Overseas Adventures Await!

Hello!!!

So I'm currently in bed, its 12:11 am on May the 4th! Later today, I'll be leaving the island for a 5 month adventure that starts in Vancouver!

Judi has a tradeshow happening in Calgary starting on Friday the 8th, so I'm spending a night in Vancouver and then hitching a ride across BC. We will stop to see relatives on the way, and eventually hit Calgary. On the 11th of May I fly from Calgary to Montreal, and Montreal to Paris! yay for the start of my overseas trip! Lots to come on all my travels ;)

I've spent the last few weeks sort of getting ready for my trip. There is lots of preparation, a few items to note: buying a ticket, researching places/cost to travel once in Europe, networking on CouchSurfing, getting random items & my hostel membership. I found someone to rent my room while I'm gone, so that is good. It just meant having to move out, clean (that will be in the morning!).

Saying bye to everyone is always fun! I could be what is referred to as a "social butterfly", which can be so true and so untrue depending on the day. For the most part I consider myself a loner, but I go through some major social stages. I just go with whatever I think suits the moment and never pay much attention to the trends. It has been wonderful to see everyone. It's easy to get caught up in routine and just fail to visit with family and friends.

Saturday night was awesome. Danika was celebrating the completion of her teaching practicum (congratulations Danika!), and a house party was planned. I was so happy to have my friends come to my house! I truly appreciated them making the effort. Kim, Emma and Oulton made the trip from Nanaimo - you guys rock. Jess and Jer made it over and we had dinner before the celebrations began. Kelly and JoAnne stopped by to say goodbye, it was good to see you both again! A few unnamed dancers had other commitments that evening, but we were able to meet up in Courtenay for a quick hello and some hugs! There were Danika's friends over as well, so we had a house full. Another dancing friend came by with a few of his friends, and we ended up dancing at the club until closing. It was great! I just love to dance until my legs are tired :)

Sunday was also awesome. It started off with some organizing for my trip, doing laundry and such. The afternoon was nice and quiet, then at 4 pm I met with my parents and my grandma at their new house for a picnic! We enjoyed some really good snacks prepared by mom and some great visiting. My cousins Ben and Jord showed up with some more little cousins Alanna and Liam. We had a great visit, and my Auntie Mare dropped by for a hug and a nice little travel present! Thanks Auntie Mare :) On the way home I stopped at my Uncle Rays house. My dad and him are so much alike it is scary. He has a fantastic sense of humour, both him and my aunte were great to chat with. We covered lots of different subjects and shared a lot of laughs! When I returned home at 9 pm, I still had to move out of my room! My brother Mike had a guest over that we have known since we were little named Aram. I don't remember him, so it was nice to be re-introduced. He has a wonderful warm energy, so much substance and experience, but very laid back and simple at the same time. I admire those qualities and look forward to continue on my journey to become more like that as I live and learn :) 10 pm rolled around and we made a team effort to move me out of my room in record time. I really appreciate everyone helping out, it always makes things so much easier! I was out of there and unloaded at the other side by 10:30 so it was painless. Now there will be some cleaning and a few other items to pack and I'll be all done!

Monday will be all the loose ends. I have a few hours worth of errands and a few more goodbyes to make. I will definitely spend some time with my sweet little bunnies Neko & Pebbles. I miss them already! I'm not sure if I get homesick or not, I guess I'll find out. My mom and I are very close, she is my best friend, so I'm sure I'll miss her and my Dad a lot. My grandma bought me an international cell phone and a plan that is free for me to answer the phone in 50 countries. That is awesome for me, as a safety measure and as a way to stay in contact with home. :) Thanks Grandma!

So, this is my last blog from Vancouver Island! Be sure to check back here, possibly in a seperate folder called "Eurotrip" if I can figure out how to set it up! I'll keep you up to date on my travels and stories. Facebook will likely be the best place to check out pictures, if I can get them uploaded there from a borrowed computer!

Enjoy your summer of 2009 here and I'll see everyone in the Fall!