So much has happened these last several days! I knew it would come to the point where I would not have enough time to write everything that has happened... 5 days till I leave! It's almost impossible to think about, especially since I am still sitting in a chair at my desk and there are still some things hanging on the walls.

Some day when it was raining, I am not entirely sure which day it was, but possibly Sunday, I had several visitors in a few hours who came to remove most of my furtniture. My friend Manda came for the futon bed, some chairs, kitchen cart and some other random things around the apartment, and Amy came for whatever was left and adopted my yarn collection (under the stipulation she also work on my blanket - it may get finished yet!).

While Manda and I, much to the amusement of my neighbor's, managed to push the entired futon mattress into her car, a heavy storm was rolling in. We were contemplating how to move the frame for the futon in a two door coup when Amy arrived with her truck. We conned Amy into helping Manda move all her other shit to her apartment and they had just finished loading when the rain started to POUR! The returned from Manda's, very soaked, a short time later, and proceeded to load up all the stuff that Amy was taking and then both left. I think Amy was a tad displeased that she had to help Manda, but oh well. She should have said no. Sometimes one can be too nice and then it is no one's fault but your own. Amy is too nice sometimes and often holds her tongue when she shouldn't. Love her to death for it.

My drive to Chicago started at 5:30 AM yesterday. We arrived right at 9 AM, went to the consulate, went to lunch, went to obtain a perforation in Caryn's nipple, and then returned home in some horrible weather. The consulate people even know me by name now. I walked in to the office and they knew exactly who I was and what I was doing there. No big lies this time. They stamped all my documents, so I brought up the phone bill issue again, only to find out that they would not stamp the phone bill because it was not a legal document. So after a lot of going back and forth, we made a photocopy of my driver's license and they stamped that. I hope it all works out when I get to Brasil.

So with all that done, I was left with the task of packing all this clothing I am taking with me and sorting out that which I was not taking, etc. This is quite a task since I seem to have more clothing than anyone I know. It also seems difficult to get rid of, since I would rather give it to those I know and love than just randomly have it end up somewhere because I left it at the Goodwill, but I wear such a small size that no one is SMALLER than me, so this stuff I can't wear anymore has no home. Luckily on Sunday at meeting I learned there is a woman at the shelter who wears a 00, so I am sure most of my clothes can go to her. At least I know they will do some good. Karma, right?

I don't know how I will fit the most important parts of my life into two suitcases. The thought is rather daunting and scary. I did all my laundry, so I know what needs to go where at this point, so whatever I can't fit in now will be mailed later, or perhaps I will just shell out that extra $100 for an extra bag on the plane. Can't bet too much more than mailing, right? Maybe even cheaper, especially if I fill the extra one with books I will be needing.

The cats are very freaked out because of all the missing furniture, things on the floor, suitcases, etc. I think Ona thinks I am going to leave them again like I did last summer, so she often comes over and sits at my feet, looking at me and communicating her kitty thoughts. They haven't really figured out what is to come, even though I told them many times, and I doubt they will figure it out, even after we get there. Such is the life of a cat. Little did they know they would get a mom with a wanderlust and they would get stuck becoming international cats.

tomorrow people are coming in the morning for the cat tower and a few other random items, and then Lis and I are headed off to my grandmothers for the afternoon to visit and drop off all the things that will be stored there (winter clothes and some random furniture items I borrowed from her that she wants back). I hate to go there because it will be the last time I see her for a while and she will get all teary eyed (I hate this part of leaving). She also keeps making me feel guilty for not spending more time with her before I leave. I would if I could, but I just can't. I have too much to do in the next 5 days. Only one of them is reserved for me cleaning this place up for Lara, so...

I really wish Meuamor was around so I could talk to him. He thinks the cats are coming early. I hinted enough that something was up, so when he mentioned this, I let him run with it. Little does he know I am arriving with them. He will get screen put up just in time for them to be there, like literally the DAY I get there, maybe finishing an hour after I get there with them. Since I have keys, this makes things easy, but I worry about leaving them so soon upon arrival. They will really need time to acclimate to their surroundings, but will not really get it with me for very long right off the back. I am trying to get Meuamor to work out a sub for the later classes so when I surprise him at the school he won't have to go teach (this doubtfully will be possible). I am playing it up like he has to be home for the cats to arrive. I hope it works...

Now, back to packing. Maybe. More like sleeping. I have a killer headache.

What a fun 18 hours, drive to Chi-town and back, lie to a government agency, spend $200 in 15 hours....

