July 31st at 7:00 a.m.

(posted by: Stacy)

The above is our official date and time of departure.

In many ways, I'm still in denial that we're actually leaving. I feel like we're taking an extended vacation, or perhaps that we're temporarily relocating and will be back in a few weeks. It just hasn't really hit me yet, I guess.

One thing I'm not in denial about is the packing that I have to do. Oh, lordy, is it a lot! Last week, we found out that US Airways has an embargo from June 2 - September 1, limiting travelers to two checked bags, one carry-on, and one personal item. I have to fit my whole life into four bags!

But that's okay. In many ways, it will be a sort of cleansing experience. Ridding myself of the old, embracing the new, learning to cope with less "things" around. A tidier house, less laundry, less stuff to worry about - it doesn't sound so bad. That being said, it's not easy to whittle down the stuff from my three bedroom townhouse (of which I own all of the furniture, the washer and dryer, and almost all of the kitchen items) and cram it into four little pieces of luggage.

Aside from the packing crisis, we're finding out more and more about our new home every day! I found a Facebook page yesterday that has photos of the kids and the school. The school looks pretty amazing and the kids are adorable. We're also running into difficulties with banking and mail, but we'll get it all sorted out eventually. (And, on a side note, I finally found my passport yesterday - yay!)

I can't wait until I have some of my own photos to post, but in the meantime, here's a few photos of Santo Domingo to enjoy: