Goodbye U.S.A.!!!

     Let me just begin by saying that I have the best friends in the entire world.  Yesterday, Lindsay, Sean, and Camryn all showed up and surprised me for a "15-minute" surprise visit before I left.  They arrived decked out with balloons, a sign, cupcakes, juice, and my own personal favorite...bugles!  We celebrated with food, a photoshoot, and departure gifts.  Let's just say that i'm going to have the perfect Australian glow, even in the winter.  Also, let's all be clear that the card was from Lindsay, "because it's perfect".  Most importantly, Lindsay did some research and tried to fill the gap in my life left by the two people who I have decided I will miss the most while I am away (sorry mom!); 1) my zumba instructor, 2) Ritu (the lady who keeps my eyebrows in check).  Hopefully my 4-month stand-ins will be up to par.

    

     Within an hour of "leaving", Lindsay was back (surprise, surprise) and stayed for most of the night.  She was occupied with crafts, time conversions, and keeping tensions low in the Middleton household.  Mom surprised us after dinner with a koala cake that she had baked which made a great dessert...and breakfast.

    

     Right now, I am currently sitting in the airport in Washington, D.C. waiting for my flight (which was depayed 2 hours) to take off.  Woke up pretty early this morning, around 6:30, and was in the car by 8.  Kevin was SO excited to be included in the airport drop-off; it was actually quite precious.  As predicted, Grammy and Grampy were waiting with their goodbye signs at the end of the street.  Over the years, that has become the tradition everytime I go back to school in the fall.  It was great to be able to see them one more time before I left.

    

     My first flight from Hartford went well, bags checked in at 49.6 pounds and 50.5 pounds.  But, after a little nudge on the scale, it re-calculated to 50 pounds.  Way to go Dad!  Now, i'm just hoping they don't gain any more weight bewteen here and L.A. where I have to re-check them.  Unfortunately, this probably won't be as much of a problem as originally anticipated considering Kathleen and my shopping excursion will be cut short.  I'm just hoping we still make it to In-N-Out!  Clearly the priority.

     Luckily, my flight got into L.A. in plenty of ime for Kathleen and I to get to In-N-Out!  She met me at baggage claim, in the creeper terminal, and we set out for our long-awaited date.  It was so great to see Kathleen before I left and the burger, fries, and shake were definately an excellent bonus.  After dinner, Kathleen and I invaded Meadbh's hotel room so that I could shower and avoid being at L.A.X. any longer than necessary.  Finally, we headed back to the airport, met up with Justin waited the last couple of hours before our 11:50 departure.

    

     Peace out U.S.A., see you in November!