Part 3
Crunch Time
The week before Todd and I were to head to Hong Kong, we were actually in Chicago to provide training to a group out there. It was a bit crazy. I will leave it at that, but know I am giving you the highlights.
On the upside, we sent the dogs to a wonderful place that treated our pups like they were part of the family, and posted pics and videos of them while we were gone. We had never left our dogs with a kennel before, so I was really worried about leaving them initially. Until I found this wonderful family that runs a cage free kennel type of boarding facility. We were able to send the dogs to them previously when we visited the kids in Hong Kong in April. Since our dogs were their smallest visitors, they were allowed to hang out with the family all the time, sit on the sofa and sleep in their bedroom. They even offered to have them sleep in bed with them, if we wanted. So sweet! Happy pups.
We found out on the 13th that the Ban was lifted while we were in Chicago, actually during training. We had to fly home that night to New Jersey. It is still crazy to me, the ban was lifted just a couple of days before we were to head to Hong Kong for our final move. We arranged to have my Dad fly in (and land around our flight time) to watch the pups for the week while we were in HK (which he has done numerous times over the years), and then he could stay for the following week and see everyone, once we all returned (optimism, see!). We had to pick the pups up on Saturday from boarding. I felt so badly leaving them again, but they love their Grampa. They seemed happy. Then we had to get everything in order to finish everything in Hong Kong in that following week. Really not that much time. We hadn't seen my Dad in 18 months, so we were catching up too.
We left Sunday night for Hong Kong, with the time difference and the 16 hours flight, we landed at almost 6am on Tuesday Hong Kong time.
We had to reapply for a US Import Permit, as the import permit's only last for 30 days, and ours had expired 2 days before the ban was lifted. Yes... Fun. We thought maybe they would just be able to 're-issue' with new dates, but nope we had to reapply. Each application is $150 dollars, btw, fun, fun. Usually, they process the applications within a few days to a week, and I applied on the 13th the same day I found out the ban was lifted.
When we arrived in Hong Kong we were so exhausted and stressed, but so happy that things seemed to be lining up, finally. Even if I was uncertain and not thrilled about the birds possibly DYING in quarantine. :( Flying the birds to LA quarantine they can land pretty much any time on any day of the week. You just have to pay overtime for times outside of the 'normal' business hours. Los Angeles bird quarantine is HUGE and busy. However, the New York facility was very small, which was probably why they could accommodate our diet requests. However, because they are small, they only pick up birds between Mon-Fri 8:30-4ish. Really they said birds should land no later than 1pm to make sure they are cleared through customs in time and in case of flight delays. The flight also had to land in JFK and had to be direct. So, essentially, there was only ONE flight that would work per day, and during summer the direct flights sell out quickly. That one flight lands at 1pm, cutting it close.
We originally wanted to fly home with the kids on Saturday, but with the restrictions we had to switch our flight to the following Monday. That seemed ok, as we could use the extra time to finish some stuff with the flat and packing.
We had a wonderful time attending Krystin's Senior awards where she was recognized for her great scholastic accomplishments, and she won the best athlete in XC and Track, and female MVP of the year! It was so wonderful to be there and celebrate with her. Then we were able to celebrate her at her graduation, so bittersweet. I was so proud, yet she is my baby and it was hard watching my last one become an adult... (Isn't that alone enough stress on a Momma's heart, without the move stuff?)...
Oh, the kids' flight home was drama too. We got to the airport and were running a little late. I don't even remember why. Maybe last minute packing and stuff. It is a blur. Hopefully, the kids will guest blog about their experience at some point. Well, Logan and Krystin's visas expired (like ours did June 13th), it was now the 21st. We were told it wouldn't be a big deal, as Krystin graduated on the 20th and they were leaving the country. Well, apparently, it was a big deal. The immigration officers grabbed Logan and Krystin when they were trying to leave, and said they were violating their visa. Uhm. They are leaving? Kayla's college Visa was actually good for another 3 years, so she was fine. They took Logan and Krystin to an office that someone had written on the wall something like, "Welcome to Hell" or whatnot. The kids knew they were late and were afraid they were going to miss their flight, and were totally exhausted from not sleeping and understandably stressed. Ultimately, the officials decided that they would allow them to pay a fee for the extra time. Sadly, they had given us the majority of their Hong Kong money and only had a tiny bit of US money that was supposed to be for when they landed. They gladly handed it over to the officials to run to their plane... Yes, the HK officials happily took the US money too. It was extra ridiculous, because Logan had returned mid April and visitors are allowed to be there for 90 days, so he was well under that limit. The visa really shouldn't have mattered for him. Well, they made it, stress and all... Thankfully.
