Take a 5 Minute Break from What You Are Doing....

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

And enjoy the simple indulgence of letting your mind wander and absorb some of the beauty of our world.  May you take five minutes and be inspired, like I was...

http://matadornetwork.com/tv/6-years-7-continents-24-countries-1-mega-timelapse/

Enjoy!

Collecting Information, Not Stuff!

It's been a while, I know.  The weeks have been busy and weekends the same.  I can't believe we are already into June.  Plus, we haven't made any great strides recently, so there wasn't a ton to report.  However, I was thinking about the trip as I watched May turn to June, and of course, on May 31 I had a dream that it was December.  We were leaving in January and nothing had been done!  Consciously I know this won't happen, but clearly, I also have a bit of anxiety about of how much we have to do and how fast I know time will fly by!

One thing I have done, however, is started collecting more books and research.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

From Amazon.com I purchased the following:

•  Lonely Planet The Career Break Book (General Reference)
  Joe Bindloss, Andrew Dean Nystrom
• SIX MONTHS OFF: How To Plan, Negotiate, & Take The Break You Need Without Burning Bridges Or Going Broke                                                                       Hope Dlugozima, et al
• Escape 101: The Four Secrets to Taking a Sabbatical or Career Break Without Losing Your Money or Your Mind

  Dan Clements, Tara Gignac

  
  
  So far, I've read most of the third book.  It was smaller, less intimidating, and I pretty much skipped the first section which was all about convincing the reader that this was something they could do.  Clearly I don't need that...although I enjoy the support and confirmation!  I didn't learn anything mind blowing, but there were some helpful tips.  I will try to do a more complete book review at a later date.

I've read parts of the second book listed as well.  This one is longer and contains more specifics, from what I've gathered so far.  It's a book I would like to hand to someone that doesn't really understand why I would want to do this and is afraid of what will happen to my "normal life" while I am gone. 

I haven't really gotten into the third one - I was sort of saving it.  It looks to contain a lot more detail and specifics, so it should be helpful and applicable to us.

I've also gotten a tour book about Europe from AAA, as well as a book all about Eastern Europe from a coworker who once took a specialty class about the area.  The book is from 1996, so I'm wondering how accurate some of the information will be and even if some of the countries still exist!  Either way, it contains a lot of history and some specific travel/tourism information which may or may not be applicable to our preferred way of travel.  Either way, I think anything I can learn will be beneficial.

As much as our upcoming adventure is always on my mind, it's hard to find the time to sit down and "work on" trip-related stuff.  I guess it's because I can be a bit of a procrastinator...I always get everything done, but I definitely work best under pressure.  I guess it's OK...we have time and there are lots of things to do.

Currently, I would say I am doing best on general research, especially information I find on social media sites.  Plus, hubby and I are both doing great with cutting back on our spending and accumulation of stuff and really working on clearing out instead.  It's a great feeling.  Now we just need to have a garage sale, and take our clothes to consignment shops!

Baby steps...