Our summer was overflowing with Maine goodness as we visited, relaxed, and enjoyed June and July with our family and friends. The air was still cold when we arrived and I spent the first few weeks in jeans, a sweatshirt, and socks. Coming from the Myanmar hot season, Kim was loving the cool temps and continued to wear her shorts and flip flops everyday. We lived as nomads, moving from place to place spending time with all of our favorite people. 

Starting off right away we celebrated Drew’s 16th birthday by camping in true Maine style – cooking lobster over the fire. It wasn’t long before it was Amanda’s 21st as we took her out for her first legal drink continuing with a trip to a casino, margaritas, tacos, and beer pong. The days quickly got filled with lunch dates with awesome people, excursions to the local swimming holes, and frosty deliciousness at our favorite ice cream stands. There were late night bonfires, family BBQs, road trips across states, hikes on the best of forest trails, catching up with friends, and quality time with family.

Our yearly trip up to Lubec (the most eastern point in the US) had a rocky start when the truck broke down on the way up. But we continued on and had a few days of bliss with ocean breezes, starry night skies, not a person in sight for miles, and lobster. There is always lobster on an Ellicott vacation to Lubec. Shortly after we said goodbye to our dearest Ellie May. Words cannot express the loss we feel at the emptiness in our lives left by the happiest creature imaginable. Ellie got along with every person and animal (besides skunks and squirrels). We were constantly complemented on her happy personality and calm demeanor. She was so much more than our puppy dog, she was the third member of our small family.

As we worked through our emotions, we continued to stuff ourselves with our favorite (and much missed) American food. Milk, steak, honey nut cheerios, swis rolls, bread that is not sweet, breakfast sandwiches, waffles, orange juice, chocolate, granola bars, fruit roll ups, meatballs, steak and cheese grinders, and so SO much more. I’m seriously going to have to work off all the extra weight when I get back. 

I photographed a wedding with Andrea and some super sweet couples sessions. Kim went fishing with Josh and sunk the paddleboat. We got our one year anniversary photos taken by Aime from Aime E Photography. There was so much amazingness in these few weeks! To wrap it up we spent an unforgettable week with most of my family in a cabin in northern Maine where we explored waterfalls, went white water rafting, cruised the lake at sunset via pontoon, had never ending card games, and laughed more often than not.

The seven weeks we were back seemed more like seven days. I knew it would go by quickly, I was prepared for it to go by quickly. What I wasn’t expecting was the lack of anticipation on returning. I figured it would feel like any other vacation where towards the end of it you get the itchy desire to be back where you came from. Instead I felt very comfortable, very settled surrounded by all of my favorite people and familiar environments. It was easy and not complicated. I guess that is what it feels like to come home.
 

Yet, in no way am I hesitant to continue our adventures abroad. As I see fewer signs in English and more noodle dishes around me, I feel myself pulling back on my armor. Not in an aggressive way, but the necessary readiness needed for navigating a foreign country. The oh-so-familiar complications of language barriers, unknown customs, foreign cities, unrecognizable food, and general confusion that accompanies traveling is flooding back. With it though, comes endless potential for more life-changing experiences, meeting more awesome people, continuing to broaden our mindsets, and learning more about ourselves and this amazing planet everyday. 

So THANK YOU Maine and everyone for the conversations and catching up, for the couches to sleep on and the overly delicious food, for the time spent with us and the un-wavering open arms that welcomed us back. But mostly thank you for all the love that filled our hearts enough to last us (what is sure to be) another remarkable year away from home. 

Photographing my last wedding seemed strangely not strange. Andrea, my sister, joined me as my second photographer which was just perfect because we have been shooting together for the past few years and we always have a great time working with each other. Also, Nico & Teresa were married right in my home town (well, just next door). The day was beautiful and the wedding full of celebration. I couldn't have asked for a nicer wedding to be the temporary end to my official wedding photography adventures.  

Sunday we moved more furniture and items to the storage unit with the help of Brian and Kirsten. Then it was off to my Mom's house to say goodbye and get my cat, Macy, settled in - Mom will be taking care of her while we are away. It makes me happy knowing she will be well loved. Afterwards we joined my family at my Dad's house for a big ol' family cookout. It was so bitter sweet knowing that this would be my last family gathering for almost a year but it was so fantastic to have such a warm and loving last weekend. Boy do I love all of these people!!! Tears were most certainly shed as hugs were squeezed a little tighter and held a little longer. 

Monday was spent fervently packing our suitcases and clearing out the rest of the apartment. We made a trip or two to the storage unit and a run to grab another suitcase. In the end we each took two large suitcases and one carry on. Crazy to think that we managed to pack our whole lives away and pair down so much! It was a mad dash to get everything in it's place and be sure we had all of our important documents ready for departure. We stayed up into the wee hours of the morning making sure we had everything in order, including downloading ebooks and cramming the car/truck with suitcases. 

