Merry Christmas!

Spent a fantastic Christmas day in Nashville with family, 60 degrees and sunny. That didn't stop Hank from showing off the gear Santa delivered for the winter! Baseball bats came out as we hit the field with our nephews and the boys. Planning to take off for Bozeman Tuesday, first stop Kansas City.

Travel Food Report from Hank

I was on my way to a hotel in Philadelphia, we went to a pizza place to have lunch. In Maine getting a drink with your food would probably cost $1.00 or something more but there (Papa Gino's)if you get a drink with your food you pay 10 cents less! So to save money, you get more. Last night when I got to the hotel, we unpacked and went out for dinner at a sports pub. I ordered a cheeseburger and the service was great. The cheeseburger was a lot more filling then the ones that I've had in Maine. So far the food has been great.

-Hank

The Long Goodbye...

After packing/repacking and multiple goodbyes, we hit the road this morning. A huge thanks to the Lanes for hosting our crew over the last two nights, great dinners and cheer after two days of chaotic packing!Coffee, cookies, gifts and long hugs from our awesome friends sent us out of town as Yarmouth finally received pre-Christmas snow. Eight hours later we arrived around Philly and tomorrow will stay with friends in Virginia before Christmas in Nashville. Be on the lookout for posts from Jack (music), Grant (college campus reviews) and Hank has already taken pics of his burgers as we will be our resident foodie... Driving out of town after talking about this trip for years is a surreal experience. Tired.

Hurry Up And Wait!

We have finally hit the stage of planning that the days are starting to feel like weeks. Julie and I were telling Jack tonight that the initial visions of the trip began before Hank was even born! Now we are within striking distance of departure... It is really fun to listen to the boys attempt to explain what they think their favorite part of the trip will be. That is one of the most exciting aspects of "hurry up and wait" mode as we have thoughts about how this experience will unfold. Where will we be underwhelmed and where will we be overwhelmed?? Friends and family have been incredibly supportive and gracious while we begin to pack everything up for another round of storage. It is quite liberating to think that in a week or so we will leave the state of Maine with a car, cell phone, clothes, skis....that's all!  

pre-game

We are setting final details in motion. As we plan our trip, we have come to realize the trip has already started

Thanksgiving 2011

We shared an amazing Thanksgiving with friends today. Made me thankful that we live in Yarmouth and are blessed to be surrounded by people we love. The Lions broke our (my) hearts again but there is always next year! Finished the night at the Lane's and had a fabulous dinner with lots of laughs. So cool to have friends that you can dive into their lives and be welcomed on holidays. We are now 3 weeks from departure, perfect balance between fear and excitement...Jack is ready to move to Oregon, Grant is a bit horrified and Hank is still trying to get his arms around the entire process of leaving. Everyone we talk with now asks "you are coming back, right?"...days like this make it easy to say yes.