The Dr. Seuss quote has been ringing in my ears for the past couple of days “Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!”
The last two days before leaving were so incredibly busy! From buying last minute supplies to making sure everything was ready with my house, I feel like I barely had a spare moment. But I also was so blessed by being able to spend some time with close friends before leaving – I got to go to lunch with them, dinner with them, and all in all – I had a fantastic send-off.
However, I also decided I wanted my house “ready-to-sell clean.” Not that I want to sell it, but I hold that up as the gold standard of having a clean house. I did not quite achieve that level of clean. The night before I left I was up at about midnight cleaning the bathtub and the shower, and spray bug preventative, and all sorts of things. It’s not perfect, but I’m happy with the way it turned out, and I think I will be VERY happy to return to it in a few months.
On Sunday morning, Brandy picked me up at my house to go to the airport, and I will admit to being a bit teary on saying goodbye. I’m so excited for everything that lies ahead of me and I’m so excited for this trip, but there’s something sad about saying goodbye to one part of your life and moving onto another. But something so, so, so exciting! I told my mom it was like when I drove away from Dallas to move to Tampa – I was so happy for what was ahead of me, but also sad to leave a great thing in Dallas. Same thing here.
When I was searching plane tickets to the Philippines, almost all of them had horrendous layovers on the way – including mine. A bit more than 15 hours – but luckily, it was in Toronto. So instead of a horrendous layover in an airport, I got to spend time with my family there. It was so wonderful to catch up – all four of us got together for dinner. And if you don’t know them, you don’t know what a feat that is! Kim and Derek spend as much time out of the country as in it, and Aunt Cathy is constantly busy with all sorts of fun things. It was just luck that everyone was in town and available, and I think we ended up having a three-hour dinner. It felt like about 30 minutes!
Kim and Derek have both traveled extensively, so I was so happy to hear their tips and suggestions – and they both laughed at the level of detail, planning and organization that has gone into this trip. Apparently it’s a bit much?
On Monday morning, Aunt Cathy drove me back to the airport for me to pick up my flight to Hong Kong. Fifteen hours on a plane – no small ordeal! I packed a few sleeping pills so I think I’ll be able to sleep for a lot of it, and once I’m in Hong Kong, I’ll head on to Cebu, Philippines. Then an overnight in Cebu and on to Siargao the next morning. All in, it will take me about three full days to get there.
So there you have it! Everything up to Hong Kong – more when I get to the other side of the world!
One Comment
Nancy S
God speed sweet friend. Be safe!