Before we knew it Tuesday had arrived. Takeoff day. The day we leave the world as we knew it behind and set of on the adventure of a lifetime. It was a long and emotional day, one that we truly were not prepared for - emotionally at least. 

It started off by clearing out the last few things from our apartment and making one final trip to the storage unit. Our next stop of the day was to Sue's house (a dear family friend) to show Frank and Beans, our other two cats, their new home. We are so glad that they will have lots of room to run and play in the woods and get into lots of trouble I am sure. Then off to Kim's parents house we went. We wanted to be able to say goodbye to them and also drop off our vehicles that they would be storing for us. After an early lunch and a tender farewell to Sonny and Ellie May, Kim and I loaded up the car and headed to Augusta with Robin and Sue (a dear family friend). When we got into town we made a couple stops to get the toiletries we were taking with us along with a few other important items we needed to purchase like a portable speaker. Also, we had to stop off to get some passport photos for our visa application. Time flew by and way too soon we were saying goodbye to Robin, Sue, Andrea and Zane (who had come to give one last hug). Amanda and Josh brought us down to Portland to meet up with my Dad, Pam, and Brian for a quick dinner, it was nice to have a hearty meal in our stomachs to help settle them down a bit. Then it was off to the airport where we checked in and got ready for boarding. Our last goodbyes were to my Dad, Pam, Brian, Amanda, Josh, and Natilee (who had met us down there). With a few more squeezes we turned to find our gate. And there we were ready for boarding to a place unknown. 

It was beyond hard to part with everyone, words can't even say. It was most certainly the most difficult day of our entire travel. 

There we were, sitting at our gate boarding pass in hand, about to embark on a expedition that was so grand, so unthinkable, it seemed to be just a dream up until now - sure to dissolve before it was grasped. Yet, it was here now. All of the planning and prepping seemed to be all a blur. Boarding pass in hand it all sunk in on how real this was. Kim and I kept looking at each other with knowing eyes that asked "Are we really doing this?" Even without asking the question we both knew the answer as we handed over our tickets and stepped into the plane that would be the beginning of a journey that is sure to change our lives in every way. Stay tuned, Myanmar here we come!

It was Amanda's 20th Birthday on Friday so after dinner with my co-workers, Kim and I went over to her place to spend some quality time with her, Josh, Samantha, and India. Happiest days Amanda : )

Saturday I set off to Portland with Amanda, Samantha, India, and Rosie for Bridesmaids Dress Shopping. Andrea and Autumn met us at David's Bridal for our first round of dress trying-on. Amanda is getting married in October of this year on a beach in Kennebunk, Maine. Kim and I are hoping to make the trip back over for the wedding if it is possible with school schedules and finances, but either way I am happy to be a part of the wedding planning process. It was a long day with many options to take into consideration and we walked away without a winner but I'm sure we will find one soon. Here are some photos of the contestants. 

Father's Day was on Sunday so after dress shopping we headed straight up to Kim's parents house to spend the night with them. We had lobster and clams, drinks and a fire. Sunday we went over to my Dad's house where the family gathered for a noon time brunch. After we dug out the old photo albums and Dad shared stories with us of the old days. Kim and I are both so happy to be able to spend time with both of our families and very grateful to have two amazing Dads in our lives. 

Old family pics:

Monday was my very last day of school. After the sixth grade "Step-up Breakfast" I was able to finish up a project I have been working on with the kids. Each year the 6th graders at Rowe leave their mark on the school via the 6th Grade "Tiles" Project. I give each student a square on the wall to paint to represent themselves and what they want future Rowe students to know about them. I love how unique each and every square turned out. 

It was very strange watching the students walking out of the school, mainly because it felt like every other day but at the same time I knew that this was the last time I will most likely see them. After a staff brunch, hugs, and goodbyes, I locked up my room for the last time. On Tuesday I met up with the new art teacher. Sarah is a very kind person who has been working in the school system for some time but has never had the opportunity to have an art classroom of her own. I was able to give her a tour of the room and school and fill her in on all of the amazing things that have been happening in the world of Art at Rowe. I hope that she is able to continue on some of my traditions (like the end-of-the-year art club lock-in) and start some fantastic ones of her own. I grabbed the few boxes I had packed up of my teacher things, passed on my keys, and walked out of Rowe for the last time. 

