Two months until we embark in Boston!

I just noticed the date and can hardly believe that we are 2 months out from our grand departure to see the world (or a large chunk of it anyway). Ghana visa's are in the passports, the Indian embassy is receiving our applications as I type which only leaves China. I will be very relieved to have those taken care of in addition to all of the homeschooling forms and curriculum descriptions turned into the City of Charlottesville!

I have had many questions about what we are doing after leaving Charlottesville on July 5 until boarding the SAS ship in addition to confusion regarding the rest of our year away, so a brief description of our next 11-12 months follows:
--July will be spent in Winston-Salem (Old Salem actually). Louis is teaching the summer fellows at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) and they are housing us for the month. We also have a week in Charleston due to the field excursion part of the class.
--in August we are visiting family and friends, ending in Arcola, VA at my brother's house where we'll house our van and then take the train to Boston to board the ship
--December 13 we debark (yes, this is apparently a word) in Ft. Lauderdale Florida and will likely train to Virginia to pick up our van, see a new neice/nephew, then spend Christmas in Charlotte, NC.
--December into January we will visit with family and friends ending in Norfolk for a wedding (Louis' step-brother, Zach, and Emily)
--mid-January through mid-June we will be in Oxford, England!

While we are sad to leave our dear friends in Charlottesville we are excited to start our adventures. (Truly, we WILL be back, we have rented our house for the year if that helps assure anyone that we intend to return.) The year will certainly fly for all of us, as time seems to be doing of late anyway. Whenever we are in the States, we are available by pre-paid cell phone (434-906-0566) so please call.

Cheers!

Wow, time keeps flying! 3 weeks until move out.

Louis is due back from Jamaica on Tuesday. Soon after, if I did everything properly, 4 passports should arrive with Ghana visas (Louis already has one) and we will then apply for India and then China for all 5 of us. I will be very relieved when that is completed!

We are also set to be in Oxford, England from approximately mid-January to mid-June. However, I can't seem to wrap my mind around making plans for that until the fall is ready. We have a few connections that we need to follow-up with but most housing listings we have seen thus far are for summer or fall. I have no idea if we need visas for staying in England more than 90 days (typical for a tourist entry) or how we are getting there, in due time I suppose.

We continue packing the house and packing for various legs of our next year. The piles and boxes are starting to bother me more than usual, especially since I really do not want to venture to the attic in 90 degree plus weather! Today I enlisted the kids, yesterday was the last day of school and I can't have them bored already! Unfortunately we have run out of boxes so one more thing to add to the list.

Well, I have been trying unsuccessfully to attach a flip video as a test. My patience is waning so I'd better give up for today. Perhaps tomorrow.

Thanks for reading and more pre-travel updates to come!