Color me Argentina

These past couple of days have been jam packed and what sucks is that the craziness hasn't ended. I finally got to the Zoe part on the "Argentina To Do List." Saturday I took Zoe to get her last anal gland expressing ( I know it sounds gross but Zoe NEEDS it done every so often. It's either that or see her drag her butt on the floor all day which I admit can be amusing) I have no idea if I'll find a vet who will squeeze Zoe's anal glands in Argentina? Is this just something that fanatical dog lovers do in America because for most dog lovers our dog is like our child? This brings me to all sorts of questions in regards to Zoe. Just like a lot of Americans are proud parents to a Beagle, a Boxer, a Maltese or in my case a Shihapoo (Shiha what? Shitzu Poodle) a lot of us have also joined the organic food band wagon, myself included. Being a near vegan and being totally against animal cruelty, I researched on PETA's website the various dog foods that don't test on animals. You would think that dog food companies wouldn't test on animals given the fact that the product is for an animal. NOT TRUE. I was amazed to discover the various brand name dog foods that test on animals. Well, I'm glad to say that Zoe's Whole Foods dog food is cruelty free. But, will I have this luxury in Argentina? As retarded as this may sound, will Zoe have her organic, cruelty free food? Will she have a groomer that knows knows how to cut her hair? I know these questions may seem ridiculous and silly. I mean, I know there are probably excellent groomers in Buenos Aires. And, I know that there must be a cute dog boutique that sells cruelty free dog food. But, all my questions arise from a woman who has never lived outside of Chicago. I'm developing the "missing syndrome." I'm going to miss the groomer, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, the simplicity of getting vegan foods and for crying out loud I'm even going to miss Whimpie, the Golden Retriever from two blocks down. Before I went on my dog food tangent, I was mentioning crossing off stuff from the Zoe part on "Argentina To Do List." Something that makes our move closer and official is Zoe's International Health Certificate. Today, Zoe had a health exam like no other. The vet checked her retina, her range of motion, her breathing, her heart, ears, teeth, you name it he checked it. Of course, this makes me happy because in some warped way this satisfies my hypochondriasis. Everyone will be happy to know that Zoe is super healthy and ready to fly the friendly skies. Well she'll be ready once I get that certificate stamped by the USDA vet. That will be taken care of this Friday.

I'm proud to say that Jackson and I have been making some progress in our packing. There are boxes all over the place but the good thing is that we're filling them. We'll be filling them and moving things into storage until the day we leave. 6 days and counting....the count down started. I don't even want to think of the days because it starts the water fall that takes place in my eyes. How can somebody be so conflicted about moving abroad? I LOVE the idea of moving with Jackson and Zoe but I HATE leaving my mom, my dad, and sister. I've never been away from them for so long and it kills me. I won't be able to hug them. Skype you're awesome by allowing me to talk to family everyday but I want a hug from my mom! I'm beginning to feel that Argentina is consuming every inch of my body. The boxes in my house remind me of Argentina -6 days and counting. The fucking "Things to Do" reminds me of Argentina-6 days and counting. Jackson's new Argentine accent reminds me of Argentina-6 days and counting. STOP THE COUNTING. Yes, I can't wait to get there but I also want to stop time because I want to be with mom, dad, and Fia which I thankfully did today.

Jackson, my mom, my dad, my aunt and I went to Millenium Park today for a concert. A free concert! It was great! How many times do you get to hear classical music in the park?! We had our own little picnic. Jackson and I brought some yummy vegan BBQ ribs from Soul Vegetarian, corn bread and sweet potato pie. My mom took guacamole with chips, juice, and fruit. It was the perfect feast and a perfect evening. It was in those two hours in the park with my family and Jackson that Argentina wasn't the talk of the town. It was in those two hours that time stood still for me.