Aloft

Ahhhhhh.

FINALLY done with all that house-crap. At the risk of repeating myself: moving sucks. But thank goodness, that is all behind us now. As of about 5 hours ago. Now, crawled up in bed at the W Hotel, Aloft, PDX, life is good again. This hotel is sa-weeet. Had dinner at the bar, room temp is set at 75. We all have pink cheeks and we have cracked open the bottle of champagne meant to be opened yesterday for M's 40th.

I think we're enjoying it more tonight (even though K-man is having a tizzy because he doesn't want to go to sleep while Daddy's still up watching the Laker game.)

Tomorrow's agenda: breakfast at the IHOP next door to the hotel and head to the airport. Oh- and bummer that I'm missing Joby's 'Watch The Royal Wedding Party' so I might have to catch the highlights on CNN.

Good night. Sleep tight.

5 days.

Our house looks like a refugee camp. Seriously. Ok, minus the other refugees. It's just the four of us, which is a pretty roomy refugee camp. But it's pretty grungy, nevertheless.

Hilarious happenings this week:

- Audrey saying to me, in all seriousness (and with this very grown up look on her face): "You are CREEPIN' me out, lady." (after I asked her whether the snail she'd been playing with outside, had hitched a ride inside on her clothing.)

- Kellen grabbing my cold coffee and attempting to drink it when I turned my back for 15 seconds. It was ALL over him. I took a picture- which is hilarious. But unfortunately, I accidentally took it in a 'mode' that I haven't figured out how to export from my camera.

- Kellen figuring out that 'the squeaky wheel gets the grease' and really finding his 'squeaky voice'. Holy cow. Life was much easier before he figured this out. He is getting FEISTY.

Tomorrow is Easter and I have a very sad feeling about being so absorbed with moving and getting ready for this trip that I have neglected to prepare my heart for - and really absorb the meaning of these 'holy' days. Yes, I know that all days can be 'holy'. But over these past 10 or so years, I have really come to treasure the season of Lent and how it helps me to get re-centered on the things that really matter. Mainly, internalizing that still Inner Voice of Love...and letting it change the way I live.

Instead, this year I have been focused on organizing, purging and buying stuff. Old stuff, new stuff. Packing tape, clothes and so on. I'm looking forward to a time of retreat at Taize. Of course, it won't be the way it was when I went there pre-kid. Still, M and I are going to trade off going to the prayer services and just being in such a peaceful, beautiful place is very conducive to solitude.

15 Days...

...-well, almost 14 until we have the last of our things moved, and then on to Europa.

Several friends have requested that we revive the blog for the occasion so that we can send out updates from our trip along the way.

It is strange to be taking a trip without going to Denmark...also strange that it still feels in so many ways like the home-country of my heart and yet I've now been back in the U.S. for nearly 9 years! It's very, very hard to believe. Time does indeed fly.

Back to our trip: we start in Paris, then to Taize, then on to Italy- where neither of us have ever been. We've been dreaming of it since our honeymoon. Not sure we ever imagined that our first visit would include two wee-ones, but we are just so excited to be going, and to be sharing it with them. Obviously, none of this would be possible if we weren't able to do our work from just about anywhere. The time-difference makes things a bit challenging, but very doable.

In Italy, we're staying in Lucca for a month, where we've rented our good friend Michela's aunts' house. Then we're taking a ferry to northern Sardinia where we'll stay for two weeks, then drive to the south, where we will also stay for two weeks. At the beginning of July, we'll visit Rome for a week, and then back home to Portland.

So there you have it. The quick run-down of our plans.

Wanna come?

P.S. This pic of K-man and I was taken yesterday at A's preschool. My little dude.