I watch too many romantic movies!

I visited London when I was 9, I think that's the last time (only time that I remember, sadly)....unless landing in Heathrow for an hour on the way to Sri Lanka counts (which I don't think it does).  My mom/aunt are talking about a spring trip over there (as my great-aunt's health is a bit uncertain), so I may join in on that.  (Who am I kidding, provided the timing/vacation days work out, I'm totally joining in on that!)

I have no idea where I'd like to move, except I don't want to live in London itself...I'm a country mouse, not a city mouse.  Of course, I'm also a computer programmer, so the chances of my finding a job in a quaint small town that I love (and that happens to have an awesome stable - yard? - for horses/riding) is probably slim to none.  I also have NO clue what I'll do with my horse, since I think it'd cost more than he's worth to move him over, and yet he's such a lovable dork that I can't picture leaving him behind, either.

Carey - I can't speak for all horsepeople, and I've quit associating with some of them because of their practices (not abuse, per se, but certainly not fun!), but my horse is spoiled rotten.    He eats better than I do, works not that hard/often (though he does complain bitterly about my teaching him a new discipline), and I shell out more money than I care to think about each month to keep it that way.

Oh, and I'm also vegetarian, a Cameron Diaz non-fan (I don't hate her, but I'm generally not a fan of her roles...and for the longest time I thought she played DJ on Full House...random, I know!).  Love Actually is one of my favorite movies...The Holiday not so much, since while I have gotten over my hatred of Kate Winslet (damn you, Titanic!) and think she's pretty awesome, Cameron Diaz is there, and I'm not a huge fan of Jack Black, either.  (Jude Law does make nice eye candy, though.)  I'm an animal lover (as evidenced by my dog, horse, and cats), too.

Actually, on that subject...does anyone have info on how the pet exporting happens?  I know you can do the quarantine here by getting your vet to verify health and provide vaccines and such, but does the timing have to be exactly 6 months?  My tentative plan is to have citizenship by summer, passport by fall, and then start the job hunt....(ideally move early 2010).  However, the animals will all need the 6 month quarantine, which should start sometime late summer, I gues, if we all move together.  If finding a job takes 6-12 months, though, then that doesn't really work out.  I already know I will move (initially) without my horse, but if I leave all my furry friends behind, I will go nuts.

Anyway, that was random...[So yeah, I think I could fit into this "club" pretty easily!]

P.S. - my name is Shanthi...the 2nd H is silent, which makes it a good litmus test for telemarketers

Welcome Shanthi! You are fitting in quite nicely already. I love horses and used to have a friend with one. I visited her every summer when we were young and got to ride a lot. I miss that actually!

Can't help with the pet scheme, but there's a guidance thread on the Pet forum about it. Should help with most questions.

Thanks for the tip...I know the general guidelines, but wasn't sure how the timing of everything works out.  I have plenty of time to check it out, though.

I go nuts without riding/seeing my boy...speaking of, time to head to the barn to see him for the first time in a couple of weeks...yay!  (Visiting my best friend in Arizona was a blast, though.)

Hi Shanthi!! Definately takes a 6 month quarentine! It really sucks.  I had 2 kitties in the states and it just seemed really mean to me...to leave them somewhere for what would have ended up being 8 months, then to uproot them AGAIN and put them on a 10 hour flight just to have them back.  It broke my heart but I left them with my lovely vegan roomate so I think they are just fine:) Still though one of the hardest parts of leaving for me....

I am planning on taking my dog with me to England and I was very concerned about the timeline, but I posted a question on the Pets forum here and was told that you can do the microchip, rabies vaccine and blood test anytime you wish and then, as you said, they will need a 6 month home "quarantine" after a negative blood test, BUT the good news is that as long as you keep up with the annual rabies shots after this, you can drag it out quite a while.  You just need to have a USDA accredited vet ok everything 48 hours before you fly.  You can check out the thread here: http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=50652.0

Hi Shanthi welcome...everyone is welcome here and like the girls said you sound like you will fit in here nicely...although I will have to say that although most of the ladies in here seem to be vegetarian...they also except non vegetarians lol they let me in....

