I truly can't believe that we are here. It has been quite a whirlwind so far. Here is just a sample of our journey thus far:
Before leaving Sacramento -
Our beautiful Aunt Teresa and Mo put on such an amazing going away party for us. We would have had much more fun if we were not plagued with food poisoning. But, even so, we truly enjoyed seeing all of our friends and family together for one of the last times in a long time. I cannot explain how grateful I am to my Aunt, I am going to miss you so much.
The Gomade garage sale was so successful, we made money and got rid of a lot of stuff. The money was a great help...apparently, moving out of the country is quite costly!
Getting our huge containers of junk picked up to be shipped to the island was a big deal. We had so much stuff that we would have never had been able to fit in our bags, so we had to ship them to the island...they were picked up Monday before we left and they still have not arrived. (I did get this man's permission to take his photo, thanks to Joe Gomes)
After a last minute get together with friends and family for dinner and ice cream, we went to sleep in Carmichael California for the last time.
Upon waking and finishing our packing we got picked up by my dad and Smitty. The ride to the airport was the last time I would sit and talk with my dad for a long time. It was extremely sobering.
Once we got to the airport we attempted to get Jasmine out of the car...that was quite a struggle! She was literally shaking, it was so sad. Seeing her that way was so hard. Hope acted like she owned that place, as usual. I wish we would have taken more photos, but it was way too hectic.
We soon realized that we packed in excess. While I was weighing the bags (4 very large suitcases, 1 was 70 lbs, the others were 50 each, 2 large carry ons and 2 personal items), Joe had to get rid of stuff if they were over 50 pounds. All too soon, we were paying for the luggage, filling out paperwork for the girls, and stuffing them in their crates. Jasmine went quite willingly, but Hope spread her legs to try and stop Joe from putting her in there. TSA was called and they were rolled away. I almost had a panic attack, and Granny was crying like crazy. My heart hurt so much for them because there is no way to explain what is going on, they just see it as a scary and unknown situation.
When they were no longer in sight, we sat down with the family. So many people came to the airport to see us off, it was truly special. My dad and Smitty, Dolores, Granny and Gramps, Mike, Aunt Teresa, Mo and Grandma Lou all came to wish us well. As we said our goodbyes, I can't explain the feeling, it was like part of my heart was being pulled out. I cried like I have not cried in a long time. It was so hard. I was crying for all the people that we were leaving, all the familiarity, all the history.
Joe and I got through security with no issues, and as I was putting my shoes back on I broke down again. My chest was clenching and I felt the panic attack coming back. The only thing that kept me together was knowing that my best friend was with me and that God had chosen this path for us. I did know this before, but it was made more obvious to me when our patio light (which had never worked) turned on the night before we left. For me, it was God and my Mom lighting our way, giving us the green light, letting us know that this was the right path. If I had not had those things, I probably would have lost it.
The flight was fine, a little turbulence and the best cookies ever! And then we landed in Atlanta, GA.
To be continued...