Wednesday brought one of my very least favorite things, going to see the dentist. I'm not sure why or when but at some point in my life I developed an intense, irrational fear of the dentist. Just talking about it, or hearing someone else's dentist story will bring tears to my eyes. Unfortunately I did have some work that I needed to get done on my teeth and I knew it needed to happen before I left so off I went to Falmouth Dental Arts. Luckily I found a group of very understanding and patient dental folks that worked with me to develop a plan that I could handle. I was able to be under conscious sedation for the procedure which left a lovely amnesia effect. I am so happy to know that my teeth are up to par for our leave and mainly happy to know that I will not have to go back for (hopefully) some time.

The rest of the week involved swimming, lunch dates with Meg, going to the movies, and of course PACKING!!! 

We had to make a very big and difficult decision this week, one we have been fighting for months now. Ellie, our golden retriever will be staying here while we go to Burma. If you don't know us well you might be thinking "It is just a dog, not a big sacrifice for an amazing life experience," but that is not even close. Ellie is a part of our family, she makes us laugh, gives us comfort, and depends on us as her pack. I shed more than a couple tears over this but in the end know that it will probably be for the best. This is how we came about to our choice.

On Saturday Ellie and Macy were scheduled to have a vet appointment to get a check-up, their necessary shots, and a rabies antibody blood test, all necessary for them to travel with us. To get ready I called the airline on Wednesday to confirm that this was everything we needed. The very fast speaking representative went over all of the information with me and everything was looking good. In informed him that Ellie would be flying as an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) and asked him to double check the requirements for this to be sure we had everything in order. He agreed that we in fact had everything we needed to get her out of the country but then proceeded to tell me that she would not be considered an ESA at our layover in Soel, Korea. Once there she would need to ride underneath the plane in the cargo area. I was blown away that this fact never came up in any other conversation with the airline. Finishing our conversation I researched for some time with the Air Carrier Access Act and other airlines to find out if this was the norm. I also, emailed the airline to get a second opinion on the topic. 

Unfortunately all of the information came out being in line with what the representative had said. Ellie would only be recognized as an ESA on a flight to or from the US, as soon as we step off the first plane she is just any other animal. Kim and I had been doing all of this work because we have heard the horror stories of animals not making it to their destination. Many animals die in the cargo area due to the extreme heat that is unavoidable on the tarmac (while the plane is waiting to take off or waiting to unload). With even a small chance that Ellie would not make it to Burma it was not even a choice for us to take her over with us. 

Not being able to have our whole family with us has really been tearing us apart and began to sour us to the move. This is really unfortunate because until now we have only had one emotion: excited! Luckily we have an amazing family and Ellie will be staying with Kim's parents while we are gone. We are very grateful to have a home for her where we know she will be just as adored as she is with us.

I kicked off the weekend with my Annual Art Club Lock-In. Friday night 20 of my 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students joined me and two other chaperones for a night of art making and shenanigans. This event is truly the highlight of my teaching year, it allows me to connect with my most dedicated art students and celebrate what brings us together - ART! My youngest sister Autumn was able to join us for the night also!

Saturday Kim joined Josh and his other groomsmen to get fitted for their tuxes to wear at Amanda and Josh's wedding ceremony. After a LONG nap on Saturday (the Art Club kids stayed up until 5am and I peeled them out of bed at 7am for family breakfast) Kim and I joined our friends Nikki and Katrina for their first bonfire of the summer.

Sunday morning started with our (Kim's) famous tacos, breakfast style : ) We spent some time trying to track down answers for our many questions regarding getting the pets over to Burma. After being on hold for ever we finally got to talk to someone from Korean Air who told us that we in fact did not have to import the pets into Korea if we are only changing flights (as long as it is with the same carrier). WOOHOO! So we finally sent the itinerary to my school, I posted a screen shot below. It will be almost 30 hours in transit with only 4 of those being layovers. It is going to be a looooooooong journey that's for sure. To celebrate we got ourselves some FroYo from the new place in town : )

The warmer weather finally arrived on Monday when it got up to 85* out. To celebrate we had an impromptu swimming excursion with some of the family. Dad ran around and threw everyone in the water which was just warm enough to be comfortable. We ate pineapple, threw sticks for the dogs, and enjoyed thawing out after the brutal winter we have had. 

The rest of the week for me involved staying very late to grade a couple nights as well as attending a retirement gathering for my principal, George Sincerbeaux. A great leader, I could not have asked for a more supportive administrator to work with for the past two years. He is going to be very missed by everyone at Rowe.

For Date Night this week we grabbed my little bro, Drew, and headed to a new Chinese food place in town. Set up with a buffet, we enjoyed tastes of a variety of our favorite oriental foods - including sushi!! We were very impressed with the quality and would defiantly return if the opportunity arose. 

