One month to go!

It looks like we'll be packing the moving van on Monday, July 10, and taking off from here on Tuesday, July 11. If we drive two 12-hour days, Jen with the kids and dog in the minivan, me in the moving van listening to bar review tapes, we should pull into Fargo on Wednesday night. That gives us a little cushion before the judge's reunion festivities kick off on Friday night.

We're renting a 26-foot truck from Penske for $1,097, and have 6 days from Monday to drop it off in Fargo. The modern diesel engine should save us $197 in fuel costs on the way out, the Penske Web site helpfully tells us.

Before we go, our good pals Matt and Sue are throwing us a goodbye party on July 4. (If we know you, you're in the D.C. area that day, and we have somehow neglected to invite you, just show up at our house that afternoon...) We'll cook out, then stroll over to downtown Rockville for the fireworks. Our great friends Christi, Chuck, Eli, Macy, Meg, Michele, Peter, and Sarah are going to be spending the long weekend at our house, perhaps helping to pack a box or two, and our great friends Suz, George, Hank, and Ty will be staying nearby.

Some might say that entertaining twelve houseguests is not the best way to spend your last weekend before you move across the country -- bah!