Easter Day... and away we go!!

What an amazing day!  After weeks of organizing, cleaning, and packing, Leroy and I woke up on

Off on an adventure!

Easter morning with almost all preparations finished.  We were able to focus on services at church and enjoy the many good wishes and expressions of care from the wonderful folks there.  I was especially happy to have both my kids at church, seated in the front row!  We left exhilerated and thankful, then headed to brunch for some final family time before being dropped off at the airport by Olivia and Erik.

We are now happily settled into our room at the Fairfield Inn by JFK Airport.  Travel arrangements went as planned for today, and we are hoping that's a good omen the long journey ahead.  The driver of the shuttle from the airport made chit-chat with us and was astonished to hear our travel plans.  He said he'd never heard of anyone traveling for three months overseas... with so little luggage!  The young woman who checked us in at the hotel also wanted to hear about our trip, which she declared was "awesome!"

Best part of Easter: Spending time with Erik and Olivia!

I am most definitely feeling grateful for a good day, for a supportive church community, for a loving family, and for three and a half months of adventure ahead.  Tomorrow we're up extra early and back to JFK before 6 am for an 8 am flight to London and then Cyprus.

While we were wating for our flight to JFK, Leroy and I both remarked on how surreal it feels to finally be starting this trip.  Two years ago, our departure seemed very far away.  The last few months have actually passed rather quickly with so many preparations to be completed by the Easter deadline.  I'm hoping time will slow down now so we can fully savor the new experiences we'll share.

Time for some sleep!

Two Weeks and Counting...

Time has moved at warp speed since the start of the new year.  Easter is two weeks away, and so is our sabbatical trip departure.  Any free time I can find during Lent is filled with last minute travel details.  In the past couple days, I've ordered a "Tillie" hat for sun protection in the desert, filled an anti-bacterial prescription, paid ahead on my life insurance, and arranged for a car rental in Cyprus.  Today we're briefing the family renting our house for three months on the quirks of the heating and cooling systems.  A week of vacation requires a lot of planning; prepping for 3 1/2 months away is a bit overwhelming!

Next task: packing!

Thankfully most of the BIG arrangements are complete.  We will stay in twenty-eight different rented places between now and mid-July.  Most are private homes or apartments rented through Airbnb.com.  We've arranged for fifteen air flights, several boat trips, a few car transports, and some train travel.  The hot air balloon trip and gondola ride are the next level of detailed planning to work on. :-)

It is exciting to contemplate the adventures ahead.  I will share stories and photos from afar, assuming  technology does not fail me (and I do not fail to use it correctly!)  Thankfuly, most of the places we are staying provide wireless access.  I am typing this post on my Ipad to make sure I am able to blog from the tiny computer that will be my constant companion while traveling.  Leroy will be my constant companion, too, of course, and his company is much more enjoyable than the Ipad!

I will be off Facebook for the entirety of our trip.  Other than family members, only a few people will have access to the email address I've set up for the sabbatical (for emergency purposes.)  It's strange to think about disconnecting to that extent from my daily life here in Western New York, but that is the essence of a sabbatical and it is an expection of the Lilly Endowment in providing the clergy renewal grant.