We're Leaving On A Jetplane...

It’s January 3rd, our one way tickets are booked and the big day has finally arrived. You would think that we would be totally prepared given that we’ve known about our move for months now, but it still seems like there is always a lot to do at the last minute.

Although it truly hasn’t hit me yet; today has been really hard making those last phone calls to my best girlfriends, parents, and my sister before we got on the plane. Anyone who knows me can vouch that I’m not much of a crier; but hell, sometimes I just get on a roll and the tears keep coming. I started thinking about the big and the small things that I’ll miss over the next couple of years…
- Giving my mom wake up calls when I am on the road en route to an early appointment
- Playing tennis at Oak Valley with my dad
- Weekly dinners with my Charlotte girls
- Lunch break conference calls with Michaela
- Being a bridesmaid in Laura Wells’ wedding in September
- Hearing my niece or nephew say “Hey Aunt Birdpoop!” before they hand the phone to my sister
Don’t get me wrong; I am very excited about our new adventure – I really am – but it’s also instances like these that really make you reflect on the people that mean the most to you. After John Paul finished saying goodbye to his Pap, I thought he put it the best; “At least we have people to miss”….and it’s true….we both are truly blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives.

With that being said, I don’t want to come off as being totally dramatic about communicating with everyone back in the US. It’s not like we are living in the Australian Outback and having to adapt to a lifestyle similar to the Aborigines. We will have numerous ways to communicate with everyone back home; it will just take some adjusting. (I am still trying to find out the best way to guilt everyone into getting a webcam & signing up for Skype.) I thought about my older brother who is in the USAF and has had to leave his wife and two boys on assignment numerous times…. and believe me, he isn’t like he’s going to live a block away from the beach. John Paul and I have it pretty good, all things considered.

Our flight leaves from Pittsburgh at 6:30pm and will take us to LAX, and from Los Angeles, we’ll go directly to Melbourne. Wish us luck on the flight! Cheers, mates!