Reunited and it feels so good!

We made it! 

A quick update - Liberty and I left Washington, DC on Monday, October 12th, 2015 (Columbus Day) to join Evan in Tirana, Albania as he continues his efforts to start a new international school. We landed in Tirana after a brief layover in Vienna, Austria on Tuesday morning. Libby did well, but I can say without a doubt she very much prefers staying on land. Jet setting is definitely not her thing! We we're lucky enough to have one of Evan's good friends help us takeoff from Dulles. International travel with a pet (especially a nervous 65lb pup) is very complicated so an extra set of hands is a must. The crew of Austrian Airlines impressed me with their kindness and their interest in Libby's well-being. I refused to board the flight until the pilot confirmed she was also onboard. They pretended to understand my neurosis and radioed the pilot frequently until she was safely secured in the climate controlled section of the cargo bin.

Honestly -- I was a bit of a mess on the flight to Vienna, but the Austrian wine kept flowing, and I kept myself busy by watching terrible romantic comedies. The movies helped me do my best not to think of all the horrible pet travel stories I googled in a state of panic on Saturday night. Quick tip-- don't Google anything remotely scary, the Internet is beyond frightening...

I know this move and all of the anxiety it provoked probably seems silly to a seasoned international traveler, but for a Southern California girl who never traveled abroad until her early twenties this is a Big Deal! To help you understand my naivety, my parents still need to get passports to make the trip to Albania and I will most likely meet them in Western Europe and escort them East to be safe. To sum it up, my family pretty much thinks I've lost my mind. Not only did I move to NYC in 2005 and never come back, I'm now moving even further away from the promise land (aka sunny California)...

Over the next few days, Liberty and I will be doing our best to settle into the wonderful life Evan has built for us. He has cultivated a community of expats and locals in Tirana who are waiting to warmly welcome us into the Balkans. We are two very lucky ladies to have him "advance" our trip. I promise we will update you once we get the hang of things and are settled. Stay tuned for future blog posts, I'll do my best to entertain you with what life is like in Albania. Yes, the fact that I'm officially a resident of Albania also amuses me. :) 

Before I sign off, I want to send a shout out to EVERYONE who has made our journey possible. From kind friends who have listened to me talk about USDA rules for pet travel over drinks (poor you!), to my co-workers who have covered for me on conference calls when I was on the phone with the USDA, to family members that have helped us navigate these past few months... please know your contributions are invaluable and we are forever grateful.

Thank you! We are genuinely overwhelmed by your kindness. 

Brianna, Evan and Liberty