One Week from today

One week.  That's all that's left.  Yikes!  Next Tuesday, all the preparations that are going to get done will be done, and we'll be on our way to O'Hare airport, taking a red-eye flight with two kids to Cucuta, Colombia.

I'm getting so anxious!  Actually, lie.  I've been anxious for a long while.  When the calendar turned to June, I almost had a heart attack (exaggeration, you say?  perhaps.  a bit.)  I am in the middle of two classes, both of which have deadlines right after we get there, which means that I need to have that done before we leave.  We have to pack.  For four people, two of them growing little weeds, for six months.  There is so much to think about!  Thank goodness we live in such a digital age - I will still have access to my bank account to pay anything I forgot about.  I will be able to contact my doctor, Skype with family and friends (get me your user name!), we'll be okay.  It's not like we're headed to Siberia.  If I forget someone's socks we will be able to get more.

I'm also getting excited!  We are going to do such fun things, see so many people we love and miss.  Julio can't wait.  Sofia vacillates between being so excited she just might burst, to extremely anxious and scared.  I tell her that's how I feel, too.  Some things are scary, and we just have to do them to find out it isn't so scary after all.  That's what bravery is.

In addition to getting ready for our big trip, we are also trying to squeeze in as much summer fun as possible, which might be why there's still so much left to do.  We've been tubing down the river, grilled out as much as possible, had a campfire and s'mores, went to Bay Beach, had friends visit, gone to birthday parties, weddings, and graduations, picked strawberries and peas right from the garden, swam in the lake, and so much more.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have homework to finish, and a trip to prepare for!

Big Decisions

Not too long ago we made a big decision.  We're in total transition mode, and it scares the daylights out of me.  At the same time, I'm really excited for the first step, if completely nervous and overwhelmed with planning.

We are going to Venezuela for the last half of this year.

We plan to leave the middle of June and to come back the beginning of January 2013, when I will start my semester student teaching.  We're going to live in Mérida, the beautiful city where we met, staying with Julio's sister.  I'm so excited for all the fun things we are going to get to do, the people we get to spend quality time with, and that the girls (and me, too!) will get full Spanish immersion.  If there is a good time to do this, it is now.

It is scary, however.  Especially since we don't know what is happening come January.  I'm going to try not to focus too much on that fear, however.  I won't worry about tomorrow, today has enough worries of its own.  I have lots to plan and figure out for this six-month stay.

When we told Sofia, she burst into tears, saying she didn't want to start kindergarten in a Spanish place.  Then, we talked about her birthday, and she got so excited that she would get to have her birthday there, and that she was going to tell Abuelita that she wants a butterfly princess strawberry cake.  Good luck with that, Abuela.  She seems excited now, and can't wait to go, though this is the child who gets homesick when we go to Appleton for the day.  I know she is going to have hard days.  I know I am, too.  I hope I am able to let go of my own hard days long enough to help her through hers.  This will be good for us.  Sofia and Amalia need to know their other half.