In about 9 hours...

In about 9 hours my adventure begins starting with a quick trip from DFW to Austin to LA, and then the longer legs and losing time from LA to Taipei to Bangkok then six hours then to Chiang Rai to arrive around 9am on Wednesday morning...it will be a long two days!! Please pray that angels are about me and grace abides in all my flights and transactions...

The last few days have been a whirlwind of activities and get-togethers...Thursday I packed and repacked. I had dinner with my sweetest friends (more like family) Jon, Kim, and Madeline, and Nancy. It is a joy to share life with people for so long (about 15 years) and still love each other so much. They are sweet treasures to me.

Friday my mom and I stopped to see my cousin, Jena, who just graduated from high school - (GOOD LUCK in your future adventures)!! Then drove to Austin to be with my Uncle David, Cousin Julia (who was recently in Chiang Rai and swears up and down i'll love it), Cousin Renee and her wonderful and loving husband, Chris, and all the kids: Angel, Christian, Ally, Ryan, Adelia, Regina, James...it was a fun time!! My uncle made homemade barbecue. Chris had his 30th birthday (it's a great year...being 30!!!). I rode on a crotch rocket with Chris and loved it. I also drove his car, which is a Protege wagon, and it was a sweet ride! We all got to hang out and talk and play games...I sure do love my family!

Saturday we came home late in the afternoon and went to my sister's house to hang out with the immediate family for the last time. We had steaks and homemade loaded potatoes (which totally rocked - thanks jenn and jason), and pound cake with ice cream and strawberries. Late into the night we played Imaginiff and Loaded Questions (games that are worth investing in...they were a blast!!).

This morning I woke up to my sweetest Sam staring at me, as I love to do at their house. We went to Jenn and Jason's church, pastored by Ty Leavell. We had a fantastic time, then went home to eat homemade chicken and rice, green beans, and then a nap. Which was lovely until we woke up, realizing it was almost time to go. All of us hemmed and hawed around trying to make the time last longer, but eventually we had to say goodbye. There were many tears, hugs, and more tears and more hugs, kisses, but most of all so much love. I am incredibly blessed to have a mom, whom I love so much, who loves me enough to let me go, having prepared me for such a time as this...a sister who loves me so much and who is loved by me so much...a brother in law that is encouraging and a blessing to our family...and the two sweetest nephews anyone could ever hope to have...Sam, a passionate, caring and intelligent boy, who is my sweet buddy and will always be...Isaac, who secretly really loves to booch me (smooch), and is a ray of sunshine and a breath of fresh air. You might be thinking, how can so many loving and awesome people be in one family...and I wonder that too...it seems too good to be true, but that's it.

And me...so excited about what the next few days will hold and simultaneousely torn up inside at having to say goodbye and leave those I love most with only a backpack, a computer bag, a wicked heavy drum bag (stuffed full), and a "backpack" suitcase that is so ridiculously heavy, I'm not sure how I will carry it...and me...I can see why so few choose this road...it's not an easy one and it involves a lot of sacrifice, but the juice is worth the squeeze!! I'm saying, "Bring on the squeeze!!!"

my love...