The beginning of the stress, I've mentioned before, started the day the movers showed up and has continued intermittently since then. I have been busy filling out and scanning several customs documents to ensure that my belongings pass the inspection and are allowed to remain in Australia. At one point, I got an email and was asked to send, via email, a scanned copy of the Australian Visa stamp in my Passport, as it would be necessary in order to pass customs inspections. I have an ETA (Electronic Transportation Authority) Visa, which is a travel Visa. It is valid for one year and authorizes me to stay in the country for 3 months at a time. When I read the words "necessary in order to pass customs", I think I just about passed out. I am in the process of getting the kind of Visa requested, but it will take some time. As I write this, the ship carrying the crate housing my things is supposed to have arrived in Australia, and I have 10-14 days to be approved by customs, or else I will have to pay them $221.00 a week to store my things until they pass inspections. My regular visa certainly won't be approved within 10-14 days. The customs agent who emailed me the request ended up calling Ryan, who does have the Visa stamp in his Passport, and since their phone conversation a few days ago, neither of us have been contacted by the agent. So far... no news is good news, right? Meanwhile, Ryan is anticipating a phone call informing him that my things have been cleared by customs and are ready to be delivered to his apartment. I am eagerly waiting for the news of that call. Until then, I won't be able to fully relax.
Meanwhile, as my days in the U.S. are limited, I am spending as much time with my family as possible, which has been wonderful. I went camping with my sister, Jamie, and her little boys a few weeks ago and then spent another 5 days with them over Thanksgiving. This past Friday, I flew down to San Diego to visit another sister, Lindsey, who just had her first baby, Kaylee Grace. As I write this, I am watching Kaylee while Lindsey and her husband, AJ, run to Target for more baby supplies. It's an incredible thing to watch your little sisters become moms, but it's not without sadness because I know that this will be the last "in person" visits with them and my nieces and nephews for at least a year, possibly longer. Next weekend, I look forward to going to Grass Valley to visit with my real dad and my older sister,Dayna, and her family. A few days after that, I will head back to the Bay Area to celebrate Christmas and spend my last days here with Jamie and her boys, my mom and dad, and my grandma and grandpa.
So, although the last two months have been filled with stress and anxiousness, there have been a lot of happy moments, as well. But, the one things that continues to make me the happiest is thinking about Ryan and I starting our life together. Through the craziness of this all, that has been the one thing that has consistently made me smile!
Holding Kaylee Grace for the first time!
