Shell Health Services

It is only noon and I am already wishing it were bedtime. I got up early this morning to get the kids and myself ready before I had to be out the door at 7:30. Helmut and I had an appointment at the Shell Health Services office at 9:00 AM for our pre-hire/pre-Netherlands physical. Big Daddy was nice enough to come over and sit with the boys while they waited for the bus and then he took Samantha to school. She seemed very excited about him taking her. I will be sure to get the full scoop from her when I pick her up. I jumped on highway 249 and traffic started backing up at the Grant Road exit! Luckily Helmut taught me the trick of staying on the Beltway all the way to highway 59 North. It cut about 20-25 minutes off the drive.

The physical went routinely. I had a TB test, polio booster, EKG and some blood taken. The doctor did give me a hard time about my lapse in getting a proper female checkup. I vowed to resolve the issue ASAP. It was interesting to step into the Shell world for the first time. The Health Services office is located on the 10th floor of One Shell Plaza, which sits right across the street from Two Shell Plaza. Both are huge buildings and must hold thousands of offices and employees. From best we could gather, the Health Services office functions somewhat like a school nurse’s office. In fact, while we were there a guy was laid out in a room resting until the nurse made him go back to class… I mean work. He seemed to be suffering from a headache. How crazy is that? All the places I have worked didn’t care how you felt, work or go home. I am still milling the whole thing over in my head. Is it better to give your employees a place to recoup and then return to work, or does that encourage trips to the nurse’s office? Either way, it is a totally foreign concept to me.

Helmut has to go back at 1:00 for an expat orientation. I lucked out of it since Sam needs to be picked up from school by 2:30 and our second house appraiser is coming at 4:00. Things are moving along. Helmut officially starts work at Shell on Tuesday. I am sure information will be more forthcoming once he is there on a daily basis. Oh yeah, he leaves for The Netherlands and London on Wednesday. Hopefully he will be able to get some more answers about our work visa while he is there.

Hurry up and wait!

We are stuck in a holding pattern here. I have always known that patience is not my strong suit (my kids remind me of that on a daily basis) but this move has really solidified this fact for me. I am constantly wondering to myself, “why can’t I just relax and enjoy the time I have left in Houston instead of being so anxious and stressed out about how long this whole moving to Holland process is taking?” I suppose we came into the whole process with the wrong mindset. The managers in The Hague that hired Helmut wanted him to start work ASAP. The division here in Houston working to get all the visas and paperwork together doesn’t seem to share the same enthusiasm. I am sure they aren’t doing anything to drag their feet, but evidently these things take time.

We did make one step towards Holland today. Emily’s aunt came and picked up Murphy. She seemed really nice and truly excited about getting him. I know he has gone to a good home. I am sure Josh will be sad, but he seems okay about it. I will see how he does after school today when Murphy is no longer here. I could pretend to be all broke up about it… but I’m not… so I won’t.

1 summer

The paper is Fresh by Ping Designs and the fun tag is by Gina Gabrera

Meet the Teacher

Sam seems to be loving her teacher and all things preschool. She did whine a little this morning when it came time to go, but once she got there she was fine. I am hoping she will keep it up, but also trying to enjoy it while it lasts.

Moving...again!

We are moving the Holland! Where do I begin…over a year ago, Helmut posted his resume to the Shell website. Evidently they take your resume and plug it into the jobs they have available that match your experience and qualifications. I am not sure if they didn’t have anything at the time or if it really takes a year to process these kinds of applications, but we didn’t hear anything. But I was none the wiser; because of course he never even told me he sent them his resume.

Fast forward to mid July. Helmut hears from the HR department at Shell. They want to set up a phone interview. Over the next couple of weeks he has a few phone interviews with various HR people and a few Engineering Managers. We also receive a phone call from a headhunter about a job for BP in Alaska. I was very clear from the beginning about my total lack of interest in moving to Alaska (I didn’t want to get backdoored into that deal). Things continued to progress with Shell and they ask him to come into the Houston office for an interview. Then they call back and change their minds about the interview. They want a videoconference with Helmut, the Houston Engineering Managers, and The Hague office. Helmut convinced them a face to face with the people in The Hague office would be much better.

We got him all outfitted with a new suit, new shoes, new belt, new socks, new shirt and new tie. He flew to The Hague and gave his 20-minute presentation and then answered question for the next hour and a half. They verbally offered him a job in The Netherlands the next morning.

