See ya later Lisagator! After while Lukadile!

The title above was one of many great goodbye quotes that were shared with me before we left. I'm going to include a few below.

"Goodbyes are not forever. Goodbyes are not the end. They simple mean I'll miss you. Until we meet again!" -from Kathy Crawford

"We're not good at goodbyes, so let's just pretend we're playing hide-and-seek...and you're going to be real hard to find." -card from Jo Burgoon

"When I think about Australia, I think about boomerangs. Boomerangs always come back. So take off on your grand adventure and know that you will come back to all of us that love you so much." - Jamie Sieland

Thanks, everyone!!! I was going to title this blog entry "Goodbyes" but I thought Tara's quote worked the same way! :) But this will be about goodbyes. I have spent the last 2 weeks thinking about this entry and knowing that as each day passed, I would have more to add to it so here we are finally in Australia on Day 2 and I'm ready to write this.

Anyone who knows me knows it takes me a LONG time to say goodbye. It doesn't really matter if we're on the phone, in person, already hugged, already said goodbye a few times- I always seem to have 1 (or 2 or 3 or 7) more things to say before I go. Stop shaking your heads, yes, people!!! See, I told you I know! :) I know this is something I have a hard time with just on a day to day basis so I wasn't sure how the last 2 weeks of saying "goodbye" were actually going to go. Saying goodbye when you know you're going to say goodbye to so many important people for a long time is a little intimidating. What if I don't get to see everyone? What if I don't say what I wanted to say in person? What if I don't spend enough time with each person?

Thinking back now I want to tell myself to get a grip because for me, there is no significant amount of time that I would say was enough time for me to say goodbye to all of you. Raise your hand if I "dropped" something off to you last minute? Again, this seems to be one of my goodbye tactics! :) Sorry, but thank you for letting me get one last hug in. The thing that matters most right now is that Luke and I were able to spend a lot of quality time with close friends and family and we felt very lucky to do this over the past weeks.

Here are just a few of the fun goodbyes I had in the last couple of weeks: Tara had a very nice dinner for me at her house with some of our college friends. She even busted out her China and the girls were good sports when I made them all go around the table for a champagne toast to say something exciting going on in their lives, too. Then I made them say what they are thankful for because I don't get to celebrate Thanksgiving this year!! I loved it! They didn't even complain about that one. :)

Our whole boating group came to our house so we could entertain one last time. We of course had a Mexican Fiesta! It was so fun to have everyone over with their babies. Thanks for using plastic utensils, cups, and plates and not complaining! We had door prizes for everyone, too...toilet paper, spices, bottles of liquor, canned goods...you name it, they got it! :)

Lacy and I had pedicures and manicures at this great place in Liberty that serves you drinks while you are there. We started the morning with Bloody Mary's while we had our toes done. Of course I would discover this great place a week before leaving the country! Later that day Marcee and Lacy presented me with a very fun cake with a kangaroo holding a boomerang. They also gave me a special necklace that I will wear often!

The staff at my school came to a TGIF after school one day. It was so great to see all of my friends again!!! I got several sweet cards and lots of good wishes. I of course told them all I'd see them again the next week to say my "official" goodbye. So I did that the day before we left! I got to be in the Halloween parade at school and see former students, parents, and my friends at school.

Our going away party was very special. We were so happy that so many people could come by. I still had a hard time grasping "goodbye" as I said it to everyone that night as they hugged us before they left. My best college friends gave me a Flip Video Camera to catch some good Australian footage. I promise to! We already used it to film the airport craziness when we left and then when we arrived.

The night before we left we were still frantically packing. The Strahm's and Freeman's came over for pizza which was the best procrastination break ever! Then Jimmy, Angie, and Zerek stopped by, too.

Saying goodbye to your best friends and family is never easy or fun, but I know we'll be back before we know it and I'll be up to my old ways of sneaking in one last goodbye just like I used to! Can't wait, can you???? :)