He chopped up the branches that had fallen into the dog run and cleaned out around the shed.  He got a lot of it done!  I just love that guy!  Once I get the rest of the yard cleaned up he will help me put out more mulch in the front.  I need to plant some flowers, but that's still iffy here in Colorado.
     Beth is coming over tomorrow to help me take some boxes and things to the storage unit and then we can start staging the house.  So, the house will be on the market soon and hopefully will sell in the next couple of months.
     Because I'm leaving for France on Monday, August 29th!  I made all the reservations a few days ago.  I decided to break up the 3 flights (from here to Toulouse) with overnight stays in Houston and Frankfurt.  I was able to use my miles so it only cost me $55 along with $125 for CoCo.  I made hotel reservations in Houston and in Frankfort - both are near the airports with shuttle service to and from. 
     I have signed the papers to lease a car for 2 months in France and I will pick up the little Peugeot at the Toulouse airport.  I will have a couple of days in and around Toulouse before I can actually get into my cottage on Sept 3, so I have reserved a hotel near Toulouse (as we get in about 7pm) and then a hotel in a town not far from the cottage. 
     So, all the arrangements are made, I just need permission from France to actually live in their country!  Is this a leap of faith or the cart before the horse?  I choose to call it a leap of faith as that sounds a lot more positive, don't you think?  I had no idea it would be so difficult to arrange for an appointment at the consulate.  And I have to go to the one in LA as that is the office that arranges visas for Colorado residents.  I checked out the other consulate websites and they have appointment availabilities, but not at LA.  Wish me luck!!!
     On a happy note, this is Andy's birthday month, and also my mom's.  They are May babies.  And so I leave you with a favorite photo and wish you a happy week.

My favorite May babies

 Thank you for your encouragement and for reading my blog.  Merci!

Busy Busy Busy and a Wedding with CoCo

     The past few weeks have been a tornado of activity (more than my usual whirlwind!) and there is more to come through this week and on into next week until I get my house officially on the market.
     Two weeks ago my sister/cousin Cindy (that's how I refer to her as she is my first cousin, but more like my sister) came and spent a week.  It was jam packed with lots of fun things like lunches and dinners and shopping and touristy things (the zoo, of course).  She also helped me pack up all my Barbies.  We had so much fun looking at all the clothes that we used to play with.  I'm not getting rid of any of those things - they will go in storage for now.
     We didn't get any photos taken during that entire week!  So I'll post a photo of us from way back when - we were cuter then, anyway :-)

Me with Cindy in 1963

Me with Cindy last summer

     Monday of last week, my sister/friend Beth (see what I did there) came over and helped me paint the basement.  I was sooooo done with painting, but both Cindy and Beth convinced me that with the rest of the house newly painted, the basement would look really dirty and dingy without new paint.  So Beth, bless her heart, said she would come over and we WOULD get it painted.  And of course, it does look tons better - I had no doubt of that - I just didn't want to do it.  So a huge thanks goes to sweet friend Beth.  She is the one who will come over in a week or so to help stage the house.
     Tuesday and Wednesday were spent getting ready for the wedding which CoCo and I attended in Delaware on Saturday.  CoCo and I both got haircuts and pedicures - no color on her toenails.  Then Thursday about noon we headed to our little Colorado Springs airport to check in for the flights to Baltimore/Washington.  There was some confusion at the check in counter as to whether or not CoCo (already paid for) needed a special tag on her carrier.  I have a huge complaint to the airlines:  if she is considered one of my carry ons and she has to stay confined in her carrier and under the seat in front of me I should not have to pay $125 each way for her to fly!  There was a man getting on the same flight with a baby and he didn't have to pay for her or keep her under the seat in front of him!  OK, my ranting is done for now.
     This was a learning experience for both CoCo and me as we figured out how to maneuver our way through the airports and through security (which was a breeze now that I have permanent TSA precheck).  I have always said that mothers should have more than 2 arms and I remembered that while carrying CoCo around and juggling my backpack, purse, her carrier and suitcase.  I took her out once we were in the airport and carried her.  She was much happier then.  If she could just stay in my lap on the plane she'd be perfectly happy.  But actually, I just heard a few whimpers out of her at the beginning of the flights.
     She was so good at the wedding - as long as she was in my arms!  I wasn't sure how she'd do with lots of people around, but there were no problems.  I am very encouraged that she will be just fine on our long flight to France and the new circumstances to come.
      The wedding was so much fun!  The bride and groom, the minister, the matron of honor and the best man were all at college with me 45 years ago.  There were 12 of us there who had all been at York Christian Junior College all those years ago.  I started a YC facebook page about 6 years ago and we all somehow found each other and started having mini reunions.  Darra and Gary realized that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together and we all came to witness the amazingly wonderful event.  Most of us were all at the Baker's house sometime Thursday night and the laughter and talking and sharing and reminiscing were non-stop all weekend til the last of us left on Monday.
We are already planning our next reunion.

