Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Our last few weeks in DC....

Well, it is starting to feel real.

Dan was given his "tentative" orders late last week. Then on Monday, he was issued the official travel orders. We will leave on Saturday, September 13.

OMG, just 3 weeks away!!!!!

First we will go to New York, where Dan has training on Monday and Tuesday. So we will have a "mini" trip to NY. Then we leave Tuesday evening and fly to Paris. Because our total travel time is over 12 hours, we are allowed a lay-over. So...24 hours in Paris. That will be a whirlwind!!! But fun none the less. Then we leave Thursday morning and fly to Lagos. We get in around 4p.m.

On September 18, 2008, we will have a new address. WOW!!

I am so glad I made a working check list. It has been so helpful. Dan and I have been extremely busy making appointments and completing as many things as we can, so we don't run into doing things in the "13th" hour. It looks like we will be sending the car sooner than we thought. Probably, next week. They say the sooner we can get it to the
Baltimore harbor, the better. Good thing I got the car in for its check-up.

Now that the car has been in for a tune-up, we are ready to talk with transportation and start the necessary steps in having the car shipped overseas. Even if we get the car sent off next week, it will still be many weeks before we see it again in Lagos. It takes a long time getting through customs.

We have finished with our shots, and have received our Malaria pills. All medical appointments are finished!! Yahoo!!

I have just taken time re-typing the inventory of items for our move from Michigan. Sadly, there are a dozen or so boxes that I cannot identify. That really surprises me! I must not have been watching over their shoulders closely enough. I just don’t know what is packed in an item marked “crate”. Any guesses?????

We are reviewing that list and narrowing the number of items we will have shipped to Lagos. We are allowed 7200 pounds. That needs to include any recent purchases we have made and have stored at the apartment.

Along with our purchases, Mom and Dad have been kind enough to take a trip to Sam’s for us. So along with our items, we will also have all the products they bought for us as well. Sadly, we are running out of room. Soon, there will be single pathways between the door and living room, and from the living room to the bed. Not much extra room to work with. Tight fit!!!!!

We hope all is well with everyone. Keep in touch! ;-)

Great Way To See The City

So, Dan and I decided that it would be a good idea to enjoy this beautiful city while we are still here. What better way than to take a tour? But not just any tour; we booked a Twilight Tour on Segways. (You know; those cool, 2-wheel, self-balancing, electric vehicles. Police use them at malls and airports for easy transportation)

TOO MUCH FUN!!! We highly recommend the experience!!!!

Last Sunday evening we toured the downtown area of Washington D.C. on Segways. The tour started at 6p.m. with a quick safety video and then we were assigned our tour guide. She introduced us to the Segways and gave another quick little lesson.

We jumped on, one-by-one, and got a feel for how they worked. Dan was first. He did a great job. He looked smooth and natural. I, too, thought it was easy to become accustomed to the maneuverability of the Segway. Once we were all ready (there were 8 of us) she turned on our Segways, helped us to jump on, and off we went. It was a great time.

The key, she said, is to use your feet and toes. Press your toes down to move forward and then lean back on your heels to slow down and move backwards.We had to start at “turtle pace” until we became more comfortable. Then she let us go!!!!

We rode the Segways on the city streets, so we had to be careful of the pedestrians. Being a Sunday night, we were fortunate that not many people were out. Our guide, Nicky, stopped at all the usual hot spots in the DC area: the White House, Washington Monument, the Mall, some of the Smithsonian museums, and Ford’s Theater, to name a few. Our best stop was the Capitol Building. We arrived just at sunset. It was a clear and cloudless night. The colors in the sky were beautiful. We were able to take pictures down the length of the Mall, with the Washington Monument standing tall against the multicolored sky. Breathtaking!!!

If you have an opportunity to ride a Segway, do it!!! It is a great time. It does not take long to get a feel for how it moves and it is so exhilarating!! Be sure to take a look at the pictures we have posted.

We are trying our best to take advantage of our last few weeks here in DC.
I think we are doing a pretty good job!!!