Right now we are waiting for our visas to clear. Of course we have so much else to do as well…coordinate with the movers, get everyone’s passport up to date, complete the school applications, sell the van, and the list goes on and on. It looks like we should head out of Houston around the second week in September. Helmut gave notice at Bechtel on Thursday. I know it was really hard for him. They are so busy with work right now that his absence will leave them terribly short handed. He has also made many friends at work over the past thirteen years that he will miss.

At first we had hoped the Shell job would be with the office here in Houston. The boys have only been here in school for two years and I wanted them to have a little more time here before we asked them to move again. Once I started researching living in The Netherlands, I started getting really excited about going. I have never even been to Europe before and I am really looking forward to the chance to explore it over the next two plus years. I have almost memorized my Holland travel guide and I have ordered a bunch more on Amazon.com. I am a little nervous about starting another adventure, but I am trying to only look at the positive points (trying to forget about not knowing anyone, not being able to speak or read Dutch, not knowing where anything is, hunting down American groceries, figuring out all the ins and outs of living in a new place, I’d better stop listing them because it is just depressing me).

The kids are incredibly excited. Sam talks about her room in Holland all the time, yet has no idea what that really is. Josh is looking forward to “being back to our old traveling selves.” Helmut was very upset at first, but has jumped on the bandwagon. Let’s hope we can all keep it up when the going gets rough. In the meantime, we are anxious for the visas to clear and the next chapter of our lives to begin!

Worth Every Penny

Today was Sam’s first day of preschool. I remember last year she was excited about going, but very nervous about leaving me for so long. This morning she woke up in a good mood and looking forward to the day. She was even more excited when I reminded her about her new school outfit (which was way too hot for the weather, but she wore anyway without complaint).

She had a great time and came home full of stories to share about the fun activities…making real letters for the postal carrier to send home, going to “chapel” with the “holy cow,” pouring her own glass of water, etc. I am glad she is enjoying herself at school, because I was definitely enjoying myself while she was at school!

What a Day...

Laundry, laundry and more laundry. It doesn't seem to matter how long I spend on the laundry, it is never ending chore. How dare these people expect clean clothes!

The rest of my day was filled with paper work. I am trying to get all of the applications filled out for the kids' new school. Living in three different countries and going to countless different doctors makes the immunization record a real challenge. I think I got it all sorted out.

Sam's first day of preschool is tomorrow, Yippee!

Digital Scrapbooking

First Day of School

Well, the first day of school is over. Helmut popped out of bed this morning around 6:45 AM and was dressed and ready in no time. I had a grand breakfast of biscuits, bacon and eggs planned, but he turned me down. He refuses to eat breakfast on most days. His bus picks up at the end of the street and I was politely asked not to accompany him. I begged for the privilege of driving my car down there and parking discretely on the side of the road. I promised not to get out of the car and my wish was granted. Only one other girl (a VERY cute girl by the way) was at the bus stop. He gave her a slight head nod when she walked up and then they sat in complete silence for the next fifteen minutes. At one point a lady from our church passed by walking her dog and very enthusiastically greeted him. He gave her an even smaller head nod and then got a totally mortified look on his face after she passed.

He came home around 3:45 PM with only good things to report. He loves being in Middle School with all the “grown up” privileges it affords. He could walk to class with whom ever he wanted, sit anywhere for lunch and the locker was a huge hit. He told me, “Having your own locker is so cool. Sometimes I would open it between classes even though I didn’t need anything out of it…just ‘cause I could…and it looks real cool.” I hope the joys of Middle School last him the whole year long.

Josh went out to wait for the bus around 8:30. We waited until 8:45 (Five minutes before school is supposed to start) and then I just drove him. We found out later that the bus never showed at all. He said he had a good day and that everyone thought his outfit was cool. He was not so happy about his bus ride home. Evidently the driver is real grouchy. She refused to stop in front of our house (even though she passed right by it) and dropped him off down the street instead. He also claims there is a whole lot of yelling coming from her as well. Poor guy, everyone hates a mean bus driver.

He's Keeping Me Guessing

Just one day left. My only trepidation about the first day of school is the fact that Sam doesn’t start her school until next Tuesday. This summer she has become an expert at bossing around her brothers (for example, they are both in their room right now piecing back together a plastic bead project she put together and then accidentally knocked over). I am afraid if they are gone, she may take to bossing me around. That scenario makes me tired just thinking about it.