While all this was going on, we were still waiting for the import permit from the US. Usually, they just issue it pretty quickly. Not a problem. I mean they already reviewed the paperwork, it was just barely expired. There wasn't anything new? As of Friday in HK we still didn't have the permit, and with kids flying out the next day, we had to cancel our Monday flight, until ??? Also, we couldn't get the HK Vet cert until we had the US import permit, and I was paranoid the alert status would change at any moment and the ban would be in effect again. Just needed ONE case of Avian Flu in HK, that is it. The original alert status change was due to a Chinese person with the Avian flu crossing into Hong Kong and dying there... Technically, we were supposed to make the HK Vet appt 10 days ahead as well... Oh, and did I mention the temperature just kept getting hotter... 95F +...
I was hoping and praying for cool spell to go with the paperwork.
Monday came, still no permit. We had tried contacting the USDA about it previously, it wasn't helpful. Tuesday we tried again, as we still needed to get the HK Vet cert, and if we didn't get the birds on a flight by Friday we would have to stay until the following Monday, and well our lease ended that Sunday. We called USDA again on Tuesday, and were able to leave a message. Apparently, the lady in charge of the permits, didn't notice that we needed it immediately, as she was hit hard with tons of applications for import permits during the summer. Thankfully, she quickly processed it and emailed us with it by Weds morning, HK time...
In the mean time the kids were back in New Jersey with my Dad. Apparently, something had happened to my sweet, little Honey. The kids started mentioning to me their concern on Sunday after they arrived that she seemed off, but they weren't sure. I was so concerned with getting the birds out of Hong Kong I didn't even realize there was an issue. They knew I was super stressed with all the HK stuff, and didn't really want to worry me, but by Tues NJ time/Wed HK time they were really worried.
Apparently, she wasn't barking or eating or drinking and her mouth looked weird they said. :( Logan finally sent me pictures and I about lost it. It looked like her jaw was broken and infected. Todd and I immediately called a vet and asked my Dad to take her. No one knows what happened to her. She is tiny, could be anything. She has problems with stairs even, she could have fallen? I don't know. The point was, my pup now needed me too, and I was completely unable to help her. My sweet dog that normally weighs 5.5lbs was only 3.9lbs at the vet. She was starving and in tons of pain. This dog will not complain about anything, so it killed me extra to know how bad it was for her. The vet gave her antibiotics and pain meds. They were all oral though, with a broken jaw and a finicky eater of a dog that is a rough combo for the kids to deal with. They did their best to feed and medicate her, but I know it was a stressful welcome home for them.
The last thing I wanted was to have to stay in Hong Kong any longer than I needed. I just wanted to get my bird babies home, and get back to my kids and my pups. My poor Honey... Poor, poor Honey... my poor stressed kids too... Let's just say I cried more than should have been possible for a good portion of this year. It all was a bit much, and trust me I am leaving out a lot.
We were fortunate that the HK Vet is really a wonderful, on top of it, easy to reach person. Even though protocol dictated the 10 day notice. He very graciously allowed us to bring the birds in the next day on Thursday for the HK Vet Cert. Thank GOODNESS!!
Now, we needed to make sure we and the birds were on the ONE flight on Friday that would arrive on time. We called the airlines and at first they told us that there were no more seats, sorry. It was sold out. I was devastated. We talked to the lady a little longer and explained that the birds would be on that flight and we needed to be as well. She put us on hold for a moment, came back and said she found two more seats on that flight, the LAST TWO. Thank God!
Oh, did I mention, Todd had the previous week off as vacation to pack and attend Krystin's grad stuff, but we were really supposed to be back the next week. So, he was working all night, while I frantically packed and cleaned. Serious party time. We honestly needed the extra week. Packing up and donating 2 years worth of stuff in 5 days is really not possible while attending events for the kids all day, and everything else.
Finally though!
We had all the paperwork in hand.
We had the flight booked!
The birds were GOING HOME!
(Even if my little honey was a mess back home, an end was in site!)
Stay Tuned for Part 4!
