Drum roll please...

  It is official.  I will be working at the military base in Ta'if, Saudi Arabia.  They are processing my visa as soon as I get home and fedex my passport to the processing office in DC.  As soon as I received the email informing me they were processing my visa, I got to work finding a new home for Baby Girl.  I posted an ad on expats.com and was inundated with messages offering to take the cat.  I weeded through some of the creepy ones (like the guy who informed me he sold the last cat for money and that is why he needed a new cat, or the lady who already had 3 cats...).  I found a couple who were very happy to take her, but were worried about how she would react to their birds....

I did get these pictures along with a note saying that she was chasing the birds, but they would make it work and they were not returning her.  I know SHE is happy as hell that they have the bird show on cat tv at the nature channel....LOL

     I am allegedly flying home on Aug. 25, but there have been issues with my ticket.  I had called the travel agent and asked him to upgrade me to business class (for the 15 hour flight home) at my expense, and he said no problem....he just had to get approval from the school.  I said do it first, get approval later, I am paying for it.  For some reason, my credit card declined the transaction so I was reduced to relying on the company....PROBLEM.  They worked at their usual speed, and after a week, 27 conversations about the ticket, a call to the men's side (they have the final say on everything), it was determined that I could do this, but the cost went from 7300 SAR to 25,000 SAR.  I cried.  I contacted my bank and was told they did NOT decline the transaction, the airline never entered an amount to be approved so it was not their fault.  I cried some more.

     After wiping away my tears, I contacted the travel agent at noon and asked him to help make this right.  He found another flight that would work, although with a layover, but before he could change it, he needed permission from the school....(very heavy sigh).  At 6:00 pm I finally INSISTED he contact the men's division to get permission.  The (many words come to mind and won't be shared here) guy at the men's side said we would deal with this on Sunday....(another VERY heavy sigh and more tears).  I am leaving (allegedly) Fridayish.  I should arrive Chicago Saturdayish.  I have a wonderful friend who offered a bed (thanks Becky!) so I have a place to crash.  I figure I will only be there no longer then one week, as all they have to do is process the visa.

     The other issue is the matter of my household goods.  Having moved, what feels like a million times, I know that "fully furnished" can be an exceedingly misleading label.  I have no furniture, I gave it away or sold it, and my "household goods" consists of a suitcase full of clothes, including the abayas I don't need back home, and about 4 boxes of craft supplies, and kitchen shit I CAN NOT live without...you know; potato masher, stick blender, spatula, etc.  I contacted a number of shipping companies, but they don't seem to understand.  I then contacted the recruiter and asked if she had an address I could have my stuff sent to.  She was shocked I would need to take ANYTHING with me as it was "fully furnished".  Silly rabbit, household goods are necessary, regardless of how "fully" it is furnished.

    I have talked to a number of folks who have been to Ta'if, and the consensus is that I will NOT find a craft store in Ta'if.  I will have a medium box of craft supplies and a box of yarn and fabric.  It is beautiful, but I need something I can do indoors when it rains!  I know this will all work out in the end.  My BFF Rick used to say that no matter how bad things went in my life, I always managed to land on my feet, and to remember, that the way to eat an elephant was one bite at a time.  I miss him from the bottom of my heart, but I know he has my back.