When Josh and I first started planning this move I started feeling excited and nauseous. Now I’m sitting here in the airport, missing my dogs and waiting for the first time my foot will touch soil, not from the US. I have 13 hours to write, pray and think. Some people have questioned why we are doing this short-term trip so close to planning to move. Well, the things we do affect others. We originally planned this trip before we planned to move. We felt it was important to mean what we say and follow through on our commitments. I feel we have been rewarded for this. Darek is going to introduce us to some of his friends in Berlin, this provides us with some contacts before we have even officially moved. Secondly, this provides some comfort to our families. They feel better about the fact that we will have at least been to the country first. While Josh and I both feel this trip will not change our minds (Does anyone hate Europe in a week?), we understand this move proves to be a major change and will affect us greatly. Every resource and preparation helps. I think another reason is to solidify our resolve. Already we have pushed our departure date back. We want to make sure we do not lose our drive or commitment. We have watched as people become slowly satisfied with less. They hate their jobs, their homes, etc. yet they continue to live in that exact same situation. We decided we wanted to achieve more.

Honestly, on my own, I am very slow to change. I tend to be overly content in whatever situation I am in. I think that is why Josh has been so good for me. He strives to be more, to do more and that pushes me further. He operates best with a clean home, I do too, but on my own, I would be fine with a larger mess until one day (after it is overwhelming) it hits me and I realize I’m miserable. He makes me notice these things sooner. So here I am, not moving yet, feeling nauseous and excited. The reality hasn’t set in. within 24 hours I will be on the other side of the world. Flying is great because from Chicago, NY, any international airport you can be to Europe in 13 hours. I think that could be the advantage of the horse and buggy and ship days. While I would not want to take that trip at all, I realize one advantage is the time it takes. Coming to grip with the fact I will be in Germany soon is surreal to me. If I were stuck on a boat for weeks my mind would take that reality in smaller steps. Instead, soon I will be flying and in less then a day I will be somewhere thousands of miles away.

For those who have been following me, rest assured I will return. But I will be taking a break this Saturday to enjoy Germany. You all will get my German stories when I get back. But for now, Auf Wiedersehen!