Oh, and about the dragon...
The week before Todd and I were to head to Hong Kong, we were actually in Chicago to provide training to a group out there. It was a bit crazy. I will leave it at that, but know I am giving you the highlights.
On the upside, we sent the dogs to a wonderful place that treated our pups like they were part of the family, and posted pics and videos of them while we were gone. We had never left our dogs with a kennel before, so I was really worried about leaving them initially. Until I found this wonderful family that runs a cage free kennel type of boarding facility. We were able to send the dogs to them previously when we visited the kids in Hong Kong in April. Since our dogs were their smallest visitors, they were allowed to hang out with the family all the time, sit on the sofa and sleep in their bedroom. They even offered to have them sleep in bed with them, if we wanted. So sweet! Happy pups.
We found out on the 13th that the Ban was lifted while we were in Chicago, actually during training. We had to fly home that night to New Jersey. It is still crazy to me, the ban was lifted just a couple of days before we were to head to Hong Kong for our final move. We arranged to have my Dad fly in (and land around our flight time) to watch the pups for the week while we were in HK (which he has done numerous times over the years), and then he could stay for the following week and see everyone, once we all returned (optimism, see!). We had to pick the pups up on Saturday from boarding. I felt so badly leaving them again, but they love their Grampa. They seemed happy. Then we had to get everything in order to finish everything in Hong Kong in that following week. Really not that much time. We hadn't seen my Dad in 18 months, so we were catching up too.
We left Sunday night for Hong Kong, with the time difference and the 16 hours flight, we landed at almost 6am on Tuesday Hong Kong time.
We had to reapply for a US Import Permit, as the import permit's only last for 30 days, and ours had expired 2 days before the ban was lifted. Yes... Fun. We thought maybe they would just be able to 're-issue' with new dates, but nope we had to reapply. Each application is $150 dollars, btw, fun, fun. Usually, they process the applications within a few days to a week, and I applied on the 13th the same day I found out the ban was lifted.
When we arrived in Hong Kong we were so exhausted and stressed, but so happy that things seemed to be lining up, finally. Even if I was uncertain and not thrilled about the birds possibly DYING in quarantine. :( Flying the birds to LA quarantine they can land pretty much any time on any day of the week. You just have to pay overtime for times outside of the 'normal' business hours. Los Angeles bird quarantine is HUGE and busy. However, the New York facility was very small, which was probably why they could accommodate our diet requests. However, because they are small, they only pick up birds between Mon-Fri 8:30-4ish. Really they said birds should land no later than 1pm to make sure they are cleared through customs in time and in case of flight delays. The flight also had to land in JFK and had to be direct. So, essentially, there was only ONE flight that would work per day, and during summer the direct flights sell out quickly. That one flight lands at 1pm, cutting it close.
We originally wanted to fly home with the kids on Saturday, but with the restrictions we had to switch our flight to the following Monday. That seemed ok, as we could use the extra time to finish some stuff with the flat and packing.
We had a wonderful time attending Krystin's Senior awards where she was recognized for her great scholastic accomplishments, and she won the best athlete in XC and Track, and female MVP of the year! It was so wonderful to be there and celebrate with her. Then we were able to celebrate her at her graduation, so bittersweet. I was so proud, yet she is my baby and it was hard watching my last one become an adult... (Isn't that alone enough stress on a Momma's heart, without the move stuff?)...
Oh, the kids' flight home was drama too. We got to the airport and were running a little late. I don't even remember why. Maybe last minute packing and stuff. It is a blur. Hopefully, the kids will guest blog about their experience at some point. Well, Logan and Krystin's visas expired (like ours did June 13th), it was now the 21st. We were told it wouldn't be a big deal, as Krystin graduated on the 20th and they were leaving the country. Well, apparently, it was a big deal. The immigration officers grabbed Logan and Krystin when they were trying to leave, and said they were violating their visa. Uhm. They are leaving? Kayla's college Visa was actually good for another 3 years, so she was fine. They took Logan and Krystin to an office that someone had written on the wall something like, "Welcome to Hell" or whatnot. The kids knew they were late and were afraid they were going to miss their flight, and were totally exhausted from not sleeping and understandably stressed. Ultimately, the officials decided that they would allow them to pay a fee for the extra time. Sadly, they had given us the majority of their Hong Kong money and only had a tiny bit of US money that was supposed to be for when they landed. They gladly handed it over to the officials to run to their plane... Yes, the HK officials happily took the US money too. It was extra ridiculous, because Logan had returned mid April and visitors are allowed to be there for 90 days, so he was well under that limit. The visa really shouldn't have mattered for him. Well, they made it, stress and all... Thankfully.
