We are 30 days away from leaving on Our World Edventure! Just one month away after more than 2 years of planning and praying this trip into reality!!

People keep asking me if I’m excited for the trip and I have to admit that I’m not right now. I am completely inundated with all the plans and details of finishing well before we leave on this trip.

It is truly the planning that takes precedence during these next 30 days. We must double and triple check that we have packed enough, but not too much.  Our house is on the market for a one year lease, but we have not yet found somebody to lease our home while we are gone.  Because our house is on the market for lease, we have to keep it really neat and clean when all I actually want to do is spread things out, purge, and pack.  Then there all the things that Ryan and I need to do to wrap up our work projects. Ryan is equipping church staff and parishioners to have what they need to accomplish the ministries he usually leads. I have one last escrow to close  to make sure all of my business partners are set up for the year.  Then there are the two parties we are throwing to say goodbye to friends and family. Plus we have the end of the school year for three daughters at two different schools — which is it’s own kind of crazy.

To help friends, classmates, and parishioners better understand our plans for the trip, the girls and I have been working on a poster board with giant maps showing our itinerary. Today, Hope’s class gets to be the first to see the posterboard and hear more about all the animal adventures Hope is looking forward to during the next school year.

Seeing our itinerary in print has helped us further realize several things. 1. How incredibly lucky we are to endeavor a trip like this — truly a once in a lifetime experience!  2. Although we are hitting about 35 countries, this world is so huge that 35 countries is a drop in the “bucket-list.”  3. We are hardly spending time in the southern hemisphere at all! 4.  There is so much more of this great wide world to explore. But those will have to be during other “edventures.”

During this last month, our priorities include connecting with people we love; finishing well at home, school and work; sharing and celebrating farewells; and eating as many In-N-Out Burgers as possible!

P.S. Have you subscribed to our blog yet? It is the best way to follow our family edventures!