Housecats

I follow a fairly consistent order of operations when we move.  First comes the procurement of a new home and therefore address, after which home and car insurance can be obtained, with which you can secure a local driver's license, which is necessary to get local license plates,which you can always put off getting until your old tags expire, but it's a little dicey to let them lapse.

After I can prove that I legally live in a new place, things like internet and electricity can be set up, and then I can usually relax and unpack and try to figure out how many new shelves will be necessary, and how few trips to Ikea I can get away with.  After the kitchen and closets achieve a level of basic functionality, I turn my attention back outside of the house.  I try to find at least one doctor before I'm actually sick, so that when I have strep throat or something uncomfortable I don't have to try to figure out how to log into some untouched health insurance website.  Dentists don't usually get looked up until much later, and, unfortunately for the cat, finding a new vet normally gets shoved pretty far down the list as well.  In fact, we avoided it altogether in Calgary.  This move to Houston may have created a new template, however.

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  It is an unambiguous time of celebration and gratitude, with no confusing mixed messages about religion or materialism, or patriotism wrapped in scary truth-about-history stories.

Tipsy Move

$1 Per Pound

While preparing to move, I learned that it costs approximately one dollar per pound to have movers load and transport belongings from Calgary to Houston.  In light of that, as I pack this week, I frequently look at an item in my hand, wonder how much it weighs, and then try to decide if it's worth it.  Usually, I think it is, but I am on the fence about a few things.  Heavy items receive particular scrutiny.

I have a collection of fashion magazines from around the world.  I considered tossing them; magazines are so heavy.  However, when I prepared to move them to the bin, I ended up thinking of the trips, cultures, or friends associated with each, and a happy half-hour passed.  So, they made the cut, for now.

Voltron

This morning my husband and I were sitting at breakfast, and he looked at me and said, “We’re like Voltron,”. I was stumped, in addition to being more a little dazed from the events of the last two weeks. Often I follow his thoughts seamlessly, but not this morning.

We left Calgary on October 30, with the car and the cat. After a visit with my parents, and making sure that the cat was cozy at their house, we carried on to Minneapolis, where we visited more family and friends and prepared to find a place to live in Houston.

Cocktail Hour in Texs

Feeling Welcome in Detroit Lakes