Two months before our trip….yikes! I remember this feeling before every adventure. The months before always seem to drag on and on. But at this point you start realizing that there is so much yet to be done and the weeks are fading fast.

We’ve been planning this for about a year now and we’ve been seriously in the planning routine for about 7 months. “What on earth could there be left to do?” you might ask.

*More details to follow

All the while trying to retain some degree of normality by attending church, small groups, serving in the community, and participating in the lives of our friends and family.

…and that’s just me! My travelling crazies have their own lists. So basically I feel busy and the clock has really started ticking in my own mind. The good news is that the clock running down focuses you and makes some decisions easier. You no longer have time to procrastination and ruminate over decisions that need to me made. You move forward and that’s a good thing.

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I was thinking about this preparation time and I wondered how different it was from previous journeys. About this time in 2014 as we were preparing for our first Camino in Spain, and everything was unknown I wrote the following:

“Weekends are starting to get booked with events and outdoor chores. Our Camino preparation has involved a lot of saying “no” to things as we try to stay true to our mission. In some ways we are missing out and others we are enjoying deep dive…How WILL we get it all done and still find time to get prepared?” – 2014 Blog Entry

In 2017 as we were preparing for our 2nd Pilgrimage and my sister was preparring for her first she wrote:

“I fluctuate between, ‘I’m ready’ to ‘I’ll never be ready’. Perhaps it truly is both of those things. None the less I’m EXCITED!” – 2017 Blog Entry

In 2021, in preparation for our London-Rome walk on the Via Francigena we were in a state of massive flux. All of us were still in the throes of Covid isolation withdrawal and there was more uncertainty than ever with ever changing travel requirements:

“… sometimes it feels like this trip is being governed entirely by Covid. Allison spent a frustrating day winding her way through U.K. testing requirements which must be arranged pre-departure. This is something that could likely be solved with a phone call to a real human but in the world of automated help desks and internet, finding a human is next to impossible.
I, on the other hand was occupied (rightly) by work and supporting the things I can. It’s definitely getting difficult due to the short time left.” – 2021 Vlog Entry

And finally in 2023, as we were preparing for our Gibratar to Santiago on the Spanish and Portugues Caminos, you’d think we’d be fully ready…and yet I wrote:

“As we approach the start of this pilgrimage the excitement (and slight terror) begins to build. Simple things like receiving a new pair of socks is a delight. Finding out that a particular lodging you’d been counting on being available only accepts groups of 20 or more sends you into a short-lived panic.” – 2023 Vlog Entry

So I guess the feeling I have now is normal…well “normal” for the kind of adventures we find ourselves taking…so not normal at all.

It will all come together, it always does.