THREE MORE MONTHS!!!

Holy cow, time just seems to be flying by at this point. Three months from today, Linds and I will be doing our final prep to fly out March 2nd. It seems surreal to think that our trip will actually be happening. I think about all that we'll see and do, and it just doesn't seem to be phasing me at this point anymore. I'm sure as the months progress, the excitement will build. After all, this trip is going to be an adventure, and what kid doesn't like adventures!?

This month, we only had one thing that we had to do for the trip, and that was to get new walking shoes. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to get a good pair of walking shoes! You see, after researching what to look for in a good pair of walking shoes, there is a definite checklist to watch out for:

• Are the shoes comfortable (a no brainer, but still important)
• Do they support your natural walk
• Are the the right width and size for your feet
• Is the insole comfortable and durable for heavy use
  

If any one of the above criteria are not met, then it's honestly just a waste of your money. Your feet demand those criteria in order for them not to ache at the end of the day, and that's what we're looking for. It's been hard mainly because shoe stores SUCK. The staff don't know much of anything, and the selection of shoe sizes and shoes are so VERY limited. Three times I've found the perfect shoe, only needing it slightly larger, or with more or less width, and they don't have that particular version of the shoe in stock.

Sufficed to say, we haven't bought the shoes yet. It's simply not worth spending that kind of money unless the shoe will do what you're paying for them to do. I'm hopeful and excited though, a brand new Mountain Equipment Co-op is opening in Burlington right down the street from our house. They have a fairly good selection of shoes, so they're kind of my last hope right now. If we can't find a good pair of shoes, we're both just thinking of getting a good insole and using our current shoes.

This month will see much more happening, as we're finally down to crunch time. I'll be securing a car this month, as well as booking some accommodations. I've already figured out the car bit, and have a list of hotel and motel options for the trip, so it's really just a matter of putting it all into motion. That's the nice thing about being anal in terms of planning, everything is pretty well laid out. That's about all on the trip front, except for trying to get more intense with my language building. I've dabbled in the Italian now, and brushed up on my French, however I want much more for each language under my belt before we go. I'm starting back into the French right now to get it fairly strong (at least in the sense of tourist French). I figure by mid January I'll start into the Italian with more dedication, and hopefully be able to get by with the basics.

Christmas is less than a month away now, and I'm loving this season so far. Linds and I put up our Christmas lights last Saturday, and our tree on Sunday. It's so nice to have all that up, I love the atmosphere of Christmas lights and decorations. True to the past two years, I've added yet another segment to our outdoor lights with a set of three cone shaped trees that come with white lights attached to them. The tallest one is about three feet tall, with the other two smaller. I'm pretty sure that by the time we end up moving out in about seven more years or so, we'll have a house resembling that of the Griswold house in the movie "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation". :-)

Most of our Christmas shopping is done as well, as we basically know what we are looking to get for our families. Lindsay's family is all done, minus a few small gifts for her mom and dad, and my families gifts are either bought, or at least we know where and what we want to get them. It should be another fairly relaxing December, which I like. My brother is coming down on December 22nd (or sometime around then), and he'll be bringing my digital camcorder that I bought through amazon.com a couple months back now. I can't wait to see him, and to play with the camera. It'll be great to take in the Christmas footage this year and get accustomed to the Camera, so that's exciting.

Well, that's about it. Work is still super busy, and I'm continuing my trend of super productivity, hence the time to blog during the day for the first time in like forever. Hope to blog again sometime soon in December, so stay posted! Cheers!