Why is it that when you are embarking on some important journey, new job..... whatever.... things start to go wrong?  We were in town the other day and all of a sudden the locks on the car don't work.  The key fob switch doesn't work, the switch on the inside that unlocks/locks all the doors doesn't work.  You have to manually open each and every door and only the driver's door has a place to unlock it with a key!

While Steve was in town trying to get that fixed, I opened the curtains in the bedroom and the front window is cracked from corner to corner! When did that happen ?? (Oh, and they can't fix the car until we get back from our trip.)

Now, I was organizing things in the bedroom to pack, went to get my NEW Kindle and I can't find it.  I have searched the entire house and it's gone.  I could have sworn it was sitting on my table by my chair...... NOT.

Heading into town this morning to get a manicure and pedicure.  I wonder what will happen next.

It's one week today until we're on our way.  Today, I started making lists, clothes to pack, one list for Steve and one list for me; things we are taking to our hosts; ordering a CPAP machine to be delivered to host's house (easier than carrying my own); things to do tomorrow while in town; list for bills to pay before we go; a list for our house/cat sitter so she'll know where everything is and what to do for the cats.  When I get through packing I'll put the list for the clothes in the suitcases so I'll remember what to bring home.

Planning to be away for a month is a little unsettling........ I know I will forget something, hopefully not something important.

Last year my husband was contacted by a company he used to work for about a Pension Fund he had invested in while he was employed with them.  It seems that he had become fully vested in this fund and they wanted to know if he wanted to receive this money.  He had quit working for them in 1993 and this was 2012 and the fund became available as of 2008.  They told him he would receive a lump sum check at the first of the year and a small monthly check for several years after.  The first week in July Steve got a check from the company and he said,

"We're going to England!"

You might ask, "Why England?" so here's the rest of the story.

When we lived in Seattle we met a couple from England who became very good friends.  They have since returned to England and they have visited with us several times over the years.... always asking us to come visit them over there.  Also, Steve's family is from England and his Uncle and Aunt had been over there and found the ancestral home and so he wanted to visit and go see for himself.  Me..... I just wanted to travel.

When we made the decision to go we contacted our friends, the Johnson's, about visiting with them and they were as enthusiastic as we were.  We decided to go for a whole month and really see everything we could.

The Johnson's