While all this was going on, we were still waiting for the import permit from the US. Usually, they just issue it pretty quickly. Not a problem. I mean they already reviewed the paperwork, it was just barely expired. There wasn't anything new? As of Friday in HK we still didn't have the permit, and with kids flying out the next day, we had to cancel our Monday flight, until ??? Also, we couldn't get the HK Vet cert until we had the US import permit, and I was paranoid the alert status would change at any moment and the ban would be in effect again. Just needed ONE case of Avian Flu in HK, that is it. The original alert status change was due to a Chinese person with the Avian flu crossing into Hong Kong and dying there... Technically, we were supposed to make the HK Vet appt 10 days ahead as well... Oh, and did I mention the temperature just kept getting hotter... 95F +...
I was hoping and praying for cool spell to go with the paperwork.
Monday came, still no permit. We had tried contacting the USDA about it previously, it wasn't helpful. Tuesday we tried again, as we still needed to get the HK Vet cert, and if we didn't get the birds on a flight by Friday we would have to stay until the following Monday, and well our lease ended that Sunday. We called USDA again on Tuesday, and were able to leave a message. Apparently, the lady in charge of the permits, didn't notice that we needed it immediately, as she was hit hard with tons of applications for import permits during the summer. Thankfully, she quickly processed it and emailed us with it by Weds morning, HK time...
In the mean time the kids were back in New Jersey with my Dad. Apparently, something had happened to my sweet, little Honey. The kids started mentioning to me their concern on Sunday after they arrived that she seemed off, but they weren't sure. I was so concerned with getting the birds out of Hong Kong I didn't even realize there was an issue. They knew I was super stressed with all the HK stuff, and didn't really want to worry me, but by Tues NJ time/Wed HK time they were really worried.
Apparently, she wasn't barking or eating or drinking and her mouth looked weird they said. :( Logan finally sent me pictures and I about lost it. It looked like her jaw was broken and infected. Todd and I immediately called a vet and asked my Dad to take her. No one knows what happened to her. She is tiny, could be anything. She has problems with stairs even, she could have fallen? I don't know. The point was, my pup now needed me too, and I was completely unable to help her. My sweet dog that normally weighs 5.5lbs was only 3.9lbs at the vet. She was starving and in tons of pain. This dog will not complain about anything, so it killed me extra to know how bad it was for her. The vet gave her antibiotics and pain meds. They were all oral though, with a broken jaw and a finicky eater of a dog that is a rough combo for the kids to deal with. They did their best to feed and medicate her, but I know it was a stressful welcome home for them.
The last thing I wanted was to have to stay in Hong Kong any longer than I needed. I just wanted to get my bird babies home, and get back to my kids and my pups. My poor Honey... Poor, poor Honey... my poor stressed kids too... Let's just say I cried more than should have been possible for a good portion of this year. It all was a bit much, and trust me I am leaving out a lot.
We were fortunate that the HK Vet is really a wonderful, on top of it, easy to reach person. Even though protocol dictated the 10 day notice. He very graciously allowed us to bring the birds in the next day on Thursday for the HK Vet Cert. Thank GOODNESS!!
Now, we needed to make sure we and the birds were on the ONE flight on Friday that would arrive on time. We called the airlines and at first they told us that there were no more seats, sorry. It was sold out. I was devastated. We talked to the lady a little longer and explained that the birds would be on that flight and we needed to be as well. She put us on hold for a moment, came back and said she found two more seats on that flight, the LAST TWO. Thank God!
Oh, did I mention, Todd had the previous week off as vacation to pack and attend Krystin's grad stuff, but we were really supposed to be back the next week. So, he was working all night, while I frantically packed and cleaned. Serious party time. We honestly needed the extra week. Packing up and donating 2 years worth of stuff in 5 days is really not possible while attending events for the kids all day, and everything else.
Finally though!
We had all the paperwork in hand.
We had the flight booked!
The birds were GOING HOME!
(Even if my little honey was a mess back home, an end was in site!)
Stay Tuned for Part 4!
Oh, and about the dragon...
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