This has been a very strange week of ups and downs. Lots going on as usual and it feels like time is speeding up. 

It was Art Show week at school which is always fantastically chaotic. Almost every year all the art teachers in my district get together at the high school to put up a huge show with artwork from every student in Oxford Hills. I joined the other seven art teachers on Monday to hang up over 3000 pieces of artwork. A few hours and several rolls of duck tape later we had a spectacular exhibit. I then hosted a special family night for Rowe and West Paris Schools on Thursday evening. I love bringing the community together to celebrate youth art. Lastly, on Friday, all 500 of my students took a field trip over to the high school to visit the show. The students loved seeing their artwork on display and viewing the amazing creativity from the others. 

On Tuesday I got to join two of my students along with their families at the State House in Augusta. We attended a recognition ceremony for all of the students whose artwork was selected to hang in a special exhibit throughout the State House and Capital Building. It was all very exciting, especially meeting the First Lady of Maine and wandering through the State House rooms. 

Kim had her first appointment with the Travel Clinic on Wednesday. She got three shots: Rabies, Polio, and Japanese Encephalitis. Due to her recent eczema flare-up on her hands she is currently on antibiotics so they decided not to give her the Typhoid vaccination at this point but will be sure to give it to her before we leave. She is set to get blood work done to see if she has been vaccinated for Hep. B, if not they will administer the Twin Rx which is the Hep. A & B together. All in all it seems to be the same process that I started a couple weeks ago. 

All hands are on deck with wedding tasks. Both big and small we are checking things off the never-ending to-do list daily now. We made the early call to move the ceremony to the reception location because of the high chance of rain. No matter the weather I am certain that we will have a spectacular day! 

Kim and I got to enjoy some bachelorette fun with our friends this weekend. Kim meet up with her close friends at a local pool hall and had a grand time. 

Meanwhile my darling friend Katie threw me a gathering with some of my favorite ladies. We had drinks, treats, facials, nail art, and other girly fun things (including the best waffles ever in the morning!). It was a blast of a night and I am so thankful to have such amazing people in my life to spend these special times with. 

On Sunday we took a break from our wedding prep to spend some time with (my sister) Amanda and her partner, Josh, to help them with their wedding planning. They are married and having their wedding in October in Kennebunk, Maine. We all drove down to their venue, Oceanwoods Resort, for a special wedding open house. We tasted the menu, talked table settings, scoped out the rooms, and visited the beach that they will be having their ceremony on. Kim and I are intending to return for the wedding but in case it doesn't happen we are so glad to be a part of the planning process. 

We spent some time this week trying to get through one of our big hurdles for our move to Burma. It turns out it is not that easy to bring a golden retriever across the globe. After doing lots of research over the past few months we still have few answers about the technicalities of bringing Ellie with us. This week we met with a case worker at Kim's doctor's office to talk about getting Ellie a certificate as an Emotional Support Animal. This simply means that we (Kim) needs Ellie's company to feel secure on the plane as well as in Burma. Even with an airline picked out we couldn't get a straight answer on what paperwork needs to accompany Ellie to get on the plane. The case worker was just as baffled and handed us a stack of internet printouts on various related topics. She recommended calling the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) which handles exporting animals from the US. However when we spoke to the APHIS they did not have any information directly for Burma. Figure that. We were then told to contact the Myanmar Embassy/ Consulate in Washington DC, but alas, we have yet to get them to answer the phone. The good news is that I was able to stop in the airport in Portland and speak with the airline agent face to face who told me that there is no problem boarding with an Emotional Support Animal as long as they have advance notice. So lots still to do on this issue, including getting Ellie a health certificate (whatever that may mean) which may or may not involve a trip to the New England Vet Association in Massachusetts. Good thing she is worth all the trouble. Here are some pictures of Ellie at our favorite place we hiked today.

Earlier this week I met up with a group of Maine photographers to grab some head shots of each other. It was just in time too because I got a request the following day from ISM (International School of Myanmar where I will be working in the fall) for a head shot and educational bio to go on their website. I must say I do think I will have the best photo on there. Being a photographer defiantly comes in handy. The first photo below is the one I chose for my head shot for ISM, the second photograph is with my lovely nephew Zane who is a whole 6 weeks old!!! The selection of photographs are from Justine Johnson Photography, Andrea Simmons Photography, LAD Photography, Ledgehill Photography, and Taste of Maine Photography. 

Kim brought home a delicious bottle of white Italian wine which flew us back to our memorable trip to Italy on first whiff. While sipping and reminiscing we discussed our fears and excitements for this big move. I'm concerned about not speaking the native language and living in such a big city, Kim's concerns involve having idle hands and being so far away from family. We are both thrilled for having new adventures, meeting new people, trying new food, and being out of our comfort zone. Speaking of new food, Kim has gotten so excited by all of the food videos we have been watching that she tried her hand at her own version of Pad Thai, it was super yummy!!!

We also enjoyed this YouTube travel video while we were laughing and chatting. I thought this video (opposed to the many, many others that we have watched) gave a nice overview of the main tourist locations as well as a lot of other, more off-beat locations to visit. 

On the super bright side we are only two weeks away from the wedding and preparations are in full force. I was able to pick out a bikini for the honeymoon this week and we have made numerous lists revolving around schedules, packing, and tasks still to do. We also got to hang out with two of our favorite little people and celebrate Macgyver's 8th birthday by going rollerskating and having ice cream with him and Danyka. Happy Days.

With the big move coming up in 18 weeks it is hard to think of much else, so much to do! But we have another HUGE life changing event coming up even sooner: our wedding of course! This week was about focusing on our wedding to-do list and thanks to a snow day that was called on the first day of spring (more snow grumble grumble) I was able to get a bunch of things checked off. Flowers ordered (check), hair trial scheduled (check), favors worked on (check), and -FINALLY- invitations mailed! Woot woot!  

On the topic of Myanmar a friend was watching a show that just happened to shoot the most recent episode in . . . you guessed it, Myanmar! I don't really understand the concept of the show but it is fantastic to see more of Myanmar - and a recent view at that. Here is the special below if you wanna watch yourself.