Partially Packed ...

There's been a lot going on, but I haven't really been blogging, and now I'm not sure where to start to bring things sort of up to speed.

We've been traveling and planning travel and its exciting to pull out suitcases and passports. It's nerve wracking to wait on the Chinese embassy for visas. And wonderful when you see them finally glued into a whole page of those blue document books that declare our Americanness.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself ...

In mid-February EHJ and I flew to Orlando for four days for her 10 year old trip. We spent two full days at Universal and three nights at the Hard Rock Hotel Orlando. This will get its own post ... but can I just say how easy it is to travel with her, and just how much fun! And, we shared a little silent chuckle when the lady next to us on our flight home said, "thanks for not being one of those kinds of kids who scream." As if. And, anyway Orlando to ORD is nothing compared to PEK to ORD!

This week the dashing Mr Johnson is off again in Deutschland. Cruising down the Autobahn in a BMW (for real!) and Skyping us from a different hotel lobby every night. (He can never seem to get good wi-fi reception in his room.) We love using Skype video and making all kinds of silly faces while he sits in a foyer somewhere pretending not to notice and we tell him just to be quiet for a little bit so we can overhear German conversations!

In just two short weeks MGJ and I will be off on an international adventure of our own. We're heading back to the Middle Kingdom for two weeks, and I'm more excited and emotional than I thought I'd be. I Skyped my Aussie friend in QD, who blames her Scottish heritiage on why she's not really a hugger, and confessed my emotionalness. I think I had her thinking she'll have an emotional wreck on her hands ... and it's not that at all. It's just than when we finally finalized it, and I began booking hostels and nailing down our itineary, the wonderful richness of it all hit me.

We've also got tickets booked to Boston for late April. Which should be great, warm spring weather. We'll do the Freedom Trail and investigate the sites the girlies are learning about in their history texts, and get to spend time with our Boston besties!

And then there's Vancouver this summer ...

Sometime mid-Winter I panicked that we were too stationary, to grounded, to (gasp) repatriated. I scoured cheap tickets and thought longingly of friends. It didn't take much convincing on my part to get Mr J on board to. And, I think we are reliving for the next few months anyway, what it feels like to live partially packed.

And, for the record ... it feels wonderful!