To infinity and beyond! Or Guatemala that is...

To infinity and beyond!

                                Can you guess where we are headed in less then a month?

"Where are we going sis?"

Guatemala! We are headed out in just a few weeks to start our next journey in Central America! We fly in on a one way ticket and will see where the road takes us. Honduras is going to be on the list, beyond that we aren't sure yet. We are all very busy getting ready.

Saule has been working really hard learning about Mayan history and studying the wildlife in Central America. She is also putting a good deal of time into learning all the relevant Spanish such as ice cream flavors, and phrases to use with other children, such as "¿quieres jugar a las muñecas?" We ordered her a dry snorkel for our time in Honduras, and she is practicing using it in the bath. 

Here are some great sites for kids preparing to go to Guatemala, or learning about the Maya:

http://www.mayankids.com/

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places/find/guatemala/

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/games/puzzlesquizzes/quizyournoodle-ancient-maya/

http://mayas.mrdonn.org/

Paulius will be working on the road, so he is going to carry his pack with his things (Including his big screen!), and I will carry my pack for the girls and I. Saule is taking her small day pack- filled with her workbooks, art supplies, and personal items. All in all we will travel with 2 small packs and Paulius larger one.

 I found a site I really like called http://www.tinytrekker.com/  and was able to get some things we needed for Saule, since she has outgrown most of her clothes. While cruising that site I found some other really neat camping gear for kids. They had great prices on things, and ideas for other quality kids stuff. And http://store.alabamaoutdoors.com/index.php also had some great kids items on sale.

I discovered a great page for a Spanish refresher http://www.duolingo.com/ It lets your listen, type, and see images of Spanish words, and is very easy to use. My Spanish is all self taught so this is a useful way to correct some of my mistakes quickly, and refresh some easy vocabulary.

Lots of other little things coming together too, Lonely Planet orders, vaccine research done, things here tied up nicely. Just a couple more weeks and we are on our way.

The truth is though, its always difficult to leave, move, uproot, even with great things to come. It was really difficult deciding what to do with this precious time- more and more so it seems as time passes. There are so many wonderful ways to spend the days, and so precious few days. Time seems to be passing so quickly.

 Fall is a beautiful time in the Hudson Valley. The leaves here are starting to turn, and all the fall festivals are in full swing. Pumpkins, apples, and migrating birds seem to be all around us. Its the last of the yard sales and the first of socks and hats of the season as we stretch  out our days with no heat. This morning the shadows here on the mountain side were covered in frost. Is our baby bear hibernating yet?

One of the hidden blessings in leaving is the way it allows you to really enjoy what time remains. I will truley enjoy our remaining days here on the mountain watching the seasons turn. Our last few days of fall at Nana and Pappy's house- apple pie and falling leaves. One last NY pizza. One more story hour. Its all so good. "Kaip mums gerai" as prochuta says.