It really is the countdown now and at this point I really cannot sort my feelings out. We have said goodbye to so many friends and yesterday spent the day with my eldest brother and his family, which, although it was lovely, was sad also. He is 72 now, doesn't look it at all though but we have always been very close.

The youngest of my brothers has given me a cold, and I have just been diagnosed with Acid Reflux, which is driving me demented and my nerves seem shot to pieces. I really thought that I would be so excited but I am in turmoil inside and I do not like it one little bit. We have a lot to do before we leave in terms of financial things and we are meeting our shippers at the storage where our furniture has been for the past 5 weeks (we sold our house and have been renting for 5 weeks) Our furniture will be ready to go on thursday and we have sold our cars to a friend, so that is good but I still feel all at odds. I suppose it is to be expected at our ages so I cannot wait to get on that plane and pray to god that once we land all this stress will go away.

Has anyone else felt like this??? I am not used to not being in control and for the past 17 months during this process at times I have felt that control slipping away, and at times now I feel physically sick.

I can sympathise with you on this. I had so much to do in my final couple of weeks in the UK. I was packing my shipping boxes, going through the final stages of a house sale and also trying to fit the rest of my belongings into suitcases to take with me.

Add to that sorting out all the final utility bills, saying goodbye to people, sorting out vets certificates for my cats and tons more...it was just very hectic and VERY stressful.

But...as soon as I got on the plane it was all over. I could finally relax. And it felt GOOD.

Val.... I can understand how you are feeling.... Take a big breath and keep thinking about getting on that plane.... I am sure you will feel so much better once you have arrived in the US...

Have a wonderful flight and hope the next few days are not too hard for you...

Kez

Once you are on that plane, you can let it all go away & look forward to your new life!

Good luck.

I hope you get to feeling better, I know how stressful this is.

When I moved over I didn't have a house and those sorts of things to deal with but I did have my belongings and all the other things that come in with moving.

I even though I wanted to go and was excited, when it came to the last couple of days I was very sad and felt very strange and weird at the thought of leaving, but once you get to your plane, that goes and excitment comes in!

Good luck :-)

Val, it's perfectly natural imo to feel what you are feeling. On a smaller scale, I've felt it every time I went back and forth. I wasn't perma-doing it, and I still felt wistful about what I was leaving behind...my parents, my friends, life as I knew it, etc. And I felt it every time leaving D too...

But I have to agree that once you are on the plane and all the arrangements are sorted, you will feel much better. Especially when you get off the plane in Sanford to 75 degree weather in February

If you ever need to talk or vent, you know where I am...and pretty soon it's a local call! yippeee!!!!

Threads like these are why I appreciate VJ. You think you're the only one in the world who feels a certain way, then you come here and find out you're totally normal.

I hope its a smooth transition for you, Val.

I am soooo glad that I am not the only one, you all seem to have gone through what I am at the moment, going through. And as you all say, once I get on that plane, I really do hope the excitement kicks in.

We have one sad, last thing to do and that is to scatter Morgan's ashes. We were not sure if we were going to bring him with us, but we have to let go sometime and he was always so happy in Sherdley Park, which is a beautiful park near us, full of trees and little lakes and green areas. He really thought it was his own and if a dog could laugh, he used to when he was in there, he loved it so muc and so it is a fitting resting place for him.

Friday cannot come quick enough for me now and if this stress does go away, it is going to be a pretty wonderful feeling.

Lisa give me time to settle and then get ready for that drink, or two or three

Thanks to you all

Val

Take your time V....I'm usually on the go and crazy busy anyways, so don't think it's gotta be done asap.

As far as the ashes, I think it's a wonderful thing to do. Morgan was happy there! and that's a perfect place to honor his memory

A good friend of the fam died and left behind two kids (this is years ago when I was little)...he was my uncle's best friend. My uncle was constantly busy going to the cemetary and prying the kids off his grave. It was awful. My uncle then made arrangements that he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes scattered so 'he could be free' and so that his family wouldn't have to go to a spot in the ground and grive as if his soul was only there.

My uncle died about a year later at the ripe age of 39 & we honored his wishes. He was an avid suba diver & he owned an airplane school. He loved to fly. That year, some organization sunk a plane in the Ft Lauderdale coast as a lil reef of sorts for scuba divers. We arranged scuba divers to go down and spread his ashes in the cockpit of the plane. I know in my heart that's where my uncle would have wanted to be.

I think it's the right thing to do to put Morgan in a place which brought him happiness, and know that regardless of where his ashes are, his spirit is with you always wherever you go.

Thinking of you Val and hope your stress eases soon. I think it's definitely only natural to feel how you're feeling after living in the UK for so long...eventually (and hopefully as soon as you step on that plane!!) all the longing to be over here with your daughter and family will return and you'll remember all you have to look forward to and why you've been so antsy to get here! We are pretty busy next few days ourself, so if I don't get back here...guarantee I will think of you at least once on Friday and safe travels to you all... M.