The Countdown.....

Well, I am frantically preparing for my departure to Cape Town. Of course, I've been preparing for a long time, but there's so much that you can't do until closer to the time to leave. I just returned from visiting my brother and his family in San Antonio for 4 days, and was supposed to go to visit my parents and brother in Orlando for 3 days, but with so much left to do to get my house emptied out and stored, unfortunately, I had to cancel my trip.

I just finished up work and my leave of absence officially starts Monday. I'm packing up my rental house that is filled with things collected for the past 42 years and putting it in storage. Trying to figure out just what to pack to take for a year abroad, gifts for people I meet and things I can't live without that I might not be able to easily get there.

I've made list after list of things to do, and still I feel that I will forget something, as I'm sure I will. And though I know I can buy just about anything I will need when I get there, I just don't want to forget something I can't--like my driver's license, or something that may cost a lot to purchase there when I could have taken it with me.

Stressful days these are as I make lists, pack up the house, run errands, tie up loose ends, turn off utilities, get prescriptions filled, eyes checked, bags packed to regulation, say my goodbyes to as many friends and family as I can fit in, and the list continues.

These last few weeks have been very overwhelming as I try to juggle training a new person to take over the reigns of a job I've had for 8 years that has become a huge part of my life. And then I would come home to the challenge of deciding what to keep and what to pack up and store for a year. There were a few times the stress of it all just boiled over into a pool of tears and I would have myself a good cry, and then pick up and move on.

But I am excited about my upcoming adventure. I'm also nervous, anxious, apprehensive, sad and scared. And I think that is to be expected right now and that those emotions will change as I get through more of what needs to be done, and get on that plane, and set my feet on the ground in South Africa, and with each day that I move forward in my journey those emotions will change. That is just part of the growing process.

So, on Sunday, January 27th, at 2:24 PM I will be flying out of Indianapolis to head to South Africa. Until then, I will be busy packing!

Stay tuned for more adventures!