We Made It!

We landed in Tunis, Tunisia this afternoon... after a long LONG plane ride. Well, the whole trip was hard.

First, we stayed at the house in Tulsa cleaning up and making sure all the walls were touched up. Then we packed up the truck and Mustang and headed down the turnpike for OKC. We arrived at my daughter's house after a little drama... the Mustang overheated and we had to stare at it and wait for it to cool down before we could continue on. We were unpacking all the stuff at 8:30 pm. We were starving. So after getting all the storage wedged into their attic, we went to a local bar and had a couple drinks and some 'bar food'. We slept on the blow up mattress in their guest room and were awoken by the smell of sausage and blueberry pancakes. Nice breakfast with DD and SIL before we bolted north to Minnesota.

The drive was a little longer from OKC, and we stopped often to stave off hunger, tiredness and boredom. We got to the hotel at about 10:00 pm and checked in. We got up early on Friday and had breakfast with #2 Son and two darling grandkids. Momma was at the doctor, so we took them for pancakes. We met up with DIL after her appointment and took the drive out to see the rental home they are hoping to contract.

Nice house, good space and perfect layout for the kids. We're praying that this one goes through with no hitches so they have the keys by Monday.

After looking at the rent house, we went to a restaurant to get lunch with the whole clan. We had a nice relaxed visit. Then we changed into our traveling clothes and got dropped off at the airport.

The Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport is very nice. We got through security and waited at the gate. The flight loaded timely although we did sit on the runway for a while. It was a ten and a half hour flight to Paris. We landed there this morning 7:00 am local time (which was like midnight or 1:00 am Tulsa time). We had a three hour layover in the Paris airport, which is like a work of art. So pretty, big stainless steel tubes lined with glass or bent wood, airy atrium ceilings with exposed metal rafters that are as decorative as they are structural. Even the jetways to the planes were glass and pretty.

The transfer to the flight bound for Tunis included a bus trip around the airport. Saw a lot of the exterior of Charles De Gaulle International as we circled from one terminal to another. We got on a very new plane to fly to Tunis. It took off and landed on time.

One comment about the flight attendants on Air France... they are happy people. So nice. Friendly and capable. I'm not sure I've ever had a better customer service experience on any airline. They were wonderful. Both flight crews had the same number of passengers, but the Air France flight seemed nicer, friendlier and more laid back. It was so great. Made us feel like rock stars.

We landed in Tunis at 3:30 pm local time. We were picked up by a driver who zipped us to our hotel in under 15 minutes. One thing about Tunisian drivers, they consider lane striping to be advisory, not mandatory. A little scary. I closed my eyes for part of the drive. Maybe I was just tired? Not completely wimpy?

The hotel is lovely. I'll take some pictures tomorrow and blog them. For now, I'm doing well to keep my eyes focusing. I've been up for something like 28 hours. It's no time to try my photog skills.

So, we're here. We made it safe and sound. I predicted that it would be limiting not knowing the two primary languages, and I was right. All through customs--when people talked to me--I turned to DH and said, "what was that?" As soon as I spoke English, almost everyone responded to me in English... but I do think it would be better to try and learn some Arabic and French. That's on my list of things to do. After I get some sleep.

--Sandee Wagner

Tulsa in the Rear View Mirror

Well, after more than ten years, today I will be leaving Tulsa for good. I've been giving this a lot of thought lately.

I was born in a military family and moved around a lot during my young life. Once my dad retired, we stayed in one house, one town, one place. I lived there for seven years. It felt like forever. But as an 18 year old, I married a guy who joined the military and the moving started up all over again.

I've lived in Tulsa--in this one house--longer than I've lived anywhere in my whole life. Tulsa is more of a 'home town' to me than the place where I graduated from high school. You know those people who say, "you can't go back"? I think they were talking about my home town of Arlington, TX. Because it's nothing like it was when I was a kid. Driving around there just makes me feel strange, not like I'm 'home'.

So, as I leave Tulsa, I'm leaving a place where I've been really comfortable. It's home. I'm going to miss this town like crazy. I'm going to miss my friends and acquaintances. I might even miss my house and my dogs. I'm not sure about that last bit...

When we leave Tulsa today, it won't be for the last time. I'm pretty sure that the friends I've made here will lure me back time and again. I'm positive that I will find some reason to swing through Tulsa on road trips and drives across the country. Route 66 will call to me like it has so many other travelers. The Mother Road.

I can still remember the day I left Arlington, TX for the last time. I looked at it in my rear view mirror and thought that it was a new chapter in my life. I'm going to feel the same way this afternoon.

This move is a unique change in my life, but it's not the last I'll see of Tulsa.

--Sandee Wagner

Did I Forget Anything?

Any time I pack for a trip, I'm pretty well certain that I'm going to forget something vital. I always do. Sometimes, it's a relief to realize WHAT it is that's forgotten, then I can just let go of the idea that it's hanging over my head.

With the packing going forward full speed, it's becoming obvious that our window of opportunity to correct any last minute omissions is thundering past. As each box gets taped shut, more and more items are beyond our reach.

I know I've forgotten something. I'm just hoping it's not vital. I have my passport. I have my identification. I have my plane tickets and reservations printed out.

We've made the arrangements for the yard to be cared for while the house is on the market. I've notified all the utilities of my change of address. What is left to forget? Because it's a guarantee that something will be forgotten. No one pulls off a move like this with no drama.

Toothbrush, check. Medicines, check. What IS it? What is it that is missing from this picture?

--Sandee Wagner

How Important IS Water, Anyway?

