One Month Until Departure...

Well, we made it through the annual tour of the Central Valley of California for Christmas, and we are officially one month away from our flight date. Marc's last day of work is this Friday (12/29) and my last day is January 18th. I am taking the 2nd-10th off to pack up the house and get things ready.

The trip became very real over the holidays. There is a very good possibility we won't see some of our family again before we leave. There were a few tears as I said goodbye to everyone, including my nephew who will be 18 by the time we get back in 2008. There were two engagements during the holidays too--Marc's brother, Joel and my Maid of Honor, Jenn. The idea of possibly missing big events like these while we are gone also became very real this weekend. I guess we will find ways to deal with it. We are very happy for Joel & Lisa and Jenn & Kris. We hope they will meet us along the way to celebrate with us.

The calendar for January is packed with events for the trip. Packing and last minute shopping will consume a good majority of our days. We will also take advantage of the time to run, do yoga, and hangout at Trieste.

Check this site often for updates...especially after January 29th when we land in Quito, Ecuador.

Time to Go...

When we celebrated Thanksgiving last year we said, "when we get to Thanksgiving next year, we are pretty much there." Well, we did it. We spent the extended Thanksgiving weekend packing our drop boxes. The drop boxes include critical supplies we need during our trip. The boxes will be transported to my dad's house for shipment to Sydney and a few spots in Europe.

The trip is very real at this point. The majority of the people at our work know we are leaving, we spent a full weekend packing, and I forgot to mention, we also purchased the tickets for the second leg of the trip. Sometimes I have to ask myself if I am crazy for going on this trip, being away from family and friends for an entire year, but then I realize this is a once in a lifetime experience. Our friends and family will just have to visit us along the way.

This weekend, with the preparation of the drop boxes, really gave us a feel for how crazy January is going to be. We will have critical tasks to complete daily, preparing for the trip and preparing our condo for its new occupants. At least we are well organized and work well together under pressure.

The countdown to our departure date is 65 days, but only 36 more work days. I guess it really is...time to go!!

It's Halloween and we're 62 days away...

Back in January of this year we were in Guatemala I remember thinking... man, when we get to Halloween I know we will have made it! Guess what? Tomorrow is Halloween and it sure looks like we're gonna make it.

All systems are still Go! In fact, Laura has finally told her boss about her plans for 2007. She was so anxious about telling everyone at her work. I tried to explain to her that she shouldn't worry. I was sure her boss and coworkers would be excited for her; not angry or disappointed. Of course... I was right and her anxiety about telling everyone at work has been left behind.

Now the real anxiety... We're 62 days away from 2007 and traveling around the world for a year! Don't worry, we'll be ready to walk down the pier

Start - January 28, 2007: San Francisco, Quito, Guayaquil, Santiago, Valparaiso, Santiago, Puerto Mont, Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales, Torres Del Paine, Punta Arenas, Porvemir, Rio Grande, Ushuaia, Puerto Williams, Ushuaia, Rio Gallegos, Puerto San Julian, Puerto Madryn, Bahia Blanca, Necochea, Tandil, Mar del Playa, Buenos Aires, San Francisco, Auckland, Bay of Islands, Paihia, Rotorua/Lake Taupo, Te Urewera National Park, East Cape, Wellington, Picton, Marlborough Sounds, Nelson, Kahurangi National Park, Westport, Arthur's Pass National Park, Queenstown, Christchurch, Sydney, Hanoi, Halong Bay, Ninh Binh (Tam Coc), Hoa Lu, Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An, My Son, Nha Trang/Mui Ne Beach, Ho Chi Minh City, Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Vientiane, Savavvakhet, Pakse, Champasak, Si Phan Don, Pakse, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Mumbai, Delhi, Frankfurt, Cairo, Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Zagreb, Rijeka, Trieste, Venice, Milan, Parma, Bologne, Florence, Rome, Naples, Messina, Palermo, Barcelona, Mallorca, Grenada, Seville, Madrid, San Sebastian, Bordeaux, Brussels, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, New York City, San Francisco Finish - January 23, 2008.

