Enjoying The Countdown To The Beginning? Maybe

Road School

We have pushed back our leaving date to Nov. 30. Mainly because we have not finished some of the essential things we have declared essential and then there are the things we never thought about. Like making a cake in the shape of an RV (aptly named "Road School") for Jasper to bring into school tomorrow for his final 1/2 day with his classmates in the 4th grade.

He is very excited. We are caught in the middle some where as this has been a great year for him and he is progressing nicely with his studies. I am sad, a bit, as this is a very social year for kids this age and Jazz actually has his first girl friend. She is really cute. It feels kinda odd to be taking him away from all that experience and growth in spite of the experience and growth he will have on the trip over the next year. I am certain it will all be more than fine as soon as I stop being emotional about it!

His teacher Mr. G has been just great for him and for us and we are very appreciative for the exceptional support that Jasper and we have received as part of this school. We have loved being involved and enjoyed all of our interactions and all of the teachers, staff and administrators that we have been involved with.

Our other details, like renting our house out for the trip and completing on business projects, choosing what we are taking with us, finishing the house, setting up people to help and support the house and the people living here while we are gone, how they will park, how we will get our mail, how we will collect the rent and pay bills and many hundreds of other Blah, Blah, Blahs, have been consuming.

Although we have had some fun in this process... it has been more work than play. Most likely due to the way I envision how it should go and look for evidence of how its not going that way. Also, as Meg pointed out today, for me it has not lived up to some mental image of what I held it should be like when you are getting ready for something like this trip and from my perspective I actually look a lot to her to see how she is doing to gage if we are having fun yet. If she having a good go of it then we must be having fun. I find myself not bringing fun to the process and worrying about it simultaneously. Thus I have had some disappointing thoughts and some despair regarding our lack of ongoing joy and lightness. Lowering my expectations can often occur as giving in to me so it has been a challenge. Maybe It will get clearer as we get on the road and I can view it in the rear view mirror of my life. Perhaps you will get to read about it in a future short written dropping. I hope so, I could really use a fresh perspective on this issue, which seems to be part of my conditioned way of being, my hard wiring. It is so challenging to be an observer of your own ways. But this is one of those things that interests me the most.

One of the funnest bits!!

The set up and taking of these photo's today of Jasper,s class and him with this teacher was definitely one of the fun moments and touching too.