Let the Packing Begin...

Packing....otherwise known as Organized Chaos
This morning I finally started to lay out all the items that I plan on packing into my back pack. I used an Apple app called uPackingList to help me out.  Here's a pic of how things look now:

I'm still missing some items but from the looks of it, I have way too much as it is.  Notice though that on the t-shirt pile, my Canucks shirt is on top! Go Canucks Go!!  Matt said to me today that if the Canucks make it into the finals, he might just have to fly home for a week.  Of course I said yes...but I did stipulate a condition.  As Matt and I purchased the 1st Class Saver Pass, it means that both of us have to travel on the Eurail system at the same time, therefore I would be unable to use the pass while he's gone.  So, I need to be left behind in a beautiful sunny spot where I can hang out at the beach or in a place full of history and culture that would take days to explore.

Security
One of our biggest concerns for the trip is security.  We will be carrying minimal amounts of cash, no jewelry, and only a few debit/credit cards.  Matt's dad had a great idea for when we are travelling and have to place our luggage out of our sight (ie. on a train, ferry or bus).  Matt has a coil lock which we are going to use to lock our back packs together.  It's easy to steal one back pack, but try stealing two that are locked together - good luck criminals!

I am not bringing any paper documentation with me except for my passport and Eurail pass.  I've taken photos of my passport and all my credit/debit cards and sent them to my e-mail and saved it on my ipod. I have the travel insurance documents, Australian Working Visa, maps and other documents all saved onto my ipod and backed up onto a USB and sent to my e-mail.  The less I have to carry, the less I have to be concerned about theft or misplacing a valuable piece of paper.

Thank You's!
I just wanted to take a few moments to give a HUGE thank you to my friends at boot camp who organized a farewell dinner this past Monday night.  Thank you so much for coming out on a Monday night (a school/work night) to wish me all the best on my upcoming trip.  You guys are truly wonderful people and my life is much richer for knowing each of you.  I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to sweat with three times a week.  The fun we have and the support we provide to one another have made boot camp a great experience.  Thank you for the gorgeous bouquet of flowers, travel face cloths and luggage tag.  I am going to miss my Monday/Wednesday/Friday night routine and I can't wait to come back and see how great everyone looks :) 

Also, thank you to my wonderful friends at work who have been treating me out to lunch for the past 2 weeks. While my waist is feeling the effects, I am glad I got to spend that extra bit of time with you before leaving.  This week has a few more dining out experiences before I jet off - lunch with my former work team on Thursday afternoon, dinner and drinks with some great friends from work on Thursday evening; a farewell dinner with my best friends on Saturday night and hopefully my last "mommy made" dinner on Monday evening before I leave.

4 more sleeps!

Saying Good-bye

Today was my last day at work.  It was much harder than I thought to say good-bye to many of my co-workers...many who have become friends over the past 4 years.  So many sweet words were expressed to me that melted my heart.  It's amazing the impact that others can have in your life and the impact you can have in the lives of others without realizing it.  I never expected that some co-workers/friends would shed tears over my departure. Oh man, there were a few moments of water works today that were truly special.

I will miss many of my co-workers & friends who made my time at work memorable. Those who supported me when times were tough (both with work situations and with personal situations), made me laugh (so many great conversations in the 12th floor lunch room - placenta facials anyone?), those who trusted me with their personal dilemmas/issues and sought my advice, and those who were just a friendly face :)

It was definitely a bittersweet day. Saying good-bye solidified that my trip is coming up in 12 days! I still have so much to do before I go.  Doctor/Orthodontist appointments, bank appointments, amending car insurance to fire/theft, packing, calling credit card companies, exchanging currency, scanning travel documents/passport/credit cards, and more! How do I go about buying time?

I'm off to finish watching the 3rd period of the Canucks/Blackhawks game. Ouch! 5-0 Chicago :(

Resignation & Vaccinations

Resignation
Well, next Friday April 8th will be the day I submit my 2 weeks resignation notice. My final day of work will be Thursday April 21st.  This gives me just over a week to get all my final preparations ready.  As well, I look forward to spending some quality time with my family (especially my adorable nieces) and friends during the final week before I leave.

I also look forward to the relief of letting go of this "secret".  Only a few friends at work are in the loop regarding my travel plans, so I haven't been able to discuss the exciting things happening in my life at work.  As of Monday, my lips are free!  I can openly share on Facebook, get travel advice from friends, recommendations on what to do/see, etc.

Vaccinations
Since the last post a few months back, I have had my travel vaccinations.  I was poked with Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Yellow Fever, MMR, Tetanus and Polio.  I also got prescriptions for Malaria and Diarrhea (Lord, please protect me from traveller's diarrhea).  The doctor warned me that the vaccinations might cause me to be sick (ie. cold symptoms) and she was right.  Almost immediately, my left arm swelled up  after the injections and felt like someone sucker punched me.  Exactly 6 days later, I was hit with what felt like a flu bug. My nose was running like a leaky faucet, I felt chills and ended up missing 1 boot camp session and 2 days of work.  I rarely get sick so I knew that this was definitely the result of the vaccinations.  Thankfully, all is better now and I can stop being such a baby about being sick.  Thanks to my mom for taking care of me and making me lots of ginger tea!

Other Travel Updates
Matt and I...actually Matt booked our London hostel for the first 4 nights.  We are staying at Astor Hyde Park in London.  Here's the website if you want to see where I'll be hanging out while in London: http://www.astorhostels.co.uk/#/en/page/hydepark/About/

We also received our Eurail passes a few months ago as well as our flight confirmation.  We leave at approximately 1pm on Tuesday May 3rd!  I keep checking the airfares to make sure that we got a good deal and boy did we! When we booked our flight in January, we paid $199 + taxes for a total of $399.  The fare for the past 2 months has been hovering at about $300-400 plus taxes and currently is at $949 plus taxes.  I am so thankful that we booked at the right time! 

I've also done some shopping for the trip. I bought a new day back pack, a hydration pack (it's going to be so hot in some countries, 40+ degrees celscius), I've loaded up my ipod with a lot of my music (over 175 albums and over 2,000 songs) and podcasts.  I still need to do some clothes shopping as none of my summer clothes fit (thanks to Resurrect Your Body Boot Camp - http://www.makersbody.com/ and eating less), shopping for other meds (ie. lots of Gravol, Advil, Imodium), new ipod headphones with a microphone for easy Skype use, need to purchase travel insurance, more Compact Flash digital memory cards, a USB wall charger and other odds and sods.

Keeping in Touch
While I'm away, I want to remain in touch with all my friends & family.  While you will have this blog to check to see what I am up to, I would love to hear what's going on in your life because it is important to me.  Any new love interests? Career prospects? Family news? or just general updates on how you are doing.  Please send me e-mails, leave comments on the blog, add me to Skype or keep in touch via Facebook. 

28 days remaining until departure!!!