All my bags are packed…

…I’m ready to go!

It’s 12:30am on Saturday morning, the day I leave for the adventure of a lifetime. (That is so cliche, but I’m convinced it might be true). My wonderful friends just treated me to a great goodbye dinner. It was nice to be able to spend time with all of them in one place before I go – I keep forgetting about the fact that I won’t be seeing them for a whole month! We wrapped up the night with some drinks and board games before I had to force myself to leave so that I will be able to get up tomorrow (today!) at 5am to catch my flight.

Becky and Craig got this cookie from the doctor to tell them "It's a Boy!"

The night was made even sweeter by the fact that two of my closest friends found out the sex of their baby tonight and shared it with all of us – it’s a BOY!!! A very cool way to put a cherry on top of my send-off. Keep me posted on the baby action while I’m gone, guys!

My bags ARE packed. All 2 of them. This took 2 attempts – the first time I went for the more compact route, which didn’t really get the job done. So, I tried again with the ‘flattening’ route and that seemed to do the trick. I’m really not used to packing lots of heavier clothes (sweatshirts, sweater, jacket etc.) as the last couple of times I’ve traveled, I’ve been going to warmer destinations. I have a separate, smaller duffel bag for my Hawaii stuff and it fit just fine so no concerns there. Luckily, my aunt has offered to take my ‘Vancouver’ suitcase back home with her when she leaves, so I won’t have to drag my boots and ski jacket to Honolulu.

The butterflies are starting to set in a bit too, which is why I’m blogging instead of trying to go to sleep – I’m just too anxious! I have no idea what to expect…but…

Here. …..We….. Go!!!!!

Talk to you from Vancouver!

P.S. I just checked in for my flight online…I LOVE technology!

Go Big or Go Home

Well, I have just turned my three-week stint at the Olympics into a three-week, “working vacation”, followed by a one-week REAL vacation of fun in the sun.

Ever since I did a Contiki tour to Europe in 2006 (side-note: if you’re between 18-35 years old and are wanting to travel, Contiki is a great way to start), I’ve wanted to visit some of the friends I met during my travels. The majority of them were from Australia/New Zealand, but I also made two friends who live in Hawaii. And this week, when I randomly got talking to a co-worker of mine about how I’ve wanted to go visit them, she reminded me that really – Hawaii is not all that far from Vancouver!

Of course this got me thinking. When is the next time I’m really going to be half-way to Hawaii?

So, later that same day I looked up some flights and contacted my friend in Hawaii (Honolulu) to see if she’d be up for a visitor. Next thing you know, it’s less than 24 hours later and I’ve tacked on six days in Hawaii to the end of my Olympic adventure! I was very lucky to get a great seat sale on two, one-way flights (Vancouver to Honolulu, and then Honolulu back to London) so with spontaneity as the name of the game, I listened to me “Why not?” inner-voice : ) I’ll be leaving for Hawaii a few days earlier than I was to leave Vancouver, so it’s only three additional days that I need to take off work. Once again, SO lucky to have a supportive boss and to work for an organization that rewards hard work with good vacation time! Given that I’ll be working almost every day, and long shifts, while I’m volunteering at the Olympics, I’m very excited to have a few days of relaxation (and warmth!) before coming back to the real-world…

Taking a page from The Buried Life (which I’m still loving by the way – hope some of you have checked it out!), I’m living life in the moment and taking advantage of the opportunities that come my way – and that means a spontaneous trip to Hawaii. One of the quotes I have always loved from the show RENT, sums up my decision-making process perfectly: “Forget regret, or life is yours to miss. No day, but today.”

Aloha!