100 days...

Well we're at 100...

Incredible, it seems I remember first talking with Laura about what it would take to do something like this trip just a few months ago. I remember we first talked about going for 3 months and then we figured 6 months was minimum. Well, in less than 100 days we will be headed out the door for a year.

Not much has changed since my last post a few months ago. Laura is on her way home from San Diego at this moment after yet another week of traveling for work. Over the past 14 days we have actually been within arms reach of each other 6 days. Can you imagine... that crazy woman is going to be within arms reach of me for a full year. Oooh, I'm gonna drive her nuts!

Our air tix to South America are purchased. First stop... Quito, Ecuador and we just keep heading south along the Pacific coast until we run out of land. After we run out of land we plan on heading north up the Atlantic coastline until we get to Uruguay. Then we'll be headed back through San Francisco before we head off to New Zealand and the remaining 9 months of our trip...

100 days... just 100 days.

5 months...

So, last update was 7 months and counting… now we’re 5 months and 143 days away. It’s getting very real.

All systems are still a Go.

The good news is "time" doesn't stop and with every second we are a second closer. However, the tidal wave is coming... we have several tasks that need to be completed in the last 60-90 days before we leave and the thought of getting it all done is some what overwhelming.

Just think about it, you’re leaving your home, your family and your job for a full year (not necessarily in that order). What this means is: change car insurance, change home-owners insurance, get health care & travel insurance, vaccinations, cancel subscriptions, re-route mail, move all material assets out of your home, change all utilities, lease your home out for a year, refill prescriptions, gather all clothes and gear that you will carry for a year, finalize itinerary, purchase air tix, and oh yeah... quit your job and make sure all loose-ends are tied up so you don't burn any bridges when you take off for a year.

Pile on baby... and the rule of “thirds” is still constantly being violated (see definition, March 09, 2006). Laura and I seem to communicate via Instant Messaging and Text Messaging more than verbally (see exchange below). She travels for work 2 weeks per month and I work so much we probably see each other less now than ever before. The running joke is, “Who are you and what are you doing in my house?”

Is this really what it's all about?

Session Start (mjheckman:Laura): Wed Aug 09 10:05:48 2006
[10:05] Laura: Hi
[10:05] mjheckman: hey
[10:06] Laura: how are you?
[10:13] mjheckman: fn busy
[10:13] Laura: sorry sweetie
[10:13] Laura: me too
[10:13] Laura: I didn't sleep
[10:13] Laura: and then only 30 minutes on the plane
[10:14] mjheckman: sorry
[10:15] Laura: I hate how we are both so busy and stressed out
[10:15] Laura: it sucks
[10:15] Laura: I get in at 715!
[10:18] mjheckman: ok
[10:18] mjheckman: see u tomorrow
[10:18] mjheckman: LU
[10:18] Laura: LU2
[10:48] *** "Laura" signed off at Wed Aug 09 10:48:21 2006.

Seven months sounds better than 214 days...

It seems like as we get closer time moves slower. 7 more months will be a grind... work is still consuming our lives. I'm not sure what we'd be going thru now if we didn't have the Big Trip in our sights.

The whole thing has recently become much more of a reality. We are making purchases (new sleeping bag, tent, laptop, stove, etc.); we have a list and we just keep checking off the items. We finished our 3rd round of shots for Japanese Encephalitis, Rabies and Hepatitis B. Yea... it's getting real.

The Trip has always seemed to be an "idea" or a "plan" but it is has now become actionable... with tasks and real issues that need to be dealt with.

I used to fall asleep thinking about work related issues most of the time. Now... I would say the majority of nights I fall asleep trying to calculate how heavy/light our packs will be during our treks in Patagonia and New Zealand.

Now it's just time...

Finally past the 300 day milestone...

Well we have finally made it past the 300 day barrier. Unfortunately it's going to be a major grind to make it another 10 months.

Work is only getting worse and there's no end in sight... except for 01.01.07.

As I always say... anytime one of your life's "thirds" (sleep, work & recreation) is out of whack, it throws everything out of whack.

297 and counting..........