Wow! I never thought of all the to dos even up to the last moment. Traveling with a family of 4 with only backpacks is challenging. Every item in your backpack must be a necessity. We did a lot of switching out things at the last moment. Do we really need the dress shoes? Nope. Is this shirt lighter weight then this other one? Yes. Forget the poncho. No more space. We kept the sunscreens and medicines…the things our friends told us may be difficult or really expensive to find in Southeast Asia. But Happy Guy and I really had to be a team for this to work. Scanning spelling pages and math books for homeschool late at night so we didn’t need to carry extra weight. Ordering last minute items on Amazon and Target.
And this wouldn’t have happened without the kindness of our friends and family. Friends who opened their homes to us since we had to rent out our house two weeks before the trip so it would work out for the family moving in, friends who invited us for brunch and fed us delicious food and gave us warm hugs, friends and neighbors who made us lunch when we didn’t have a car and cooked for us on their birthday even though they were tired, neighbors that warmed our hearts with love, and family that even drove for hours to visit us on the day before we were leaving. We really felt the love in our hearts. And that makes it even more difficult to leave because we will miss them.
As I’m getting older, I’m realizing it’s the moments with the people you love that are most important. Make them count! And the first thing I did at the airport lounge was to make a list of everyone we would like to invite to a welcome back summer party when we return to San Diego.
And then we were off. Grandpa N kindly drove us to the airport. We checked in our bigger backpacks and headed to the lounge.
I also appreciate the kids. They are becoming so independent and they are kind with each other and with us. We are only on the first long flight and I feel like all of us are a little more patient with each other and understand the challenges. When Happy L was overly exhausted and feeling nauseous, I rubbed her back until she fell asleep. Happy A asked the flight attendant for snacks and help with her screen. Despite the long journey to Hong Kong and staying up past midnight, no one complained.
I’m looking forward to this journey together, how we will grow, what we will learn, and who we will connect with and meet along the way. I can’t believe this trip has been in the making for over 7 years!
