The Countdown Is On

Earlier today, we drove a couple miles down the road for our COVID travel tests. I'm thankful we were able to get all four of us in, given the surge in testing demand. The testing site would only accept appointments 24 hours ahead of time, and you had to book online. We wanted our tests done this (Friday) afternoon, as we had a 72-hour window to work within. So yesterday, I logged onto my computer at about 12:15pm -- and booked one appointment. After refreshing the website for two hours straight (no lie), I was able to book our three additional appointments. Good thing, because as I was refreshing, I was also furiously visiting other COVID test-booking sites and...nada. Every option was filled for today AND Saturday. 

Posing before our COVID tests. KN95 masks in full effect.

So now we wait. We might have results by Saturday evening; we've got all fingers crossed that we have our results before heading up to LAX Sunday evening.

We're feeling optimistic about the results, especially because we locked down our life this week. Starting on Christmas day, we stayed home, with only quick (and strategic!) runs to the grocery store. Amazon got a lot of business from us in the past few days, as we essentially ordered all outstanding trip supplies off the site. We also played a lot of football on our street and a nearby park, as Wyatt is obsessed. 

Our self-imposed lockdown felt like March 2020 all over again. The kids made their own fun, including a full-on Kids' Zone where parents were most assuredly not allowed.

Have we started cleaning up our house? Nope. Have we started packing? Nope. Have we bought tickets to Machu Picchu? Nope. But I promise we've been working on other stuff -- trip- and life-related -- and giving lots of love and treats to Roger, our boxer. Heck, we work best under pressure anyway. ;)

Happy New Year to all, and we'll write again before our departure on Sunday!

Those Post-It notes say: "Parents not allowed." And those pieces of paper on the wall? Football plays.

We're Going Nomad

In less than two weeks, our family of four (minus one boxer dog) will be boarding a flight for Quito, Ecuador. For 55 days, we'll be on the go -- seeing as much as we can of Ecuador and Peru. We're kicking off 2022 by taking a family sabbatical, an opportunity we never could have even imagined a year ago. 

The idea to pull ourselves up and out of our 'regular' lives came from my husband, Tim. Life circumstances presented us with this tremendous gift of extended travel. When we realized we would have time -- lots of time -- to hit the road, Tim poured over a map of the world, looking to see what borders were open given that we're still knee-deep in COVID.

After some poking around, we landed on Ecuador and Peru. Why? Well, for starters, there's a ton to see (think big cities, beach towns, the Galapagos, the Amazon, Machu Picchu). Also, given our travel dates of January and February, we didn't necessarily want to go someplace where we'd be stuck in winter. Ecuador and Peru are in the southern hemisphere; it'll be summer for the time that we're there. And...we could learn some Spanish (we hope)!

The trip and a loose itinerary started coming together in late September. In October, I met with our elementary school principal to ask the question: "So is it cool if we take the kids out of school for two months?" We received approval, and Tim and I knew then that the trip could really, actually, truly happen.

We continued to plan throughout October and on into November. Tim booked air travel and I read up on visiting Machu Picchu, and let's be real, how to manage altitude sickness. We started a packing list and got to hunting for care for our one-year-old boxer, Roger. Amazingly, one of my college best friends, Donna, offered to take Roger in for two months. Donna and her husband Steve already have two boxers and were game to add a third to the mix. Yes, I will owe Donna wine for the rest of my life.

Before Thanksgiving, Tim and I met with the kids' teachers to let them know of our upcoming trip. The teachers were wonderful, saying they could prep work we could take with us. They aren't under contract to prep this work, and we also didn't want to create extra hurdles for the teachers, but teachers are special people, and our two were willing to send us off with worksheets and packets.

The Wednesday morning before Thanksgiving, Tim and I sat Taylor and Wyatt down (in front of pancakes and eggs, so not that hard) and explained to them that we would be taking a family adventure to South America. The kids flipped out -- mostly because they couldn't wait to see the animals in the Galapagos and Amazon, both places on our itinerary.

And now we're heading into late December and scrambling to get it all in -- last-minute items needed for the trip (hi, hiking socks), house prep, dog prep, mail holds, COVID tests, all the things.

Our family will be blogging throughout our adventure, and we'll take you around Ecuador and Peru with us. We're excited to go nomad for a little while, and excited for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

Until next time, adios!

--Sarah