Evolution: Additional visa pages & other prepatory adventures - TwoSouls

Goodbye to Jules and Brian

TwoSouls — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Tim and I dropped off some of our storage goodies to Jules and spent the weekend at their new home in Tahoe with our friend Jenny this past weekend... had a lot of good family time together and went on a great hike across the street from their house. I think one of the things that I'll miss most are times like these - quality time with my loved ones, especially in beautiful places. We also played a little bocce on the beach (guess who wont he first game?) and make "vision collages".

Current countdown is 35 days... one day I'm excited, the next I'm stressed (my complexion can certainly speak to that), but we know that when we step off that plane in Auckland, that the world of stress we know now will simply fade away. I can't wait to NOT have a schedule - don't have to be to work at 8:00 and free to drink expresso in the evening... ah, freedom.

Tim Overlooking the Valley

Yes, we are really going!

TwoSouls — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

So close it gives me tingles!

Here's the updated countdown...

Tim Too Please

TwoSouls — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

He's smiling now, but wait until he gets on the trail

I really need to get in on this blogging thing.
Jen...you are so awesome for creating this place to share our lucky lives with friends and family! Thank you!
So here is my first entry, and Hello to you all!
I hope you enjoy all of our updates and photos as we thread our way around the globe.
Please drop us a line anytime. We love hearing from you!
Tim

A Few Steps Closer

TwoSouls — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Can someone give me a drum roll?

The countdown is on... and we continue to scoot our way through the pre-trip planning. It hasn't been easy - Tim and I have been a little edgy with one another the last couple of months, but we also understand that it too, is a part of the journey. Dealing with such a big transition during our first year of marriage is tough - we are dedicated to the process, thankful that we are learning so much about each other and excited about what is to come.

Here's a quick run down of some of the pre-trip planning:

The end of an era - goodbye Plantronics!

- Give our notice at work. Done - offical Letter of Resignation is filed away safely in HR. It feels excellent.
- Purchase a GSM Smart phone & accessories. Done - we decided on the AT&T 8525 and Tim's had his nose rubbing up against it for days
- Purchase a lightweight digital camera & accessories. Done - Canon A720IS... we wanted a camera that could recharge on AA batteries rather than carrying a separate charger
- Purchase travel insurance. Done - to the tune of $1079 - yikes

Jen's sassy new cut

- Sell Tim's motorcycle. He's dragging his feet... go figure
- Write up LIving Will and Heathcare Directive - just in case. This should be easy due to our lack of assets, but we probably will wait for another month to check this off the list
- Jen get a haircut. Round one - Done. I figured if I didn't do it now, I'd probably never do it. It is likely to get another snip snip before we hit the road
- Finish immunizations. Done - and no nasty side effects. Free flu shots at Plantronics will wrap it all up
- Visas. Done as they are going to get for now. Indonesia and Vietnam are a bit of a problem since they will expire by the time we get there, so we decided we would handle them at the Consulate in the country we are in before entering (Australia and Thailand) - we'll get the others at the border and save money (not likely to save time though)
- Print up travel cards. Done. No, no, no - we won't lose touch with our friends and yes, yes, yes - we will meet oodles of new ones!
- More to come...

We are only a blog site away

Mission Accomplished: Labor Day Sale at REI

TwoSouls — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

PLT Flea Market - August 2007

I never thought I was the type of girl to salvate over shoes, but at REI, Tim has to follow me around with a mop. We had a GREAT time at the second PLT Flea Market on Saturday... sold another round of stuff and got a kick out of seeing our "trash" become "treasure" once again. The sales were never really about money, but more about passing along good energy and lightening our load. Because of the time of year, we had the opportunity to bestow our funky stuff to a handful of Burning Man goers on their way out of town, so it was very cool... totally worth having to re-feng shui the house last night!

REI - August 2007

On Sunday, we headed up to REI to take advantage of their annual holiday sale and we SCORED some great clothes and gear. We felt a little guilty when we saw the total on the cash register, but the money we made at the Flea Market covered it all and we were able to take our goodies home with a clear conscience. We are only shy a few things on our pack lists, but I'm hoping we can grab those on-line for a discounted price. We'll have the opportunity to break in some of the gear on our backpacking trip this weekend up near Auburn - I'll be sure to post some pics next week!

Do we get a Lollipop?

TwoSouls — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Me, whoosy? No way

Homework for Tim & Jen

On August 11th, we tore ourselves out of bed and drove to Watsonville to meet Dr. Dover for our travel vaccinations consultation. After reviewing pages and pages of dizzing information about side effects, we decided to take the plunge. Luckily, neither Tim nor I are afraid of needles... and his assistant was very gentle. Getting our vaccinations are top 3 on our list of "events that make this trip a reality" - the other 2, giving notice at work and buying our first leg tickets to New Zealand, are already checked off the list.

Dr. Dover gives us his seal of approval

Dr. Dover was an ABSOLUTE pleasure to visit with... so much so that we barely felt the needle pricks! We'll look forward to visiting him again next month to finish up the series and ask more questions about his adventures abroad. Come to find out that our insurance covers about half our expenses at the office - sweeeeeeeeet!