De Plane, De Plane

The 15 hr plane ride wasn't so bad! They give you a blankie and pillow. The lights are off. There are lots of movies and TV shows throughout the entire flight. The food was even good!
I flew from Chicago to San Fran and ended up sitting with a couple from Westminster, CO. Not much chatting, bits of sleep. Turns out the husband's family moved to Australia when he was 19 and he lived here for 2 yrs of so. His mom and siblings still live here. He gave me some good info on things to see and do.
After a brief layover in Sydney, I was back in the air at 8am. The very best part was the sun was finally coming up and from the air I saw the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge. That was awesome and made it really sink in.
I was so excited to see Jim! He was holding a "DeCaire" sign at the exit and had a hug waiting. It was the best.

Chicago; Autonomous but Together

Visiting home, in Michigan, was very nice. Chicago was the last stop of my family and friends tour. I was flying out of O'Hare, so it was a good reason to spend some time with Kyla and check out her new digs and dog, Tucker.
It actually worked out perfectly, as she had work to do and so did I. She would work at her desk in the kitchen and I would use the inflatable mattress in the living room as my desk. I also had errands to run and babies to see, so it worked out perfectly.
Chicago was a great transition from suburbia to city life. We walked or rode the bus or train to get around. The weather was gorgeous, and she only lives 3 blocks from Lake Michigan. We would take Tucker to the beach ever night.
It was also the last time I had to pack my suitcase!! The Behemoth empty, weighed 20lbs. So I carefully packed that in MI so it would not have to be disturbed again. The second duffel was a little trickier. I had to create a "toss" bag of heavy items like conditioner, lotion, etc. that I could get rid of if the weight was over 50lbs.
There was traffic on the way to the airport so I was a little thrown from my schedule. I was totally anxious. I knew once I got to the airport and the bags checked everything would be good. But I was anxious to have all of that happen. I couldn't wait!
Praise Jesus, the bags remarkably weighed 49.5lbs and 50lbs!! I didn't have to move or toss anything! I had won the battle of the bags!
The staff at O'Hare was much more organized than DIA, so the airport experience was pretty painless. Can't wait for that 15 hr flight!

The Behemoth

Ah, packing. The final frontier.
This is how it went down. Imagine a super clean, empty apartment and in one corner, a 3 x 5 heap of clothing, accessories and stuff. Ladies, this is your life. This is your entertainment, wardrobe and life as you know it for the next 18 months. This is the bar night out with new girlfriends, the day hikes with Jim, the loungy stay in and watch movies days. Not to mention the everyday apparel. A girl can't wear the same shirt everyday. I was already only bringing 4 pairs of shoes. Okay 5. All of this, it all must fit into 2 bags. However, one is already neatly packed weighing in at 47lbs. I mean, I will go shopping, I will explore, but how do you decide what you need? Part of me wants to just get new stuff, but money would be better spent on adventures. So, all of this, the remainder of the "deemed important" stuff, must go into one suitcase that is 29 x 20 x 10. No time for order either, as My Ride was standing over me waiting for me to do something so we could have dinner.

Airlines charge if your bag is over 50lbs. So, with My Ride waiting, I shoved it all in. I unzipped all expandable parts, we pushed down on the top and zipped it up. Done.
Except that you needed 2 people to carry it! I repacked the Behemoth later that evening. Saying, "screw it, I will just pay the weight fee." At this point, I am only going to Michigan. I realize there will have to be some sort of stuff intervention before the "big flight".

The airport was exciting. One girl, 2 arms, a backpack and 3 pieces of luggage that need to be rolled...? Luckily, I didn't have to go too far. But I did face a hiccup. The Behemoth weighed 74lbs! That's like a 7 year old! Ahhh! And the airline doesn't take anything over 70lbs, even with the fee. So, I become "that person". My suitcase is on the floor at the check-in counter, unzipped and I am shoving clothing, books, and whatever into my carry on and perfectly packed 47lb bag. Suddenly, something divine intervened. It came in the form of a tall, skinny, bitchy blond with oodles of frequent flier miles. "Why is there NO ONE checking in first class?" She asked the clerk. "You've got all your best customers down there, and NO ONE is helping them!"

At first, I was like, "are you for real?" But, after she was handled, I reweighed my bags. The flustered clerk only asked to see my ID and didn't bother to charge me a weight fee. Score! I thought it was all good.

HELP

I used to think that help was overrated, until I actually needed it. But I didn't really know I needed it...but isn't that how it goes?
Help was forced upon me by means of someone simply showing up and insisting on doing work. When I refused, like "I'm not sure what you can do." The helper recommended simple tasks such as piling up wall art for her to wrap. AH -HA. That day paved the way for 8 days of apartment packing...Thanks, Sam!

The other interesting thing about help is that it comes from those whom you least expect. I mean, sometimes your best friend isn't necessarily jumping up and down hoping you pick them. A lovely woman named Nicole, who I've known for months but not really hung out with, cleaned my kitchen and Windexed my windows. Someone let me borrow their car. The comment, "you would do the same for me," was made and I was like, "hmm, not sure, this experience is enough for me." Maybe I would lend the car, that's painless.

My favorite part was Sam and Liz over at 11:30 at night packing packing up the electronics. 3 girls, many cords, and Jim's most favorite items...don't worry, baby. The best part was the sub woofer protected in garbage bags and labeled "receiver". I love that kind of help!

Movers were the best $300 investment! After 4 hours of labor, Jeff and Andy (an Englishman) left me with an empty apartment and a storage unit filled from floor to ceiling, back to front. There was only 1 square foot of space remaining and that perfectly housed the vacuum. Andy must be really good at Tetris.

bye job...bye car

Friday was a tough day at the office. Saying goodbye to people you see more than your family was rough. I think it might be easier to be the leaver than the leavee. Today was my first job-free day. Not too bad, but didn't seem all that productive either. It's hard to get a sense of accomplishment when you are creating a mess. I threw away about 3 trash bags of paper from my office.
Packing to put stuff in storage for 547 days is a lot different that packing to move 40 miles away.

I also was lucky to pass along my Subaru today. That experience was CRAZEE. I practically feel like I have a new aunt and cousin from the deal. A high strung 24 yr old tree hugger and her mom. The girl was SO happy. I had to meet them at the bank to sign off on stuff. The bank is a 1mi walk, if that. But Chelsea insisted on dropping me off. I joked that she might not have enough gas, but it was kind of the truth.
She even asked if I wanted to drive to my house one last time. I said no and instead, was her first passenger. She gave me a serious hug before I got out. The experience was strange but painless and safe.