It's about as real as it gets without actually leaving.  Tickets are purchased.  I'm leaving May 9th.  I was shaking as I was typing to buy them Friday.  Chicago-Dublin-Paris.  Then the train to Bayonne and another to St. Jean Pied de Port.  I should start walking on May 11th!  Wow.    I'll have until June 11 to make it into Santiago when Cassie arrives to spend a week with me there.  Since the Camino takes an average of 31 days, I should be able to make it by then.  On our way back we'll have a 18 hour layover in Dublin!  It's going to be so much fun!


Time to rev up training, especially now that the weather looks like it will be getting warmer, and pick up extra shifts to have enough money on the Camino.  Gonna be a busy person the next two months.  (TWO months?? Yikes!) 

I nearly have all the gear I need now.  Just a few more little things left. Now it's more about deciding what to take and what to leave behind.  My pack should only weigh 12-15 pounds.  That's hard for someone who is a good Girl Scout and always likes to "be prepared" for everything.  My purse probably weighs half that, lol. 

Please pray for me as I finish preparing mentally, physically, spiritually, and financially for this journey.

Buen Camino!