Countdown to Chaos: 17 Days

As Josh is still asleep (all the TX driving must be wearing him out), I'm going to take the liberty of writing our first journal post. Right now, we're visiting family and friends in Texas, both in Ft. Worth and Austin. The weather could be more pleasant, but the company here is superb.

We're treating today as an actual "vacation day," and will relax while exploring Austin. As soon as we get back from Texas, things are going to get really crazy! We'll have weekend trips to say "auf Wiedersehen" to family, moving days (THREE!), days of shipping cars and transferring titles, days of setting up potential travel for our dog, and of course Josh will have to do his out-processing. Out-processing, from what I can tell, involves running around all over our base (as well as travelling to a base out-of-state) to get signatures, turn in specialty uniform pieces, and jump through rings of fire at the whim of the US Armed Forces.

And then on February 7th, we'll get on the plane and hop the pond. I am very thankful that we have a non-stop flight. I know it will be long, but I'd prefer the excessive time on a plane to lugging carry-ons through terminals in Heathrow and then learning, upon arrival, that your luggage is lost. (This happened to me when I was studying abroad in Austria. It was unpleasant.)

Since this is our first post, I'll make this quite clear- you are welcome to visit, and we will try to set up accommodations that will be comfortable. You need only tell us when you hope to arrive and leave. I am very passionate about sharing Europe with everyone, and if my home can serve as a vehicle to allow people to make a trip, I'm happy to oblige. And Josh does not object. :o)

I hope you'll check this journal from time to time. We're also starting a web page, a photo sharing account, and have a joint email in addition to this journal. You'll probably learn about all four of these things at the same time, but if you're catching this early, look for links in the future! And if you haven't already, you should download Skype. It's free and will allow you to "call" us in Germany (FREE), using your computer and Internet connection as a telephone.

Wish us luck! Bis bald!