Countdown

I've been meaning to add another post for a while now since I really dislike seeing the words "Check our our wishlist" at the top of our blog every time I log in.  It seems especially callous given that international news reports indicate that many Mauritanians are struggling to provide basic needs for their families due to the sky-rocketing prices of grain, rice and other staples.  There is a very good article and video from the Washington Post discussing the severity of the current situation in RIM.

Today is also my 27th birthday and it is amazing for me to realize that if everything goes as planned I won't be celebrating another birthday in the U.S. until I turn 30!  Now that it is almost May, we are definitely entering the countdown period.  I only have seven more scheduled nights at work, partly thanks to some vacation days I'll be taking in mid-May.  We'll be using that time to celebrate some important family events, my sister's graduate school graduation and Mike's sister's wedding, to attempt to pack up our apartment, and to enjoy the beautiful springtime weather.

I'll stop there, as I have to make a conscious effort to keep things short since I have a very bad tendency to ramble.  I hope everyone is doing well.  Thank you so much for reading our blog and I hope to see you before we leave Kansas on June 17th (Mike's birthday)!  We have a going away get together in the works for June 13th, so put it on your calendars...and yes, it is a Friday, but Friday the 13th has been good to us (Mike proposed on Friday the 13th and we almost got married on a Friday the 13th also).

Check out our wishlist

Wow...the title of this post makes me sound really greedy.

Actually, I'm posting this because we've had several people asking about what we need before we leave.

You can get to our wishlist by clicking on the title of this post or by using the link on the right hand side of this page (just click on the word "Wishlist" over to the right).

If you have any questions about the list or about where/how to send items you can leave comments on our blog, email, call or talk to me in person before we depart.

Hope this is useful for everyone!

P.S. I just can't resist blogging about how incredibly AWESOME it is that KU won the NCAA National Championship right before we leave! We are going to be seriously deprived of KU basketball while we are in RIM...but I think that AMAZING game will keep us on a high for quite some time. Hopefully it won't have to last another twenty years though :)

Contribution Schmontribution

Yes it's true. I'm not the best on following through with my computerized communications. However, I am contributing to the blog now (2 months before we leave) just to get off to a good start. Even though Katie and I are probably the only people reading this right now. So Katie...this one's for you. Each day brings us closer and closer and I become more nevous and excited for the unknown. I'm glad you are preparing both of us with your research, planning, and list after list after list. I like to think I contribute in my own way. Or at least I will; when it comes time to move; and I will lift many heavy things. Mike out.