Hey y’all!  I just wanted to give you a heads up……..

It’s November and for us that means GOING HOME!  Yep!  Fire season is officially over and that means The Husband can cash in on all of his vacation and overtime days and we get to fly home to Hungary for a month! We leave super early on Friday, the 6th and will return on the 30th!

For my newer readers or those that may not remember, The Husband’s family is Hungarian, so every year we try to save up vacation days, credit card points, air miles, gift cards, and a portion of our savings to make the trip home to Hungary. This will make our 5th trip over since 2009 and we are all so completely excited!  

Our travel schedule is hectic and long – we have 3 flights through 3 different countries (Los Angeles to Denver, then on to Frankfurt, and finally Budapest). We have a short stay with dear family friends outside of Budapest and then a quick visit with our nephew who is attending University nearby.  We then have an 8-hour car ride to my mother-in-law’s home just over the border in Transylvania (yes, that Transylvania) where we’ll stay a few days, and then another 8 hours by car to our village in Korond where we spend a majority of our time.

This trip is like nothing I had ever experienced.  I had never left America before I met my husband, and I had no clue as to what life was like in other countries before my first trip overseas. I couldn’t speak or read the language.  I didn’t know anybody outside of my husband.  I struggled with the foods (ugh, why do they put cabbage and sour cream in everything?!).  The time change was horrendous (10 hours ahead from PT!). I was incredibly sick with a cold and sinus infection for most of our stay. I had a 1-year old to care for. And I was anxious, nervous, scared, and just plain miserable the entire time.

But, I am now a seasoned traveler and the anticipation for this trip is so amazingly exciting!  Yep.

• I have a full passport.
• I know the ins and outs of all the airports we’ve been through: San Francisco, Dallas/Fortworth, Chicago/O’Hare, London (the strictest airport security, but they have a kid’s play ground and the best Bacon Butty sandwich at Starbucks), Berlin (horribly out of date with very little by the way of services), Frankfurt, and Budapest.
• I can not only speak Hungarian now, but I can also read and understand a lot more too!  No, I cannot converse about politics or science, but I can shop, read a menu in a restaurant, and have a polite conversation!
• Outside of my in-laws, I have met so many wonderful people and feel comfortable enough being around them on my own.
• The food.  Oh my goodness the food is amazing!  Csirke Paprikas (Chicken Paprikas) is one of my all-time favorites!  The soups, the fresh baked breads, the traditional dishes. All homemade, all the time.  YUM. Okay, so I’m still not feeling the cabbage thing.
• The Boy has always been such an incredible traveler!  He’s fluent in Hungarian and can speak for himself. No complaints.  No potty mishaps. No fears!
• And, well, the 10-hour time change is always sucky (it takes The Boy and I a solid 2 – 3 days to sleep off the difference) and we are always, always. always sick at some point before, during, or right after our trip with colds, ear infections, sinus problems, stomach bugs/food poisoning and the like.  *sigh* I have raided CVS and am coming even more prepared for this trip!  😉

I just love our time back home.  Village life is different.  It’s slower.  It’s more intentional.  It’s more people-based. Everybody knows each other. Everybody eats together.  Everybody helps each other. Everybody says ‘hello’ and expects a full conversation rather than a ‘hi’ back. It’s the perfect backdrop to our unschooling adventures. Living there just feels, I don’t know, other-worldly?  I just spend as much time soaking it all in as I can.

I am also excited about this trip because I have some big news to share!  I have been doing a lot of reflecting recently on my journey from ‘Barely Making It’ to ‘Money Making Mom’ and I cannot wait to share a bit more of my heart and where I feel God is leading me in these new goals I have set!

Now, Wi-Fi Internet access while we are traveling is always sketchy (and never free, even in the airports!), but I should have a reliable connection once we arrive at my mother-in-law’s place. I have a ton of really fun posts scheduled on Facebook though for the rest of November, so you won’t miss me too much! I also hope to be able to share a bit of our travels and show you what “village” life is like for us along the way.  

(Also, please note that because we will be mostly living off the grid in another country, I will not be up to date with current events here in the States.  If there should be breaking news, please know that I am not being flippant or insensitive to what may be occurring nationally, I just haven’t seen or heard the news!)

But first, I must get back to my crazy list making, last-minute trips to Target and Old Navy, finishing up the many piles of laundry (so I can begin to pack 2 large suitcases, a carry-on, and a large backpack), deep cleaning the house, and simultaneously emptying the fridge out and restocking the freezer with easy-to-prepare meals for our return. Fun, fun, fun I tell ya!