There are 3 things on my horizon that have got me pretty excited…

1. I’m getting my hair cut and highlighted for the first time in, oh, 5 months.  Back then, I looked like this:

36 Weeks Pregnant

Now, I look somewhat like this…

Cousin It from “The Addams Family”

2. It’s less than a month till the 5km {part of the 2011 Auckland Marathon}.  I’ve done alright with the treadmill and with pushing Joe in the pram around Auckland {he’ll be doing the 5km with me}.  Yesterday, we did over 6km, but I feel a bit like a loafer.  I walk so much with Joe, and 5km isn’t that far when you think about it.  Still, I’m happy that we’re doing it and that I’ll get to see some friends while we’re there!  I have had a few nightmares about having to stop midway through and breastfeed Joe on the side of the road.  Hopefully that won’t happen… I don’t have any nursing-friendly exercise tops!

3. It’s ~6 weeks till we hop on a plane, travel for 24+ hours, and arrive in America.  This will be my 1st trip back in 19 months, and it will be Joe’s first time to see most of his family {excluding Skype chats}. We’re planning to stay with my family for ~4 weeks {in Indiana} and with Chris’ parents for ~2 weeks {in St. Simons Island, Geogia}.  I can’t wait to do things like:

• Go to Target, Walmart, Costco/Sam’s Club, and just marvel at the low prices
• Eat at my hometown Mexican restaurant and not have to pay $40 for a meal
• Take advantage of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales
• Enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas with loved ones
• Visit Trader Joe’s and Penzey’s Spices
• Ride bikes on the beach at St. Simons Island
• Visit family in MI and in WI

My plane ticket {with a fee for carrying Joe on-board} was right around $3,000.  Gulp.  Chris’ ticket was paid for out of a grant, since he’ll be spending a good chunk of our time in the US doing work and research at a few universities.  It pains me to spend that much on airfare.  That’s in part why it will be such a long visit, and why my visits back are few and far between.  I want to make the most of our time and really take advantage of being around family.  I can’t wait to see my parents, in-laws, brothers, sisters, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, and nephews.  It’ll be worth every penny 🙂

Note: Airfare to and from NZ to the US isn’t always that expensive.  It costs that much because our travel time is (a) around Christmas and (b) during the NZ summer, which is a very popular time for tourists!