Well it's official - Joey's first day of work is September 13th. He got his invitation to join the September training class tonight around 8 (after literally checking his email every 3 minutes). After jumping up and down, he promptly replied with his acceptance. We should receive a packet containing more detailed information regarding the move in the mail soon. Now that we know he is in the September class, we also know we will find out in October to what country we will be moving and when we will be making that really big move.
It still really hasn't sunk in yet for me. We made all the phone calls - Mom and Dad, Mal, Lizz, Grammy and Papa and of course the Cordaros but after all this time of everything being hypothetical and nothing concrete it still feels that way. It's crazy to actually have a date - now we can finally make living arrangments and get everything regarding the move nailed down!
7.12.2010
7.07.2010
Well you know you’ve reached celebrity when you start pissing people off. Apparently my blog is that good, as Joey and I have begun receiving complaints regarding its title. As indicated in the “About Me” section located to the right of my postings, I may not have taken his last name but I am going to follow him to whatever corner of the earth the State Dept decides to send him. I have always considered myself a strong, independent woman. I felt when I got married that I would be losing a big part of myself by changing my last name, and so with the support of Joey, I decided to stay Melissa Soda. The fact that my last name is not Cordaro has nothing to do with any preferences for or against that name, and feelings for or against that family, or any other negative connotations. I proudly say that my last name is not Cordaro because its Soda. My dad didn’t have any boys, and even though he has encouraged, even pressured me to take my husband’s last name, I like that I’m carrying on Soda. As Bill can attest from our debate this weekend (after he mistakenly asked what our childrens’ last names will be), my last name is not Cordaro because I am a Soda girl through and through. After 23 years of Soda I’m just supposed to write it off because I got married? Transferred from one man to another? Take his last name because I’m his property now? Why couldn’t he take my last name? If it’s about family unity then why does it matter what the last name is as long as it’s the same? Joey didn’t change his name for the same reason I didn’t change mine – he’s proud of it. Just like I’m proud of mine. And so when people assume that just because I got married I changed my last name, it frustrates me. Probably in the same way Joey is frustrated when I make room reservations and he is then addressed throughout our stay as “Mr. Soda.” So I believe my blog, which I write to address the daily trials, tribulations and triumphs of moving and marriage and life, be it in Des Moines or DC or Djibouti, is appropriately titled, as from the very beginning you can tell its written from my perspective. And if my perspective is something you find offensive, you don’t have to read it. Joey’s blog is http://travelingpack.blogspot.com and his is far less opinionated (and entertaining, but that’s just my opinion…)
7.01.2010
Orlando
As mentioned earlier, we left Sunday for a few days in Orlando to celebrate the completion of move #1 as well as the completion of Joey's Master's degree (congrats baby!). Joey's friend, Craig (Tex), met us there. Here's a few more pictures from the trip:
Tuesday, at Epcot, for our unofficial Disney World Beer Tour. The three of us split a beer in each of the ten countries: Moosehead (Canada), Boddington's (UK), Kronenbourg (France), Spaten (Germany), Tsing Tsao (China), Carlsberg (Norway, which come to find out is actually Danish beer), Dos Equis (Mexico), Birra Moretti (Italy), Kirin (Japan), and finally, Casa (Morocco).
A vacation with Joey would not be complete without a tale of his plain dumb luck (SF Joey, as his mom likes to say). We booked this trip a while ago through Hilton Grand Vacations. We got a great deal on the hotel in exchange for a two hour presentation on their timeshares. (Note to Hilton: next time you want someone to buy into your property, don't put them in a room with mold on the ceiling, a crappy old A/C unit and rusty tiles in the bathroom). Anyway, Tuesday morning we were scheduled at 9 for our tour. We got there, waited, waited and waited - finally, at 9:30 someone came over and said they were running behind and would it be alright if we didn't go on our tour? So she gave us our $200 certificate good toward a future night at Hilton and then sent us on our merry way - no high pressure sales pitch or anything! Only my husband is lucky enough to get a timeshare promotional rate and then not have to attend the promotion!
This afternoon we're off to Minneapolis for the Red, White and Boom Half Marathon on the Fourth of July and a long weekend with another one of Joey's college friends, Bill.
