Here's some objective proof that this trip has been in the works for some time now: I pulled out my trusty "yellow card," more officially known as the International Certificate of Vaccination, and realized I got my first series of jabs in October 2006. At that time, I had no idea where or when I was going, but since most vaccinations are good for at least 5 years, and some require a series of two or three shots, it seemed like a good thing to get started. After a bit of research, I determined that it's a bit cheaper to get the shots at our local county health clinic, which proved to be its own adventure but at least I got it out of the way!

However, the clinics don't provide prescriptions, so for malaria meds and Cipro and other fun stuff, we have to go to our primary care physician. So that was today's big to-do list item. I thought we were all caught up on every possible jab necessary for travel just about anywhere -- TD, Polio, Hep A/B, Typhoid, even Rabies fer cryin' out loud -- and would just need to get an updated scrip for one of the many malaria meds. But it turns out I needed a booster for Measles-Mumps-Rubella, and Mark needed to finish up his Hep A/B series. So we did the human pincushion routine again. Good times. We also walked away with a fistful o' scrips: Larium for the skeeters, some anti-itch cream (because if there is a skeeter within a mile, it will find me no matter how much Deet-based chemicals I lather on), more Cipro, and Ambien (?). I doubt we'll have any use for that last one, as Tylenol PM tends to work just fine in a pinch, and the idea of taking even one sleeping pill gives me the creeps. But good ol' Dr Bae is a cautious chick, and I guess she wanted to make sure we got our co-pay's worth.

On a slightly different note, I wish I had some updates for you about when we'll actually be heading off to the other side of the planet. Alas, we have still not found a tenant to rent our house while we travel. That's the big determining factor right now, so please send all your best rent-a-licious vibes our way, in the hopes that we find someone to move in by September.

Also, the more astute among you will notice some cosmetic changes to the blog interface. It's still a work in progress, and we'll be doing some fine-tuning over the next few weeks as we continue to add more content to the site and start to publicize it a bit more. Feedback is always welcome!