Our lives are now consumed with getting ready for this trip. We spent all weekend shopping, running errands, brainstorming, making lists, etc. I've been cleaning like a madwoman today - partly for our benefit and ease of packing and partly for the sake of Renee, our blessed house sitter. How, on earth, do you plan for a two week trip out of the country without forgetting anything?!? I don't think it's possible. Oh well. I'm sure we'll have many adventures on our trip and if we forget something, that will just be another adventure!

I will try to post again before we leave, but I make no promises. I probably won't have anything new to say anyway. Like I said, there's really not much going on besides trip preparation. And I will not be making any posts from Europe or the boat, sorry. I'm not going to *pay* for the privilege of blogging. You'll just have to wait a couple of weeks to find out how wonderful it was and to hear about our many adventures.

I will miss our kitties. :(

I can't believe we're leaving the country in one week. In fact, one week from right now, we'll be in the air! It's too odd...

Wow, I'm suddenly very hungry! I hope Doug gets home soon. He's been working late for the past couple of weeks. It's just a busy time, for one thing. Plus, he's trying to get things at work prepared for being gone for two weeks. And we're back to that vacation thing.

I've already started making little piles of things that we need to remember to pack. All our travel documents; phrase book for all european languages; book of games for the plane ride; travel journal; money belt; so much stuff!

I'm also very excited because BSF starts next week! I only get to go to one meeting before I miss the next two, but I've missed it so much!

Wow, it's been so long since I posted a blog that I've kind of forgotten about the whole thing! I guess it doesn't help that the site wasn't working the last time I tried to make a post and then there was the long weekend and I rarely touch the computer on weekends... Anyway, I'm here now and I'm posting!

I'm also sneezing. And itching. It's taking most of my energy right now just to breathe and think. So I'm not going to have anything brilliant to say. I can tell you that my kitties are cute though. They are also the smartest cats in the world. So there.

I just finished up a pet sitting job that I was doing for several days for two dogs and two bunnies. The bunnies were really just cute and furry and didn't do much (except when i tried to feed them out of my hand and one of them kept chewing on my fingernail). The dogs were nuts though. One is a gigantic black lab and the other is a little cockapoo puppy. Totally nuts! I have rope burn on my ankle from one of our walking adventures where the little dog ran around in circles until the leash was wrapped around my ankle and then he kept on running. Ziiiiip!

A letter of thanks from Mitch Markow's family. Hope you can read it!