Checking off the list

Today we christened Colin with all of our family present. It was a beautiful day. Colin had mixed feelings about it. He cried a lot at the start of the ceremony until Steve got him to sleep. After that, he slept soundly through all of the oils and water and candles. He even slept pretty well once we got home.

And with that, we check another thing off of our "before we move" list. We've been able to check quite a few things off this week. We sent off our visa applications. We got rid of some more furniture we aren't taking with us and no one wanted to buy. We cleaned up our bank accounts. We sold our Jeep and our patio furniture.

This week has been a roller coaster of emotions for me. I cried a little when the people came to pick up the patio furniture. The screened-in porch is by far my favorite place in the house, and I loved sitting out there whenever I had the chance. I have lots of good memories sitting out there by myself reading, or enjoying drinks with Steve, or talking journalism with friends, and so on.

But I also get excited. I had a great time exploring Hemel-Hampstead and Harpenden through Google Maps. Seeing the appointment for the bank in London on our calendar is pretty cool too. And then we booked our flights. That was pretty exciting.

I think what hasn't hit me yet (and mostly because I just won't let myself think about it too much) is the saying goodbye to family and friends. Colin's christening party was lots of fun. I have some great pictures of all of the kids, and it's so cool to see them playing together and having fun. It's hard to explain the joy of seeing the boys and girl running around with masks on or screaming at the suggestion of going outside to play.



But today, we did start planning our last days in Chicagoland. We started talking about how we will get to the airport. And I realized that this goodbye stuff isn't just about us, it's also about all of these people we hold dear. It's time to start saying "see you soon".