Our Last Day in the States. . .

Saturday was our last day in the States. We had a great idea to sleep in, but forgot to turn off the alarm on our watches. . . we woke up at 6:15am!! Grrr. . . We were all up and around by 7. Kevin took Emma out to run an errand and I took a really long shower. That's when it really sunk in: This is it. This is my last shower in America. This is my last day in the States. What in the world are we doing? God, is this really what we're doing? I'm not sure I'm going to be OK. Please help me transition well. I stood for what seemed like an hour, trying to mentally prepare myself for this next chapter. It wasn't working. I didn't know how to prepare myself. I wasn't sure what to expect. So many emotions were flooding over me, excitement, fear, anxiety, sadness, great anticipation. . . (I find it difficult to answer people when they ask how I'm doing.) At the end of my time alone, I remembered one thing: 6 months ago, Kevin and I prayed together and made a decision that we thought was the best decision for our family, a decision that we knew would be challenging at times, a decision we knew would change our lives. . . We decided together to move to Brasil and the day had finally come. Wow.

We had a great lunch at Rock Bottom Brewery and then let Emma play one more time at the water fountain. I absorbed the sights and sounds (and smells) of a familiar place, knowing full well that it could be another year before we're back. We caught a taxi to the airport and successfully checked all our luggage. . . at under 50 pounds a piece!!

We flew from Cincinnati to Atlanta. My sister Elise flew in from Dallas just to meet us for dinner and chat for a few hours. She also showered Emma with fun gifts for the ride! Look very closely, my sister Elise, a pilot for American Airlines, bought Emma 2 little DELTA airplanes as a going away gift! Unfortunately, we were in the Delta terminal and she didn't have a choice! I just thought it was funny! To say Emma likes her planes is a huge understatement! She's crazy about them!! Emma says, "Sank you, Ewise, fo de airpanes." Elise also gave Emma a magnetic "Princess Elise" to play dress-up with. Emma loves her little princess! (I secretly like putting the pieces together too!!) Elise also gave Emma some cute dresses that will be perfect in Brasil, washable crayons, a tea party book and a pink travel pillow that Kevin ended up using during the flight. Emma was so happy to spend time with Elise. She warmed up to her very quickly and is still talking about her a few days later. I really like it when Emma recognizes and remembers family. She doesn't get to see my family very often, so it's always special for her to spend time with them.

It was a huge blessing for us to have Elise with us! I think it helped me to get on the plane without a major emotional breakdown:) I had people to see up to the last minute. I'm sure Kevin was thankful for that too! I don't get to see Elise very often anyway, so we had a good time catching up on life.

We walked up to the window and Emma could barely contain her excitement!! She said, "Oh my doodness, an airpane mommy!! Is huge!!!" I'm sure she learned the word huge from me, but that was the first time I'd heard her say it and it was in the right context!! I was laughing! She loved playing by the airplane and kept saying Hi to it! We took tons of pictures with Elise just before we left and then we were about the last ones on the plane! We got Emma all situated and she was asleep before the plane even took off!! As we were taking off the tears started to fall. I said goodbye to the United States and to all things familiar. I said goodbye to friends and family who I knew I wouldn't see for quite a while. As excited as I am about opening this next chapter, I'm very sad about the one that was just closed. I feel like I grew so much in Ottumwa. At this moment (Tuesday afternoon), I'm not sure who I am and what I'm supposed to be doing. So, I'm doing something familiar:) I'm blogging. More about the transition later, though. I prayed with Emma and for her, not knowing what to expect for a 9 hour flight! My prayer was answered fully. . . Emma slept from before takeoff until about 30 minutes before we landed!! Thank you God!! I don't sleep too well sitting up, so I watched two movies, "Yes, Man" and "The Express". Both were entertaining and afterward I was able to sleep for almost 2 hours. I was tired, but so thankful that Emma slept the whole way. The stewardess kept saying she was awesome, the best traveler, and so cute. My heart was happy.

Here we go! Brasil, here we come!!!