4 Weeks and Waiting

It seems like it has been forever, but we're down to only 4 weeks left until we leave on our trip!  That also means it is only 4 weeks until Christmas.  Are YOU ready?  Even with all time we've had to wait before our trip, I'm afraid it is going to be a mad rush at the end.  What do we have ready?  Passpors, check.  Visa, check.  Airline tickets, check.  Hotel reservations, check.  Oops, not for Taiwan or Korea yet.  Immunizations, check.  No, wait, Dave doesn't have his.  Malaria prescriptions, check.  No, wait, Dave was supposed to pick those up when he got his immunizations.  Prescription sleeping pills, check.  No, wait, I have mine, but Dave doesn't have his.  Ahem, Dave?

Dave does have his P-cubed (pick pocket proof) pants, though.  Hidden pockets with kevlar lining.  Uh-huh. And, so cute, too.

Okay, I also have to get an Epi-pen for Makenzie.  Hey, it isn't too bad having a deathly allergy to cashews, since they aren't really used in everyday foods.  In the United States, that is.  In India, they are used in many things, so we're going to have to be very watchful.  Even with the Epi-pen on hand, we don't want to have to use it, because after you use it, you are supposed to go to the emergency room.  We do NOT want to end up in a hospital in India.

We don't want to end up sick, either, so my plan is to eat bread and drink soda from a can for 2 weeks.  Hey, I'm not missing the Taj Mahal because I'm sick.  I don't want to waste any of our service time sick either.  Okay, so we need plenty of Imodium, too.

Next, we are changing planes SO many times--10 TIMES!!--over the course of the trip, and we will for sure lose our checked luggage, so we are planning to take as much carry on as possible.  Okay, we're packing for a 3 week trip, to two distinct climates.  Are we crazy to hope to take a carry on a piece, plus only one checked bag?  We have to take the one checked, because we have to take over a bunch of supplies (such as peanut butter) to the charity.  We don't have enough carry-ons, so we will have to buy some.

As far as hotels go-I don't know how families travel outside the US, because there is no such thing as a "family suite" anywhere we are going.  It is 2 people per room.  Divide that by 6 and your accommodations add up real quick.  We almost always find a place for 6 in a room in the US.  And who wants their nine year olds sleeping in a room by themselves?

So, we still have quite a few things to do, and 26 days to get it done!! The main three things I need to figure out?  Not losing our stuff or our kids, not getting sick, not being too tired.  I'm afraid those are the three I have the least control over, too.