The three of us Monday night at Margaritaville.
Tuesday, at Epcot, for our unofficial Disney World Beer Tour. The three of us split a beer in each of the ten countries: Moosehead (Canada), Boddington's (UK), Kronenbourg (France), Spaten (Germany), Tsing Tsao (China), Carlsberg (Norway, which come to find out is actually Danish beer), Dos Equis (Mexico), Birra Moretti (Italy), Kirin (Japan), and finally, Casa (Morocco). 
A vacation with Joey would not be complete without a tale of his plain dumb luck (SF Joey, as his mom likes to say). We booked this trip a while ago through Hilton Grand Vacations. We got a great deal on the hotel in exchange for a two hour presentation on their timeshares. (Note to Hilton: next time you want someone to buy into your property, don't put them in a room with mold on the ceiling, a crappy old A/C unit and rusty tiles in the bathroom). Anyway, Tuesday morning we were scheduled at 9 for our tour. We got there, waited, waited and waited - finally, at 9:30 someone came over and said they were running behind and would it be alright if we didn't go on our tour? So she gave us our $200 certificate good toward a future night at Hilton and then sent us on our merry way - no high pressure sales pitch or anything! Only my husband is lucky enough to get a timeshare promotional rate and then not have to attend the promotion!This afternoon we're off to Minneapolis for the Red, White and Boom Half Marathon on the Fourth of July and a long weekend with another one of Joey's college friends, Bill.
Some Lessons Learned
We officially closed on our house Friday - so even though we had 10 days to move, we were up until 3am Friday to finish packing. We still had a few loads to make Friday morning - one to the dumpster, one to goodwill and a final one to the loft - so we woke up at 6:30 to finish. We took the dogs on a quick walk around the block and upon our return, someone (Joey) realized he grabbed the wrong keys. Instead of the apartment keys, he took the car keys. Now this was an improvement from Tuesday morning, when he didn't grab any keys and we were stranded in our hallway with all three dogs to wait for the landlord (whom Joey called from the Hotel Fort Des Moines because we didn't have our phones either). At least now we had a car, albeit full. So Joey emptied the SUVload from 3 am into the basement storage unit (thankfully accessible through padlock) while I struggled to keep the dogs from attacking everyone that walked by on their way to work. We then all loaded into the car and drove first to Joey's office (West Des Moines) to get the number for the landlord, then to his house to pick up the key (Johnston), then to Home Depot (Urbandale) to make a copy, which as luck would have it, Home Depot doesn't do, so then on to Strauss Lock, back to the landlord's house and then finally home. So after 2 1/2 hours in the car with the dogs it was 10am and I had to work at 11, so Joey had to go back to the house alone and scramble to clean everything, patch the walls, touch up the woodwork and make the dumpster run, goodwill run and pack the rest...by closing time at 3. Very long day for both of us. Here's what I'm taking away from this experience:
1. Ten days to move may seem like a great idea but it's not. Everything you need is always at the other place and it just makes a painful process long and drawn out. Move like you would take off a band-aid. Fast.
2. Added to the list of adjustments I hadn't even thought about: keys. We never used them in our house because we'd just drive into the garage and we had the garage keypad for when we weren't driving.
3. We still have a ton of crap. I really thought that we had done such a good job of paring down but after the last ten days, I now disagree. After packing all the hiding places in the house, like under the sink in the powder room, I found a ton of stupid random things that take up space and are used infrequently, but I can't really get rid of, like vases and votives.
4. The chrome shelves Mom and Dad bought Joey a few years ago for Christmas have become invaluable.
5. A post-move vacation is a really, really good idea. All marital strife is quickly forgotten when in the presence of Tigger and Pooh - and Tex.
1. Ten days to move may seem like a great idea but it's not. Everything you need is always at the other place and it just makes a painful process long and drawn out. Move like you would take off a band-aid. Fast.
2. Added to the list of adjustments I hadn't even thought about: keys. We never used them in our house because we'd just drive into the garage and we had the garage keypad for when we weren't driving.
