Four More Sleeps

I have always loved the moment when I step onto a plane at the beginning of one of my journeys. It is the break in time from the preparation stage to the action stage. It is a sigh of relief. It is an entire block of time in which I can be completely devoted to my own pleasure. I can read the books I want, eat the food that I want, allow my mind to wander to whatever thoughts I wish to ponder. Any last minute preparations that may have been causing me stress and pimples must simply be left at the door of the plane. And I can breath again.

I am looking forward to that moment.

Moving out of my apartment went off relatively smoothly. Jen helped me begin my packing, and Krista was there to help me finish. With my father and two brothers at hand, the entire contents of my apartment were donated to charity, moved to friends' houses and packed into the van to be stored at Mom and Dad's house, all in under 2 hours.

Not wanting to forgo my independence any sooner than necessary, I kept my mattress on the floor of my bedroom and spent another two nights in what was my home for the last 2 years.

This past week has been spent on Krista's couch. As comfortable as I am with Kris, I am anxious to move into my new digs with Richard. I am keen to unpack and know that I have a home for at least 6 months.

Today, I have been cleaning out my desk at NMCF (Canada). My month here has been busy. Among other activities, I have:

• secured donations and golfers for the Golf Classic
• learned our donor systems
• prepared a donation proposal for Wild Rose in Alberta
• provided administrative support
• written a report on NMCF's role in CIDA's development agenda

( I have also kept the coffee warm, but we know this was as much to my benefit as to anyone else's).

Now I must wait. I must do laundry and try to arrange all of my necessary belongings into 2 suitcases. I have a night with the girls on Saturday and I will say my final goodbyes to the coffee crew on Sunday. My mother plans to be in Toronto on Monday. We will rent a hotel and be tourists in the city. All in all, I will have enough wonderful people to fill the awake time between my next four sleeps.

And then I will be off. In only four more sleeps.