This morning was Josh’s Meet the Teacher. It did not go at all as I expected. We got there fine, but as soon as it all began, he started acting like a caged animal…”how much longer is this going to take…can’t you write any faster…I already met my switch teacher last year, I don’t need to meet her again…I’m sure I still have money in my lunch account, we don’t need to check…(upon exiting the building) that was the biggest waste of the day…that was so boring.”

Josh is normally my "get along boy", the one who is just happy to be going somewhere. I am hoping this is just his way of expressing his disappointment that summer is over or his anxiety over the start of the school year. I don’t think I can handle it if this is a new permanent hitch in his personality!

He was amicable enough to let me do a first day of school outfit photo shoot this afternoon. He is my most fashion conscious boy and picked out this very hip outfit at Abercrombie. I think he is a little worried about what his friends at school will say, but I assured him that if he becomes uncomfortable, he can always take off the oxford and put it in his backpack. I personally think he looks great!

Token Posting

I have been the lamest poster lately. I have been in somewhat of a funk. I have so many things to do and have made the subconscious (and sometimes conscious) decision not to do any of them. Posting to my blog has fallen into that category.

I did have a very productive day on Saturday. I went to Sofie’s birthday party in the morning and then went home to clean house. As soon as I walked in the door I could almost physically feel the pull of the computer and DVR…but I resisted. I headed straight for the cleaning supplies under my bathroom sink and got to work, sort of. When I looked under my sink, I completely forgot about my lofty goal of dusting the entire downstairs (where my knick knacks easily number above fifty), sweeping and mopping the downstairs, vacuuming the downstairs and cleaning the downstairs bathroom. Instead I spent the next hour cleaning out the cabinet under my bathroom sink and the two linen cabinets in the master bedroom. I am sure this is another manifestation of my avoidance issue. But hey, those cabinets are clean and completely free of any expired lotions or OTC medicines. I did stick with the cleaning and finally finished all the jobs on my checklist sometime around 7:30 PM. I had quite a feeling of accomplishment, but my body pretty much ached all over.

I realize this is all quite boring, but I haven’t done much else with my time in the last few days. Summer is winding down to its last day and I couldn’t be happier. I picked up Sam’s backpack from the monogram shop today and it turned out really cute. I even made it out of there for less than twenty bucks. Josh has "meet the teacher" in the morning. After that I will continue to work on (or avoid) my to do list.

Goodbye Summer

Summer is over…there may be eight days until school starts and the weather is definitely hotter than two hells, but summer, as far as I am concerned, is over. How do I know? When I looked at my Yahoo Calendar this morning and could hardly find a free space for the next month was my first indication. The list was the dead give away. I have a to do list a mile long right now. Yup, summer is over. I can remember days this summer where I hardly knew what day it was let alone the date.

Don’t get me wrong. I am looking forward to the kids going back to school and running this household with a little more structure. I am not looking forward to the juggling act of driving the kids all over creation, keeping up with the house, homework and feeding four mouths on a daily basis. Haven’t I been counting down the days until school started all summer long? I suppose the grass is always greener…

Road Trip

Yesterday we drove up to College Station with Big Momma and Big Daddy to visit Luke and Emily. On the way there, we stopped in Hempstead for some small town Texas goodies. First we stopped at the Exxon to pick up some Krolczyk’s sausage. Don’t let the fact that we bought it at an Exxon throw you; this is delicious sausage (and convenient, you need gasoline for your car or tractor and some dinner, no problem). Our next stop was DiIorio Farmer’s Market. I’m not sure the prices are any different than a grocery store, but it sure is fun to go and see that much produce in all its colorful glory. I love to go so I can indulge in a Dr. Pepper made with Imperial Pure Cane Sugar every once in a while.

Luke and Emily’s apartment is really cute and the new sofa looks great in their living room (and is bigger than it looks on her blog). We went to lunch at Freebirds, which was tasty. I had never been before and liked it better than Chipotles. The boys loved it, but Sam did not enjoy the burrito. We got her chips and queso instead. About half way through the meal, she spilled Sprite all over herself. Evidently, her dad reacted too loudly, because she was mad at him for at least a few hours after the fact. I saw it as a great opportunity to head over to the Old Navy and get her some new clothes. The store wasn’t too crowded considering it was tax free weekend and I found a cute outfit that should work for the rest of summer and into the fall.

We went back to Luke and Emily’s apartment and let the kids drive Luke crazy for a while (hovering over his fish tank, paying Tilly too much attention, etc.) and then headed back to Houston. We had a great time and the kids are begging to go back.