I did it - I bought "the big ticket." You know, the one that will carry me from the USofA over the pond to the UKof...the UK. It was terrifying and exciting and nerve wracking, but I did it, I finally hit "purchase now" and I'll be on my way come September 18th at 6:55pm. I chose to fly out of Seattle for a few reasons: first, so that my dad could help me as I will be a mess with suitcases, a cat, a guitar, and just a head full of worries; second, because it was the most logical choice, considering I will be spending the last few weeks of my "summer" with my dad in Washington state; third, because (strangely) the shortest possible direct flight from the West Coast is from Seattle to London (a mere 8.5-9 hours, compared with the 10.5-11 hour flight from SFO or San Diego, my other two options), and this shortened flight time is actually really important considering I will have a fluffy ball of Q cargo'd in the hold; and finally, because I found a really cheap-ass ticket (75% off!!!). So, obviously, my priorities are in order.
That ten minutes working up to the "purchase now" moment were honestly awful; a million second-guesses were streaming through my head, the mouse practically drenched in palm sweat. Maybe I needed a bit more than two weeks to get settled in? I should go earlier... But, then again, what if I'm there all alone and scared and bored and there's an Oxford serial killer on the loose and I don't know how to buy eggs at the market, or use the bus system, or oh-my-god I'm going to die in England, and it'll be in an alleyway of cobblestones with a cape on (I revisit the cape later, promise). JUST DO IT, GOD DAMMIT JUST HIT - oh-my-god-i-bought-it. There is a date. It is real. I am actually moving to England.
The rest of the weekend was a flurry of planning; spreadsheets, google docs, board-room-meeting-like phone calls with parents to coordinate logistics. And it was all kicked off through the ample research and purchase of Q's new international-flight-approved and first-class-quality travel kennel. It's a snazzy black and grey-blue (see below), and most importantly Quiggles actually fits inside (he's put on a few pounds, what can I say). I had to make sure it had ventilation on all four sides, had a food/water feeder, etc. etc. I also bought him a super comfy pad to go inside, and later discovered it was made out of orthopedic foam; pretty much this guy will be traveling first class in an air conditioned and mood-lit hull while I am stuck above shoved against a humming engine and probably sitting next to the "smelly food" guy (you know exactly what I'm talking about).
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But, it's a first-ish step, and that is how everything begins, with a first step, a first click, a first purchase...or two, or three, OK or four - I also bought a paper shredder (I have super-top-secret documents, I swear...). But it's beginning - it's all beginning - and while I still have the occasional freak-out or second-guess or stomach flutter, at least I have solidified my choice and am moving towards it, inch by inch, purchase by purchase.
Until next week...
