First Stop - Newark

We had a warm send off from the S-----, S----, and B------ families who took time from their day to come to the house and see us off. It meant so much to all 4 of us to know that we would return to such good friends and such a wonderful community.  We will miss you all. I know that coaching the kids is the thing that I will miss the most. 

We arrived at the Newark Holiday Inn after our first travel fiasco. The gps sent us to an old location for the hotel and then airport construction and closed exit ramps led to a 3 1/2 hour ride to Newark. Ugh. However, it is a good reminder that many obstacles will meet us ahead. As we told the kids, there will be delays, missed connections and general travel discomfort. The challenge is how do we deal with it.  

6:30 shuttle to the airport for our 8:50am flight to South Africa via London. Here we go. 

Saying good bye to friends from their happy place - the trampoline. 

Ready to roll. Brett, miss you already. 

Home sweet home - for tonight

Leaving for the last time

Turned the alarm on and left the office for the last time before we depart for South Africa.  It felt scary but liberating.  Tonight begins a chapter in our lives which will hopefully unite us and strengthen our bond. I cannot wait to enjoy our family without the everyday distractions of regularly scheduled life.  On the drive home I can already feel reality slipping away and it feels good.  

Thank you to Marianne M. who came to work at our office more than 10 years ago as a 19 year old who had never spent much time outside of her Philadelphia neighborhood.  She answered a bland ad for someone who can type and work with people in stressful circumstances.  Within the first 10 minutes of the interview, she had figured out that the people interviewing her were a married couple who worked together in the same small firm.   She then asked, "How do youz (pronounced with a hard z sound by any true Philly native) stand each other if you are together so much?"  Over the last decade we have been through so much together including the death of Marianne's parents.  For the last 5 years, we have watched Marianne raise her brother, Jesse, and in turn we have seen the fruits of her labor as he grows into an outstanding young man.  Marianne saved enough money to purchase a home in the suburbs of Philadelphia so that Jesse can attend a better school and enjoy a quiet neighborhood setting.  Now Marianne has assumed so much by agreeing to stand on the front lines of our firm while we fulfill the dream of traveling with Roman and Mabret.  Thanks, MM. We love you. 

Marianne and Jesse chillin in suburbia. 

Battery dying.  Tomorrow we meet Ray and Ed.