When you think of the journey, most of the time, the experiences, places and travel involved come to mind first. No one but the anal retentive and the OCD dwell too much on the preparation. But in the days and weeks leading up to a journey of this magnitude, much has to be done.
At least for us, we didn't even think of all the little things. Can you ever? Do we save or toss the spices? What items in the closet can we get rid of? And how many pieces of which types of clothing do we want for an entire year across two continents?
Saturday was the garage sale to turn old things into cash – thanks to Emily's sister for facilitating that and all her help. Sunday the kitchen and office went into boxes. Tomorrow Salvation Army comes for the sofa-bed and the garage sale leftovers.
But today, we took a dog to the airport, and put him on a plane bound for Eastern Washington where he will live with his foster family for the year. Conlan – a semi-wild Balinese Kintamani does particularly poorly with crates and airports. So the morning was traumatic.
Last week – the day before our wedding – we said goodbye to Adley, the far more domesticated and cute dog. Adley was last seen yesterday on Skype cuddling on a sofa with his foster parents. So, there is happiness after the trauma….
And as we sort through the papers, bills, clothes, furniture and even toiletries – the path ahead is beginning to open.
July – Oct. 31 Turkey, Greece, Israel and maybe Egypt
November 1 – February 1 India and Nepal
February 1 – June 17 – Bali, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam
June 17 – June 27 – Hong Kong June 27 – our first anniversary – Home
We invite our family and friends to visit us – anywhere. In the meantime, we'll be filling storage pods, getting in last visits and figuring out if there's anything we forgot.
One Response
Reading about your prep.for this trip brings up so much exhilaration for me!
Love you all the way along!