Phase Three

We packed up our remaining possessions from Danni's house on the weekend, and moved into Chris and Juliet's house. From today we have a mere five days until we leave and we're both getting anxious and excited at the same time. We had a going away party on the weekend, which was a great opportunity to catch up with everyone before we leave. Although it seems like a number of people are going to be there at the airport, it wont be the same as getting drunk and talking crap for a couple of hours. The opportunity was ideal.

I'm talking to the school in Mariapocs most days now, as I've discovered that Ilona, the teacher with whom I'll be teaching, logs onto gmail chat every morning. This means that around 4pm every day I get to find out more and more details and fix minour concerns. Ilona and the School director are now all set to pick us up once we get off the plane in Budapest and drive us to our house in Mariapocs.

Iago's documentation is all organised and paid for so Dad is well prepared for the transit company to arrive and pick him up on three weeks time. Hopefully we will have bought a car by then so we'll be able to drive back to Budapest to pick him up when he arrives. I'm very happy that there is to be no quarantine in Hungary. It will make things a lot easier on the other end.

It's weird, I'm starting to get a strange feeling similar to the one that I had before the wedding. We've spent so long planning this that it's strange to think that it's actually going to happen. I guess when you spend so much of your time planning something it's a strange feeling when you have to stop planning and start actually doing.

- Daniel.

Callaway

Meet Callaway, my sister's adorable 12-week old kitten.

Daniel and I have been living with Callaway (and Danni and Andy) for the last two weeks. He's an absolute bundle of energy - constantly running around attacking things and getting himself locked in strange places.

Kittens are so much fun!

It's strange to think that he will be all grown up by the time Daniel and I return to Australia from our overseas adventures. I wonder if he will remember us?

- Amanda

Phase Two

So the two weeks that we spent with Mum went well and awfully comfortably. Around a month or two ago, (5 or so weeks before the wedding) we moved out of our rental accomodation and started mooching off friends. This went well until the wedding whereupon we stayed at a holiday house, got married then went on our honeymoon for three weeks. The plan from here was to spend two weeks with Mum (tick!), two weeks with Amanda's sister then one week with my brother.

We have no house but our quest to bring our entire worldly belongings down to two carriable suitcases has only advanced by a box or two. In the second phase of the Melbourne leg of our pilgramage (staying at Amanda's sister's house), I'm fairly confident that we'll get rid of everything we can't take with us on the plane bar some bathroom consumables.

Last weekend was my thirtieth birthday, and everyone was awesomely nice. They replaced the one thing that I think was the hardest to give up during our "prepare for Hungary by getting rid of everything phase". My computer. I loved that little guy. He was so fast and powerful, and never complained too much about anything, so when I had to let him go to a "good home" I'm sure that his sadness was just a reflection of mine.

Anyway, they bought me a NEW computer! A laptop with shiny speed lines, and bright lights. It's runs all my games even better than that crappy old thing I used to have. And it's so light and shiny! With speed lines on the case!

Super cool.

- Daniel.