getting here

I guess I'd better start at the beginning, for journaling purposes. Last week was completely and utterly nuts. You'd think that with this being our 10th move in 7+ years of marriage, we'd be pretty good at it by now. This move was unlike anything we've ever done before, though. It's all pretty much a blur now, and I'm glad those last two weeks before the move are over. They were filled with too many late nights, final preparations, sick kids, sick parents, last minute changes to our flight and housing arrangements, and a whole lot of stress.

While the company is incredible and does so much to take care of us, there was still an element of unknown that made certain decisions and preparations difficult. We relied on prayer and faith; something we are all gaining a lot of through this experience.

The day prior to our departure began with going to the Oakland Temple. The day couldn't have started any better and I gained a sense of peace and comfort as we embarked on this crazy journey. The rest of the day included:

- the last day of school for the boys

- a visit to the doctor's office with Lydia

- getting a speeding ticket

- turning in our house keys

- two more stops at Target

- sending off our van

- saying goodbye to friends

- and final packing of the suitcases.

I think I got about 4 hours of sleep that night. Our visas were completed on Thursday afternoon and arrived in San Francisco Friday morning via Fed Ex, just in time for us to catch our 11:00 am flight.

The flights went amazingly well. I started to panic as I was standing in line at the gate in Washington DC just prior to boarding our flight to Rio. I was waiting to talk to an agent about switching some of our seats around because the seats we had booked weren't all together. Matt was elsewhere with the kids, and I quickly found myself alone in the midst of a large group of people, primarily Brazilian, all speaking Portuguese. It hit me at that moment that I'm really leaving my world behind.

We were certainly a sight to be seen in the airport in Rio. It seems that Rio is a good place to be with kids. Apparently, if you are spotted in line with a stroller full of kids, you get to cut in front of everyone. While we were standing in two different (and long) lines for customs, some Brazilian airport official came and got us and took us to the front of the line. It was great. I wish I would have gotten a better picture, but I was trying to be discrete as to avoid drawing any more attention to us that we were already getting.

Here are our 4 carts piled as high as possible with 10 of the largest possible pieces of luggage, 7 carry-on bags, and 3 car seats. Three airport employees and Matt pushed the carts while I pushed the kids in the stroller out to our vehicles.

We got to our apartment and pretty much crashed for the next two days!

aw, you guys are the best

Thanks for all your great stroller suggestions!

Seriously, it's sort of like having my own personal customer reviews. I've read a ton of reviews online but I have no idea who those people are or where they come from. There's nothing like good input from friends that I can mentally picture pushing their various arrangements of kids around in their various strollers to evaluate my own situation and stroller "needs".

I pretty much had it narrowed down when I got an email response from the wife of one of Matt's colleagues, and realized my stroller "needs" are much more specific than I thought. They're in Rio right now with three kids, same ages as ours. Here's what she sad:

1) Don't get a side-by-side. She's had to back out of grocery store aisles in her single stroller because she can't fit. A double wide simply won't cut it.

2) Get a sturdy, narrow single stroller if you can. Streets are cobblestone and rough, not to mention crowded, so any stroller is hard to maneuver.

Ah! I'm NOT using a single stroller. I can't do it.

I'll lose someone.

What ever will I do?

Find the lightest, most compact, most maneuverable double stroller available.

Something like this one:

the Joovy Caboose Ultralight Stand-On Tandem Stroller

It's the best (and only) solution for my super specific circumstances. It's ultralight, super compact, has better wheels, and still fits 2 of my kids and possibly all 3.

A couple friends have told me they have a child sitting on each seat and one standing on the back hanging on- that ought to get me some attention in Rio, as if I'm not going to stand out enough. But hey, if it works...

It's not available in stores (at least not around here) so I had to order it. I'm excited to get it next week and try it out.

pushing my kids around

I'm in the market for a new double stroller and I need help.

The Problem: We have a lightweight side-by-side double stroller that we really like....but we got it when Ethan was born. It's really old and I fear it won't survive the trip to South America. The cargo bags have ripped off and I'll certainly need sufficient cargo space for my daily trips to the bread, fruit and vegetable stands, and don't forget the trips to the beach.

While Ethan's probably old enough to walk with Garrett, I'm not taking my chances. When I'm walking around with my three kids in one of the largest cities in the world, at least two of them are going to be strapped in.

I've looked around at a lot of different strollers but can't make a decision. I've only ever had a side-by-side stroller and it's worked great for me. I like that it's lightweight. It's easy to fold up and it folds up small. I like that the kids can sit next to each other and both see where we're going. Yes, it's wide, but as long as my wheels are straight I can make it through any doorway. I've never even considered a tandem stroller.

Have I got it right, or am I missing out on something better?

Here's where you all come in.

What's your opinion on double strollers? I've been looking at this one and I quite like the looks of it, but I've never heard of the brand.

Anyone know anything about it?

I had a friend recommend this one too, which also seems pretty cool. Anyone else have this one?

How about a convicing argument for a tandem stroller?

My biggest selling points are going to be:

1) Compact. We're going to have a small vehicle and a small highrise apartment so not a lot of storage space.

2) Cargo space. I don't need a ton, but at least some (for my mangos and such).

