Lists, Lists and more Liszt

It's been an absolutely incredible musical weekend (okay really only the last 24 hours). We went to the Il Divo concert on Saturday night and it was an amazing show. It is ironic that we're gearing up for our trip to Europe and here Europe has come to us . The music was excellent and the background graphics were also fantastic. I was pleased to notice that they used some of our local symphony members - says something about the level of talent and ability right in our community. Then this morning we celebrated with the Jazz Liturgy, accompanied by some really top-notch musicians. The choir pieces also added a special element to the service, especially the Norwegian piece with a wonderful trumpet solo. In a short period of time we've had two very different but equally moving musical experiences - possibly just a precursor to what we will experience in Europe (and no, I don't believe there's any Liszt on the program for any of the concerts will be going to. I just thought it sounded good.)

So the countdown is really on now. My stress level is pretty high but hopefully as the week progresses, that will diminish. It seems I have lists all over the place - what to pack, what I still might need to purchase, what I need to accomplish before I go, what I need to do to make sure the kids will survive without us, contact names and numbers - the lists seem to go on and on forever! However, as crazy as it may sound, that's what keeps me sane. Actually things are really falling into place (I've done a zillion loads of laundry and I'm even semi-packed) and before I know it we'll be getting on the plane next Saturday and it won't really matter if there's anything left on the lists. As Dennis keeps reminding me, I can always buy things in Europe if I've forgotten anything and the kids are old enough to fend for themselves but I expect after 6 weeks of mostly Kraft Dinner and no vegetables, they will probably appreciate me a little more too. It helps that there will be periodic visits from grandparents - that should help balance the nutritional scales. Now if I could only find my extended health care card...