Jackson preparing to fly

I have been busy getting my beagle ready for his first ever flight. We have purchased the airline regulation kennel, we have got some homeopathic stuff to "relax" him for the big day (and Mom too!). I have started getting him used to his new kennel and now he seems to go in there all by himself, without any coaxing from me. Much to my relief, he likes it and seems to enjoy chilling in there.

He has almost all of his vaccinations.......his last set of needles is next week. Poor dog has been through alot for the big move to Mexico. I think I have stressed more about him and how he will cope on his first flight and how he will adjust to our new life in Mexico than I have about myself.

He absolutely loves the water, but I ask myself, will he love ocean water just as much? He has only ever swam in fresh water lakes like the one in the picture below in the Rocky Mountains.

New wheels!

Well, I had to say goodbye to my beloved VW after almost 11 years of memories. After selling it the other evening, I have been reflecting on all the roadtrips and memories in that little car. Meanwhile, Arturo has been looking for a car for us to share once I arrive in Manzanillo. Well, as of yesterday, the deal was finalized and here is a photo of our car. Yes, this is a new and much improved version of my old car! It is a 2001 and is in very good condition. Isn't is pretty?

I love today!

Today was a good day. In fact, the last several days have been wonderful! I mentioned to my dear friend "L" today in an e-mail that "I love today". She found this phrase quite interesting and thought provoking especially given the roller coaster of a ride that I have been on the last month or so. Let me back up by explaining why. On Saturday, I had part one of my "Moving Sale". I ended up selling most of my significant earthly possessions, much to my surprise. Also, as of last night, I sold my car - my VW Golf. Most of this process I found quite emotional..........not giving up the material items themselves, but actually the memories involved in some of these possessions. Also, it was a little strange to have people walk through my house and go through my things. After all of the remembering and the emotions that go along with that, I ended up feeling strangely liberated. Surprisingly, this purging of possessions felt quite freeing to me. But, I think the reason I felt that I loved today was a culmination of the last several days. Everything was coming together so quickly and I felt that everything was as it should be. As a result, I felt my energy shift.....back to a very calm and stable energy.


Thanks to Countdown to Mexico's experience with her moving sales, I had decided to do something similar and have potentially 2 sales.....in the event that I could not sell everything in the first one and would have enough time to get rid of everything else before my big move. Needless to say, the sale was a huge success! In fact, it far exceeded my expectations. I ended up selling all of my large furniture and appliances with the exception of a few things that I will wait to sell. My house is pretty barren and empty right now. I honestly did not think I would sell so many things in one day. A big thanks to everyone who helped me with the sale - you were lifesavers! My friends have also offered to lend me chairs, TV, cooking pots, etc for me to continue living comfortably until I leave the country. What would I do without all of you amazing people? Let me take this moment to again say, thank you. Thank you for being such wonderful friends.........I do not know what I would do without you.

Ok, now that I have told everyone, what next?

Packing up one’s life and leaving a country is not the easiest thing I have ever attempted. I mean, I have done it before when I moved to Australia, but that was a short term thing and my employer had sorted out a lot of the details for me – house, car, flights, visas, etc. So, not unlike other challenging things I have done in my life, I started making lists, categorizing and prioritizing those lists, and now have a binder of prioritized lists and various research…..and yes, admittedly, I am a total geek but that is how I cope!

I have and continue to read countless blogs of other young Canadian or American women that have relocated to Mexico and other Latin American countries. And surprisingly, there are many more young foreign women living in Mexico than I had ever expected. Their stories are inspiring and have really helped me make some decisions and learn about countless things from work visas to cultural challenges. A shout out to all you bloggers like A Cancun Canuck, Livin' the Lisa Loca, Just Married Chilean Style, Countdown to Mexico, Heather in Paradise , Mexico Way, Rivergirl– you helped keep me sane when I was lying awake at nights, unable to sleep, going through my countless lists. You made me laugh, you made me cry and ultimately gave me strength when I needed it.

In preparing to list and sell my house, I started getting it ready to show and met with a real estate agent for a free market assessment. One week later, one of my dear friends came to me with an offer to purchase! I was stunned, it seemed too good to be true. As of last week, conditions waived and the house is now officially sold. Possession is July 25! I think I am still in shock. I never thought I would sell it this quickly…..I did not even list it on the market yet! All of a sudden, this has become very real. Friends are starting to discuss going away parties and I have become more sentimental than normal.

The Decision Has Been Made, Now What?

So, I am taking the plunge and moving to Mexico with my beagle. I had finally made the decision after much thought and consideration and was starting to tell people. I remember starting to test it out on people that did not know me very well, like my massage therapist and my hairdresser. I think I was testing the water……gauging reactions. But mostly, I think starting to say it loud, made it real for me.

Most of my friends and family thus far have been very supportive and thrilled for me. In fact, many of my friends were not surprised to hear that I was moving to Mexico as it had been a dream of mine to live there for several years and become fluent in the language. I think the thing that surprised people the most was that I had fallen in love….and better yet, with a Mexican man. *insert gasp here*.

In addition to the wonderfully supportive comments about my intended move to Mexico, predictably, I received some “not-so-supportive” reactions. I think the all-time best one was, and I quote, “You realize that Mexico is a 3rd world country, right???” And then there were those that did not even acknowledge or comment on the move at all. Perhaps they thought saying nothing was better than saying what they really wanted to say. Or maybe they thought I had gone temporarily insane and were hoping I would snap out of it? Who knows……..all, I knew was that I was excited, scared, anxious, and every other emotion one can possibly fathom. At the end of the day, I was really hoping people would support me and my decision, regardless of their own judgments.


Of course, I am scared, anxious and under no disillusion my life will be some happily ever after fairy tale. It is going to be a huge adjustment, I will dearly miss my friends and family and there are major cultural differences that I will have to deal with in both my day to day life and my relationship. All I know is that I have never felt like this before, life is short and I am going to follow my heart and go for it! I also know that I do not want to have regrets in my life. I want to enjoy every moment that this new adventure brings my way.