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I started a new, mulitple-people-friendly blog to talk about my Peruvian adventures. You can read my PC entries here.

Arrived!

We made it to Peru, despite all of Anthony's naysaying. Right now we're in temporary housing, as they gave our home to some Master Seargent a few days ago, while he waits for his house to be ready. In any case, the temporary apartment is about 30 times the size of our condo in DC and we're still trying to figure things out. Two days later and we now think we have a handle on where the grocery store is.

Anyway, I'm still pretty beat - sore throat, headache, achy, exhausted. So I'm going to keep this short and get back to you all at some later time. I just wanted to let you know that we all (including Grace and Pookie!) arrived safely.

Updated schedule re: leaving for Peru

now til 6/30: North Carolina
6/30 til 7/3: Washington, DC (but I probably can't see many people b/c I'll be separating my things into piles for the movers)
7/3-7/11: Massachusetts
7/11-7/13: New York
7/13-7/17: Washington, DC at the Hotel Helix
7/17: depart for Peru

If you're interested in seeing me before I go, take a look at the schedule and try to plan accordingly. I'm not sure that I can fit in everyone or everything or even anything, but I will try.

Driving to North Carolina

A family that travels together, stays together, right? So we drove down to North Carolina with both Grace and Pookie. Grace is a veteran car-rider, but Pookie? Well, let's just say he survived a few drives to my office to pick me up from work and had no lasting trauma.

The drive from DC to Charlotte takes approximately eight hours, when Anthony isn't allowed to drive 100mph all the way. And the furry kids are packed in the backseat of Bubba (our very beloved Jeep), along with our luggage, two plants, a bag of kitty and puppy crack (i.e. their toys and food), my backpack full of library books and my computer, and whatever else we could stuff back there. Basically, there isn't much room in the car.

So we start out the ride with Pookie on my lap, wrapped up in a beach towel, kitty-sausage style. Although his eyes never shrink below the size of a mid-sized potato, his full-on paralysis eventually weakens and he is desirous of some hiding. He hides in that tiny area between the seat and the door, then moves to the area where my feet go but so far up that he is practically touching the underside of the dashboard, and then he moves to the backseat with Grace. Grace isn't so desirous of his company so she keeps sitting on him. (I can hear her thoughts now, "Squish the kitty! Squish the kitty!")

After a few minutes of "Squish the kitty!" Pookie starts to pant, which is the tipping point for me to lose my ever-loving sh#!, yell at the dog, and forcefully move Grace across the seat by injecting my thumb up her butt.

This goes on and on for hours, when I finally get the bright idea to pull the kitty out of Grace's tush and set him back on my lap. Silly me, I think this will be COMFORTING to Pookie.

Instead, Pookie is still terrified and keeps shoving his head in my armpit. Like those five-year-olds that think that you can't see them just because THEIR eyes are closed, Pookie feels completely invisible with his whiskers tickling my underarm.

Yet just as he begins to feel all safe and warm, a semi drives past, making that special noise only semis can make. The terror races through the cat, causing him to get warm - or so I think. I let Pookie go, and he crawls into the backseat, right under Grace's butt again.

Then I realize. MY CROTCH. STILL. FEELS. WARM.

That damn cat! He peed on me. We are officially no longer friends.

Our new home, but with someone else's stuff in it.

The following are a few pictures of our new home in Lima, Peru. Boy, do I EVER hope that single roll of toilet paper is still there when we arrive.

Feels like forever

Anthony and I celebrated our four-year anniversary by going hiking in Shenandoah National Park. I don't know if it means anything, but .25 miles from the parking lot, the heavens opened and we were totally deluged with rain.

Crossed fingers

I hope no one is waiting breathlessly for an account of the past few weeks. There has been much to do, and there is still much to do. And in the blink of an eye it appears we will be in Lima. I am still working on nailing down my Spring semester so I can finish graduate school, and Anthony and I are attempting to figure out what the hell it is we are doing with this whole move, but visit our families first schedule. And Saturday I leave for Colorado to try to relax – you know, by climbing the Rockies or something (whatever it is that Eric has planned for Marilyn and I). Then I have less than 2 weeks of work, we travel to NC for almost 2 weeks, we pack out of our condo, we travel to MA for almost 2 weeks, we spend some time in the NYC area so we can see the Dropkick Murphys and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and then we drive to Miami to catch our flight to Lima. If you have magically, mystically been left out of the schedule, I am SO SORRY, but the planning has been left up to Anthony and by that I mean, very little planning is being done and we are flying by the seat of our pants. Perhaps you could call me to tell me how much you love me…? While I still have a telephone, that is.

So if you missed me, here’s the quickie update: I am well, Anthony is well, the furry children are well, and the extended family is well. All’s well.

Great, now I can get back to work….