While Kim was busy catering an event at work I was able to FINALLY start packing!! Although I didn't make it very far I managed to turn the house into shambles in the process. I doubt very highly that we will have a clean house ever again before we move. Since about 90% of the items in the house are technically mine it is going to be a lot of work on my part to go through everything and decide what needs to be packed for storage, what can be given away, and what few items will be going with us. 

We started thinking about what items we will be taking with us. We have decided not to ship anything over and just take what we can bring in suitcases on the plane with us. I have no idea how well this is going to work out but that is the plan right now. We have begun a packing list of items that we are going to bring with us. Right now it is no way complete but it is a start: 

Waiting for us when we returned from the honeymoon was our marriage license!! We were very excited to have the completed certificate in our hands to start off our first week back.

Returning on Friday there was no rest for us as Kim went directly up to pick up our much missed Ellie May from Kim's parents house. I packed up my gear early Saturday morning and took off for Portland to photograph a wedding. Jess and Josh live in California but flew in to have their wedding with friends and family at Grace Restaurant (a refurbished chapel). It was a great day doing something I truly love to do! Here is one of the many wonderful moments I captured.

On Sunday we joined some of my family at Samantha's Initiation Ceremony into the National Honor Society. They held it at Monmouth Academy and it was fun to walk the familiar halls where I went to High School. Samantha is a sophomore this year and it was not surprising that she was nominated for NHS. She is a generous soul who has a passion for helping others and seeing the good in people. She runs in cross country and is fantastic at tennis (so I hear)! Already looking at going abroad during High School (if not college) I know that she has the adventure bug in her and it is going to take her far! Maybe even all the way over to Burma with us.

Soon enough it was Monday morning and we were both back to work. Lot's of congratulations were given and plenty of stories were shared. We were both very missed. It was strange being back after being gone for so long and there were a slew of tasks that needed to be completed. The most profound part was the fact that really hit us Monday morning, the wedding is complete, the honeymoon is finished, and now it's time to for Burma! All of the tasks, major and minor, that we said we would put off until after the wedding cannot wait any longer! It is time! Time for Burma! In order to get our heads to stop swimming we sat down and made a big list of tasks that need to be done and boy is it long. I put the list on another page so we could continue to go back and edit it and hopefully cross some things off! Check it out here:

On Monday Kim took Ellie to the vet for an urgent appointment to attend to a large hot spot on the side of her face and her neck.Whenever Ellie has medical issues it is never an easy fix and to fit with that tradition this was not a simple hot spot. For those who are not familiar, hot spots are areas of skin on a dog that can become inflamed and infected due to moisture held in the fur. These can become very itchy and painful. Usually we can clean the hot spot by cutting the hair around it and keeping it washed, allowing it to heal. However this hot spot was so infected that we knew she needed medical attention. A couple hundred dollars and five prescriptions better she walked out with half of her head shaved off. She is now feeling much better thankfully. 

This spring I was only one of three women to get married at my school. To celebrate, my coworkers threw us all a Bridal Breakfast on Wednesday. Everyone brought in delicious brunch type food and we enjoyed eating and chatting before the students arrived. I will be sad to leave my generous, caring, and funny Rowe family.

Wednesday was also Kim's Mother, Robin's Birthday. Kim was able to make it up in the evening to celebrate with her and close family and friends. It was a whole day of celebration!

I also got the chance to Skype with my oldest sister. Renee is an expat in Dar, Tanzania. She has lived there for about a year and a half now and she just raves about it! A creative mind, she is a very talented designer and an avid diver - take a look at her website: SeaUnseen (get ready to be amazed)! I took the chance to ask her for advice about being an expat in a third world country. A few tidbits I picked up from our conversation:
1. Look at photos from Myanmar to figure out what others where in that climate 
2. For Malaria get Artequin, a rapid active succession of pills for the possibility that you get malaria. Also, wait until you are in another country to get this, it will be significantly less expensive.
3. Be sure to bring plug adapters, check which ones are needed
4. Along with that be sure to check the voltage in Myanmar, it is most likely different than the US and will probably blow some electronic devices with small motors that you bring.
5. Bring any and all over-the-counter medicine with you that you use at all.
6. Don't drink any water that is not bottled.
7. Be careful with raw vegetables and fruits without peals.
8. Bring seeds for specific produce and/or herbs that you would want to grow.
9. Be aware and distant from people who are coughing or looking ill.
We left our conversation with the grand promises of seeing each other in the near future, be it Tanzania, Burma, or somewhere in between.

Kim surprised me on Thursday by taking us out on our first date as a married couple. We enjoyed dinner at Mac's Grill - one of the only restaurants in the area that we had yet to eat at. The night finished by grabbing Ellie and going for ice creams at Giffords. 

We will see you next week and hopefully we will have a few things checked off that list by then!