moving soon

So...it's set. We've received our official orders. That means, dear friends, more paperwork, visits to government bases, more faxes (at $2.00 a page) and a visit to the Vice Consulate in Kansas City, Kansas.

I really don't know what a Vice Consulate does. Apparently they don't give out visas because the Vice Consulate has to send the paperwork to the Consulate in Chicago who will send it (hopefully approved) back to us.

It looks like our "stuff" will be moved somewhere around the 20th and we'll be out of here the end of the month.

Bob and I somewhat differ in our mind-pictures of what travel to Italy will be like.

He pictures an American Airlines flight with movies and lots of nice meals. Then after landing in Italy finding a place near many other Americans (because it's a big base and many live off base).

I, on the other hand, somehow see us traveling on a government transport plane that just happens to have cargo for Italy--sitting between boxes of chipped beef and jeep parts then finding that we're the only English speaking people in the neighborhood.

Well, it won't be long until we'll find out. Maybe the truth will be somewhere in between. We'll let you know.