And we're OFF!

We will be traveling in this same area but a few hours further down the coast

It is hard to believe but we are leaving on our road trip today! I thought for sure that it was going to be delayed again as Tom is still not feeling 100% but he has improved and we've just adjusted to the fact that he needs to rest after lots of talking with people. One thing he learned is that the mere fact of turning his head to talk to people is quite taxing on his brain so he is trying to be aware of that. It is a bit difficult as you can imagine! The follow up dr appt yesterday was totally useless and it is during these times you wish you were in the US or wherever where they have a broader sense of therapy or preventative approaches. We have some great info (thanks to many people who connected us to resources!!) we'll pursue here on out on our own.

Check the previous two posts to figure out what we are looking at/for as we hit the road for 8 or 9 nine days!

We are grateful for our companions who are such troopers and willing to camp with us all over the place! They finally got a four wheel drive after EXTENSIVE searching. So their kids are happy to have more room in the car for sure and we all feel more secure about them not getting stuck in the sand! We are also able to borrow a trailer which makes packing a bit simpler.

Our house helper will be coming with us - one of the many ways she is a great match for our family....she loves to camp! The first time she came with us two years ago she was very hesitant but after the first day she said "this is just like life in Ethiopia way out!" Meaning that outside the city this is how people live. Then she told me she could make us better food next time now that she knows what to expect (= Love that about her.

We are camping both because it saves significant money on hotels but also because the weather is gorgeous for another few weeks (it will probably be COLD actually.... We are taking the winter coats my sister bought us last winter!!) Part of being able to live here long-term and enjoy it is to make the most of the "winters" by being outside. It is more and more fun now that are kids are 3.5 and 6.5 and we are out of the "eating dirt and random stuff on the ground" for the most part (=

So do think of us as we are driving all over the place! We are interested to see what we will find and who we will meet.