The last two months of my life (September and October 2010) have been really strange. I never saw them coming. By the time Pat and I decided we wanted to cross the Pacific on a sail boat, we were running the wedding gauntlet (three others… not ours) full swing. Without time for research and planning, we were forced to live in the moment – a double edged sword for sure.
After the dust settled we found out sailing would require more waiting than we were willing as would teaching English in South Korea. We struggled to mentally cross reference all we knew about weather, seasons, our budget and related factors for five continents. Unable to figure out the “right” place to go, we sought out guidance and good ears from friends.
In the meantime, I had my heart set on spending some significant time with my CASA kid. She’s stable enough now that they won’t give her another CASA (other children need it more). So, I’ll continue to volunteer with her from abroad with skype dates, phone calls to people in her life, and bi-annual court reports.
Once Pat and I finally managed to pick a destination, we were left with several weeks free before departure. Budget stickler that I am, I carried too much stress about our finances. The funds I’d set aside got divided into two categories – money for “summer” and for “abroad” – with the latter sworn to be touched only when I was no longer on American soil. September and October didn’t get counted in either category, so we had plenty of opportunity to practice restraint (stress out!). We tried madly to work as we moved about with very mild success. With plenty of support, we made visits to friends and family on the West Coast, in Wyoming, in Arizona, and finally L.A.
Now, eight weeks after our last wedding, we are about 90 minutes from boarding our Air Pacific flight to New Zealand via Fiji. Now, six full months after I willingly “retired,” I am ready to be employed again! Work visas in hand, we are setting off indefinitely to have an adventure that pays us. We hope to stockpile enough resources for significant onward travel. Wish us luck!
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