This nearly became the first day since I started this back in August (or was it July?) that neither Peter nor I took any pictures. However, after a moment of panic, we realized that this lovely piece of photographic art was on his phone. Mr. T at swim lessons!
I spent my day watching Mr. T in the morning so Peter could be the surprise mystery reader for Miss E's class. They all go to library on Tuesday and someone's parent or grandparent is sitting there waiting to surprise them and read a book to the class. Miss E had no idea it was going to be Peter today and she was pretty happy. After that I went to work and out to dinner with a friend while Peter took Mr. T (second from right on wall) to swim class and fed the kids dinner. Pretty standard stuff.
A few people have asked for details on Spain so here's what I know:
-We fly out May 3 and after 3 flights, 2 bus rides and 22 hours of travel, my mom, sister and I will arrive in Sarria
-We will spend May 4-10 hiking the last 110 km of the pilgrimage trail, the Camino de Santiago, or the St. James trail
-On May 10 (or 11th if we end up needing a rest day) we will been in Santiago de Compostela where we are meeting up with my Dad and our friends.
-Honore (my sister) and I will somehow make it from there to Barcelona on May 16 to fly home. This may involve renting a car, a train and/or traveling with my parents for a few days, we don't know yet.
That's pretty much it in a nutshell. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I love to travel and the thought of hiking through a country for 6 days is amazing. I have no doubt that our entire experience in Spain will be a once in a lifetime trip, especially being able to share it with my mom and my sister.
It's a good thing I'm so excited because there a few things that in the dark hours of the night, dampen the trip a bit.
1) I am terrified to fly. A certified xanex-taking, anxiety-attack-having flyer. This trip involves 6 airplane flights - 3 there and 3 back. I am afraid that the plane is going to crash and wouldn't that be awful? I mean dying in a plane crash would suck. So fearful am I of flying that when we flew to Colorado we paid the extra money to get seats in the front row so I could see the flight attendants thinking that I would be able to read the calm or fear in their faces. Now, before you all jump in here, I KNOW that riding in a car is more dangerous and that planes are safe. They fly all over the world all the time and don't crash. However, I will be getting a hefty prescription for xanex before I leave.
2) I'm going to be away from my kiddos for almost 2 weeks. Yes, they will be with Peter and yes, they are old enough that they will be fine. But the longest I have been away from them before is 3 or 4 nights. This is much longer and when I'm on the trail, I'm not even sure I'll be able to call them everyday. Again, before you all jump in, I KNOW they will be fine with Peter. I wouldn't be leaving them for this long if I didn't think that. I'm just going to miss them. A lot.
And as much as those 2 reasons tear a little at my heart, neither is nearly enough to pass up on this trip. It comes down to being brave or being fearful. I am choosing to be brave, shelve those fears and embark on an experience. As the kids get older, I want to show them also that you grab opportunities as they come by you and passing up on something because you are afraid, is almost never the right answer. (Exceptions granted for para-gliding, bungee jumping, and free climbing). I am taking this opportunity and running with it, knowing that in my old age, I will remember the May I spent in Spain hiking with the women in my family.
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