countdown: 4 days

Well, my law school community service requirement has been met. With that obligation out of the way, I'm suddenly much more excited about the trip.

Maybe because I feel that I can better focus on my final pre-trip planning and chores. Maybe because there's really only 4 days until I'll be walking the streets of Amsterdam. Maybe it's because I've been watching things like this:

I dunno the reason, but I'm super stoked and ready to get packing! (And cleaning, because 'tis always best to return to a clean house...)

countdown: 1 week

This time next week we'll be sleeping in our flat in Jordaan, Amsterdam.

In the meanwhile we're busy finalizing things like phone service and plane snacks. And diligently eating freezer meals so that no food will remain in the freezer while we're away. (Just in case of a power-outage; I hate the thought of returning from a trans-atlantic flight and having to clean rotten meat out of the freezer.)

I'm also finishing up my law-school community service hours this week, which makes things a little hectic, but I'll enjoy the trip so much more knowing that this requirement is fulfilled already and not remaining to be done during my last year of school.

Adam's leaving tomorrow to take our car to his mom's place, where it will remain parked for the duration of our journey. Somehow rural Mississippi seemed like a safer place to leave the car for 5 weeks than the streets of New Orleans. So he'll be taking the train back on Wednesday, and friends will give us a ride to the airport. This means we'll be without a car for a few days before we fly out, so I'm trying hard to remember all of the car-necessary errands so that they can be complete before the car departs tomorrow.

After my community service obligation is met, I'll have three days to get us packed and get the house ready for our absence, including instructions for the caretakers. The stress of the logistics is palpable, but as Departure Day nears, the excitement compels me to keep working to get all of our ducks in a row. After all, I'll have almost 10 hours to sleep on the plane.

Summer 2011 Itinerary

This journey will take us to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We'll depart the US on July 3 and arrive in Amsterdam on July 4. Then on August 8 we'll travel back home.

I'll be studying International Human Rights Law in Amsterdam, earning five credits over 5 weeks towards my law degree. Adam will be my chaperone and soak up Amsterdam's culture while I study.

We've booked a flat off-campus, because we're mightily attached to our grown-up lives and have no desire to reside in a dorm situation. We're arriving early and leaving late so that my schooling doesn't totally dominate our time there. (It helps that I only have classes Mon. - Thurs., with two Saturdays of exams.)

Although I'll be taking exams on the day of our 7th wedding anniversary, we'll be able to go out together in the evening to celebrate. It will be a night to remember for the rest of our lives.

We had hoped to travel via train to other European destinations (i.e., London & Paris), but can't make it happen financially. Even though our travels will be confined to the Netherlands, I imagine we'll still have a wonderful adventure.