Crazy!  I figured the 4runner would as we have had way more interest in it.  Sayonara, Sienna-san.

This will be our NYC camera.  Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ1000.  Click on the camera for a review.  Very nice on the test shots so far.  See below for one of Pearson.

Pearson had his last haircut at Bandbox today, here in Calgary.  He’s been going here since he was a pup (9 years!) and we were all sad to say good bye. 🙁

We got the low-down on his usual cut, so they can duplicate it for us state-side.

-Brett

Here’s a slice of what it’s like:

Sara’s Kijiji link

Brett’s Kijiji link

Friends, parents, spouses, siblings, kids and even dogs will eventually let you down,  but a Toyota will not.

Mine hasn’t.  And it’s for sale very soon.   We brought Nora and Eli home from the hospital in it.  I’ve had it since 2007 and we’ve put 90,000 km on her.  I put about 200,000 on my old ’89 runner.  They are tanks and my odometers are a mere fraction of what they are capable of.

I just had it cleaned and detailed and it looks almost like the day I bought it.  I didn’t think it would be tough to say goodbye to her as I’ve been toying with it for a couple of years, but taking those photos today was pretty tough.

I bought it with my dad after a couple of pints at Wild Rose Brewery. It was a terrible idea, but I had enough liquid courage to low-ball the used car saleswoman who was wearing an overly tight charcoal powersuit.  The rest is history.

My original photos, the day we bought her.

And today:

Safe Travels, 4Runner-san.  4.7 litres of awesome.

We were almost done our lease application and were informed that they would need a copy of our Visas.  Visas that will not be active/approved until we enter the United States.  We will need the apartment when we enter the US, but they won’t approve the apartment until we leave Canada.  It’s now a chicken and egg scenario that our broker assures us shouldn’t derail the lease process, but I’m still worried.

So, after providing proof of US/NY employment, income, ID, networth statement(s), bank statement(s) and bank account information, we could still be denied on our lease.

If this thing goes south, Sara and I will have to sit down for a real discussion about this relocation and pursuing it any further.

I can’t do another apartment/school hunting trip without going crazy and I’m not sure our company will want to send me again.

-Brett

We’ve sold a lot of stuff in the past couple of weeks and it’s been a mixed bag for me.  Sad to see some of it go that holds good memories, but kind of fun when you discard the things you don’t really need… or won’t need in an 1100 square foot apartment.

T-Minus 23 days or so.

We just got the final version of the lease back from the Liberty Luxe and our relocation company is going through it.  Luxe forgot about Pearsey on the first one!

We’ve all but decided to go with Bright Horizons for Eli… Sara and I need to go through their application form together and I’ve got the instructions for wiring them a deposit.  Eli is going to be right by the boats!

PS 89 also offers after school programs through Manhattan Youth.  We might not have to worry about a Nanny if this works out for us.

The pieces are falling into place, though I’m not sure how Pearson the lion feels about his new crate.

In other news, I got stuck in the subway just south of Times Square for an hour yesterday because some dude fell on the tracks.  Yikes. Today, I saw a police armored tow truck destroy two cars after swerving on a tight street right by PS 87 (where we almost enrolled Nora).  Crazy.

There is only one New York.

-Brett

1) Application in for apartment at 200 North End Ave in BPC (Manhattan).  Our broker calls it Tribeca West… lol.

2) Nora has a seat held at PS 89 in BPC, we need to get back here in late August to complete the registration for her in person.

3) I’m going out to visit preschool/childcare locations in BPC this afternoon, after I grab a sandwich from the market across the street. I’m really digging the NYLO hotel in the UWS.  Current front-runner is Bright Horizons for Eli.  They might offer B&A school care for Nora as well and they are located tight to our new apartment.  Hopefully it works out.  I’ve contacted 2 other preschools with openings as well, though their hours of operation aren’t full day.

Current list of all Preschools in BPC area.  I’m going to be on the phone a lot over the next few days.

View from the park behind our apartment complex.  It’s a little different than Calgary.  #nomountains

They sure use a lot of acronyms.

-Brett

I’m heading back tomorrow.  Order(s) of business:

1) Wednesday: Find an apartment and sign a lease in the UWS, specifically somewhere in here: *452 or 87 Catchments*

2) Thursday: Make sure Nora is enrolled at either PS 452 or PS 87 William Sherman for kindergarten in September

3) Friday: Find Eli a kickass preschool and enroll him

more to follow.