Well, we'll soon say goodbye to Virginia and head for points north and then west. What a stay this has been! The time has gone by so quickly and yet, it seems like we have been here forever. How does that work? I could wax nostalgic about what and who we'll miss here but I've always been one to look ahead and there's plenty to look forward to.
We have a great trip home planned with stops in Hershey, PA; Harmony, PA (now Oakland); Ft. Drum (Watertown) NY; Palmyra, NY; Carmel, IN; Nauvoo, IL; Kanab, UT and home to Mesa. We'll have other stops of course but those are unplanned.
The last two weeks have been jammed packed with family, friends and goodbyes. Judy came and spend a week with us and we had a ball catching up all the loose ends of sight-seeing we wanted to complete before leaving. Our Spanish ward feted us at a going-away cena with lots of kind words, gifts and pollo. We spent a day with the departing missionaries, speaking twice in meetings and attending the temple. Brother John flew out to start his new job in Virginia and we spent last night with him at dinner and then a whirlwind once-over of the District to give him a feel for it. It was like a last hurrah for us before leaving.
The apartment is completely torn apart at this point as we separate things into going home with us, going to a new apartment, or going to the Goodwill piles. This apartment is closing and it's a job. But by Friday morning it will all be done and we'll be off for the adventure of going home.
