GETTING CLOSE

So its been a little over a month since my last entry. Here's where things stand re: our adventure.

Destination: We've decided to start our trip in Panama, near David, Panama (west side of the country in Chiriqui province) to be specific. I say "start" because we still don't know yet how long our house is going to be rented out for, which will be a determining factor as to how long we'll be away. We are confident we can extend our stay in Panama to 6 months. Beyond that, we're not sure. Neither are we sure we might not want to try somewhere else after 6 months (if we are away that long). So our "final" destination might change before we land back in Calgary. I've been doing a fair bit of research on Lake Chupala, Mexico. If things don't work out in Pamana, we'll probably head there.

Our Home: We're planning on renting our home as a "furnished executive home rental". We're listed on rentfaster.ca (see #15276); Craigslist - Calgary (see house rental); and we've emailed a pdf.file describing our house to a bunch of friends and family. We've had a few bites, but no deal yet. We are praying for great tenants. We've just about finished all the staging of the house. We've had a few little projects we've held off on until now. Its a shame we won't be the one's enjoying our fully "staged" home. Oh well.

Departure Date: We're targeting the last week in September, probably near the end of the week. We haven't purchased our tickets yet. It doesn't look like there is much of an issue getting tickets. It looks like the best deal is to fly with Continental Airlines. They have a 6am flight from Calgary to Houston. There is a 3 hour layover then an afternoon flight to Panama City, Panama with a 6:45pm arrival time. So we'd be there in one day. Not bad.

Shots: The kids just got their shots (Hep A&B, Yellow Fever, Typhoid) last week. Obviously not a fun part of the "family adventure" for them. They both did fairly well considering they both got three needles in a matter of minutes. Fortunately for Linda and I, we've already had all our shots as preparation to go on our Africa trips over the last 4 years.

Home School: We are planning on home schooling. So we've already got the kids referring to us as Mr. and Miss D. We've been in contact with the principal of their school in the last week who re-affirmed her openness to work with us while we're away. We have yet to talk with the kid's teachers.

Writing: I'm planning on continuing to write (about helping church leaders navigate their way through congregational crisis) while away, and hopefully completing a manuscript for review by a publisher before returning home. And I hope to have a business plan in place to start a consulting business related to the same theme.

Farewell: It looks like our thank-you-farewell at WKC will be on Sunday, Sept 23.

Well, that's the latest. We'll keep you posted as we go. Also, watch for some new photos. There have been some haircuts since the last family photo was posted.

Take care,

Paul