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| Almost over the Atlantic. Loved the flight info! |
I am currently over the Atlantic Ocean. I'd never seen it before today, at least not live & in person, and even though I was about 33,000' up in the air, it still looked like ocean. Boy will I miss that vast expanse of sea!
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| Dropped more as the night wore on. The coldest I saw was -64º! |
So, when I said yesterday that I'd find out in a couple hours if I'd be leaving or not, I found out I was. I was shocked! Since there were so many people still waiting from the last few weeks, I thought for sure that I'd be in that boat as well. I didn't even imagine that any of us would be heading over, let alone that I would! But here I am, taking a journey that makes me giggle and cry at the same time. Crazy doesn't even cut it.
Today, quite like the past few weeks, has been a whirlwind of mad & crazy emotion. It started out at 4:45 this morning. I didn't have to be up until 6:25 or so, but there was no telling my over-stressed brain to go back to sleep. I finally got up around 5. Got online & started chatting with my bud who is currently in Kandahar. He was ending his day just as I was starting mine. I got ready & headed downstairs to roll call... only to find that it went 30 minutes earlier than I thought. That was my first & only "oops" of the trip. At least so far. Wasn't too big a deal though. We checked in (and by we, I'm including the other guy who thought it was 7:30, who, incidentally, is sitting right next to me on the airplane). That was when the whirlwind really began. I had to say goodbye to the two very dear friends that I made who went home today, and I didn't even have a chance for an "I'll see you soon" to the other. That was really a bummer! But part of any great adventure is a few ups & downs. Okay, a lot of ups & downs.
I got packed up, talked to Joe, Jill, & my mom for a bit, then headed downstairs. There were a few of us all waiting for the shuttle service the Marriott provides. After the small talk, I finally asked if there was anyone else who was going overseas for the first time EVER. All shook their heads except for one who shyly raised his hand. I asked him if he had as many emotions and as much chaos coursing through him as I did & he nodded. I haven't seen him since that point. My guess is that he's heading out at a different time than the rest of us. So all that to say that I'm travelling with a great group of guys & one gal, who have all done this before. That means when I cried while saying goodbye to Joe, I felt a lot better to see that they were all doing the same with their significant others.  |
| Just wingin' it. |
This is so not easy! Some things about it are-- technically speaking, I'm getting a very well-paid vacation and an opportunity to see the other side of the world. The other parts? Oh, not so much. Yes, the free drinks and movies on the plane (they even have an eposide of The Golden Girls and Glee!!!), the food, the adventure, that's all awesome. But there is such a huge unknown that I don't even know which speculations & stories to believe. But that's what I signed up for. Unknowns. A new path around every corner. And that, so far, has been great. Everything before I get to that path is scary, but the moment I can see even 1/4 of a mile in front of me, I know that all is well. And right now, I can only see 1/4, but that 1/4 seems exciting.
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