The End

Friday

I woke up this morning ready to begin my packing. I got up and went for an hour and a half walk around the beach and a park. When I got back, I made myself buttermilk pancakes and had a leisurely breakfast. Around 10:30AM, I went down to the beach and ended up staying there for about three hours. Needless to say, I got a little burnt. I came home, made a quick lunch and began my packing and cleaning. I wanted to leave the house especially clean for Len and Heather since they are away on a holiday right now. I got quite a bit done, when Kit (their son) said, “How about some afternoon goodbye cocktails?” So, we ended up having a drink while he did some work and I packed.
We had invited John and Hazel over for dinner, so they came around seven. We had a wonderful pasta meal and a couple glasses of wine. Around 10PM we headed for the airport. My flight left at 12:45 at night. I was actually able to sleep through the night on the plane. I’m now in Sydney’s international airport awaiting my flight across the world to Los Angeles. Making the trek from the domestic airport to the international one was not too much fun with about 100 lbs of luggage.

Saturday, April 11

The day that just wouldn’t end. I started the day on the plane from Perth to Sydney. When I got to Sydney I had a huge hassle with checking in, but I eventually made it. After sitting in the Sydney airport for nearly seven hours, I’d had just about enough airport to last me for a while. Then came the 13.5-hour fight to Los Angeles. I was able to sleep most of the flight, but it was still a long time to be cooped up in a window seat. When the plane landed in LA, I only had about forty minutes to get my luggage, go through customs, and find my new gate in one of the domestic terminals. I ended up jogging through the airport and getting to my departing flight as they were making the last call. That flight was about two hours long and it took me to Denver. Once in Denver, I had a layover for about two hours and then I boarded my last flight home. The final leg of my journey was about three hours long and took me back into Columbus. I got in around 10PM, and the whole family was there to greet me! I was awfully tired, but I was back at home at last.