One week ago (march 1), we packed up the Insight again and left Victoria, headed toward Austin. We drove about 400 or 500 miles each day until we reached Tulsa, OK so we could visit Amy's mom for a couple of days. Then we spent one more night in Dallas and arrived in Austin on thursday. That same day, Amy immediately started with her SXSW volunteering duties and did the bag-stuffing routine.
One week from now (march 15), the sale of our house will close! This has been a really long six months waiting for the right buyer to appear, and two weekends ago two buyers suddenly materialized out of thin air and had a short chance to fight with each other for the house. It's still lower than what we wanted, and quite a bit lower than what I originally paid for it, but it will sure be nice to be rid of that burden in any case.
Two weeks from now, we will be boarding a plane bound for Christchurch, New Zealand (by way of Los Angeles and Auckland). After about eight months since we first submitted our "expression of interest", we are heading on our way! The residency visa application process has not yet been completed, but we can arrive ahead of time and get settled before that is completed. Amy already has a visa that allows her to work, but if I get a job I'll have to get a temporary work visa until the major paperwork is complete. This is apparently pretty standard procedure.
The Insight is still for sale. If you know anybody who might be looking for a great little two-seater car that gets about 60 mpg, let us know! We've got a few interested people so far, so it might go quickly.
Everything has been quickly falling into place. We will enjoy spending some time in Austin for the next couple of weeks, and are definitely looking forward to getting to New Zealand.