This time next week...

“Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.”

This time next week I will be in a hotel room in Washington, D.C. Anxiously waiting to meet my fellow volunteers. Anxiously waiting for orientation and find out more about what is to come in the near future of my adventure. Not so anxiously waiting for the remainder of the shots I need to get (typhoid and yellowfever) as well as starting malaria pills. Anxiously waiting to leave for Mali via Paris. When you wait so long for something, when you have a goal that you've been dreaming of and working towards for so long and it finally becomes a reality it unbelievable. I know I'm leaving, I've been having anxiety attacks, I'm sick to my stomach all of the time (lost 10 pounds and I haven't even left yet) and my head is pounding, but even still I can hardly believe it.

I had a farewell party last night...there's no backing out now for sure. My farewell party consisted of about 50 people that I was so happy to see. A lot of folks from DataQuick where I worked for 16 years before the big layoffs, some of my American Red Cross friends and then the few good, close friends all that I have been honored to have as a part of my life. And the little bit of family I have...my two boys. My older one came in crying like a baby. That's awesome. And I swore I wasn't going to cry. So much for that. It was so cool to see how many people wanted to come out and wish me well. And I thought no one liked me!! We ate, drank and talked about the good old days. Good times, good times. A couple of dear friends even slipped me a couple bucks. So unnecessary but soooo appreciated. I don't have room in my suitcases for one more little tiny thing, but there's always room for some bills. So if anyone is wondering what to get me...

For the rest of this week I will get all my paperwork together. Get rid of everything left in my room. Some clothes going to ma famille afrique, some getting tossed, some getting boxed into storage. Books, pictures, etc. boxed and into storage. My bed is going to my son's place. When do you move that. Once it's gone I have nowhere to sleep...hhhmmmmm. Go over my luggage and weigh it one more time. Make sure I stuff my carry on as much as I can. Last and most importantly spend as much time with my boys as I possibly can. They start school this week so they will be busy. Maybe that's a good thing. I don't want them to focus on my leaving. Saturday I will spend the night with them. My flight is at 7:30am and I guess I need to be at the airport at 5:30. If I am not sitting right next to them they will sleep right through it. Wouldn't that be a pisser. I feel like this blog is just me thinking out loud. I'm going to post some pictures and leave this as is for today.

My son Joshua on the left, Jarrod on the right, me and....that's right my baby daddy!!

Even he came to say goodbye.