Well, in less than a week, the movers come to pack us up! It is strange to think that soon we will be out of our cozy, little home. We will be living out of suitcases for the next three months--Until our furniture is shipped to Spain sometime in March or April, we will be staying in either a hotel, or relying on the generosity of friends and family! The reality has definitely set in and our heads are spinning with the enormity of this move and all we have to get done, in order to make it happen. On the other hand, Poodle doesn't seem to care all that much. She's quite relaxed about the whole business! I'm not. In fact, I have an appointment with my doctor on Monday to grab some relaxation meds for that looooooong flight over!

If we happen to cross your mind, please send us some good thoughts... We could use them this coming month.

So... The responses we've received since telling people we are moving are as varied as colours in the rainbow. They range from excitement to sadness... Envy to shock... My favourite response thus far was from my sweet dental hygenist: "You're moving to SPAIN?! But that's a totally different COUNTRY! I'm SO SORRY! You must be so upset!" I think telling her how ecstatic I am, is what officially blew her mind. Her normally chatty self was silent the rest of the cleaning.

When we first heard Spain was a possibility, we were also presented with the option of moving to San Diego and could choose between the two. The knee-jerk response was to choose San Diego--It would be an easy move, we would be on the West Coast (fairly) close to family and friends, and we both love the city... Luckily, we quickly realized a knee-jerk response is a boring one and shifted our focus to Madrid. We always talk about how when we are 80 years old, we don't want to regret any missed opportunities... Turning this down would have been just such a regret! San Diego would have been safe and easy, but Madrid will be a challenge of the best kind... One that will teach us, refine us, bring joy and frustration, and most importantly--bring us even closer as a little family...

Our move is now official. Sometimes I can't quite wrap my mind around it: We are moving to Madrid. In three months. I keep trying to interject this fact into casual conversation with strangers or acquaintances, 'Oh, we won't be here in March... We'll be moving to Spain in February...' I feel like the more I say it, the greater chance it will truly sink in. Each day that passes gets me a little more anxious... A little more excited...

With Navy out-to-sea, I worry I'm not doing all that needs to be done, but he reassures me there isn't much we can do now, besides get my overseas screens done (all Military families headed overseas have to get a full medical/dental check-up to be cleared for going). Hopefully I won't get turned down for being 'excessively ridiculous'... I'm pretty sure that's a diagnosis, isn't it? I keep having mini panic attacks over imagined scenarios: We are turned down for the move because I forgot to check one little box, on some silly piece of paperwork... Or we are refused entry because we forgot to get Junie's vet letter translated to Spanish...

As excited as I am, the one thing that is and always will be hard is being away from dear friends and family... Like, this past weekend, I was lucky enough to have one of my best friends visit. We laughed and talked and laughed some more. It was beyond fabulous and the kind of weekend that just feeds my soul! Just thinking about making new friends in a country where I don't know the language gets me antsy... Girlfriends like mine are few and far in between! I'm not too worried, though. At least my husband, Junie, and I love spending time together!

Who wouldn't want to have a Spanish adventure with these two cuties?!