Pregame Jitters

Currently, I’m taking a cheeky moment to rest before the busy stressful travel night begins. I’m curled up on my bed with my furry sleepy Halle cat asleep at my feet, nursing a bit of a headache and scratchy throat. Par for the coarse perhaps? Isn’t it always the way, to be fighting a bit of a bug on the lead up to something long awaited? The journey before the journey is noteworthy in and of itself, don’t ya think? Planning, packing, excitement, prepping the kids, explaining, stress, phone calls to the airline to sort out seating arrangements, bookings, directions...the list is certainly long.

Traveling alone or with Trevor is one level of preparedness but traveling as telnas is quite a few notches up the ladder. I feel prepared now. Our luggage is packed and waiting to be hauled to the car. Months of chats, research, connecting with Trevor’s relatives and excitement is now to be realized. I feel ready.

Our goals for this trip - well, we hope to adventure with our four kiddos together abroad. Show them a little slice of this enormous planet we live on and give them a taste of what international travel feels like. Manage jet lag. Manage tiredness and hunger and new surroundings and new languages and meeting extended family all at once. Grow and expand our minds and hearts. Possibly even get bitten by the travel bug. I can’t wait to watch and witness and steward our crew through the coming few weeks.

Maybe our kids will get answers to questions they didn’t even know they wanted to ask as well. What does it feel like to touch the ice and snow of a glacier in Iceland? How do you feel standing in a sea of tulips in the Netherlands? Will we be able to sleep sitting up as the plane rumbles through the sky towards Keflavik? Let’s be honest, Trevor and I are asking this last question to ourselves too. Fingers crossed we all get a bit of sleep tonight.

I’d say we’re ready. Ready logistically and ready to realize these goals we’ve set out for ourselves. Ready to feel and grow and learn and share laughs (and possibly the odd tired tear too). Together.

Telnas 2018 trip has begun!Read more