8 Weeks/12 Weeks to Go

I am going to be done working at my current job in 8 weeks. I can't describe how exciting to me that is right now. I love the work that I do. I love the people that I work with. But after almost 5 years as a public defender, I am ready for a change...

Which leads me to the more exciting countdown. Jessie and I will be leaving for the Philippines in about 12 weeks!!! The time has been moving much faster than I expected, but that is a good thing. When I am not busy and can sit down and think about it, I start to get antsy to leave and 12 weeks seems like forever.

So, what are we doing to get ready for this awesome experience? Well, we have a shopping list of gear/clothing that we need to get. We are trying to balance the things that we actually need with the things we want to bring. For example, I need decent, nice-looking, warm weather clothing. I have lots of t-shirts and shorts, but still need the nicer stuff that I will wear to work. On the other side of things, I also bought a travel guitar (Little Martin). I know I don't need it, but I really want to have something musical with me. Either way, it is fun to go shopping.

Jessie and I have also been working on Rosetta Stone for Tagalog. After not having actively learned a language in over a decade, it actually doesn't seem so bad...but then again I am still only learning to count and say "the boy jumps" so things could get a lot more complicated and soon.

Jessie is leaving for Phoenix in a week to help lead Teach For America training for new teachers. It will be good experience for her and a bit of extra money for us, which is nice. It is also good for me because I have to study for the MCAT, which I am hoping to take at the beginning of August before we leave.

So, we are looking at a very busy and crazy summer. Hopefully some fun will be had too!

Oh, and we still have to pack up all of our belongings and deposit them in our parents basements. Fun...