2/27/2014
Dear Mishka

It's Matt's first day and he opened his suitcase to find Loki and Merlin had apparently both rolled in his clothes, fur all over them! Though I suppose that's better than the first time.... on our very last day of packing he did a “test pack” of the suitcases to see what would actually fit, and then he left the room. Suitcase open. The cats knew something was up, and they peed IN his suitcase. All over his work clothes. I did the fastest load of laundry in my life while he tossed a cat across the room. Now tossed gently mind you but still, he was THAT mad and THAT stressed.

So this also means it is my first day alone. I'm not sure how to keep myself busy. Type a few letters to you, eat an espresso brownie cookie, iron some shirts, and perhaps I'll laze by the pool. Yup, tiny housing but it's got a pool with a view of (wait for it) the ocean. Around 1 I think we are setting up the bank account and signing the lease.

List of the things I forgot to bring. Ausssie 3-Minute Miracle conditioner is one of the ones I'm gonna miss most. I didn't think about my hair and salt water. Whups. Forgot all about salt. I'm a great lakes girl, with a chlorine-free pool no less.

I also realize a whole shitload of stuff that I DON'T need is on the way. No basement to store it. Like Matt's router table and power tools. We didn't consider that. Whups.

Did a minute bit of shopping for groceries. The cost of living is high but from what we can tell it's about Disney pricing. And since we were just at Disney we weren't suffering sticker shock. Like the $19.50 box of Cheerios. Now now.... remember, everything is brought in by boat and it's EC (East Caribbean Currency). That 2.67 on the dollar. So it's $7.30 for a full size box of honey Nut Cheerios., $5.85 for a bottle of Herbal Essence Conditioner (the only kind in stock at the moment), and $5.48 for bottle of aerosol hair spray. Disney pricing. Matt is about to start losing weight. Glad for the jump in his income. Food is definitely more expensive because of it's limited availability. Except of course bananas, sweet potatoes, and avocados the size of a small grapefruit.

Nifty fact, our new place is about a 30 minute walk up the beach to campus. And we sent our fencing gear exclusively to fence on the beach.

Just a little mental picture for you Loki is flopped out next to me looking for all the world like a 15 lb fur covered whale asking for a belly rub. If he can ever manage to roll his fat ass over on the first try I just might give it to him.

Merlin however is living under the bed unless it's time to demand a meal.

Love
The Blonde

2/26/2014
Dear Mishka

Up early for snorkeling at Champagne Beach. An hour away on twisty windy trails (you should be proud, I didn't puke there or back!). The faculty spouses group. I'm a lot younger in age but oh well.

It was really beautiful and we all went right in. Matthew even put on a life vest and paddled out into the ocean. I was SO PROUD of him, he said it was no big deal since he had the vest but you and I know different. And this was the ocean, not the Huron River in a canoe.

It was beautiful... fish, coral, all sorts of life.... and then the fun part. The champagne. Remember I told you once Dominica was a volcanic island? Still is. Gases beneath the plates build up and are released from below between crevasses below and flutter up to the surface like champagne bubbles. You swim through these beautiful things, feeling them brush your face and hearing them in your ears. This was quite far out but Matt was there beside me. No flippers or snorkel, but his mask on and paddling away in his vest. Mishka, I was swimming in a glass of champagne with bright blue and yellow fish swimming by. If this isn't a world meant for you I don't know what is

On an offside, I should mention that our first day/night we went to a local eatery/restaurant called Tomatoes. Girlfriend, I have traveled the US, England and Scotland and have discovered that on a still developing island, in the far edge of the Caribbean, in a little open air place on campus, is the the best cheesecake I have ever had in my entire life!!!! I am not joking, this was beyond anything I thought cheesecake could be. So rich it would drop Dominic in one bite. Come on, swimming in Champagne and eating cheesecake? I'm still waiting for the breakdown. Maybe on move in day..

Love

The Blonde

2/25/2014. Dear Mishka. From the kitties

2/25/2014

Dear Mishka

Ross Faculty Housing, free and good for a month.... remember our first apartment? Well cut it in half and eliminate the stove and the bedroom. Yep, a double bed literally fills half the floor space. But the boys are out and roaming happily. OK really they are under the bed half the time and bored, but they are out. We are so brain damaged when we get there we barely set up a litter box before falling over and passing out.

Day 1, we are given a high speed tour by a woman you would like, she is like us, going 100 miles a minutes in 7 different directions and stilll stopping to chat with every third person. I like her. Even if I am lost in about 7.325 minutes after starting the campus tour. There is fabulous pastry shop hidden away here on the campus .... but I may never be able to find it again. Perhaps my croissant radar can pick it up... beep beep beep.

Then the actual apartment. Our speed tour guide is also the housing person. Carol. Matt briefly remembers the place she said she might have found. She says it is indeed tw bedrooms while we are talking on the phone in early February. The facebook page for spouses raves about it. With no money but slick talking, I manage to get her to secure it, 3 weeks early, no down payment, and talked them dwn 200 in rent. 1600 a month. Lets see what we get, shall we?

