Two Months in Europe (in a nutshell): PART I

Holy shit. I did it. After visiting my lover, Brett, for the entire month of February I decided that I should just say fuck it and make the move to Amsterdam. I booked my flight for April 9th to travel from PDX to New Orleans to visit family and then onwards to Amsterdam ! 
Once everything sunk in I was like omg... I have a little over a month to sell my car, bed, belongings, get bloodwork and check ups from Doctors, make money, get everything taken care of with Sprocket, find a new home for Bella..... I had no idea what the hell I was getting myself into. 

Somehow I pulled everything together. I had also taken on like 30 painting commissions in the meantime (Whyyyy) AND I had left my prescription for Lexapro in Amsterdam so I decided fuck it, I'll just use the remainder of my prescription in Portland to ween myself off over the course of the next month. I like to set the bar high for myself, as I've been told. Also I waited to pack until two days before and realized that my shit wasn't fitting in my bags. So my BFF Joel found a cheap suitcase at Goodwill and I left a bunch of shit to pick up in September when I was going to be back in Portland. (Thanks Jess for holding on to all of my Misc CRAP). 

I had a month long yard sale, worked on commissions, found a wonderful new home for Bella (hardest thing I've ever had to do) , sold my car the week before I left, and got all the paperwork in order for Sprocket, and successfully (or so I thought) weened myself off of my anti-depressants. So on 5AM on April 9th, I was ready to go. 

Oh, and Sprocket on an airplane? That was interesting from PDX to MSY. I have a prescription for him as my ESA (Emotional Support Animal) because 1) I would NOT be able to handle my agoraphobia without him. 2) There was an embargo on traveling to the NL with dogs in cargo at the time I was traveling. So the easiest way was to get the ESL documents in order. BUT I had already just bought him a ticket through United for my flights to Louisiana, in which I needed him in a carrier. He SCREAMED when I put him under the seat. He was so fucking freaked out so I just said fuck it and put him on my lap under my sweatshirt and no one even knew he was there. I guess that's a plus side to being fat while flying? I was able to hide my dog and pass it as my belly. Hahah. 

I decided it was a priority that I stop in New Orleans on my way to Amsterdam to visit family and see friends and such. FIRST STOP: Raising Cane's fried chicken because DUH. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it. 
I got to hang out with Sarah and Dawn and their little bebes. Jacob and Sarah K came to visit and chat with me.. I got to hang out with my niece, Terah and see my sister after a year long hiatus of not talking. Lol. I ate some delicious, authentic red beans and rice with sausage and white breaddddd to really top it off. 

Then the morning before my flight to AMS I met up with my friend Clyde and we shot some stuff together at an abandoned building in New Orleans. He did some rope work, called Shibari, on me. This idea is super controversial for a lot of folks, but I think it's just because they aren't educated in it. That morning I woke up with a really sore lower back as I carry a lot of tension there. After being suspended by ropes I felt euphoric and my lower back pain was subsiding. Thank jeebus because I was about to be on an airplane for the next 14 plus hours.  

The flights from New Orleans>Minneapolis>Amsterdam was much easier with Sprocket. He got his own seat and slept the entire time. Although it seemed like everyone didn't understand that he was a ESA and kept trying to touch him and stare at him and bother me about him. It's like I need a flashing neon sign above him saying "HEY, LEAVE ME ALONE". Even the pilot on the airplane in Minneapolis tried to touch him. Um, excuse, no. Also there was a drug dog in the boarding area and the security guard yelled at me that he was supposed to be in a kennel. (OKAY MISTER.) By this point I was so fucking ready to be in AMS.

Weeeeeeee! We made it! Here I am in a toilet in AMS to which overflowed after I tried to flush. *smell ya later*. 

Indie and Sprocket get along quite well! (For the most part). She's been an only child for the duration of her life so it's been an adjustment. They've pretty much learned to just stay out of each others way and that keeps it cool. Haha! Sprox is way too short to attempt going down the narrow thing that is a Dutch staircase, so we have to carry him down. But he flieeeesssss up them in terror. (Same). 

Now... the fun begins... (Part II coming soon)