Leaving

It's almost midnight on the night before the night before our move. Tomorrow is our last full day in Missoula. The house is in shambles, our to-do list is getting longer (we're up to 13 items listed for tomorrow), we're exhausted, stressed about the amount of space we'll have for our boxes, suitcases, cats, etc. in the car, and heartbroken over all of the goodbyes we've had these past few days. It really feels like we're at the end of our rope. We just can't get over how awful it feels to say goodbye to our friends here. And while we want to spend our last moments in Missoula with them, we're busy dealing with carpet cleaning, stuffing boxes into the car, trips to Goodwill....I'm wondering if all this will actually get done in time for us to move. And then there's the thought that once we get through all of this tedious stuff it might just start to sink in that we're actually leaving this place and the people here. We're excited to see our families and to eventually see people in Guinea, but for the moment all I feel is sadness.

We're trying to stay focused though. The countdown has definitely begun. Tomorrow we get to clean, close our bank accounts, and pack the car for good (among other things). By the way, has anyone out there traveled long distances in a car with cats? We're looking for *any* advice or encouragement from anyone who has been in such a situation. The three-cats- in-the-car aspect of our drive to California is one thing we're dreading. Our cats are very important to us and we know they're going to hate us for putting them through such torture...