We first stop at the model.. a balcony that wraps around to a fantastic view of the mountins and the ocean... postcard picture perfect! I suspect ours will not be that view since we talked them down, hah hah. Inside, huge rooms, vaulted ceilings, new furniture. We are told an interior designer from Miami came down and did it for the owner. Then the second floor (two floors?) More vaulted celings, bright cheery windows, new furniture and linens.... it's simply incredible. One of the most gorgeous places I have ever seen. God I hope ours is kinda like this. Probably smaller rooms and one floor... then she asks how we like it... and waits. Huh? Waitaminuteaitaminute... this... this is OURS? Mishka, it's more beautiful than any place I've ever lived. Far nicer than Sarahs, or Mom and Dad's first place, Matt says.... I think of how hard we've scratched all these years, how much we've been unable to afford, and now this place beyond anything I ever dreamed we would live in. I sat down on the edge of the bed and burst into tears. I tried not to but I just sobbed. It was like winning a lottery but no one would take it back, a dream that was real. Wait util you see the videos. You are DEFINITELY STAYING WITH US!!!

Love

The Blonde

Dear Mishka. So I promised you a cat's story. Here we go.

Dear Aunty Mishka

Whatza dayte?

Hi, it's us, Loki and Merlin. Mommy said to tell you our story.

Daddy got a job in a place called Dom-inn-ee-kha.... I think that means “No mice island”. Anyway, mommy and daddy had looked for a home for us kitties but could only take two. Karma is the youngest so he can't go. Sssssssshhhhh... don't tell him. He thinks he's getting the house to himself.

Mommy is trying to avoid something called car-an-teen. I don't like car rides either. She keeps calling people saying “We took a job and it's only 2 months away but you are supposed to have everything a month in advance.... tests take longer than that!!

Now she says I need my new rabies vaccine and blood work.. something about the number 282 dolarzz scared her. I don't knokw why. I got to be grocery store scanned! And I gots a longggggg number too! It was near my ears. Merlin's was near his butt! Hah hah!

Merlin gets his tight-er next, I want one too! Why does he go first? What's 30 days gotta do with it?

Yeah! I gots mine too! Mommy hs been on the phone with peoples in planes and islands about things not gonna be done in time. Wonder what? Anywayses... Mommy jumped at the number 437 Dollarzez this time. Wonder why numbers scares her? Not like theys mousies.... what's bills anyway? They keep scaring her so I gotsta kill 'em.

We both got stuffed in the moving boxes again dang it, sumpin about health certificates and she keeps calling the you-ess-dee-ay for appointments... We got poked at and my toofies scratched. Then she did something with bill 288 dollarazz that mde her huffy and she took us home mumbling about 128 dollarzez endorsement in Lansing. Golly shes a grump. We don't even leave for 5 more days. Thats plenty of time, look how many naps I can take!

Now she's grouchy cause she facksed out papers to that Dominie place vet and he sent back a peedeefff thing. Just cause the printers packed she's gotta go the libry.

Gooody. She come back dancing and smiling about visa permits and stuff. We got pettings.

Darnit, now she's all feaking out, daddy too. Called those plane people and they said a local vet checkup. We had one. I guess they meant a local vet in Antigua supposed to meet us in the airport to poke at us before we's allowed onna nother plane. Whats a Sunday afternoon got to do with it? We don't leave until tomorrow morning.

Ok, she and daddy are almost happy crying, they keep saying they is changing our names to Craig and Richards.... something about a miracle worker and a saint Dr Edwards.. Oh maaaaannnn.... it's back in the boxes again

Huff!!! No fair! Mommy and Daddy got me up at 2 a.m. And stuffed an icky pill called a sedatatie down my troat. They haddda do Merlin too but he got back and spitted it out twice while biting Mommies finger. She bleeded all over him. Now theyyyyy sayyyyyysss wwweeee gonnnnnaaaa goooo furrr a rriiiiiddeee...... wheeeeee.

So sleepy. Wuz all nice and purty colors. Now that Saint Edwards is poking at me. Mommy got a paper and is dancing again.

So this ittty place is Antiua? We went outside the airs ports now to go around and go back in!. Why is mommy playing with her papers book? She gots the good paper from Saint Dr Edwards only 15 minutes ago. She keeps crying “WHERE DID IT GO?!?!?” and “CALL THE VET BACK!!!”. I guess he's gottsa turn round before the plane takes off to go zoom again. But why am I in a hard box? And why am I onna moving floor? Where did mommy go? And sumpin is going on because daddy has been called into security. They can't recognize what our kibble is..

The zoomy thing has stopped and we are on the moving floor again. Round and round it's going. Merlin hasta look inside, but I get to look out. Oh there's mommy and daddy! Whoops, there they go, hmmm, round and round some more.. there they is! I get it! It's a game... how many times can I go round while they step closer to the box with the person inside.

Oh finally, someone takes us off the moving thingie, good, Merlin was gonna yarf in his box. And mommy was starting to freak out..

Yawn.... well they let us out finally and a twisty car ride. I like it here. It's very comfy behind this big chir, and Merlin found his favorite spot under the bed. We're gonna go to sleep now. Talks to you in another time!!!

