Making Many Lists, Checking Them Twice

As our date of departure quickly approaches, there are so many things we need to do. It's extremely important and helpful to make lists and write things down whenever I think of them or read about them because with all the busyness of work, regular life and the holidays, it is easy for things to slip through the cracks.

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It's been an eventful week.  Here's what's been done trip-wise, and trip-related:

• Been diagnosed with Celiac Disease
• Booked our Galapagos live aboard diving trip and made payment
• Secured dive insurance
• Made an appointment for our immunizations
• Made a doctor's appointment for a checkup and to acquire Malaria pills (needed in South America and possibly other places we may be)
• Connected with other Celiacs on Twitter - even traveling Celiacs!
• Shared our plan, tentative destinations, and excitement with more family, friends and coworkers
• Began writing up a list of all of the things I do at work that the replacement will need to do
• Finalized the intern we will be hosting starting in January
• Crept closer to figuring out what flights we are going to book ahead of time so that we can make our flight booking appointment with Airtreks.com in the next week or so! (Can't WAIT to have our departure on the books!!)
• Finalized (for now) the things we need to purchase for the trip
• Visited other travel blogs to get packing tips, last-minute planning advice, and ever-growing inspiration and excitement from people who are living our dream right now!

On top of all that, we have to fit in decorating, shopping and wrapping for the holidays; weekends full of visits with family and parties with friends; researching and learning about my new Gluten Free lifestyle; and simply the back and forth and up and down of everyday life!

It's tough planning such an extensive trip at this time of year and with the big life changes I am going through. However, we're lucky because we're not planning TOO much; we're leaving a lot up to whim and decisions in the moment. Not to mention, I sort of thrive under pressure and deadlines and being busy. So, we're making progress, visiting with loved ones, and trying to enjoy every moment of this time of year all while that fabulous date of departure creeps, make that races, towards us. We both know it will be here before we know it and somehow it will all get done, because it has to!