17.5 Weeks Along - Back From Vermont

Well we're back and I'm more exhausted now than I was before. I think the combination of packing and sorting the house for the move, and then getting ready for the trip to Burlington VT has really taken a toll. I'm a physical and emotional train wreck just waiting to happen. Bahhh!

Anyhow, about VT...well what can I say? I don't much care for Burlington. Although the drive was gorgeous and I bet it's going to be breathtaking in the autumn, driving up the 89 through the White Mountains, it was a bit much for me at this point. I'm starting to become terribly uncomfortable to say the least. Anyhow the point of the trip, as I've said before, was for the company here in Maine that Gareth has been interviewing with, to have one final go-round with the "heads" at the corporate HQ in VT. They put us up in a really really nice Sheraton. We got in around 5pm on Sunday and took some time to go find the main office where Gareth would have to be early Monday morning. It was pretty close. We were right across from the University of Vermont and literally down the street from Lake Champlain.

It's a typical college town, but a tad too much on the "hippy"/liberal side for me. While it is on the lake, it's also much too far from the ocean for me to be happy. I was quite happy on the return trip to cross the Piscetaqua and be back in Maine. I could smell the sea air and was much more comfortable.

Anyhow, Gareth's interview(s) lasted most of the day on Monday and I spent the day swimming in the hotel pool and pretty much just lounging around and trying to stretch out from the drive.

Oh before I forget, part of what made the drive somewhat awkward was the rental car we got stuck with. Oi!

Bright copper penny orange.....if the colour wasn't bad enough, the model of the car was! It was a brand new, 2006 Chevy HHR. They kind of resemble a modern-day Woody which is what I think the goal was, but to say we garnered a lot of attention on the way there and back, that would have been an understatement! Heads whipped around if we were at a stop light, people stopped, stared and gaped. The HHR has been out less than a month and we got stuck with one. Chevy originally wasn't going to release the model until 2007....why didn't they wait? I'll post pics in a few minutes.

Anyhow, on Monday the 15th Gareth met with two VP's, the President, the founder of the company, two directors and the HR director! And it all went wonderfully! Gareth said he was soooooo impressed with the poople, the company, the vision and the mission. Then yesterday we got word that they want to go ahead with getting and checking references so things are moving forward!!!!!!!!! Gareth has been brilliant throughout this entire thing and I knew he would be. He worked really hard to be as prepared as possible for his meetings with the heads and I think he knows more about the company than even some who have worked there for a while.

And as far as the senior partner at Gareth's firm back in the UK trying to sabotage Gareth's confidence beforehand, can I just say this one small thing! BFD! He didn't accomplish anything and this company (here in Maine and his own firm in the UK) has known for a long time that they've wanted to bring Gareth in. And Gareth managed to get a very good written reference from the senior partner in the UK before he left, and the company here in Maine now has a copy of it.

We're both still exhausted and there is a bit of nervousness because it's not completely done but close enough.

All that's left is one final trip back to the UK to hand in 30 days notice to Gareth's firm, (and you'll be able to hear Gareth celebrate all the way back this side of the pond) and for me to manage to get through the move on the 1st. Gareth still has to sell the car and take care of some minor things, but we've been preparing to finish the entire move from the UK for a while, so he's just got a few last items to put into storage and he's done. While I on the other hand, am still having a heart attack about the move out of our place here in Cape to the new place out at the beach. Less than two weeks now. And while Gareth has been helping me get it packed up, he's going back soon and won't be here on the first when it really gets tough. My kitchen set won't be delivered until the 3rd and I've no clue when the custom red-oak stuff we've ordered for the living room and one piece for the kitchen, will be delivered. We're looking at the first, possibly 2nd week in September. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Anyhow we got the miscrowave taken care of yesterday. We had to go to about 10 different places to find it and in the end, went back to Best Buy and paid $70 more for it then we'd seen it listed at other places. But it's now sitting in the garage with the rest of the stuff, waiting for the movers. The only challenge that I'm still facing is whether to try and put felt on the bottoms of all the furniture now, or after I've moved. Because the floors are brand new bamboo and gorgeous, we have to put felt on the legs/bottoms of everything. And somehow I've got to get the people who deliver the hutch/china cabinet/buffet and dining room table to let me put the felt on all the legs before they bring it in, cause there aint no way in hell I'm doing it after they leave.

So there you have the long and short....errr I mean the long and long of it.