Buy-sell was me, with my cell phone to one ear and landline to the other, each involved in a conversation regarding a house on the opposite side of the border.

My mother, having spent most of her life in retail, once said that she had sold everything except herself. I can now say the same and should get some of the commission. Because all of the realtors who came to show our home had never seen it before, I had to do all the talking. This included, among other things, a description of an old, yet functional gas heater and a plumbing issue, which we ended up helping with, anyway. Within a week, we had received several offers. I chose one and the jibber-jabber began. We actually found a great plumber as we're leaving the country.

Needless to say, it's difficult to pack when you also have to live and move around your current domain for an unspecified and limited period of time. Last-stretch items, among countless, have included looking for the best deal on a qualified mover that transports beyond U.S. borders, ensuring our utilities readiness in Canada, updating our cat's passport, transferring our own medical records and the sped up removal of our daughter's braces. Even a bit of surgery may need to be performed on my husband. The Most Convenient Happen Stance Award, however, goes to the visa photo shop located directly across from our realty attorney's office.

As days turn into weeks, we still don't know exactly when we're leaving. Keeping in close touch with primary realtors and attorneys, north and south, they've been looking out for us, though not always with the utmost clarity. Professional and informed, helping us prepare for a move of this kind, I was grateful for those I'd found to work with. All those involved with our housing transaction in Canada were handed to us by our realtor there. Notwithstanding a surprise-brand of protocol regarding Canadian law, tied in with Canadian interpretation (and banker's convenience) right before the closing, I think I'll invite him to the housewarming.

Others I would invite if I could are some members of the medical field. My family has developed a friendship with our physician and his office staff. I will remember them fondly. This dawned on me as I made my way through the medical and dental roster for transferring our records, the process of which is different between your physician's office, your dental office and specialists. For example, your primary doctor, under New York law, requires an original version of your signature on the transfer request from your new primary doctor's office. They have a copy in their records for matching it. Not all branches of the health industry, as yet, require this.

In the middle of everything, and so as to get a loan for our house in Canada, my husband paid a quick visit to the airport in Toronto for a work permit. More on that later. He's also had to help find a replacement for his current position, and will need to make a number of trips back to New York for that office's acclamation to all its changes. Ironically, this part of the process could keep us in the U.S. a little longer, though we could be located briefly in both countries...and they could use him at his post in Canada. It does seem a little like the tables have turned.