My Week

I remember adding it up and counting 40 papers that I had to fill out in order to move from Utah to Miami. I feel like it's been a hundred times worse this move. My week has looked something like this:

-Make phone calls to current owner because dishwasher and toilet handle were suddenly not working (I can't complain because we have had zero problems in this apartment, but it wasn't the greatest timing).
-Make that phone call again on Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. until they finally seemed to connect with the repairman that they kept 'sending'.
-Wait two hours for repairman to show up to fix dishwasher, only to find out its the motor and they're going to replace the unit. No word on that, but it's only been two days and they said 3-4 for the the unit to come in.
-Wait two hours on a different afternoon for repairman to fix toilet. He couldn't find our apartment, even though I knew he was in our complex because the front security guard had called. He eventually found us. And fixed it, yay!
-Make phone call to owner of our future apartment (yay!) about lease.
-Make about 6 more phone calls to same person over the course of two days to fix four subsequent minor details in the lease.
-Fill out 9 pages of lease--for the THIRD time--and finally be finished! yay!
-Two separate bank trips for two separate cashier's checks for application for lease and application for HOA.
-Two separate post office visits to priority mail those cashier's checks.
-About six emails and two phones calls in three days time to HOA to let them know about our finished lease, answer subsequent questions, and fill out NINE PAGE application. Done and done this morning and now up to a 30 day wait to hear back from them. Sigh.
-About four phone calls to our soon-to-be local elementary school trying to figure out the regular versus gifted Kindergarten program. No, we are not going to pay $400 to have you test our daughter to see if she should be in the gifted program (basically the classes that are middle class/white/english speaking). We're just going to put her in a normal kindergarten class, and if she tests out at 90 day mark, we'll move her. Even though lots of people think thats too hard for kids-whatever happens, I'm sure will be just fine. Plus, if she does move, she'll be with the same class next year for 1st grade, so it's no big deal. But OH MY GOODNESS some education people...lets just say I'm glad those phone calls are behind us.
-A phone call to the pediatrician to get Ruth's kindergarten check-up scheduled because she can't register without it, and registration is almost closed. Sigh.
-Several phone calls trying to figure out if I can get Will into VPK at the same school Ruth will be going to. It's full. The wait list is full. I want to put him in VPK for a lot of the same reasons I put Ruth in it--because it is like giving them a half day to get ready before they have a full day of Kindergarten+plus homework. VPK is essentially kindergarten in Utah, and Kindergarten is essentially 1st grade. Thats how people in our ward explain it.
-Couldn't get Will into the same school as Ruth, so more phone calls to another VPK program (United Methodist, like the one Ruth goes to here in Miami) only to find out they only have ONE SLOT left---so I had to fill out two more applications, one six pages, one two pages long, and now I'm crossing my fingers it works out.
-About sixty text messages between me and three lovely ladies who currently live in West Palm/Boynton Beach/Delray Beach right now to get recommendations for pediatricians, hospitals (the big question---will I have time to drive to Miami to deliver?!?!?!), schools, programs, etc.
-Two phone calls to the YMCA in Boynton Beach to see what I have to do to transfer our membership from here. I want to start my kids in swimming lessons there almost right away, so I wanted to get that going.
-What feels like countless hours at the computer looking at leases and assembling all the required documents for applications and scanning them in and emailing them (marriage licenses, drivers licenses, vehicle registrations, birth certificates, social security cards, etc. etc.).
-More time scanning in our lease and Will's birth certificate for his VPK application.
-BONUS I did make dinner most nights (last night we had pizza from Aldis grocery store) and taught piano lessons two days. Only three more weeks of lessons before we have a final recital and I am done teaching these cute kids forever. How did that happen?!?! And where is the time going?!?!


ALL I HAVE TO SAY is that I am so grateful that we have #1-the church. Which is how I am getting so many wonderful recommendations when I have to deal with all this big city/east coast craziness. Ladies who have kids with pediatricians, or go to school--it is just so nice to have that connection! #2- That all this is happening before I have a baby. We had thought about asking to extend our lease until July so that I could just have the baby here and then move. After looking at my week and realizing that only one text was asking about hospitals and ALL THE REST was about our lease, application, HOA, and kids' schools--it will be SO NICE to have this out of the way and completed BEFORE the baby comes so that it is all planned and laid out and I don't have to worry about it anymore. #3- Things are working out. SLOWLY, because it is Florida, but we did find the apartment we really are happy about (cross our fingers the HOA approves us), in the school zone that seemed like the best fit for us, and so far have been able to make all the things happen that we need to.

Now--if I ever have to make another phone call or scan another document or fill out another application...

(except I still have all of Ruthie's to do once she has her dr's appt, haha)