The happy York bunch (and CoCo)  Bride and Groom are in the middle

     So that lovely event took me away, quite happily, from all the house stuff.   But now I'm back at it.  I got back late Monday night and had a new stove and fridge delivered Tuesday morning.  The stove was installed with no problems but the fridge was another matter.  In trying to disconnect the waterline that goes into the ice maker of my old fridge they found that the cut-off valve didn't work and so they left the old fridge and I now have the new fridge sitting in my breakfast area.  They told me I would have to call a plumber to install a new valve before they could come back to install the fridge - all because of an icemaker!
     This afternoon a plumber came and installed a completely new line that doesn't go into the basement but connects to the cold water line under the kitchen sink.  He said it should have been installed that way to begin with and he's probably right, but man, is that ice maker costing me a lot of money!!  In the meantime, the dumpster got delivered so now I can start getting rid of all the junk which has accumulated over the past 40 years on the side of the house, the garage, the shed, etc.  So my days of working on the house are not over yet.  Home Depot will come back over on Friday to install my new fridge and the horrendously expensive ice maker. 
     I am afraid to say that I have nothing on my calendar for tomorrow!  Will that jinx everything?  Although I think we're supposed to get snow in the next couple of days so that may make the clean-up effort a little difficult.  Oyvay!
     And also through the past weeks I have paid the deposit on my cottage (that was also a learning experience!), downloaded all the forms that have to be filled out for my interview at the consulate in LA (not sure yet when that will be), had funds transferred so I can buy the medical insurance required for my stay in France, checked on leasing a car for when I first arrive and making some decisions regarding the flight segments from here to Toulouse.
     I'm tired just reading my blog post!  I shall try to get back into the habit of writing my posts every Sunday.  You have all been such a wonderful encouragement to me over the past year.  While not everything  has gone according to plan, it has certainly moved along and I can often hear my daddy's voice telling me: "It's just around the next bend!"
     Thank you all for staying with me on this journey.  There will always be more to come.  Eventually there will be no more talk of this house, but hopefully talk of the next one - the one in France!  Merci, mes amis!

A Plan is Coming Together

     Notice I didn't entitle this "THE plan is coming together"!  I have changed plans numerous times over the past year as I have gathered information about such a big move.  And I'm OK with that.  The timing of this blog post is out of my usual planning.  I didn't get a post done last Sunday and with Cindy coming on Saturday and staying for a week, I won't get one written this coming Sunday.  So, I decided to do one mid-week and count it for both Sundays!
     Here's what's been happening the past 10 days. 
     I interviewed 5 prospective realtors and think I have chosen the one I will hire.  I'm still mulling things over as there were 2 of them that I really liked and who I feel I can work with.  So I'll wait a couple more days to decide.  I did not interview anyone I know personally or who was recommended by anyone I know personally as I don't think it's a good idea to do business with friends - at least not this kind of business where thousands and thousands of dollars are at stake.  I know some people are very comfortable with working with friends, but I can see too many things going wrong with that.  That's just me.
     So by the end of this week I will have hired an agent.  Houses are selling quickly right now and especially in my neighborhood, so I need to have all my ducks in a row (I love that expression) before I put it on the market so I'm not left completely homeless or without any resources.
     Last week I got the new floors laid in the kitchen and the lower level.  I really like the way they look.  The style and colors seem to pull everything together like I want - and hopefully, like a buyer will want.
     I signed the contract to rent a little cottage in SW France from September 1 through April.  I will post some photos so you can see where I will be living.  My plan is for my house to be sold and closed on by the end of June.  So I will try to find some house sitting jobs for a couple of months - either in the States or in Europe before I need to be at my cottage.

My little cottage

Inside my little cottage

Mine is the one on the left

Mine on the left

     I have checked out medical insurance that meets all the qualifications required by the French government in order to apply for a residency visa.  So I will pay for that this next week and have all my paperwork ready to send in in by the end of this month to the French Consulate in LA.  They will then contact me once they receive and process all the paperwork and then I can set up an appointment to be able to get the visa.  I should be able to set that up for the first part of June.
     I have clipped an article about taking your dog to France and all the requirements involved so will start getting CoCo all ready to move.  I have been taking her to more places with me to help get her more comfortable in unfamiliar situations and she's doing better every time which is encouraging to me.
     Beth came over today and we started throwing around ideas for staging the house.  She has such a good eye for that sort of thing and now that I have a storage unit I can start taking things over there so that only those items we will use for staging will remain.
    With Cindy coming to stay for a week, I don't plan to do anything on the house while she's here.  We just want to enjoy each others' company and play!  However, I do think I'll have her help me make a couple of runs to the storage unit.
     I had planned to have a dumpster brought to the house this week, but then I remembered that Andy is in Utah for the last half of the week and I really need him here to help with some of the larger junk that I'm getting rid of.  And Cindy needs to have a place to park so the dumpster will have to wait, probably until I get back from my trip to Delaware for Darra and Gary's wedding.
     So, I don't expect a lot to get done (maybe some packing of boxes that will get put in storage) in the next couple of weeks.  I think it's time for another break in the action!
    But I feel good about what I've accomplished so far and about the plans that are in place now and will be in place by the end of the month.  And now for some more photos of the area near my cottage (which the French call a "gite" - sounds like "jheet")

This is the land of the Muskateers

A mountain pass in the Pyrenees

The medieval town of Larresingle is nearby

Ruins of a Roman Villa are nearby

Beautiful St Pierre Cathedral

The nearby village of Fources

     Until next time, I bid you all a fond "adieu" and thank you so much for reading my blog and for joining me on my journey.  So many of you have left comments on the blog page or in an email or on facebook with encouragement and praise and that means so much.  I really feel like you are all with me and pushing me forward.  Thank you  thank you thank you!  Merci!
     

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.