Legal Aliens

Well, we are back in the States after a once in a lifetime trip. As our plane finally taxied into Hartsfield , we looked at each other and said (tearfully) - okay, we will never try to do so many things all in the same year again. The trip back would have been exhausting for well-rested people, but for two sleep-deprived parents and two little kids, it really did push us to the limits of sanity.
We began, well let's go back to last week, when James had taken out the folder with our passports, birth certificates etc. and placed it in the recycling bin for paper- the day before they came to collect it. Luckily, Katharine spotted it in time.
There is no perfect place for such a ridiculously important folder in a torn apart house that is being packed up to move- we decided we wouldn't put it anywhere but back in the file cabinet it came from and leave it there until we were ready to go.
When the movers showed up (2 hours early) the day before we left, we had everything packed and numbered on a manifest- except for the filing cabinet and the computer because we were busy with some last minute things and thought we had plenty of time to pack them up. After i hurriedly packed up the computer and as the movers went to put the last box in the van, i realised they had forgotten the big heavy filing cabinet and rushed to get it on the truck. About 15 minutes later I realised i had never taken out the all-important folder and the already high stress level jumped up a notch. Again, we were lucky to catch them before the boxes were on the pallets and put on the boat, and one of the guys went through the stuff and found the right folder and brought it to us.
You'd think we hadn't prepared for all this but we really have been working on logistics for months.
The next day, we had arranged for a taxi service to come pick us, the kids and their strollers, all the extra baggage, and the dogs in their kennels in what we were clearly assured several times would be a sufficiently large vehicle. We even called the night before to check about the pick up time and make sure they knew these were not Jack Russells, but proper sized dogs in big crates etc.
To make this shuttle, we rose at 3am and got the kids ready for what was promised to be a 345 departure. Again, they show up early and begin to try to cram our stuff in the back of the van when we are not totally prepared- and then we notice that there are two people sitting in the van and the driver tells me he has two more to pick up before we get to the airport. According to his order we are three people and some extra baggage. No, I say no and then, well a black rage sort of has blanked the rest of the ensuing interchanges with him and his boss on the phone out, but after using all my choicest words at top volume and waking up most of the street- we come up with no solution and it is getting later.
We are lucky to have friends.
Our neighbors Ronald and Maaike also happen to be moving right now and had rented a trailer to pull behind their station wagon. When they heard- and came down to investigate and help us- Ronald finally offered to take us the two hours to the airport himself- which well, just totally saved us and avioded a complete disaster.
So that happened.
Then it was waiting in the airport and checking in the dogs and signing their health certificates and paying twice the price for Ghost because all of a sudden he was too heavy, and waiting in line, and checking documents and keeping the little guys relatively calm and happy and explaining that we would go soon and then getting on the plane and flying for 9.5 hours to Atlanta with poor James who did great but just could not fall asleep until about the 8.45 mark and poor Will who did great but inevitably broke down at the same time as his brother, we got to Hartsfield and went through customs and picked up sleeping children for inspection, and re-checked bags and found dogs in a broken crate (Ghost's) that someone, somewhere, had tied up with a rope and some tape and heard them cry and saw the cushions Keska had torn up into a million tiny peices, and walked through airport to baggage claim and met the Maiers and got our bags (8) and finally found where the dogs were taken again and waited in Atalnta rush hour traffic for an extra 45 minutes, we arrived home.

More soon as we decompress.