We have yet to really grasp the full reality that we are flying to England TODAY! I am not really sure why it feels so odd, I mean we have had at least 4 months of anticipation to get used to the fact that we are really doing this. Maybe it was that the Visa process was so horrible and we thought it would never come through, or maybe it was just that it was easier to focus on all of the positive aspects of moving to another country rather than dwelling on the “not so good” things about moving away from everything we have ever known. Either way...a truly discomforting feeling...the best way we can explain it is that it feels like being on a roller coaster, looking down from the highest peak while sitting in the very front cart, just hanging there looking down at the very steep plunge and preparing yourself to race down it at any second. A very wise women in my life described it better then we could, she told us that it is much like “being thrown into the deep end...you don't have the time to ease your body into the depth of the water, and you don't have time to get acclimated to the temperature”. There are definitely butterflies, and certainly mixed feelings.
So, the “not so good” is we will be missing a lot of humans and a lot of animals while we are gone. It was very sweet that on very short notice all of our friends and family came together to wish us well. My brother and sister-in-law brought over a bon voyage cake to my sisters house where she supplied the food, and some of my best friends stopped in to say “goodbye”. The cake they picked out was hilarious, it read “Have a Jolly Good Time”. The company was truly the best part, it was great to see everyone and we shared some laughs, some memories, and some cotton candy! In addition to this, Trevor's birth family made a very long drive from Minnesota to take us to lunch and sneak in one last hug. Then, the Tomesh Family threw us another party tonight with the whole spread...any one that knows my mother-in-law will know you don't leave her house without being served a four-course meal. You could tell that she really put the time into cooking us a meal that was special, and we very much appreciated it. We had to give our last hugs and goodbyes to our nephews whom will likely be 3 years older by the next time we see them...making Quentin 6 and Cayden 3! We have also grown rather attached to our niece, a 5 pound Chihuahua named Tinky. We have been staying with my sister most of the summer, so we have spent a lot of time around her little dog. Tinky is a very special little dog, my sister adopted her last year from a shelter that found her on the side of the road, very skiddish and fearful of any human interaction...we suspect she had been abused in the past because of this and her twisted paw. Tinky doesn't let people in...this is extremely hard for her, but after relentlessly trying to gain her love, she loved us back after many months. We hope that we can get a dog half as wonderful as this little girl...she did not deserve the life she had the previous 6 years before my sister adopted her. Well...what we are trying to say is you all know who you are and know you will be missed, we just wanted to take a brief moment to thank you all for being there for us.
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| The awesome cookie cake from my brother and sister in law! |
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| Look, it's our visas! They do exist! |
On a rather sombre note, this week we stopped by to visit uncle Joe at the nursing home where he has been waging what will probably be his final battle with his cancer. While we were very glad to see him again (we hadn't been by since he'd been admitted to “Alcatraz”, as he calls it), it was a sad meeting as we know it will most likely be our last. While he's been doing relatively well for a man in his late eighties dying of cancer, it seems that his long battle with the specter of death has left him very weak and tired. We'll probably never see him again. This stark realization has hit us rather hard, and not just for uncle Joe, but for other loved ones in our lives as well. By the time we will be able to return from the UK, it is hard to say what familiar faces might be able to greet us. After all, three years is quite a long time especially when time may be short for some of the ones we love. However, we cannot let this hold us back. We've tried our best to give our farewells to everyone, and that will have to do well enough.
It's time to transition into the positives...while, we know this whole experience is going to be new this is very exciting. We have always wanted to travel, on top of that we are going for our graduate degrees, and we are finally at a point in our lives where we feel our lives are appropriate to support a dog! These are big deals, well I mean at least for us. I mean, what doesn't sound exciting about this...date nights for us could be more than just a dinner and a movie which is a common practice for us being there is not a whole lot to do in...well...anywhere in Wisconsin. I am so interested in learning how people on the other side of the ocean live...what is it really like? I have so many questions, and I am excited to learn. For us, we feel this is a transition into true independence. I feel like we are really finding ourselves, taking the time to learn about ourselves, staring any fears and misconceptions straight in the face and bettering ourselves through it. Anyhow, you know where this story is going...remember...this is our journey. The Adventures of Jessica and Trevor. Stay tuned.
P.S. Don't be concerned if you don't hear anything from us until Monday. We have 2 separate flights, a lay over, a 5-hour train ride, and no phone, and potentially no internet access until school starts on Monday. We will be fine! :)
This is how the last few days have been spent.
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| Packing all of our luggage up for the final time. Hopefully this will be the last move for a while. |
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| Making all of our luggage that goes under the plane exactly 50 lbs, quite the challenge! |
***Special thanks to Amie Kohls for providing and taking these pictures at the party***
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