Our departure date is drawing very near. As I sat with my 6th graders (who will in 3 short days be 7th graders and moving on to Jr. High) during a special lunch at the park, we discussed our summer plans. We all marveled that a week from today Mr. Jackson (I make them call Greg by his last name, like they address me) and I will be in Rome. It seems pretty impossible to me in light of all the things that must happen in the meantime. After all, I still need to survive the 6th grade pool party, a staff vs. students softball game, cleaning and checking out of my classroom for the year, a very emotional send-off speech in front of hundreds of parents and students, not to mention appointments at the dentist, hair stylist, and the vet. (The last one is for our cat, Nala, not for me thank goodness, but none the less I must be there.) Greg has been busy on the homestead working his way through a very long list of "to dos" that must be accomplished so that our house will be fit for us to abandon it for nearly two months. The list consists of weeding, sprinkler repair, and long over due home repair and beautification. Granted, the house will be in the capable hands of our wonderful house sitter, but of course we want it to be in good shape for her so that she enjoys her time in our abode.
In addition to me finishing out the school year and Greg prepping the house (as he finished his school year a few weeks ago), we are doing last minute travel preparations. Greg is putting the finishing touches on train reservations and I am e-mailing the proprietors of our inns and B and B's with projected arrival times. Then of course there is the physical training for the trip. We each have our own approach. I decided a few months ago, that I wanted to be in top physical shape for our travels. I decided if I was going to haul my butt all over Europe, yoga and weight training alone were not going to cut it. I needed cardio! So, I altered the P90 X program I started in October and switched to only 2 days of weights, 3 days of abs, and 4 days of "jogging" per week. The "jogging" has been a very gradual process. At first I was alternating 1 minute of running and one of walking. I've finally built up to jogging for about 20 minutes. I'm feeling strong, fit and ready to walk many miles of cobblestone streets with ease. My dear husband, Greg, has taken another approach. He has packed his backpack with all of his clothes, toiletries, etc. and worn it around the house (and a few times around the block). He will occasionally run really fast for a few yards, imagining he is trying to catch a train as it is about to pull away. Only time will tell which of our training programs has best prepared us for this trip. After years of traveling with Greg though, I've learned he's the consummate boy scout, always prepared. So my money is on the guy with the big backpack sprinting around his living room. Wish us luck!
Training in full pack gear.
