She Said: Preparations Continue

Yes, yes, I know, my once a week promise has become a once a month posting. I'm working on it. No complaining, because I assure you that when we get to Venezuela it will probably be a once a day posting for a while. We will have lots to share.

We have had visitors the past couple of weeks. My sister came and spent a couple of weeks with us and most recently Brian's sister and her family came to see the city. We had a blast with all of them! I can't tell you how fun it was to just have the time to hang out and visit. I think some of my favorite moments were sitting in the hot tub and taking the kids to the pool. It was great!!!

Today is a huge day for Brian. As I am writing this, he is taking his Spanish test. I am so excited for him to have this day behind him. I know from talking with him (yes folks, he is fluently speaking another language after only 16 weeks of training) that he is at the level he needs to be at, but I am still very nervous for him as it is a formal test. I can't wait to hear from him in a couple of hours and have that stress behind us. I am sending good luck vibes his way. I'm sure he will be blogging soon, so you can all hear about what's up next for him.

Our departure date is coming up quickly and we are in full force with logistics. Brian and I each have a notebook that we carry around to jot down the random thoughts that pop into our heads for the to do list. I am tracking consumable products that we want to take with us including toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, hair products, hand soap and various other random things on a calendar so that we can have a rough estimate of how much we will need for two years. I realized that Brian and I have been talking about this a lot and probably haven't explained why we would bring those things with us. After all, they do sell shampoo and hand soap in Venezuela. Yes, they do, but there are a few issues you can run into. First, there is a problem with rolling shortages in Venezuela. On any given day you might go to the store only to discover that there is a shortage on toilet paper and you may not be able to find it again for several months. Secondly, even when you can find things like shampoo and hand soap, they may be very expensive. Most products in Venezuela (with the exception of gasoline) are imported and are much more expensive, particularly if you're looking for a specific brand. Finally, you may not be able to find the brand or quality that you are used to. This doesn't mean that we will be transporting everything we own in mass quantities overseas, but rather that we are choosing things that are important to us and make us feel at home that we'll need and stocking up on those. That is basically what life is like for us right now. The job search is currently on hold as I sort through what the reality of my options on the ground are and explore some options at the embassy.

I just finished ordering a "Magic Jack". I'll give you the full review once it gets here, but I'm excited to try it out. Can't wait to see some of you soon on my trip to MN!! Brian and I plan to make ourselves sick by eating two years' worth of fair food in one day. Pronto pups, mini donuts and cheese curds for all!