They've been doing work on the water line down my street for the past month. They broken up my driveway. They've replaced the culverts and redone the grade so everything will drain correctly. I appreciate the work they've done, but once in a while, I wonder about these guys.

Each day they are working on the line, our water has been shut off. They either leave a note telling us that it will be out from 0900-1700 or they knock on the door and tell us personally. I'm okay with that. Let me get my shower before you cut it off, then I'll make other plans for the day...

But today, they went a little too far. They did the work, then they were ready to quit for the day. A guy came up to the door and asked us if we HAD to have the water turned back on?? Or could they leave it off over night and come back in the morning and finish up...

Are you kidding? Do we need the water? Yes. Yes, we need the water. You cannot leave it off for 12 hours just because it would make your job easier in the morning. That's too much inconvenience for any homeowner.

I wonder how many people polled would say, "Go ahead, leave it off. I don't need to flush a toilet or wash my hands."

Water is important. I comprehend how difficult it is to keep the system working and all the lines in good repair. I'm willing to be patient when they have to shut off my water while they work. While They Work. Not 'while they sleep' or 'while they watch sitcoms'.

Yes, water is important to me. Go the extra mile and get it turned on for the next twelve hours. You can shut it off again in the morning. After I have my shower.

--Sandee Wagner

What to Take?

I'm sitting here on my bedroom floor surveying my stuff and looking at my suitcases. We have carry-ons, checked baggage, and a 200 lb air shipment. All of this has to hold us for at least two full months. We won't have our household goods until November at the earliest.

So, what to take?

What do you carry-on? Laptops, check. Jewelry and medicines you need daily, check. A change of clothes and all toiletries, check.

What do you put in the air shipment? How much IS 200 lbs? Thank goodness the movers do this all the time. They said they'd pack the boxes and put them on scales. They will only pack 200 lbs for the shipment. We can add and subtract until we get to the magic maximum. So, what will we need in the first two months that we don't want to pack in our bags, or carry in the carry-ons?

In the 200 lb shipment, I'm putting in a lot of over the counter medicines that we might need for a long stay in a hotel. I'm putting in a power converter/step down device that works up to 750 watts (whatever that means!) I'm also putting in all my manuscript pages that I haven't gotten around to final edits on. Too heavy to carry, but it will keep me busy in a hotel room for 8 hours a day...

When you don't know what social obligations will come up OR what the weather will be like, it sure is hard to pack. I know that we'll be coming back to the states for Thanksgiving, so I'll need some Fall clothing, but I might not need that in Tunis. Hard to say. It's going to be dependent on where we end up living... near the coast or inland. I'm hoping the weather is temperate. I'm taking a light jacket and some long pants, but not a lot of sweaters or layering clothes. Hey, I'm menopausal, I don't usually get cold anyway!

There is a lot to fret about. Will I have enough to keep me engaged? Will the hotel just close in on me? How will the internet speed be at the hotel? Wireless or wired? Should I carry network cable? There's just a lot to consider. And my mind is spinning with it.

Also, there is going to be a huge pile of stuff they will refuse to pack. I'm going to need to bundle that all up and give it to someone. It's just crazy making. Well, back to my chores. I'm just crossing things off my list and hoping for the best. When you pack for a big trip, you always forget something anyway...right?

--Sandee Wagner

Routine and the Life of a Child

My grandbabies are the best. Really. They are gorgeous, smart and fun to be around. This weekend, we are babysitting two of them so my son and his wife can enjoy a little adult weekend together. It's been a riot.

These kids have very ordered lives. They follow a routine and are very well behaved. Until you mess with their program. Last night, I put the darlings to bed. At night, they take baths, get in their pajamas, read a book together, sing "You are My Sunshine" and then hugs and kisses goodnight. How could I screw that up?

Oh, but I did.

I'm not a great singer. I don't go to Karoke Bars and subject people to my tone deafness, but I can sing that song. I even know the second verse. Who knew that it would freak out the kids?

Apparently, Mom & Dad just sing the one verse and then tuck everyone in. When I started singing the second verse, my grandson ejected out of my lap and tried to clap his hands across my mouth. Then started the tears and hysterics. I have to admit, it just made me laugh. But he was really upset.

Mom & Dad don't sing it that way at all.

Once I got my grandson calmed down, I had to read him another book to make up for my faux pas. Finally, got him settled and put to bed. Then I went out into the living room and admitted my mistake to DH. His only comment, "I didn't know there was a second verse to that song."

So, tonight my husband gets to read to them and sing the song. I'm not sure I could hold myself back from belting out the second verse again. I'd want to teach them the words...if I could get them calmed down enough to do so.

--Sandee Wagner

Man's Best Friend

I think folks are 'dog people' or 'cat people'. Maybe some are just animal lovers. I was not raised with animals, so I'm not as comfortable with them as others. We have dogs. Two of them. Chip and Sophie.

Both of these dogs were throwaways. Chip belonged to my brother in law, but he fell on hard times and couldn't care for Chip. So Chip bounced around the family some, and then ended up with us. After Chip settled in, we got Sophie. She was a puppy and Chip was so patient with her.

They have been our constant companions for more than six years. And now we have to give them up. We are not allowed to take animals overseas with us. So we've had to find new homes for the dogs. Of all the things we've had to do, this is the hardest.

I'm not sure why. I'm not the sloppy dog lover that some of my friends are. But finding a new home for these dogs has been traumatic. And saying goodbye to them is about impossible. My good friend has agreed to take them, and we are dropping them off this weekend. It's better to have someone I know care for them than to just leave them at a 'no kill' shelter. I appreciate the fact that she's willing to care for the pups.

But saying goodbye to constant companions is never easy. Not even for me.

--Sandee Wagner