Leaving for the last time

Turned the alarm on and left the office for the last time before we depart for South Africa.  It felt scary but liberating.  Tonight begins a chapter in our lives which will hopefully unite us and strengthen our bond. I cannot wait to enjoy our family without the everyday distractions of regularly scheduled life.  On the drive home I can already feel reality slipping away and it feels good.  

Thank you to Marianne M. who came to work at our office more than 10 years ago as a 19 year old who had never spent much time outside of her Philadelphia neighborhood.  She answered a bland ad for someone who can type and work with people in stressful circumstances.  Within the first 10 minutes of the interview, she had figured out that the people interviewing her were a married couple who worked together in the same small firm.   She then asked, "How do youz (pronounced with a hard z sound by any true Philly native) stand each other if you are together so much?"  Over the last decade we have been through so much together including the death of Marianne's parents.  For the last 5 years, we have watched Marianne raise her brother, Jesse, and in turn we have seen the fruits of her labor as he grows into an outstanding young man.  Marianne saved enough money to purchase a home in the suburbs of Philadelphia so that Jesse can attend a better school and enjoy a quiet neighborhood setting.  Now Marianne has assumed so much by agreeing to stand on the front lines of our firm while we fulfill the dream of traveling with Roman and Mabret.  Thanks, MM. We love you. 

Marianne and Jesse chillin in suburbia. 

Battery dying.  Tomorrow we meet Ray and Ed. 

Dreaming and Scheming

So I am feeling quite nervous about leaving the office behind for so many months.  I admit to the more than occasional thoughts of "what were we thinking" and "was I insane to think that we could leave the law practice that we have spent the last 15 years building and expect it to still be here when we returned."  Each time I mention the trip to a lawyer who runs a small practice or another small business owner I am met with a look of disbelief quickly followed by "how is that gonna work" and "I could never do it" and sometimes "you are insane, good luck with that".  

It has been a tough couple of days for me as the departure nears.  No matter how hard I work to tie things up and leave instructions behind, there is always another task.  I have come to realize that there is no possible way to make myself feel comfortable about leaving by tiding up the office.  I must dig deeper and remember all of the times that Kathy and I had abstract and whimsical conversations about taking our family on a trip like this.  I must focus on what this experience will do for Mabret and Roman's view of the world and, hopefully, their bond with one another and our bond with them. I realize that to a certain extent this is pure insanity.  Unless a family is wealthy (which we are not), there is enormous risk in a venture like this. There is emotional as well as financial risk.  The security of our family depends upon the stability of our business. 

However, there is a greater risk in not making this incredible adventure a reality.   Kathy and I built our relationship on dreaming and scheming together.  Dreaming of things that we wanted to do and then scheming until we found a way to accomplish those dreams.  Taking the boys "RTW" has always been our ultimate dream but the one that seemed hardest to reach.   At some point after Mabret came home with us from Ethiopia in January 2008, the discussion of traveling back to Africa and beyond shifted from whimsical talk over a bottle of wine to strategic planning while consulting maps and bank accounts.  We made significant life decisions including where to raise our family with this trip in the front of our minds.  We committed to making this a reality and now the reality is upon us.  

Just had a flashback to some of our early dates where the seeds of dreaming and scheming were planted and watered...with beer.  Shout out to Sassafras Cafe...one of my favorite spots for many reasons. 

As I finish this post, my thoughts have moved from the fear of what is ahead as I depart the law office that I have built with Kathy during the last 15 years to my dream of sitting under the stars with Kathy, Mabret and Roman while listening to the sounds of wildlife and nature as we safari through Tanzania. 

Tomorrow we will post an introduction to "our heros" that we leave behind to run the law practice as we travel the world.  

Great Friends

Last night, our friends Tanja and Art B. had Roman and Mabret over to spend some time with friends who they will miss dearly.  As the kids were looking through the blog together, they came upon the picture of Mabret's home in Ethiopia. Without even taking a breath, several of his buddies immediately commented on how cool the home is and that it is amazing that his family built it.  Good times with special friends.  

T.J., Dieter, Wyatt, Garrett, Roman, Brett, Derek and Mabret. 

Final Stages

Looks like it will all fit.  We are down to the nitty gritty of deciding what is a true necessity and what is being left behind.  Collectors Editiion Bruce issue of Rolling Stone is a necessity. Shout out to Tanja and Art Burckes for hosting a going away sleepover for the boys and their friends. 

Roman and Mabret reflect on leaving in a week

We are going to miss our friends. Shout out to all of the Wallenpaupack kids. "We cannot wait to leave but we are gong to miss our friends."  We are most excited about Africa, especially seeing our Ethiopian Family. In India we will teach other children how to play games.   Roman is particularly looking forward to teaching Minecraft.  We will miss Riverfront soccer this winter with our friends.  Go get'em teammates. We have many great memories of last winter at Riverfront.  We are hoping to find a daily soccer games as we travel.   Cheers to great friends. Keep us in your thoughts. Go Purple. 