3. We still have a ton of crap. I really thought that we had done such a good job of paring down but after the last ten days, I now disagree. After packing all the hiding places in the house, like under the sink in the powder room, I found a ton of stupid random things that take up space and are used infrequently, but I can't really get rid of, like vases and votives.
4. The chrome shelves Mom and Dad bought Joey a few years ago for Christmas have become invaluable.
5. A post-move vacation is a really, really good idea. All marital strife is quickly forgotten when in the presence of Tigger and Pooh - and Tex.
6.16.2010
Well I can't think of a better birthday gift for my friend, Bridget. Much to her horror, we have lived in the suburbs for the last 4 years, and yesterday, her 26th birthday, was our first day in our downtown apartment. After a weekend of packing (and sleeping in the family room), several trips in Mom's SUV and David's "boat," we have almost all of our clothes here as well as our toiletries, most of the refrigerator and pantry. As the place is fully furnished, we really don't need much else to get by day-to-day. After reviewing our landlord's selection of cutlery, we decided we definitely need more (I go through the 4 forks provided in a sitting), and our coffee pot also made the initial move (the one cup pot provided won't get Joey out of bed). I'm glad that we had to make this interim move because it's helped me mentally separate what things I want to take with us from place to place and what things of others I don't mind using. 
Here's a few pictures of the place:
6.11.2010
TPI Reports
So in case anyone who reads Joey's blog was wondering about my medical clearance, I still don't have it. After all those trips to the Iowa Clinic (see earlier post), the government is not satisfied. The first urinalysis had a trace of blood and so did the second (which is totally normal in runners as running on an empty bladder causes slight friction and seeing as I run almost every day it would make sense to find blood), so they required a cytology and visit to a urologist. So after I peed the third time and the report revealed that (gasp!) everything was fine, I don't have cancer and there is nothing unusual, I was able to cancel my visit to the urologist (thank GOD).
Unfortunately, the cytology report isn't enough to explain away that box I checked for depression. Ugh Why Did I Do That?!?! For future reference, for anyone who has to fill out government forms, lie lie lie lie lie. If you are honest when you fill out the forms you are creating a world of pain for yourself. So first they sent a TPI report. Yes, for all of you Office Space fans, it is really called a TPI report. We asked our friend Michon, who is the PA at Preventative Health (the clinic we used to have an interest in), if she would fill out the form for me. Which is no easy task, by the way. This freaking form is about twenty questions, each one of them dumber than the previous, about my treatment and diagnosis and support system and give me a freaking break. At the bottom of the form it asks that the answers be put in narrative form and submitted to the government. Well, the nurse from the State Dept contacted Joey and asked that I call her. Apparently, even though it says so on the form, they do not want a narrative, they want the TPI report. And they want it from every doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist and therapist I have seen in the last ten years for my depression. I told her A) I do not have depression anymore B) I know how to handle it (avoid annoying people like her) C) It was caused by growing up, I feel good about myself, am not on medication, love to run and do yoga and I haven't seen a doctor for it in over a year so I'm not sure how the information they provide would be relevant. Her answer? "I really need those TPI reports." OMG! She just said that the nurses try to collect as much information as they can to get everything ready for the providers who make the decision. I told her that it's going to take time to get into the doctor and then it's going to cost money because we have a high deductible plan and she just said, sorry that's they way it is and then she told me she'd email me the TPI reports again.
I called the Iowa Clinic for my records - I have to come in and sign a release and then it will be 7-10 days for their Medical Records department to get them to me.
Oh the frustration!
