Down To The Final Hours

The girls and I met my cousins at a museum this afternoon and only got home around 5:30. We had a very late supper of delicious meatball grinders (take out) from a great local Italian restaurant. We were too busy to cook.

While the girls and I were gone for most of the day, Tami packed, ran errands, cleaned up, sorted, packed some more, did an enormous laundry and turned in her rental car. She's now on the countdown.

I made a Staples run for her tonight for more cardboard boxes and packing tape. This happens each time they are going back. She is packing (again) but now it's down to the wire as the driver comes tomorrow morning to bring them to JFK. I just asked her how many hours she thinks she has spent packing and her answer was "a couple of days". This shows the breath and depth of what it takes to head back to Moscow. This time it's for a year as they won't be in the US in December as I'll be in Moscow for the holidays. Fortunately LOTS and LOTS went over with all of us when we visited in May. Thinking ahead for your needs for such a long time is serious business. Not only do you have needs like winter clothes for yourself and the girls, but birthday gifts for both of them, Christmas gifts for them, birthday gifts for their classmates (school custom is to give to each child in your class on their birthday), gifts to have on hand when you need one, things for the kitchen, etc., etc., etc. Tonight she was putting Annie's Mac & Cheese in ziplock baggies to bring back. Since Oxyclean is now sold there, she doesn't have to sneak it in inside a large baby powder container. She could qualify for a degree in packing. Unless you've had an expat staying at your house and packing to go back, you have no idea what a job it is. Take my word for it.

A LARGE part of her packing on this trip is for the school - books and games (over 350 pounds).

I have to say that the cardboard boxes from Staples or the UPS Store make great one way boxes. They are easy to pack, you can have your name and flight information on all sides, they are cheap and you can throw them away once they are unpacked. Remember in Moscow they don't recycle. When you live in an apartment, you don't have room to store lots of suitcases. They do bring some suitcases but she loves those cardboard boxes.

Tonight after her shower, Natalia came into my bedroom and just put her arms around me without saying a word. I knew what she meant. I told her that I'd see her again in 4 months and 1 week. She asked me how long that was. I told her that she knows that she just spend 3 weeks in camp. If she added a week to that, it would be a month. Then she has to think of that 4 times plus another week of camp. My "math" seemed to work as the answer satisfied her. I know that I'll be wishing away our CT fall (which I love) and looking forward to my final packing the night before my flight to Moscow before Christmas.

On Tuesday, think of us sadly saying goodbye and wish them a safe flight back to Chris. The girls do miss their dad.