We Have Lists, checking them daily

Seems we check 10 items off our lists and 20 more items magically appear.  With each day that passes it feels like it is 2 days closer to leaving.

Sister Griffin

México Area

   You report in 50 days.

I have to remember panic attacks are NOT productive and that time passes even if you are passed out.  So keep breathing, not hyperventilating, and it is okay to represent the saying, "Yo siento abrumado".

We did get one of the major items done Friday.  The magical people at Church Travel had Fedexed our passports to us on Wednesday.  The passports came back with instructions to go to the Mexican Consulate in Phoenix to get our Visas, preferably in March.  After checking our schedules and lists for the upcoming week, we just decided to hop in the car Thursday afternoon (so spontaneous and unlike us) and appear at the consulate on Friday morning.  The only room available to stay at Thursday night was che Sherald's, John's brother and wife who live in Tempe had a room we could spend the night in. (Spring training in Phoenix and the great weather literally means, there are no rooms to get reservations for).  The instructions from the travel department stated that the hours for the consulate were 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. weekdays, expect to spend the morning and no, they are not done by appointment.  We developed a strategy to get up early, navigate the rush hour traffic to downtown Phoenix and get them done.  We arrived around 7:30, plenty of parking at the consulate, noted people already going in and went in ourselves.  They were already working!  We got our numbers for the Visa line #2 and #3. AWESOME!  Only one American in front of us that had lost his, they couldn't help him...... John went next, then me.  They were very efficient.  I call the people at Church Travel magical because they had everything in such great order we just handed them our documents and waited about 45 minutes and PRESTO! We had our Visas.  We were out of there headed back to Tempe before the morning rush hour had cleared up.  Having a few extra hours we were able to check off another list item.... get luggage to travel with.  Yes we had some luggage but neither of us had the luggage needed to live outside the U.S. not just travel outside the U.S.  Two big items CHECK and CHECK. But it still feels like we are still not any closer to being ready.  Maybe it is just a state of being  like Estar vs Ser in the spanish lanugage.  It will be a permanent state of feeling unready.