My girlfriend just moved outside of Manchester in Sept of 2008 and she did all the shots and microchip and everything for the 6 months before her trip so they got to travel on the plane over with her...I think that is way better for the pet instead of flying them over and then quarrantining them for 6 months before you see them again..that seems a little traumatic...

I do have something silly to share with you ladies..my little neices were over here a bit ago they are 4 and 5 and they asked if we could send Jason an email..well Lauren actually asked if we could send my boyfriend an email lol...so I type what they want to say to him since they are just learning to spell...Julianna had me type this "Jason, I can't wait till you come over and visit and I bet Aunt Josy is so excited you are going to sleepover"...I cracked up and asked her why she said that...and she says because he always sleepsover when he comes to visit..the things they come up with

So Carey are you excited...one week and you will be with David?

Patty how is it going lady? do anymore packing?

Beth how are you lady? are you working too hard as usual? what is new?

Jamie how are you and Alan?

Becca how did everything go? those guys didn't come back to the garden did they?

how are the rest of you ladies on here?

Hi Shanthi!! Definately takes a 6 month quarentine! It really sucks.  I had 2 kitties in the states and it just seemed really mean to me...to leave them somewhere for what would have ended up being 8 months, then to uproot them AGAIN and put them on a 10 hour flight just to have them back.  It broke my heart but I left them with my lovely vegan roomate so I think they are just fine:) Still though one of the hardest parts of leaving for me....

Well, according to what I've read about the PETS program, you can do the "quarantine" yourself, just by getting an approved vet to fill out paperwork saying your pet is rabies-free and vaccinated, and then still rabies-free and vaccinated 6 months later.  I think you still have to pay exhorbitant fees, but at least the only separation/stress part of the deal is when they fly over (which would be a separation anyway).  So that's my plan, though I may find a new home for one of my kitties because change really freaks her out.

I am planning on taking my dog with me to England and I was very concerned about the timeline, but I posted a question on the Pets forum here and was told that you can do the microchip, rabies vaccine and blood test anytime you wish and then, as you said, they will need a 6 month home "quarantine" after a negative blood test, BUT the good news is that as long as you keep up with the annual rabies shots after this, you can drag it out quite a while.  You just need to have a USDA accredited vet ok everything 48 hours before you fly.  You can check out the thread here: http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=50652.0

Sweet, that is very good to know.  I shudder to think how much it'll cost to ship my dog over (he's 60+ lbs), but compared to my horse, it'll be peanuts!

Hi Shanthi welcome...everyone is welcome here and like the girls said you sound like you will fit in here nicely...although I will have to say that although most of the ladies in here seem to be vegetarian...they also except non vegetarians lol they let me in....

My girlfriend just moved outside of Manchester in Sept of 2008 and she did all the shots and microchip and everything for the 6 months before her trip so they got to travel on the plane over with her...I think that is way better for the pet instead of flying them over and then quarrantining them for 6 months before you see them again..that seems a little traumatic...

Thanks for the welcome!  I wouldn't even consider moving my pets if I couldn't quarantine them at home...my dog, especially, would have no clue where I went if he didn't see me for 6 months.  (Though he makes friends so easily, he might not miss me!)

Um... Due to the current weather in London, what do you think the chance of David's flight on Thursday being disrupted!?!?  It sounds like they have no clue how to deal with this snow. Flights are cancelled at least until 5pm today, but what about the backlog?  Noooooo!

I'm sure he will be fine! It's 2 days away they should have everything sorted by then hun try not to worry:)

Hi all. Sorry I haven't been around. Welcome Shanthi! Glad you enjoyed reading the thread. I came in around 50 pages late and it took me about 3 days to catch up on everything. But it's my favorite thread so well worth it. Where in AZ were you visiting your friend? That's where I live (for the next month or so until I move to England).

