We have big news.

And no, before you steal a not-so-subtle glance at my naked left ring finger, we are not engaged.

And no, we are not bestowing upon the world any glorious offspring.

Instead, we have rented our house, are in the process of selling and/or packing everything we own and we're moving to a tiny chunk of rock in the middle of the Atlantic.

Holy crap. Seriously? Even as I type this, I can't quite believe it.

The whole story happened pretty quickly...from an innocent job search back in June to booking our one-way plane tickets last week for our flights on September 24th. Actually, that's pretty much the whole story, minus a few details.

It was a random Sunday afternoon and I was wasting some time before we headed out for coffee (actually, I made that part up, but since there is not much else to do on the weekends, it is probably pretty accurate) and I came across a job posting for a position offshore. I remember calling up the stairs to ask Kurt if he thought it was worth my time to apply for and watching his face light up like a cat being offered sushi-grade tuna. Ding, ding, ding. I applied for the job, which turned out to be an ad for a staffing agency who put me through a few skills tests and preliminary interviews before putting me forward to firms. A couple of them nipped and then one bit with an offer at the beginning of July. Kurt is actually a citizen, which means he can get off the plane and go anywhere he wants, apply for any job, wear pink shorts, drive a scooter, buy us a pink house with his spare millions...whatever. I, on the other hand, was somewhat undesireable until I found an employer who would sponsor my work permit application. Kurt being a citizen has made the whole process about 4000% easier for us. Thank you, useful bloodlines.

Once we found out that yes, this was actually, really, going to happen and stopped thinking about it in "wouldn't that be fun if..." terms, we realized that we had to get our shit together...and fast. My job starts on October 1. Most people would take at least 6 months to plan and execute a move like this and we were doing it in only 2 and a half. Ouch. We moved ahead and found a property manager to keep an eye on things and find us good tenants, which she did in record time. We're still in the process of selling our stuff, which is hard. We only just finished furnishing our house and now we're turning around and selling all of our practically brand-new stuff. Watching the gorgeous dining room set drive away in the back of a Ford Ranger was heart-wrenching, especially when the truck went over the curb and all of the chairs lurched to the side. I nearly vomited on the lawn.

The saddest part for me, without a doubt, is the fact that because of rampant flea reasons, Harley can't come with us. Instead, he is enjoying the many luxuries that come with being a feline in my parent's house in Victoria. Leaving him behind was really difficult, but I know he's enjoying a privileged life full of daily grooming, treats and lots of attention, so that makes me feel a lot better. Life is sad without my little buddy and I miss him terribly every time I walk in the front door and he's not standing on the stairs to meet me. Which is every time, now. Sniff.

But sad parts aside, this is an overwhelmingly exciting time for us. We have been needing a change for awhile now and even though moving even further away from my family and friends was originally NOT the plan, this plan is a much better one to give ourselves a great headstart and put ourselves into a position to go anywhere, really. We're going to get a chance to save some money, and Kurt is going to get a chance to kickstart a whole new career - one that actually excites him and has great opportunities.

In short, we have a lot to do but we can't wait to get on that plane and start our new adventure. Sounds cheesy, but it really is the adventure of a lifetime. If we don't do this now, we will never do it. So...we're going.

I've started this blog to keep everyone up-to-date on what we're up to while we're away, share pictures, etc. I will be posting over the course of Operation: Leave as well...mostly as a way to procrastinate packing. Enjoy!