3) Ease and maneuverability.

I know all you double stroller pushers out there have an opinion.

Let's here it.

I know I keep adding to my already posted post, but this one made me laugh right out loud. This might be a good option if I get tired along the way too.

it's a date

Is it 2008 already?

I almost didn't notice- except during our Family Home Evening activity on setting goals, and when I dated the check I wrote at Costco on Tuesday.

While I'm on it, I had to dust off the checkbook to do that. It's been ages since I wrote a check to pay for something at at store, but I misplaced my American Express and you know how Costco is about "outsider" credit cards. It felt like the fast, chipper music stopped abruptly and everyone was staring at me because I threw a kink in the world of fast payment methods just like in the commercials.

Back on topic. I feel like time is moving forward, with our without us. I've gotten a couple of emails from friends asking where in the world we are, so here's our update: We learned this week that our visas are taking longer than anticipated so we've set a new departure date. We'll leave the first week of February.

My friend, Kristin, asked me if it feels sort of like I'm pregnant and just passed my due date.

That's exactly what it feels like.

Except, not in the way that that would have felt with a first pregnancy. It's more like a 3rd pregnancy. We are so excited to go but at the same time I've got a whole lot of nesting still to do.

Originally the plan was to leave on January 11th. We'd be on a plane right now. I can't wait to go. I want to be there now. In all honesty though, it really is a blessing in several ways to wait a little longer.

In the meantime, we're pacing ourselves. Tonight I'm going to go finish laundry and organize my digital photo files. I got some new software for Christmas and I'm taking up digital scrapbooking while we're in Brazil.

Want to know more about why we have Family Home Evening once a week? Click here.

A short intermission

Yes, hi. It's me again. I took a little break there, didn't I? Cut me some slack though, as I have been going slightly out of my mind while planning our move to another hemisphere, preparing for Christmas and hosting our Glauser Family Reunion next week. Blogging's pretty much taking a back seat these days. We'll see how the rest of the month goes.

Geography Quiz

You mean you didn't hit the books (or Google) to look up where we're going? That's okay. .

Rio de Janeiro .

And by the way, the title of the post is our journey begins. Nice that we have a built-in translator in the family. . I'm totally going to try and learn Portuguese though. So are the kids. Garrett was hoping we'd go to Venezuela where they speak Spanish since he learned a little Spanish in Preschool. He's excited to learn Portuguese now too.

nosso viagem comeca

We were already pretty sure about this, but we got our official assignment.

. Come January, I'll be posting from here:

pros, cons, and the honest truth

When Matt started talking to Chevron a year and a half ago, we knew international assignments would be part of the deal. After a short initial hesitation, we quickly jumped on board with full enthusiasm.

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Since then, the reality of it has been looming somewhere in the future. We've been excited about it, planning for it, but talking about it as if it were still somewhere far off along the distant horizon of our lives. However, our little adventure in South America is rapidly coming upon us. We're leaving the first of January, and I feel the anxiety coming on.

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We just found out that our official assignment won't come until mid-October. The unknown is what's driving me nuts. I'm a planner. I'm an organizer. I want to start making my checklists and arrangements (remember this?). Having to postpone my preparations is going to drive me insane.

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Anxiety #1: I don't even know there to begin to pack. Movers will pack up our things and put them in storage with our furniture, but I have to decide what to take with us and I'm totally perplexed over it. 6 months is too long to pack as if it were a vacation, and it's too short to pack as if we're moving there.

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Anxiety #2: How do I plan for the 15 hour flight? 3 kids; 15 hours of flying. That's with the most direct route. Then add in layovers and time changes, it'll probably feel like we're flying for two days.

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Anxiety #3: I think I might be just a big talker. I'm excited, I'm up for the adventure- but how am I really going to fare all day while Matt's at work and I'm at home with three kids in a foreign country? Seriously, I cried the first month we were in New Jersey (which felt a bit like a foreign country). That was absolutely a kind of preparatory period for me. Maybe I'm tougher now than I think I am. But maybe not enough.

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Anxiety #4: Occasionally this: What are we thinking dragging our kids around the world? I know some of you have that same thought too.

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On the other hand- We know this is the right thing for us. This is the right career for Matt, an incredible experience for our family, and an opportunity to serve.

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My kids will learn things about another culture, about tolerance, and about being grateful for what we have in a way that I could never teach them myself.

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I can't wait to get Garrett out of California public school and into international private school. Kindergarten is probably the easiest grade for a change like this. Garrett has amazed us with his ability to adapt to school, and I'm sure he'll be just fine and quickly make new friends. He'll probably thrive with a little more challenging curriculum.

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We'll go sightseeing on the weekends (or at least every once in a while), learn a new language, and be exposed to a new culture. Our family will have the adventure of our lives.

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(For those of you concerned about our physical welfare, rest assured we'll be fine. Chevron will take care of us. We'll have access to excellent health care and excellent education for the kids. We'll be in safe, modernized area. We'll even have our own driver. Although, if you're that worried about us, you may just have to come and visit to see for yourself.)

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So where does that all leave me? Right where I started, but I know there are those of you out there that have done this before (or are doing it now). I'm listening...