Unfortunately, the cytology report isn't enough to explain away that box I checked for depression. Ugh Why Did I Do That?!?! For future reference, for anyone who has to fill out government forms, lie lie lie lie lie. If you are honest when you fill out the forms you are creating a world of pain for yourself. So first they sent a TPI report. Yes, for all of you Office Space fans, it is really called a TPI report. We asked our friend Michon, who is the PA at Preventative Health (the clinic we used to have an interest in), if she would fill out the form for me. Which is no easy task, by the way. This freaking form is about twenty questions, each one of them dumber than the previous, about my treatment and diagnosis and support system and give me a freaking break. At the bottom of the form it asks that the answers be put in narrative form and submitted to the government. Well, the nurse from the State Dept contacted Joey and asked that I call her. Apparently, even though it says so on the form, they do not want a narrative, they want the TPI report. And they want it from every doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist and therapist I have seen in the last ten years for my depression. I told her A) I do not have depression anymore B) I know how to handle it (avoid annoying people like her) C) It was caused by growing up, I feel good about myself, am not on medication, love to run and do yoga and I haven't seen a doctor for it in over a year so I'm not sure how the information they provide would be relevant. Her answer? "I really need those TPI reports." OMG! She just said that the nurses try to collect as much information as they can to get everything ready for the providers who make the decision. I told her that it's going to take time to get into the doctor and then it's going to cost money because we have a high deductible plan and she just said, sorry that's they way it is and then she told me she'd email me the TPI reports again.
I called the Iowa Clinic for my records - I have to come in and sign a release and then it will be 7-10 days for their Medical Records department to get them to me.
Oh the frustration!
6.08.2010
One more week at our house! Technically, we don't close until June 25th, but we take possession of our apartment June 15th, and seeing as that has furniture, we are so excited to move in. Now that the shower is over and I don't have anything else to occupy my mind, it's suddenly become a lot more real. Today I also met with the manager of the Starbucks downtown, who agreed to let me transfer to his store, which will be very convenient - only 2 blocks away from the loft.
Invitations to the August training class have all pretty much been sent out, and since Joey's clearance is scheduled to be finished tomorrow, we are 95% sure that September 13th is our official start date in DC. Having an actual date makes things a lot more real too! We are also about 85% sure we have found a place to live in DC. Actually, its in the "urban village" Shirlington, which is very close to Arlington, VA, which is where Joey will be training/working. We're really excited about the place - its this super cute newly renovated apartment complex called Windsor at Shirlington Village. It has a shuttle directly to the metro, and I believe where Joey works is right across the street, so this is clutch given DC's notorious traffic. It also has its own 7000 sq ft exercise facility and is right by the running trail that takes you into DC (it's only 3 miles). They usually only take 2 dogs per apartment (I've been confronted with this restriction at almost every one of the million places I've inquired) but Windsor agreed to make an exception! Here's the link for the apartment if you're interested: http://www.windsorcommunities.com/apartments/northern-va/shirlington/
Another perk is the nearby Shirling- ton Village (see picture), which has tons of restaurants and cute shops and is apparently very dog friendly. Also, two dog parks are within walking distance which will be crucial given the three dogs living in a 900 sq ft apartment. Apparently Shirlington is also home to many other FSOs as well as other young professionals, which is really exciting because hopefully it'll be easy to make new friends. It definitely makes it easier to move knowing where we are going is neat - be it downtown Des Moines or Shirlington, VA.
Invitations to the August training class have all pretty much been sent out, and since Joey's clearance is scheduled to be finished tomorrow, we are 95% sure that September 13th is our official start date in DC. Having an actual date makes things a lot more real too! We are also about 85% sure we have found a place to live in DC. Actually, its in the "urban village" Shirlington, which is very close to Arlington, VA, which is where Joey will be training/working. We're really excited about the place - its this super cute newly renovated apartment complex called Windsor at Shirlington Village. It has a shuttle directly to the metro, and I believe where Joey works is right across the street, so this is clutch given DC's notorious traffic. It also has its own 7000 sq ft exercise facility and is right by the running trail that takes you into DC (it's only 3 miles). They usually only take 2 dogs per apartment (I've been confronted with this restriction at almost every one of the million places I've inquired) but Windsor agreed to make an exception! Here's the link for the apartment if you're interested: http://www.windsorcommunities.com/apartments/northern-va/shirlington/
Another perk is the nearby Shirling- ton Village (see picture), which has tons of restaurants and cute shops and is apparently very dog friendly. Also, two dog parks are within walking distance which will be crucial given the three dogs living in a 900 sq ft apartment. Apparently Shirlington is also home to many other FSOs as well as other young professionals, which is really exciting because hopefully it'll be easy to make new friends. It definitely makes it easier to move knowing where we are going is neat - be it downtown Des Moines or Shirlington, VA.
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