Bumpy Road Ahead
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| A walk in the park |
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All our baggage stuffed in the car. Luckily kids weren't
with us...No room for them! |
After much thought, I figured I had better send an update about where we currently are. As I mentioned in our last post, our possessions have been packed and we were living in a hotel. WE STILL ARE! Who knew getting out of the United States would be our problem? We planned and thought of a million scenarios and while this was one we considered, we really did not think it would have kept us this long! Poor Ryan has been in a hotel for pretty much of the last four months, we are now entering our fourth week as a family.
The whole trouble began back when I was with Ryan in Belgium trying to make decisions and figure out the details of our day to day living. We knew this trip would leave Ryan a whole month without seeing the girls and two and a half weeks away from me. This was the longest we had been separated as a family in a LONG time. When Ryan returned home to be a part of the moving process, he was only home for 3 days before the movers came (Throw in a strike with the airlines jeopardizing his return). As we needed to maximize our time in the USA between the move and visiting with family and friends, Ryan needed to get back to Europe for meetings in the UK and somehow get the girls and I settled into our new home. Since Ryan was on a schedule and needing his passport, we asked for permission from our Relocation Team to let us go to New York and visit the Belgium Consulate directly to expedite our residency visas. They told us our $1,500 in flights (hotels and food were already being covered by them) was too expensive and denied our request. After much discussion, Ryan's contact assured him he would have his passport/visa back in 3 days. While we knew in our hearts this was not going to be possible, we did not seem to have a choice. Let's just say 4 weeks later, they still have not even looked at his information, let alone begin the processing (and we have far surpassed the $1500 in hotels, food, and car rental they "saved"). So, we are stuck.
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| Holiday World |
We have spent 3 of the 4 weeks in a hotel with an adjoining room with ALL 15 pieces of luggage, stroller, and at least 7 carry-ons. The arrangements weren't ideal and we needed a little more space, let alone a place to sit that wasn't the bed or floor. We have since moved to a larger space with a small kitchenette and place to relax. While being stuck in a hotel has not been ideal, we have certainly made the best of our time left. The girls have spent extra time with the Grands; they have been swimming galore; we went to Holiday World; we have eaten and tried more food than one can imagine so as to not live in a McDonald's; went boating; had a swimming party with friends at our hotel; toured the sights we typically just drive past; had lunch with our neighbors; and (today) we finally went inside the Indianapolis Monument to tour the museum and climb all the way to the top. I am sure we will be doing more with what time we have left. The girls are beginning to form a list of more activities they want to do.
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| Laundry Mat Fun |
At this point, we have NO idea when we will be leaving. Last week, the company told us to be prepared to stay at least one more week, possibly two. I am struggling a bit and feel lost. My friends and colleagues are headed back to school on Friday and my kids would be starting school the following week. I feel like I should be getting a classroom in order, printing first week of school items, and calming my excitement for my incoming class. It's such an odd feeling to be here, but not really belong. The life we were supposed to have started, is still waiting on us to get there. A great comfort is that this is all in God's hands. He has kept us safe and provided for thus far, and will continue to do so.
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| Boating |
I will keep you all posted as our status progresses. In the meantime, thank you for reading about us and sending such kind and encouraging words. They mean more than you know. Hopefully, we will soon find out the timing of our next steps in this long drawn out process. Until then, we will just continue to find fun and enjoy our holding pattern.
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