Well, the money is starting to be spent, which is a sure sign that we're making progress.  Just yesterday we out tickets to Hawaii, where we'll stay with Sachiko's parents before leaving for New Zealand.

We're planning to drive across the US to North Carolina in December.  We want this to give us a uniquely American expereince before we leave.  Just after Christmas, we'll fly to Honolulu.  The price was excellent I thought.... one way tix from NC to LAX and then LAX to Honolulu = $350 per person.  Can't beat that.

We just went to a travel agent today to talk about tickets from Hawaii to NZ. Right now, things are still a bit up in the air, as we'd be going in the high season.  Lots to talk about...