Picking Up Mabret December 2007

As the trip grows near, I cannot help but reflect upon our journey to pick-up Mabret in December 2007.  The deep bond that Roman and Mabret immediately developed was magical.  This is the first picture ever taken of our boys together.  The book in Mabret's arm is a photo album that we sent him in advance of our trip so that he would know what his new family looked like and included pictures of the home that awaited him.  When we walked through the gate of the Horizon House in Ethiopia, Mabret ran the other way and returned clutching the photo album. 

Below are photos of Mabret's family home in Ethiopia and pictures of our Ethiopian Family. 

Mabret's grandfather was a legendary person in the village.  Below is a picture of a monument at his grave.  Mabret's Uncle is standing at the memorial. 

What We Do For Family!

Set the Alarm

      

        

Trying to make reservations in the only "Lodge" in Yirgalem, Ethiopia, the closest town to Mabret's family village.   I emailed repeated for weeks, with no response . I finally called, made the stilted conversation booking, I think ...?  When I asked how to make payment they said I must call a different phone number in Addis Ababa. The next day I tried to do so.....without much success.  Bad connection, halting English and my Amharic is non-existent, we got nowhere ( not even sure the right "connect" person.  Obviously, I was not able to properly reserve the Tutkil ( Ethiopian bungalow) and was kindly asked to call back at 10am Ethiopian time the following day to make the payment.  Hopefully the connection will be better at that time.  Hence the 4 am alarm set.....lets see if I wake up

30 DAYS - GEAR TO GO!

And Counting.....

     The final count down.

The bags are starting to get organized. Many thanks to packing cubes ( Ego Bags -best quality at best price -Amazon)

Everything needed has been ordered.

In good fun, the boys have been schooled in wallet, backpack, iPod security.

     2 PAC Safe slash proof neck lanyards for their iPods ( no more iPods left on planes, trains etc) 

Lessons in food and water safety have been taught and retaught ( use hand sanitizer frequently)

              "Cook it, Peel it, Boil it or Forget it!"

Lessons in swallowing pills completed (practiced with gummy vitamins)

      

Extra hand sanitizer, sun screen, and high potency insect repellant are ready to go! 

6 spray bottles of 24 Fl. oz. Permethrin- to pre spray all clothing

Plenty of spare toothbrushes are packed (for when someone forgets and rinses with tap water, drops or loses)

5 insect shield mosquito nets -Sea to Summit from REI

5 insect shield sleep sacks- Sea to Summit from REI

5 travel towels ( these are tiny little things silky fabric not microfiber) -Sea to Summit from REI

5 head lamps- various brands both old and 2 new

Enough prescription medications to kill loads of bad germs and such (packed in original bottles and with prescription)  Also purchased Magellan's day/night pill organizer which can hold 32 days of Malaria meds in individual ziplock packets- so we make sure everyone takes their dose everyday!

Enough over the counter meds and health and hygiene stuff to supply a small country ( thanks Judy)

Travel locks, backpack locks and 1 steel mesh backpack guard -Pacsafe Brand for when we have to lock up Bob's bag with all electronics and meds.

  Misc. Items

   Deck of cards

   Duck tape

   Sewing kit

   Binoculars

   Sunglasses

   Cloths line (REI Sea to Summit)

   Concentrated laundry detergent (Sea to Summit)

   Extra lithium and alkaline batteries

   Iodine tablets with Vitamin C

   Clip on hand sanitizers with lots extra

   Clip on sun screen

   Many packets of Antibacterial wipes

   Water tight /smash proof phone etc container (Pelican Micro Case)

Electronics 

   Headlamps

   Flash light

   Dual Voltage Mini Power strip (Magellan's small and compact)

   Plugs/USB for

        2iPods 

        1iPhone 

        1 Blackberry

        2 iPads

        1 Lap top

        1 Nikon D5000 camera with extra zoom lens-with FlexArmour cover

  SteriPEN ( cool gadget sterilizes a bottle of water with UV light in 48 secs)

  Power Monkey eXtreme-large capacity 9000 mAh lithium battery with solar panels -Magellan's

Clothing

   Boys

     1 pair dark colored pants

     2 dark colored sport shorts

     2 quick dry long sleeved shirts

     2 quick dry short sleeved shirts

     1 pair pajama bottoms

     1 pair light weight wool socks

     3 pair sports style underwear

     1 light weight water repellant jacket

     1 sun hat

     1 bandana

     1 pair Keen light weight shoes or sandals

      2 school notebooks blank

      2 leisure books (IPods loaded up too)

      

   

   

ORGANIZED  CHAOS!!!