Here We Go Go Go On an Adventure

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! What to say? ... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa! That's really the main thought (if it can be called a thought) going through my head right now. We finally received our visas; the New Zealand high commission did call on Tuesday last week, we were approved on Wednesday, and we were able to pick up our passports on Friday. Better late than never, right? And now, here I stand beside the gate for the first leg of our flight. Everett just had a mini tantrum on the floor and I can sense the other passengers all hoping that we're on a different flight. At least this first leg is short; then the real fun begins. We're praying for grace and patience for ourselves, our kids, and our fellow travelers.

Herbert

When I was a kid, my Dad was the pastor of a little church in the middle of nowhere (well, I probably shouldn't exaggerate... it wasn't quite in the middle; maybe a bit to the southeast). Every week, the Sunday morning service included a sampling of the local "talent" as one element of the program. And the Reader family was, of course, part of the rotation. One performance that my Mom came up with featured the Reader boy trio accompanied by big sister on piano. And the lucky audience that week was treated to our rendition of a song entitled "Herbert the Snail". (Note: here's where the quotes around "talent" come in; a number of people that would perform had real talent... others relied on red hair, freckles, and coke-bottle glasses to compensate.) Anyhow, the song's refrain starts "Have patience, have patience, don't be in such a hurry!" and here's the point (at last!): In the 30ish years since I was standing with my brothers singing that song, I'm still pretty far away from having enough of that virtue. The wait for our visas is killing me!

We arrived home from our Easter travels to discover that we had just missed a call from the New Zealand High Commission. The next morning, I was able to reach the fellow reviewing our case and had a good chat with him.  Unfortunately, although Sheri's doctor felt there were no problems, her spleen abnormality is sufficient to require her case be reviewed by New Zealand immigration; and that would require another 3-6 week delay. He did say, however, that he could approve her for a 12 month stay (as opposed to the 14 months we had requested) without that review if we were determined to leave before the middle of May. And, since we are, I asked him to go ahead on that tack. No problem, he said, our visas should then be issued within a week. That was 10 days ago...

I called again yesterday and was told that there's no problem, everything is proceeding fine and we should have our visas by the end of next week. Trying desperately to remain calm and unworried, I gave a nervous (read: panicked) chuckle and told him that we have booked our flights and are now scheduled to leave by the end of the month (April 30th to be exact). Now, you and I both know that the end of next week is comfortably a full business day before the end of the month... but when a guy has no job and endeavours to move his family to the other side of his terrestrial sphere of choice, a bit of comfort zone is, may I say, greatly to be desired. Some of my dismay must have been conveyed either by the laugh or the temporal obtuseness of my observation as the commissioner, who is my current best friend, took pity on me and suggested that he should have everything wrapped up by Monday or Tuesday. He said he would give me a call when that happened. Relief! Fortunately for him, he wasn't standing next to me or I might have hugged him.

So, potentially only a few more days to wait. Let's see if I can rustle up enough patience for that. (I made it this far without a Simpsons quote... but I can't resist: Marge: Your meatloaf will be ready in eight seconds, Homer. Homer: D'oh! Isn't there anything faster than a microwave?)

p.s. A new morning ritual:

Home Away from Home

It's been a bit tricky finding a place to stay in Auckland, but Sheri insisted. I guess she doesn't see the adventure in stumbling off an airplane after 30+ hours of transit with a pair of preschoolers and having no idea where we'll lay their little heads (or at least contain their sleep-deprived, maximum-volume expressions of unhappiness). I suppose I can see her point...

Unfortunately, strange as it may seem, our kiwi friends haven't exactly been falling over themselves to have people from the opposite side of the planet come and live in their humble huts. Even becoming a member of their preferred rental/classifieds website is forbidden to non-island aliens. Thankfully, our friends we haven't met yet in Auckland were able to hook us up with some contact information and, would you believe it, we found a place that was looking for people just like us! I'm serious... they wanted an overseas couple, with kids, that were coming for a year or more to stay in their home (as Homer would say: Guys like me! I'm a guy like me!). We asked if they would leave their furniture and we're getting a house full of everything we need. Including, ... wait for it... , a crib and high chair for Everett!! (You may not believe in God, but I really have to say thanks to Him at this point. He is ever able to do do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.) Since a crib might not be enough to attract visitors (there is a queen bed awaiting all who are willing to hop the pacific puddle), you should know that the house also comes with a juicer! (I've never had one, but it sounds like delicious good fun! Fresh squeezed kiwi juice, anyone?) Ooh... and a sauna! Now we're cooking... and you can be too!

So, here's the score:
University Acceptance - Check
Tuition Paid - Check
Corkery House Rented and Looked After - Check
Auckland Residence Secured - Check
Travel Visas - Ummm....

All we know at this point is that our visa applications will be reviewed this week. Hopefully that review will be favorable and we'll be able to check that off and get our flights booked. We're trusting that whatever happens, we'll arrive when we should.

In the meantime, my professor has sent me some reading material, so I guess I should start trying to shake the rust off of my brain.