Well, we have 63 days to take-off and it’s been a wild ride so far.  Two of our travellers, Jacob & Léa (my 2nd “daughter”), moved home temporarily….yes our nest is a little less empty. And, my consulting gig in Ottawa ended so I have moved home too! So we have been very busy moving two apartments into our house and finding space that doesn’t exist. Frustrations have mounted at times but we’ll get through…and most of the time we all enjoy each other’s company.

It sounds crazy but this is the first time since 2008 that I have been working in my home town for an extended period of time. Between being located for long periods in other parts of the country or world, or having a commute into the city of 5 hours per day, my husband had gotten used to managing the house on his own and relied on my mom for company. I think I’m cramping their style! Now with Jacob & Léa home to boot, I’m sure he’s ready to fly the coop himself.

Instead, we will all fly the coop together for a well-deserved getaway. And this time we are planning for 9. It’s a large group and the logistics have been a little crazy. Dave & I, along with our son Jacob and his girlfriend Léa, our daughter Victoria and her boyfriend Graeme, my mama Betty and Léa’s parents, Christine & Robert, will fill a large home in Eleuthera. The house/puppy sitter has been booked. Flights are booked. Beach is waiting!

Now we have some logistics to figure out.

1. Determining what groceries we can bring and what we should pre-order. Apparently, we can fly with meat that is from Canada as long as we have proof (labels / receipts), so we will plan to pack a cooler for the Paleo in the group who is also allergic to some seafood (happy to hear if anyone has done this successfully or had issues in the past!!).
2. Getting dinner pre-cooked on the beach for the first night there – an indulgence after a long day of travel
3. Finding the best solution, preventative medicine or treatment for “no-seeums”. These nasty little creatures left Dave scratching for half the trip – although he seemed not to notice until we crawled into bed and the alcohol wore off (again – happy to hear from others who successfully beat these little critters)

There will be more to do, I know. But 63 days is a long time…right?