First off, I am very tired and cranky, and the door blew open here while I was gone and there is no longer heat, so it's freakin' cold in here and I am in an unpleasant mood, in addition to my new worries, so please forgive the pissyness of my update here.

FedEx did locate my package. They called me on Wednesday night to tell me after 2 weeks, it had been found in the supply section of the drop box. Why this is remains a mystery. In anycase the documents were not good anymore, but at least I didn't have to get another $40 money order.

I had already scheduled the second vet visit for yesterday morning to get new certificates, and then another appointment at the USDA, now I had new documents for the consulate. All I had to do was drive them there (not going to trust FedEx again in this matter). Later this same day, Meuamor calls me and tells me that I must get a phone bill stamped by the consulate to prove my residence in the US. I am rather confused by this requirement, but he cannot explain it either, so I take a phone bill with me as I leave the apartment.

My lovely Rosinha (as Meuamor calls her) and I left for Chicago after her final last night, which got out at 10 pm. Of course, between getting money, gas, etc, we did not leave here until almost 12 am, which means we did not get into Chicago until around 4 am my time. I was very tired and had to have her take over driving because I wasn't going to make it. We slept at her brother's apartment for about 2 hours, then got up and showered, and went down the street to have breakfast at the cafe. It was terribly cold this morning, so in my Havaianas and highwaters, I had some numb toes and a little trouble walking, along with cold ankles and tremendously impressive goose bumps.

We took a cab down town to the building where the consulate is. It was only 8:30am, but being it was so cold, we went upstairs and sat in the hallway outside of the office to wait for them to open, which they did not so promptly around 9 am. I dropped off the documents, gave them my money, and they told me to come back in a hour to pick them up. So we wandered out and went looking for warmer clothes along the strip. Nothing was really open at that hour, except the Gap who did not have pants that fit me very well... This is beside the point anyway...

At 10:30 we walked back to the consulate and they handed me my papers, which the lovely stamp on them. So now I feel I am in the clear, no? So now I had them all my documents that I have been told I was going to need for us to be married - my birth certificate, my two statements of single status from the two counties I have lived in, and my police record. I mumble something about having withdrawn the money for them, so NOW I was dropping them off.

The woman is rather puzzled at this. She takes the documents and looks at them, then asks me if I am applying for a different visa, to which I reply "no." She then asks me what kind of visa I have, so I tell her, and then show it to her to make sure it is valid for 5 years, which she says it is. She then asks me what I need these stamped for. I stumble through some weak explanation starting with "I don't know" and ending with "They told me to get them stamped" without a whole lot of detail inbetween. I am still stuttering through this lie when she tells me "Don't tell me anything." She take the documents and walked to the back of the office.

Now, I had not really thought about why I would say I needed these documents stamped before this point. I have been functioning under the idea that I was not to tell anyone official that I was getting married in Brasil because they might either not let me go, not authenticate the cat documents to keep me from going, or make me apply for the family reunion visa which would force me to stay in the US for another 6 months or so (why is it that the visa that is supposed to specifically allow you to be with the one you love keep you from that person longer than any other type of visa?). I have been deeply frightened by the prospect of having them deny me entry because, it seems, that there is so much red tape involved I get the impression that the Brasilian government does not WANT an American to marry a Brasilian, so they put red tape and hassles in the way in hopes that you will give up and stick to your own kind. This is not what I do however, so I bite my thumb at them and stumble through some lame lie when they ask me a simple question.

Back to the story - The woman and the man who actually signs the document stamps are talking now, in Portuguese, but I am not really listening. Now the man comes up to the counter and asks me why I need these documents, to which I give the same lame reply, this time adding "The institution where I do my research said it would be a good idea that I have you guys stamp them. I'm not going to be working there or anything" (this is not entirely a lie, since several employees of that institution have told me this). The man looks puzzled. So does the woman. He asks me what kind of visa I have, so I show him and explain that it is a 5 year tourist visa, and I will be going back to the US in August, but then back to Brasil in October, then back and returning again in December (I don't really know which months, as I was making this up as I went along).... This is really looking like some failed misrepresentation at this point...

At this point I become incredibly stupid and ask the woman if she can also put my cell phone bill in the stamp line to prove my proof of residence in the US. She looks totally mystified at this request, so I drop it. The man looks at my passport again, and then says "Okay, that's $80, it'll be ready for pick up on Tuesday." So I gave them more money and left.

Now I am worried that some how I have gotten the school where I will research in trouble for involving them in this lie, that they will figure out what I am up to and make me apply for a different visa, that they will not stamp the documents and I will have wasted all this time and money.... I don't know, I am tired, and worried, and I have to go have dinner with my sister now.