one more day!!

On this day in history: 8/23/2008.
Madalyn and Haley land in Dublin. SUPER jet lagged, SUPER excited about our upcoming semester in Italy. Coming back full circle...

it's just Tulip Talk.

For us, the adventure starts when everything falls apart.

I think we're off to an interesting beginning: just received an email from our hotel in the Netherlands and simply skimming it you'd find the phrases "unpredictable accident" and "fire disaster"... hmmm, what now?!

We've been informed to move hotels. That's more like it. Throw us the curveball.

Travel's become pretty easy - click here: got your plane ticket, click there: rooms booked, swipe that: nice crisp bills instantly in your hand. Not to say I'm not thankful, but it's removed a little of the authenticity of experiential traveling. Adventure, mishap, and survival. Rarely are travelers ever in true danger, and yet on some level that's why we do it, right? We want to risk something, to have our very own adventures, to have to re-route halfway through, to dodge real-life fire disasters..

So, one week till Madalyn & I leave: here's to unpredictable accidents that (hopefully) turn into unregrettable memories. May our quest for adventure stay insatiable.

every journey begins with a...new pair of converse.

So I bought (and by "I" I mean I guilted my mom into buying me) a new pair of converse. I was contemplating getting an all white pair because they are so hot right now, but they didn't have them at Kohl's. Instead I went back to my roots, the classic black ones. I'm pretty happy with my decision. I'm thinking of giving them a special photo album and documenting all they places they go. Last round in Italy I had grey ones. I loved them so much, they had a really full life and I hope for these new ones to have the same. Italians love converse, it's a fact. With my new kicks, I am going to just blend in seamlessly with the locals. (I don't know if I can say the same about Haley's cowboy boots.) I'm also being really economical by buying mine here in the states because they are so much more expensive over there. Buying those shoes has made me feel so much more ready for Italy. Now I am confident that no matter what I wear, my feet will be looking fresh.

Lisa (shout-out), I went all lower case on the title because I was inspired by your blog.

In case of emergency:

In case any of you out there are concerned at any time about our safety in the next year... maybe it’s justified.

Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s chief executive, has recently been in talks about the introduction of a standing area with “vertical seats” at the back of each of the airline’s planes. Retrofitting the planes with the new “seats” would allow passengers to be strapped in while standing up, satisfying safety regulations that require travelers to have a seat belt on from take-off and landing.

Conveniently for us, safety testing will be carried out in the next year. Really, if we participated in the research it would all be in the name of science, or more importantly, the FUTURE right? Is the risk worth the reward? With these standing flights at €4 - €8, I’d say “hell yes, it’s worth it.” It's not news that either Madalyn or I generally take any chance to save a little cash. Take a look:

*hugs

an aspiring minimalist

FACT: Trip enjoyment is inversely proportionate to the amount of crap in your bag. (Dublin ‘08, anyone??)

What Madalyn said is sadly true. I have a tendency to pack for every contingency - better bring 100 bobby pins in case I lose the previous ninety-nine, better bring a flashlight in case my book light dies, better bring a sewing kit in case I all of a sudden decide to actually fix my clothes instead of wearing them regardless...connect the dots and it’s easy to see that carrying a mule-worthy load is inevitable. Stay tuned to see who survives the shoot-out: the packing list vs. my own stubborn disposition. But alas, for today, the boots stay.

Packing!

Well the count down to our departure date is 56 days. I have come up with a new, and maybe a little ambitious, packing goal. My goal is to only bring a hiking backpack. I think it's possible Haley thinks it's crazy. I'm very proud of Haley though. I saw her packing list, and it was not really that excessive. She limited herself to 4 dresses (this is big for Haley), and 5 cartigans (I may have convinced she only needs 3). AND she's only bringing one pair of boots, and no they aren't her purple cowboy boots, however they are the heaviest and tallest boots she could find.

I don't have a packing list quite yet...but off the top of my head, a t-shirt, basketball shorts, and just fill the rest of the space in my backpack with underwear...that's just tentative though.

If you feel like you have some packing wisdom to impart, please do!