One week from today. Our stuff is getting packed up tomorrow and there's a tiny bit of stress in our house. Okay, there's a lot of stress in our house. We're not doing too badly considering. There's a lot of heavy sighing but to our credit very little yelling. I guess after you've been married for 25 years you learn how to deal with each other's way of doing things even if it's not the way you'd do it.
I will be happy to get this portion of things over with. As you can see from the photos below we have quite an extensive pile that has been growing for months. We have everything from pots and pans to pillows, clothing to toiletries and everything in between. There are things that we were advised would be hard to find and things that will help us to remember the comforts of home. The hardest part was getting everything cataloged and trying to come up with a replacement value in case something happens to the shipment. In any case, I will be happy to have the corner of my bedroom empty again if only for a week.
As far as everything else is concerned I guess we're as prepared as we can be. Yesterday we spent the day in a cultural training class designed to help us adjust to life in a foreign country. It was all very useful information but it was also a lot to take in. By the end my head was pretty much spinning from everything we learned and at this point I'm just hoping I can remember half of it.
Now the focus will be on packing for the trip. We bought 2 new suitcases and are gathering things to go in them. This part is hard as well because we could be in a hotel for up to 2 months. It's one thing to pack for a regular trip and think, "I need shampoo" but quite another to think, "Oh wait, I need enough shampoo to last 2 months." In case you're wondering, yes, Italy has shampoo but it's something else that's very expensive there.
One note about my last post: as of last week the friend who wanted to buy Mark's car decided against it but almost as quickly as that happened, the same neighbors who are buying our van decided they wanted the car as well! I love how God works things out! We're making the official deals and turning the cars over to them on Saturday. Fortunately Jake is home for another few weeks and we can borrow his car as needed this coming week.
I can't believe I'm about to be posting from Italy. I'm excited and nervous and more than a little sad about saying goodbye to everyone here. This coming Sunday will be our last to attend our church home for a while and it's going to be bitter-sweet I'm sure. Thanks again to everyone who takes the time to read my scattered thoughts. My friends and family mean the world to me!
For the last time from the U.S....Arrivederci!