So I've been kind of freaking out about moving to England lately. I tend to over think things. A lot. And I'm starting to realise how hard it's going to be not to see my sisters and nephews all the time and I HATE being cold (this morning DH was showing me the snow outside over there on webcam and he was inside and still had to have a hoodie on, which just reminded me of how effing cold it is there all the time). I'm not looking forward so much to living with the in laws for months as DH doesn't get along with them so much when they live together and (as mentioned above) their house is always freezing... and then there's the lack of privacy. I know it's not ideal but is the smartest option. The world financial and employment crisis is taking their toll on everyone including them and I am not looking forward to leaving a stable job to go in to that tense situation and feel like a burden. I'm also freaking out about finding a job soon, that I like, and pays decent, and isn't too far away. But then when we do move in to our own place it will probably be far away anyway. See what I mean? I think WAY too much. And I feel like there's still so much I need to get before I go and I'm worried about not having the savings we need. ARGGG.

Well, on a good note, I got my name changed on my drivers license on Saturday and also sent off my passport renewal. So when that comes back I can apply for my visa provided everything is in order. I was really surprised as it usually takes hours at the MVD and post office and I did the MVD, bank, and post office within an hour and 45 minutes! And it has been absolutely gorgeous weather here lately so that was an added bonus.

Well that's all for now. I'm waiting for the caffeine to kick in and put me in an artificial good mood. The phone guy at our company is already p***ing me off and it's not even 9:00 am. Happy Monday!!!!

Carey, I'll keep my fingers crossed for David. I know that this crazy weather is just a front blown in from Russia or something like that, so hopefully it blows out just as fast as it came in and they can figure it out by then. It's still a few days away, so "chin up". haha jk jk. I feel your stress girl, but try to be optimistic! xx

Chi chi, you sound like me with the overthinking.  I do the same thing and cannot stop no matter how hard I try. My dad tells me I am a "catastrophist" - always focusing on the worst things that can happen (hence my concern re: David's flight).  I agree that living with the in-laws wont be ideal, but if its only for a few month, you can totally manage that.  I bet Jamie will tell you that her first month in England flew by and she barely remembers it!  Any idea how many months you would be living there??  It generally is not that cold in England, so I wouldnt let that worry you.  This is a very strange winter as far as I have heard.  I barely wore my coat when I was there over Christmas!  Although, coming from AZ, it will be a change for you... BUT look at it this way - you get to buy and wear scarves and hats!!!  That always makes me happy
Very important: Hows the news drivers license picture??

I love and hate British news - they always like to be SO negative about anything they are reporting and treat it like the end of the world. They are saying that this storm will last until the end of the week and ranting and raving about how bus service was cancelled today, airport closures, traffic jams, etc etc.  It does not make me optimistic. Maybe I will write United Airlines an email and beg them to get my David to me.. think that'll work?

Yes, coming from AZ is the main problem. After living in 120 degree summer weather for most of your life, your blood thins out and you freeze at any temperatures below 75. I have been there 4 times in the winter and only seen it snow there once, but I am always absolutely freezing. Especially in the in-laws' house as they don't keep the heater on very much and I think some of the radiators upstairs don't function properly. It's miserable. I will so miss being tan and wearing tank tops!!  :\\\'(

That's funny that you ask about the drivers license picture - I was so fussed about that! I made sure to do my hair and look good. Except you only have one shot so the pose better be good. Well the lighing and smile didn't make for as good a picture as my previous license but it will do. 

On a happy little side note, there a resident road runner that lives outside my work and he is roaming back and forth in front of the glass doors today and he is so cute! I just want to go play with him, which I'm sure would frighten him off straight away.

A real live road runner!?!  What does one look like!?  I thought they were only in cartoons...

Nope they're real. And they're SO cool!! He's bigger than the usual bird (but not as big as the cartoon makes you think)and he permanantly lives here. I see him all the time. I'm not sure if he has a mate or if it's just him. Or maybe it's a her?? He hops around and fans his tail out all the time and he just makes me happy. If I see him again and I can get my phone out fast enough I'll try to take a picture.