Update on Euro-Trip 2012

I'm pretty sure that my obsession with a vacation that is taking place several months from now is borderline pathological. 

I've been talking about it to everyone who will listen for the past few months already. I'm even dreaming about it at night. My friends are becoming annoyed with my extreme budgeting. One very dear friend bluntly stated "Leane, you have a sickness." When I was making lunch plans around the time I was taking to practice pack my bag and weigh it. (23 pounds, so far) 

Oh well. Es ist was es ist. If you happen to be one of those people who's tired of hearing about it, you can stop reading now. 

This is the part where I justify my obsession:

I have never been overseas. I can say I've traveled internationally, but when you live in northern NH and you're visiting family in Canada, it doesn't count for much. I have always wanted to travel for as long as I can remember. Growing up where I did, traveling to another continent may as well have been like traveling to another planet. Without getting into it too much, the cost was insurmountable at the time. 

I've had a very dear friend from Germany since I was about 11. We had an instant connection, and could go a long while (10 years at one time) being out of touch, but the second we re-connect we are able to pick up where we left off. If you've never had a friend like that, you should go out and get one right now. He has traveled to the States a few times to visit with his family and friends here, and I have been informed it is my turn to go there and visit now. On top of that, Tracy had lived in France for a year while in high school and has been dying to go back ever since. So yeah, we're excited. 

Our progress so far:

Tickets to Berlin are booked. That was our Christmas gift to each other. Babysitters are lined up. As much as it kills me to leave her behind, it feels good to know we've got so many good people to care for her while we're gone. Wills and such written. It sounds morbid and dull, but we thought it necessary and responsible to make sure those things are in order in case the bad thing happens. Parisian apartment rented. That's right. We looked at hotels and other means of lodging for Paris and determined that the coolest way to go would be to rent an apartment for a week. Oh yes. We are that cool. 

In other news, I now possess a credit card. We worked our tails off to pay off all our credit card debt a few years back and swore we'd never go back to that awful place. T has had a card in his name for a while that we used for large-ish purchases, and that thing was paid off every single time a charge got posted. I, however, have not had a credit card in my name for more than 6 years. This card is for travel, and is the way to go. Stuff you buy on it is insured and there is no international transaction fee on this particular card. If all goes according to plan, we'll use it just for the big trip and pay it off, as we're still saving money like mad people on a mission and intend to do the trip without taking out any debt. So far so good. That said, being in possession of a credit card is a bit terrifying after having overcome that debt. 

So, with a few months to go before we leave, I am feeling so ready to just be there. Excited for the new experiences, reconnecting with a dear friend, and spending some quality alone time with my honey. 

To the Dentist!

Despite our efforts in brushing and flossing and avoiding excessive amounts of sugary things, Lils has a cavity. We're going to get it repaired today and I'm doing my best to pretend I'm not absolutely freaked out by the whole thing. Really? Cavities on a 5 year old?
The story is that her back teeth are growing very close and there isn't much room for saliva to get between them. It seems saliva creates some sort of barrier on the tooth that keeps them from rotting away, or something like that.
I have to wonder if it's got to do with the fluoride thing. We haven't kept her completely away from the stuff, but our town water isn't fluoridated and I don't get the supplements. I am a bit neurotic about the stuff I give my child and I admittedly do online research to learn about the vaccines and the supplements and pretty much anything that goes into her system. Sodium Fluoride is really scary if you google it. Go ahead, I dare you.
So I chose not to do the fluoride thing. Maybe that's the reason, maybe it's the teeth too close thing, or maybe it's just genetics. Weak enamel handed down through the generations. (Thanks, Dad)
Either way, she is going in for some dental work today. She's a pretty mellow kid at the dentist office, so that's something. Hopefully, it will go smoothly.

Here's a fun pic from a hygienist appointment last summer. Her friend came along for a ride in the chair.