HIgh And Low

We were supposed to get Kerry's orders on Monday.  Without orders, we can not make arrangements with transportation to send packers and movers to our home.  Without orders, we can not make reservations to fly off this island.

"But wait", you say.  "Don't you have orders?  You know you're moving to Illinois, right?  You've been told the date that you have to report for duty, right?  You've been ordered to go, therefore you have orders."

Yes, dear duckies, but let me explain.  Being given your marching orders is not the same as actually having your ORDERS.  Your ORDERS are on paper and they are officially signed and notarized under the full moon and mailed with a stamp that has been licked twice and stuck on the envelope upside down.  All t's must be crossed and i's must be dotted and you must hold them in your hands for you to really have ORDERS.  No one will see you, or help you, or make one reservation for you without them.

When our orders to Virginia got cancelled, so did all of our reservations to move and fly.  We need new orders to get everything re-reserved.  We are already pushing the envelope of how much time we have to get packed and out of here.  Kerry's report date has already been pushed back once in order to give us enough time to accomplish everything.

We were supposed to get our request for orders (which is another piece of paper you need in order to get your ORDERS) on Monday which would allow us to have our orders before the end of the week.  But instead, we woke up to an email telling us that we can not get any paper of any kind for another two weeks.

Kerry called the guy in charge of these papers to find out what was the hold up.  The guy told us that he just couldn't get them to us.  Kerry reminded him that there is a sixty day back log on getting a moving company to pack us out.  Living on an island with limited space and limited resources can be a problem when it's moving season.  We can't just call someone to drive over from another state with a big truck and pick up the slack.  They are all booked all the time.

Then the guy dropped a bomb on us.  "Well, there is a job in Hawaii, would you be interested in staying there?"

Kerry started making frantic hand gestures at me as I was passing through the room.  I stopped and read his lips, "We could stay here....." I froze as every molecule in my body tried to carbonate.  He got the info on the job and told the guy that we would let him know by the next day.

He got off the phone, told me the details, and then said, "What do you think?"

"Well, my gut reaction is to stay here."

"That's mine too.  What would the kids say?"

"They'd be happy for sure, but let's ask them and take a vote."

My heart was leaping for joy and Kerry and I were both grinning from ear to ear.  It's not a hard decision when someone asks you if you want to live in Hawaii or Illinois.

Kerry called Katie into the room, while I dialed Ben and Emily to take a vote.  Before Kerry could ask Katie and before I finished dialing, Kerry's phone rang..........(cue evil music)


The guy called back to say, "Never mind.  You're definitely going to Illinois."

I felt like someone had burst my balloon.  And not just a little balloon.  A giant, rainbow colored, hot-hair balloon with a basket under it that could hold ten people.  Only five minutes of thinking we might stay, but having it snatched away was enough to make me grumpy for a few hours.

So, the bottom line is that we are still moving to Illinois.  Our date has been pushed back again.  And we still do not have ORDERS.

And I don't have a hot air balloon full of happy.