Things move'n fast!

To get a sense of just how quickly things are moving along, here's a repeat of that long list of things we need to do and where we are in knocking this down to a dull roar. You can't imagine the amount of time, energy, and anxiety this has taken. Or maybe you can? :-)

• DONE - Fill out our applications for long stay visas
• DONE - Confirm our apartment in Paris (which is looking quite nice, actually)
• DONE - Buy health insurance
• DONE - Buy one-way airline tickets
• DONE - Collect our financial information
• DONE - Sign letters saying we will not work while living in France
• DONE - Fly to San Francisco to submit our applications in person
• DONE - Say goodbye to my wife's daughter and my brother and sister in law
• DONE - Buy a long term storage location
• DONE - Close on the house
• DONE - Manage the money so we can live overseas
  
• DONE - Drive to the south coast to say goodbye to my father and younger brother
  
• DONE - Move the few things we'll keep into aforementioned storage location
• DONE - Sell or give away everything else that needs to find a new home
• DONE - Pack and ship the few pieces of art and photographic tools we like and need
  
• Land in Paris
• Perform a walk-through of the apartment with the owners so we can all confirm it's current condition
• Submit our request to be seen by the immigration doctors
• Wait for our long stay visa sticker
• Start the search for a long term apartment (something closer to what we can afford forever)
• Receive our long stay visa sticker for our passports
  
• Move to the new apartment before Bastille Day
• Unpack (again) and settle in
  
• Integrate into French culture and society
• Live like we're actually fully retired. Finally. After 30 years of work.

I finally am beginning to feel like I'm retired. My wife and I just about weep, now, when we think about how this dream and new reality is manifesting itself.

To illustrate just how quickly things are moving, I asked a question to a mailing list I belong to. It regarded cheap cell phones and where to buy them in Paris. In minutes I had an answer with several outstanding options. After we land, it'll be easy to find a "pay as you go" inexpensive cell to carry while we're looking for our long term apartment.

Details. Details. Details. Very swiftly coming together. I'm just amazed.