Thank God It's Wednesday...

...because tomorrow's Thursday and then it's Friday. I'm exhausted today! Yesterday evening I played soccer mom, filling in for a friend who is studying for the Bar Exams. Her 5 year old son hung out at our apartment for about 2 hours then I took him to his 20:00 soccer game. First of all, who in the world thought it was a good idea to have 5 year olds playing soccer so late in the evening?! I could tell he was winding down from his day and not really wanting to play, but he stuck it out till the end. I was tired too after working, stressing about Cannelle, and being unsure about how to adapt my schedule to his soccer schedule. So basically I forgot to eat dinner until nearly 22:00 and wasn't in bed till 23:00. So unhealthy!

This morning I'm wiped out and Cannelle's schedule is all off too. It turns out she doesn't like wet grass and refuses to use the bathroom when it's raining. This is something I can train around, but I can't do that in the 10 minutes I have for her basic needs in the morning. This evening I'll start by making sure she goes (even if I have to stand on the lawn for an hour) and then I'll make sure she gets plenty of exercise. I've also read that taking a dog swimming helps because they no longer feel weird about being wet, so I'll have to try that too. Anyway, this is just another thing to learn in this process.

In other news, Leigh and I have been talking about our schedules for the coming year. I have another year working as a law clerk and she will be in the same job next year. Unfortunately Leigh has more than maxed out her time off, so she's not going anywhere until Christmas and then she'll still be maxed out (thanks to companies everywhere deciding that people should use earned personal time to attend to things like deaths in the family- not cool) for a few months afterwards. On the other hand, I've been earning time off since last August and have only taken roughly 12 days or so for vacation, bereavement and sick days. Plus my job is pretty flexible (I can make up days on a Saturday if needed), so right now I still have 5 days left and I'll earn another 12 before we go back East for Christmas.

This long explanation is to outline why Leigh thinks I should go on a trip next year without her. Assuming we don't have any major unforseen expenses, I'm thinking I'll go to Europe for 2 weeks to visit some friends, see some new cities and spend a few days at Taizé. This is a far better idea than going to Asia by myself, partly because I want to share that with Leigh and partly because the places I plan to visit in Europe are very safe for solo travelers. In Asia I'd want a friend to help me keep an eye on my bags and my wallet. Europe isnt' free of theft, of course, but I'll blend in easily and I've already experienced the culture, so I can essentially hit the ground running. Bottom line: my odds for a successful solo trip are 1,000X better in Europe than in Asia. We still want to visit Southeast Asia, but that can wait a few years when we're both able to take the time off rather than it being something we've forced to happen.

IF I get to go to Europe, I've decided to fly into Vienna or Prague because I've been wanting to visit both cities for a while now. I'll spend a few nights there visiting the surrounding areas, then fly to Munich. If possible, I'd like to visit a friend living near Munich, but if she's not available to host me I will probably just make other arrangements. Then I'll take the train to Strasbourg to see that city for 2 days or so (since I've decided I'd love to move there for biz school, I should probably visit, right? Right!). Then I'll take the trian to Taizé and study with the monks for 4 or 5 days, over a weekend, before taking the train to Geneva and visiting a friend who lives there for probably 2 nights. I will fly home from Geneva. The flight will cost about $1,000 roundtrip and subsequent travel costs will be under $200. Food costs will be minimal because I will buy street and grocery food mostly. Lodging will be mostly free because I will stay with friends or find couchsurfing hosts. Presents will probably cost a little bit because I'll want to bring home gifts from Taizé, chocolate, wine, and some odds and ends for the new house plus some Christmas gifts.

However, IF I get to go to Europe I'll likely be sacrificing my new bicycle (they cost about the same amount). AND, if my medical bills are too high or something happens while moving into the new house then all bets are off. The bottom line is that I have a rather long checklist of things I need and want to do, all of which cost money, and this trip and my bicycle are tied for last place on that list. However, with some focus, some patience, and some faith I think Leigh and I can accomplish everything we set our minds to.