So much to do… so little time… or maybe it’s opposite?

So, I’m leaving for Scotland in about 100 days. Well, I’m leaving Ohio for Connecticut to see my BFF for a few days before I fly to Edinburgh out of New York. Anyway, some days I think “It’s OK… I still have 3 months.” but other days I think “Oy vey I have only 3 months!” Why? I’ll tell you.

Do you guys remember when I posted a while back that I had to stop spending money & and I nicknamed all the months with money saving names? Yeah… I haven’t lived up to that. I really gotta stop eating out & cook more! Thankfully, I have a tax refund coming so I’m going to FOR SURE put that money away. And I’ll have money coming in from the POUND classes I’ll be teaching from now until mid May. Still, I’m worried sooooo… I’m accepting donations haha JK… Unless you’re feeling generous.

Moving on! When I travel, I like to have things paid for well in advance so (1) when I’m actually ON the trip, I only have to worry about food & small incidental things and (2) there is less to worry about, I’ll have less stress knowing that everything is taken care of. So I’m doing pretty well in that aspect of the preparation when it comes to the “vacationy” portions of my trip. Everything that can be booked at the moment has been booked and mostly paid. But since I’ll be basically living in Edinburgh, I’ll have pay rent month to month so I still need money coming in (since I clearing haven’t saved enough for that per the previous paragraph). Thay means I have to work… Keeping my job with my mom’s insurance agency but working remotely. My mom has been getting nervous about my leaving the office & how much I will be able to work so I finally had to make myself set a schedule.

Now… on to packing! Obviously, I’m not going to pack clothes now, but I’m just not sure how much to bring & in which suitcase(s). I have 4 suitcases, shown in the photo below, numbered in size order, biggest to smallest.#1 is technically carry-on size but expands to checked baggage size. The middle zipper opens up allowing the bag to expand like 6 inches. #2 is 22 inches. #3 I actually have in purple and is 21.5 inches. #4 is about 21 inches but because it’s a backpack (on wheels) the top is more narrow than the bottom. What do y’all think… 1 bag or 2? The big bag & the small carry-on size bag? Bags 1 & 4? Or 1 & 3?  Are those enough for almost 6 months? I’ll need various pairs of shoes, including my wellies. I know I can’t take ALL of my clothes, but I am a chronic over-packer. I have gotten better over time but still… I hate being limited. What if one day I want to wear something that I left behind in Ohio. *sigh*

Basically, I’m overwhelmed for probably no good reason!

So… I think I need to move. Yeah… I’m gonna do it!

Since before my first trip to Scotland, I had been saying I’d move there one day. It was just talk until I actually went in May 2014. I fell in love with it for real. Still, my goal to move there was still just a dream because as we all know a goal without a plan is just a dream.

Well, recently have I actually begun making real plans to go back to Scotland and stay for as long as they’ll let me. According to what I’ve ready on the UK government website, it is 6 months without a Visa… with just a regular stamp of the passport. I think I would like to stay longer but I think i should see how the 1st 6 months goes.

There are so many things that I love about Edinburgh, but after my 2 episodes of heat exhaustion last month, I would have to say that what I’m most looking forward to is the cooler weather. I’ve lived in Ohio 21 years, and while I’ve never been a huge fan of extreme heat, it isn’t until now, on the brink of turning 35, that my body has decided that it’s done with forecasts that say “a high of 92F/33C but if feels like 100F/37C”. And the extreme heat advisory… Oy Vey!

This will not only be a new experience because I’ll be living in another country but, as I was looking for flats in Edinburgh, it occurred to me that I haven’t lived alone…ever. Maybe a month maybe between roommates & that month I spent working in the Philippines, but never for more than a month. So, this should be interesting. Even though I am planning to save money enough to pay for a flat myself, I am not opposed to sharing the expense with a flatmate. But I think it would like to experience living alone for more than a month.

Each time that I’ve visited Scotland, I’ve visited the only Spanish congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the entire country. Well, the 1st 2 times I went, it was still a group but now it is a full fledged congregation! So I’ll be going to that congregation for my 6 month stint. I’m so excited to go back there!

Anyway, the plan is to go next summer… June or July. I’m waiting for the 2019 International Conventions of Jehovah’s Witnesses to be announced. Then I will apply only to conventions in Europe. Then, IF I get accepted, I’ll already across the Atlantic. I’ll just hop on over to Edinburgh. Ta-da!!

Do you know what SSBs are? Do you have any?

So the other day, I was listening to the radio in the car, and, having just turn the car on, I happened upon a conversation in progress on what turned out to be Ryan Secrest’s show. They were discussing John Cena’s break -up from his fiancee and the fact that the 2 of them had an actual contract that they both signed that included things that one person didn’t want the other to do and vice versa. Anyway, so the question was posed by Ryan to his radio show staff “What would you put in such a contract if you were to make one?” A few people mentioned some things but then one girl said that she couldn’t have one of those because it would be too lengthy because she has too many SSBs. No one, including myself, knew what that was. She said it stands for “Sexy Single Behavior”. Her examples of her SSBs were “Putting lotion on my hands and then gloves on before going to bed” and “Spending my Friday nights at home cleaning my make-up brushes”. Everyone told her that those things are far from sexy… and I believe that is the point. It’s ironic… or sarcastic… or whatever! So I’ve decided I’m going to now refer to all my idiosyncrasies as my SSBs. CHANGE APPROVED!!!! (Am I the only one that appreciates that “Cougartown” reference? Probs.) Ok… so now… what are my SSBs.

• Organizing my DVDs in alphabetical order (and having my box sets in a separate section).
• Spending Friday night watching a movie I’ve seen a million times (like “The Holiday”) with my roommate as we drink boxed wine and eat nachos & queso.
• Organizing my life a week at a time but months in advance (if that makes any sense) in a planner featuring “Sarah’s Scibbles” called “Get It Together!”.
• Spending 30 min agonizing over if should wash my hair or not because despite my trying to plan my hair washing schedule with my insanely busy life, I have once again failed to line things up properly.
• Staying up watching “ER” on Hulu way later tha I should because I don’t remember what happens next because this episode aired over 10 years ago and I NEED to know what happens next… even though it’s 12:45am and I need to be awake at 6am.
• Spending my Sundays meal preping and/or doing laundry.
• Borrowing booms from friends about diets I think I’ll do but then looking at said books on the coffee table for 100 years.
• Using a public holiday, & therefore a day off work, so I can clean my house or organize my closet.
• Wrapping my hair up in a silk scarf/bandana thing for bed to protect my curls. Sure I look like Aunt Jemima but my hair is very important.
• Sleeping with a pillow under my legs to make sure mt body is aligned properly when lying on my back or a pillow between my knees when sleeping on my side so I don’t wake up with a sore back.
• My need to sleep in the exact middle of the bed.

So… what are your SSBs?