P.S., Hey sweetie, it's Pamela now. Loki is sleeping and can't see me adding to his letter. We really did get stuck in the back of a very slow customs line while they rode the luggage carousel. Finally it was our turn at the window (since no one else was left!!) Upon batting my eyes at the customs officer to move faster, we tried to pick the kids up from someone who had watched too many shows about Paris Hilton and had a phone glued to the side of her face while waggling fingers at us. I thought she wanted a tip, turns out this was the official looking for their paper work. Official WHAT?!?.... oh well. This is about the time Matthew realized we were missing a suitcase.... the one with his work clothes (all his clothes for that matter). We had mine with tank tops, shorts and skirts, swimsuits, blanket, and the spare suitcase with towels, pillows and kitty litter, but no Matthew clothes. Off we go to play the claims form dance!! He hadn't cried in hours and didn't now. I was very proud of him.

The boys started to come out of it just as we got to the faculty housing the school supplied.

Now I should mention, while watching the kitty-go-round and hoping the cats wouldn't puke, someone was handing out the following.

*****************************************************************

“Insert nifty logo here”

Environmental Health Department

Ministry of Health

CHIKUNGUNYA FEVER ALERT CARD

Chikungunya is a viral infection transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito.

Syymptom usually begin 3-7 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.

Common symptoms include:

√ Sudden onset of high fever (>102) √ Rash (~50% of cases)

√ Severe joint pain mainly in the arms and legs √ Headache

√ Muscle pain, back pain, fatigue √ Nausea

There is no vaccine or medication to prevent Chikugunya virus infection of disease.

CONTACT YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER IF YOU SUSPECT SYMPTOMS OF CHIKUNGUNYA

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

Environmental Health Deparftment 266-3468/3467

Welcome to the Paradise Island!!

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OK, I added that last line......

But seriously, do you REMEMBER me and mosquitos,? The passionate love affair they have for me? I want lots and LOTS of Avon skin so soft repellant. Apparantly the shit works wonders down here. Also this little bugger is double size and striped like a zebra, I should be able to spot it.. I hope.

Love

The Blonde

(and the fuzzy boys)

2/24/2014

Dear Mishka

Oh you have GOT to be f-ing kidding me. I was told by American Airlines to be at Metro THREE HOURS early for an international flight. And they were very serious. Especially since I'm bringing the cats (that's a whole different letter). Remember my comment about the time? Matt calls it O'dark thirty. We got there, and mom all but threw us out of the car since temperatures were plummeting into the single digits fast. And there, low and behold, was an empty airport, a dark ticketing counter, and three people asleep in chairs.... uh oh.

I grabbed an employee who helped us get a cart and wrangle 3 highly overweight suitacases, one medium cat kennel, and two cats in travel duffel bags into the airport. She then told us that the agents don't even show up until 4:30. Our flight was at 6 so we were there at 3..... snarl curse.... 90 minutes before ticketing agents even wandered in the door. Anyone want to kill an agent? Slowly people trickled in, got the story and we all sat and chatted. My sedated cats were a hit with the girls. Super poofy Merlin who filled his carrier with fluff and Loki with his chaplin mustahe and pink glitter nail caps (I was mad at Matt when I went to have caps put on his cat,  the vet techs thought it was hysterical).

I took a picture of us on the first plane, excited and raring to go! I also took a picture on the last plane 12 hours later... I am never ever posting it for public viewing. I'm surprised I didn't scare my seat mate.

Therer were no breakdowns yet in communication or travel.... so I was waiting for it. Yep. I did it too. And you get that in the next story.

Love

The Blonde

2/23/14 Dear Mishka the first Letters to Mishka

2/23/2014

Dear Mishka,

Your idea to write my blog as letters to you was brilliant, I'm nervous writing but love to chat with my best friend. So, shall we start the very first “Letter to Mishka”?    Names been changed wherever I remembered to.

Well, this is sit, everything we own is either in the dumpster, storage, or on a container being shipped to (please god the right place) Dominica... pronounced btw Dom^ in ^ ee ka^. I haven't fallen apart yet, I've been busy making sure my husband doesn't. He's so flipped out over this and the new job that I've never seen him so stressed. I guess I'm saving it until later.

Cleaning the house at the end got a bit freaky.... we simply didn't have time. We were really let down, the weather stopped everyone from helping Judy and Samuel of course each showed up for a day or two... you can always count on them. And Scott of course got there. Thank god or we never would have gotten the antique furniture into storage. We simply didnt have cleaning time and at the end it was “just throw it in the box already!” or throw it out. We tossed out a lot of stuff we never would have. My entire wine collection ws left behind. and left the house so trashed it looks like squatters have been living there. I'm abolutely humiliated by the degree of wreckage.... it's after 9 and we still have to go to Sarah's, sign the car over, say goodbyes, and then to my mothers to sign my car over, snooze for about 48.5 minutes and then off the DTW at “Holy Jesus WHAT time?” o'clock in the morning..... and she has to be awake to drive us

I'm not scared yet, I'm suspicious my body is saving it for a mother freaking huge collapse.

Love

The Blonde