We're Off...

I can't believe I'm writing this, but here it is- we're leaving tomorrow! We have the backpacks and duffle bags and piles of stuff all over the living room floor to prove it. We haven't even left yet and we're absolutely beat from all the anxiety and excitement and sadness. Yes, more goodbyes are on the horizon. Last night we had a family get-together to celebrate my dad's birthday (yesterday), my mom's birthday (day before yesterday), and our departure (tomorrow, or actually, today, as Matt and I will be spending the night in San Francisco tonight- our flight leaves at 6:00am tomorrow). Like all goodbye events it was fun until we all realized that at the end of the evening we'd be saying goodbye. Actually, we'll have a few hours today to draw it out even longer. I have a stomach ache from the thought of getting in the car this afternoon and pulling away. Matt and I woke up at the crack of dawn this morning, hearts racing, our minds on all the last minute details, the zipping of overstuffed backpacks, and the end-of-the-road (for awhile anyway) goodbyes.

Last night's celebration: (Clockwise from back) Matt, me, my mom, my dad, my brother Brent, and his girlfriend Julia

So here’s the game plan: Matt's brother will come pick us up at my mom's house at 4:oopm today. He'll take us to his place in San Francisco where we'll sleep for a bit tonight and then wake up at 4:00am to get to the airport by 4:30 am to catch our flight at 6:00am. We'll go from San Francisco to Atlanta and then direct to Dakar, Senegal. We’ll arrive at 5:15 am the next day Dakar time (that’s around 7:00pm California time, 8:00 in Missoula). I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

So this is going to my last post from the U.S. for awhile. After over a year of planning and all of the associated headaches and chaos, we're finally going back to West Africa. It still hasn't really hit me yet. To all of our friends and family: Thank you for all of your support and help. You have been amazing. Your well wishes and enthusiasm for our trip mean the world to us. I promise to do my best to stay in touch. I'll post on this blog as often as I can and as soon as we get a P.O. box in Guinea I'll let you know. In the meantime, please keep emailing us. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to check it but I do know that whenever I do it will be wonderful to hear from you.

Before I sign off there are a few random things I've been meaning to mention:

1. Thanks to everyone who sent me their advice and insight into on-line photo album sites. I checked out the sites that were mentioned the most and finally decided on Google's Picasa. It was easy to get started since I have a google account for this blog. Plus, I have to admit, I like the little map feature. I have a feeling that the internet connections that I'll have in West Africa won't be fast enough for me to post whole albums, but I'll see what I can do. If I do post an album I'll let everyone know via email and/or this blog.

2. If you have a chance and haven't already, check out the October isse of Bark magazine. You can find it at the big chain bookstores. SMatt's Rubber Rubberband dog is featured on page 18. The photo is really cool.

3. A lot of you know that this past spring I put on a fundraiser for an NGO in Guinea. I presented a Missoula screening of the award-winning documentary "Death of Two Sons," the story of Amadou Diallo, the Guinean man who was killed in New York and a Peace Corps volunteer killed in Guinea. The film was directed by Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Micah Schaffer whose time in Guinea overlapped a bit with our time there. Aside from being a powerful and important story, the film has a lot of amazing footage of Guinea. A lot of people who weren't able to go to the screening asked how they could get a copy of the movie. Until recently it wasn't possible. Now people can buy the DVD from the website: http://www.deathoftwosons.com/ You can also order it off of Netflix. I highly recommend it.

That's all for now. We love all of you more than you know and miss you already.