I woke up this morning with energy. Like real energy. The kind that just exists without needing coffee or a reason. Although, I did have that cup of coffee and sat on the couch reading through my phone… I was happy!

I have pep in my step. I am smiling. And man… it feels really really good.

The house is emptying out around us and every room we clear feels like an exhale. We wrote about that feeling in The Great Purge a few ays ago.The kids are going with it. If you missed We Told the Kids — that is where this all began.We have talked a lot about happiness lately… what makes us happy… what we are looking forward to… and they are present and excited and just… going with it.

Adam is excited too. He is also working through something that hurt him… words from someone close that landed in a place they should not have. He is frustrated and disappointed and I know he is trying to move past it even though it stings and is infuriating. I am not going to say more than that… it is his story to tell if he wants to. What I will say is that watching him still show up every day… still excited… still present… still dreaming with me at night after the kids go to sleep… that is everything.

So where are we exactly?

55 days…

We are heading away for a week at the end of the month which makes the countdown feel even shorter. Everything in the house needs to be done by April 24th. Which means we really only have a few weeks left to finish the physical stuff… the garage sale… the last donations… the repairs. Then the final stretch is all the logistics. Poppy’s papers. More on Poppy’s pet passport process coming soon. Plane tickets. Where we are staying first in Europe. Cell phones. Mail forwarding. All the lasts… before everything becomes firsts again.

It is a lot on paper. But it does not feel like a lot. It feels like momentum.

55 days. 🌍🐾

Q: How do you stay emotionally grounded during a major life transition? A: Honestly… you just keep moving. Empty one room. Check one thing off the list. Have one good conversation with your person after the kids go to sleep. The momentum of doing the next right thing carries you through the moments where the enormity of it all tries to creep in. And when you wake up with real energy and a genuine smile… you trust that.

Q: How do your kids handle the emotional ups and downs of a big family move? A: Better than the adults most of the time. We have been really intentional about talking openly with them… about happiness… about what excites them… about what is coming. They are present and they are going with it and watching them do that so naturally reminds us every single day why we are doing this.

Q: What does the final countdown before a big trip actually look like practically? A: For us it breaks into two phases. Phase one is the physical… garage sale… donations… repairs… storage. All of that needs to be done by April 24th. Phase two is the logistics… Poppy’s travel papers… plane tickets… first accommodation in Europe… cell phones… mail forwarding. All the lasts before everything becomes firsts again.

Q: How do you handle it when people close to you don’t fully support your decision to travel? A: With grace when you can and with space when you need it. Not everyone will understand and that is okay. The people who know you… really know you… will come around. And the ones who don’t… well… you love them anyway and you go.

Q: Is 55 days enough time to prepare for long term international family travel? A: It has to be… so yes! The key is breaking it into manageable phases rather than looking at the whole mountain at once. We have done this before and the one thing we know for certain is that it always comes together. It always does.