WOO HOO!!!!!!

Finally, finally, the house in the UK has sold!  I can't quite believe it.  Not only that but the money went straight into my bank.
Am so excited I can hardly write.  It's Thanksgiving Day here so what a Thanksgiving that has been.  We have an appointment with our realtor next Tuesday!
YIPPEE!!!

A date!

Well, actually two dates were received today.  Both significant in other ways too.  November 11th (Remembrance Day) for the exchange of contracts on the house and the 28th November (Thanksgiving Day) for completion!!  If that really happens we will certainly have something to give thanks for.
I love Thanksgiving here in America.  People tend to give thanks on every day of November leading up to the day itself.  Sometimes published on FaceBook and other times at family times in a home.  One of my thankful things for today is that we were able to spend a whole day with Chloe yesterday at the Wild Animal park.  She really had a great time and so did we.  She is a blessing and a joy and it was just lovely to have that time.

 

Riding on the Safari train at the start of the day

 Having lunch (and wearing Steve's cap)

Loving watching the gorillas!

and again....

Well, the completion date for the house has come and gone.  It's now going to be at the end of November - well, I won't be holding my breath.   Good grief!
Halloween last night was just wonderful though.  The US of A really knows how to do stuff like this.  Here are the pics......

We did some neighbourhood trick or treating, but mostly we were at the church Trunk or Treat and the Pumpkin Patch.

Obamacare

Well, there has been a huge amount of stuff written about the Affordable Care Act.  As new immigrants, we can't join the Medicare scheme (you have to have been here for 5 years) and up until now have had a very expensive system - two insurers each.  Found it really hard to find one for me as I have had cancer, have epilepsy and Crohn's and most companies would not treat pre-existing conditions.  Also my medication monthly (which includes all that stuff) has been costing me nearly $600 on top of what we pay for insurance!!!!!
Anyway, we have plodded through the website which was quite arduous and we can get insurance for both of us for just over $600 a month.  That also means that my prescriptions would go down to just under $60 a month.
Over here you have to pay $70 per docs visit - that would go down to $30 so all in all a good idea.
A huge number of people are against it.  I'm really not sure why because having experienced the NHS, the American system by comparison is very, very poor and I really expected it to be top notch as I was paying.
So......let's hear it for Obamacare :-)

On and on it goes...

So we have been given the 25th October as the completion date for the house.  Yippee!!  BUT today we hear that might not be so?  The buyers apparently did an extension on their current house without planning permission (or not enough permissions or something) which means there is a delay with THEIR buyers.  Waiting to hear............watch this space.........

Appalling!

My upkeep of this blog is truly appalling.  Mind you, that must be a reflection of the busyness of retirement I think.  We have had a health scare or two but everything is ok  so that's great.  The medication over here is SO expensive.  One of my meds costs nearly £200 a month!!!
We have had our flu shots which were a bargain at $10 each! 

We have also started LOOKING AT HOUSES!  We have been given the date of 25th October for completion but haven't heard for a while so we are just crossing our fingers.  I think Emma and Henry really have had enough of us now.

I have joined the church choir - well, the Christmas one.  I go with Henry on a Tuesday night.  The first meeting was incredibly hard and really made my brain ache but last night was much better so will stick with it.  Have signed up with Massage Envy and so have either a facial or a massage monthly.  I find that I still need these for my stress levels to be kept in check (good excuse anyway).
Took the girls to Wild Wonders this week.  It was amazing (a Groupon offer) but really worth another trip.

 

Our Halloween costumes are decided too.  Steve and I are going as burglars and the Jeters are going as the Incredibles.  Should be a great evening.

The American Experience

Well, I will have to continue to do bullet points...........

We have done so much since we came and so much of what we have done has been truly wonderful and SO American.  This country never ceases to surprise, delight and shock me.  So here goes:

• HALLOWEEN - Wow and wow.  We dressed up (as Super Granny and Super Grandpa) and we went trick or treating
• THANKSGIVING - Our first experience of this was just wonderful.  Family gathering with turkey and all the trimmings
• CHRISTMAS - delightful to have the children here and see them open their presents on Christmas morning

We have also:

• Been to see the Space Shuttle
• Been to the Sony Studios in LA
• Visited the Palomar observatory
• Stayed at the oceanside - Carlsbad
• Got registered with an American doctor
• Been a part of the Christmas Dessert at church
• Emma and I went on a retreat
• Joined the library
• Been here for Jack and Chloe's birthdays
• Met with a realtor (not that we've sold the bloody house in the UK!)
• Been on courses to learn about Photoshop and making macaroons
• Visited San Diego zoo
• Loved the Temecula Rod run
• Joined a photographic group
• experienced our first US Easter
• Visited the Flower Fields
• Visited the ocean, more than once

The list is endless and still it expands.  I love this place

OK so it's been a long time....

Cannot believe how long it is since I updated my blog.  I will do a catch up in bullet points I think.

• We held an 'at home' on the 21st September.  It was amazing to see who came.  Some very special people apart from family and good friends.  Debbie and Richard and their son drove up from Peterborough to see us and the lovely Italian cleaning lady from the Teachers' Centre came with her husband.  It was wonderful to see everyone and to know who cared.

• On the 22nd September, my little car - Poppy- departed in Sheila's capable hands.  She brought us a lovely pie from her shop too :-)

• Left Manchester for San Diego on 3rd October. Sarah and Carl came to see us off.  It was the hardest goodbye I have ever done.  Tearful to say the least but I am SO grateful that she came.

• Flew business class with British airways. It was a kind of a treat for us and it was a great experience.

• Got to San Diego late.  Lined up for immigration.  We were pulled out of the line (minorly scary) and seated outside a small room and beside the line of people coming into the states.  We got some interesting looks I have to say! In the small room we had our fingerprints taken - twice as they didn't do it properly the first time.  

• Eventually got a hire car and drove to our hotel in San Diego for a well earned rest.  The hotel was great. We were the only idiots in the rooftop pool though because despite it being really warm outside, the water was not heated and it was really cold!

• On the 7th October we drove to Temecula!