Windy City Chicago

We spent a few hours in the Chicago airport today waiting for our flight for Frankfurt-->Budapest. Our departure from Cincinnati was flawless. No one bothered us about our overstuffed bags and Mike (Diane's father) didn't get towed running Steven's forgotten jacket into the airport. Next post from Budapest!

Follow your Dreams...

Listen to your heart...
follow your own star
and dream your own dream.
There wouldn’t be a sky
full with shimmering stars
if we were all meant to wish on the same one.
There has never been and there will never be a dream exactly like your own,
because you are wonderfully unique.
as you follow your dream,
always do your best-
there are no shortcuts
on the path to true happiness-
so give all that you have
in all that you do.
And above all things,
believe in yourself
for you are as amazing
as the stars themselves.
-Linda Staten
(thanks aunt Sue and uncle Brent)

Chili makes the heart grow fonder

Today was a busy and emotional day. A few last goodbyes a few tears being shed throughout the day....

It is 10 pm and we are packing the last of our stuff for the flight tomorrow. We will have about 300 lbs that we are taking on the plane. (Don't worry, on international flights you are allowed 2 checked bags (each) at 50lbs + 1 50lb carry on each.)

We are excited to make this move and wish we could take all of you with us. We hope that you come visit soon! We will post our next blog as soon as we land and get internet...probably Wednesday.

Our last Cincinnati lunch...unforgettable!

My New Friend

We are saying our final goodbyes before we depart on Tuesday morning. It is hard to believe that what we have talked about for so long is finally going to become reality.

Cincinnati at nightDiane's new friend Cameron and his parents Kim and Dustin.

I am in love...

Tour USA

15 States in 21 days!

Between August 11 and August 31 we saw 15 states.
And you wonder why we are exhausted...

Washington
Idaho
Montana
Wyoming
South Dakota
Iowa

Illinois
Indiana
Ohio
Kentucky
Tennessee
North Carolina
South Carolina
Georgia
Florida

We arrived back in Cincinnati after a fun week at Diane’s father’s cabin in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and his condo on Florida’s west coastline. Like good Ohioans, we drove to Florida—a 17-hour drive in one day.

This road trip punctuated our cross-country trip three weeks ago. We racked up over 3,500 miles (5632km)…probably about $500 in gasoline. Steven joked with a friend that we are trying to consume our annual quota of gasoline before arriving in public-transportation-rich Europe.

When we arrive in Budapest on September 10, we’ll have no car (thankfully). Having a car in Budapest is liability as it would be in London or New York City. We’ll likely go several years and never sit behind the wheel of a car. Luckily our Ohio driver’s licenses don’t expire until 2012.

We are looking forward to consuming less energy while in Hungary. Consuming less is one of the attractions overall to living in Europe. It is cliché these days but we do want to reduce our environmental footprint.

Until We Meet Again

Last night Diane's Aunt MaryEllen and Uncle Werner threw a farewell party for us. We had such a great time! We didn't take too many photos as the paparazzi was there doing a good job (paparazzi=Grandma Jordan, Werner, Aunt Sue). For now here are few favorites that we took. We will post more when we receive copies from everyone else.

Thank you MaryEllen and Werner! We can not thank you enough for everything!
And thank you Grandpa for getting such a tasty cake!

the cake

Diane and Lisa (Diane's Sister)

Werner "the grill master"

Olivia...cutie pie!

Gone Coastal

We drove 18 hours yesterday from Florida to Ohio!
We arrived home tired and missing the ocean.

We had a great time at the cabin and the condo. The view from the condo is so beautiful.
The smell of the sea and the warmth of the sun...ahhhhh.
Here are a few more photos from the week.

A few more good photos from the cabin.

Dad totally hustling Steve and Diane..."I don't know much about playing pool"
Then he beat us 3 games in a row....hmmm...

After rain at the cabin...sun at the beach.
We were on the Atlantic coast-far from the hurricanes.

Archie's Biker Bar

Diane and Steve

After a day at the beach-a little sun and a little tired.

Steve

Mike and Maya at the beach

Diane enjoying the sea and trying to hide from the sun after being sunburned the day before.