Here we go...

We've been too busy lately to post much of anything but today is departure day. Our flight to Prague leaves at 4:40 this afternoon. Once we're settled in we'll be posting regularly on our experiences in Prague. See you around!

Getting closer

We have moved out of our house and in with my brother-in-law and his family. Things are very hectic. The kids are having fun playing with their cousins. It is great that they will get such a large dose of each other since they won't see each other for a while after this. I have begun the process of making all the address changes and canceling services. It is nice to finally be able to cross things off my to do list. This week is going to be the most hectic with things to do but I'm hoping most things will be done after this week.

Here Boy

Watson is now booked on a flight to Prague. He's on the Boston to Frankfurt plane with us but from Frankfurt to Prague he needs to go on the next flight because apparently the connection time (2+ hours) is not long enough. Apparently they move the live animals to a special area to check them and (so they say) take them out of their crates briefly before boarding them on the next flight.

Like so many of these relocation steps it's become a bit more complicated than seems necessary. I had originally booked him through Luftahansa directly onto our flight but was warned that the total weight, dog and crate, can't exceed 90 lbs. I knew it would be close but underestimated the crate weight, which turned out to be 30 lbs. Added to Watson's 75-80lbs. means I have to book through Lufthansa Cargo. This ocurred a couple weeks back but the people at Cargo said the system only holds bookings for 30 days so I had to call back on Nov 3rd.

Long story short, he's on the flight now through Lufthansa Cargo (at about triple the cost) so he'll be in Prague just a couple hours behind us.

Now we trying to verify we understand all the pet laws properly regarding necessary shots, microchip, paperwork, etc. required to get him through customs. We thought we had all it all figured out but Mary now has an email pending to clarify a few things since the Czech embassy couldn't really answer our questions. We'll get him in one way or another...

Czech list...

HAHAHAH....ok I had to get that title out there. I know it is silly and childish but it still makes me laugh. As Jason said we have made out list of things to do and have posted it on the refridgerator. The last week has been stressful for me but I am feeling better since I can now visually see what needs to be completed. While it is a pain to have to be out of our house so early it will be nice b/c then we can move ahead with completing a lot of things on our list.

I have been running around picking up all our medical records (including the dogs) so that we will have a copy of everything with us. It is amazing how much they charge to get a copy of records. They charge $15 for the first 30 pages and then 50 cents a page after that! Oh well, just anothe rcost to this adventure. Watson is going in next week to get microchipped and to get whatever shot updates he needs. The girls are getting their flu shots next week. I got my updated Tetnus and flu shot a couple weeks ago. I hate tetnus! My arm hurt for a week but I guess it is worth it. I'm trying to get my teeth fixed before we go. I had to get a crown put on since I have a fracture in my tooth. Apparently it goes below the gum line too. So, I have the crown put on temporarily so that I can see how it feels. If my tooth still hurts they are going to have to do a root canal and then permanantly attached the crown. It is amazing how much you have to get done to move to another country so that you can try to avoid going to any doctors while there. Which is kind of silly but it makes us feel more comfortable.

We have figured out our schedule for Thanksgiving week finally. So for anyone who wants to see us this is where we will be. Jason is going to be working Monday and Tuesday. We will go to RI on Wednesday morning and then to Maine on Thursday morning. We would go to RI sooner but since everyone there will be working it just doesn't make any sense.

Watson has been doing great with his training which definitely makes me feel better about bringing him to Prague. I was able to let him off leash while at the farm and he would listen to me. He was sometimes slow on the come but he never ran away. To help him pick up the pace on "come" we have order an electronic collar for him. Hopefully that will help him realize that we are always in control and always alpha. He did graduate from his training program and the trainer was very impressed with how well Watson had done (and how well Jason and I have doen with working with Watson on the training.)

To Do Lists

We have a calendar and long To Do list on the refrigerator now and while we seem to be adding things daily I think we're still still progressing nicely on getting things ready for the big day.

The packing and shipping planning is moving along well: we have estimates for the pack and shipping to Prague and are getting the estimate this morning for moving our storage items to Rhode Island to store at Mary's parents. We should get the moves scheduled this afternoon or tomorrow, probably for early next week. Once that's done we'll have an empty house and then really feel like our family move is just around the corner.

I just received an updated copy of the lease, in English and Czech; the original version didn't explicitly state we were allowed to have a dog so I had to get that corrected. I am getting a few other questions answered but that will likely get signed and returned today or tomorrow so that will be set.