Flights are booked, visas applications have been sent (finally!) and we've made some big decisions about other things on the list.
Until we'd booked our flights everything seemed a little up in the air. We couldn't apply until we had a date, couldn't have a date until we booked flights, couldn't book flights until we'd decided on the dates we wanted! In the end we took the first step and agreed on a departure date, only to find that if we waited an extra 3 weeks we could save more than $3500 on airfares! Obviously we had to revise our departure date and once we'd done that we contacted our good friend and travel agent to book our flights. We gave ourselves a stopover in Vancouver so that we can have a look around for a few days. While we're in the vicinity, we're also planning to take a few days from Vancouver to visit family in Sacramento.
The trip over organised, we turned our attention back to our visa applications that had required so much running around a few weeks ago. We signed all the dotted lines and have our fingers crossed that we'll get the ok for me to work.
WIth us taken are of, it was time to see what the daycare situation looked like in Montreal. If it's anything like here in Sydney, we'd need to try and have something set up before we arrived. Lucky for us it looks like there are plenty of centres and demand is not as high as here. Prices aren't either so that's a plus! We're going to wait and check some centres out once we're in Montreal so we can make sure we get a good one.
Another thing I've put off until we arrive in Montreal is job hunting. What's the use anyway if I can't work? Good to put that away for another day.
And because we'd decided all that I felt the need to start doing something here to make myself feel like things were moving along, not just big decisions. On the weekend we ended up packing up some of the things we know we won't need to put into storage. Yay!
So things seems to be moving along now. We've been able to cross off some items on the list and it feels good! Still a long way to go before we're ready to move but now that some of the big decisions are made we can rest a little easier and focus on the next few weeks of planning.
Have we forgotten anything obvious? Let me know!
Until we'd booked our flights everything seemed a little up in the air. We couldn't apply until we had a date, couldn't have a date until we booked flights, couldn't book flights until we'd decided on the dates we wanted! In the end we took the first step and agreed on a departure date, only to find that if we waited an extra 3 weeks we could save more than $3500 on airfares! Obviously we had to revise our departure date and once we'd done that we contacted our good friend and travel agent to book our flights. We gave ourselves a stopover in Vancouver so that we can have a look around for a few days. While we're in the vicinity, we're also planning to take a few days from Vancouver to visit family in Sacramento.
The trip over organised, we turned our attention back to our visa applications that had required so much running around a few weeks ago. We signed all the dotted lines and have our fingers crossed that we'll get the ok for me to work.
WIth us taken are of, it was time to see what the daycare situation looked like in Montreal. If it's anything like here in Sydney, we'd need to try and have something set up before we arrived. Lucky for us it looks like there are plenty of centres and demand is not as high as here. Prices aren't either so that's a plus! We're going to wait and check some centres out once we're in Montreal so we can make sure we get a good one.
Another thing I've put off until we arrive in Montreal is job hunting. What's the use anyway if I can't work? Good to put that away for another day.
And because we'd decided all that I felt the need to start doing something here to make myself feel like things were moving along, not just big decisions. On the weekend we ended up packing up some of the things we know we won't need to put into storage. Yay!
So things seems to be moving along now. We've been able to cross off some items on the list and it feels good! Still a long way to go before we're ready to move but now that some of the big decisions are made we can rest a little easier and focus on the next few weeks of planning.
Have we forgotten anything obvious? Let me know!