Of Frenzy & Excitement

In exactly 30 days, we'll be leaving, and despite my checklists and careful plans of time management, I feel that we have about 30 days too few to get completely ready. Perhaps this sort of trip is like getting married or having a child: one is never completely prepared!! We have had a couple of unexpected bumps (our pet/house sitters that we arranged back in June now may not work out!), and we are still waiting to hear about visas from the Italy campus. Just the thought of going back to that very unfriendly Italian Consulate in Philadelphia at the last minute, leaving our passports so they can process the visas, and ensuring that we have them by 8/25 is causing me ansia (anxiety)!

We did get our train reservations for the London-Paris-Saumur and Saumur-Paris-Venice ride as well as our international drivers' licenses. Most of our fall and winter break excursions are booked at this point, except for the December trains which can't be booked until 60 days of departure. Our checking account and AAA credit card are having frequent palpitations, especially as our salary from the University of Iowa (our CIMBA employer) won't be starting until late September! I pretty much have Emma's school work planned out and purchased some texts from The Learning Station. In addition to the 3 "R's" and science, she will have a lot of history and geography as we tie in writing and reading activities to our various trips. Abbey is registered for 3 online courses: Political Science, Psychology, Computers; her 4th course is Italian, which she'll take through University of Iowa in Paderno.

So what is on our to-do list?

• find house/animal sitters--any recommendations?
• get visas or appropriate paperwork for a 9-month stay
• complete course prep by 8/1
• seriously learn A LOT MORE Italian (my reading it is getting better though)
• arrange online bill pays
• "close up" farm house or townhouse if we can't find sitters and have to leave animals at the farm
  
• prepare an information list for house/animal sitters, hoping that we will find them
• finish odd work about both houses
• call airport shuttle
• PACK and REPACK!!
• Breathe deeply and frequently!