Half way there...

As a couple that is. One of the most exciting, and at the same time, heart-wrenching things I ever did, was to drop Leslie off at the airport yesterday, bound for St. John.

Backing up just a bit, Wednesday had been quite a surreal day. In a lot of ways just a typical weekday, but I couldn't shake the awareness that things were going to be very different very soon. Leslie completed the last of her scheduled therapy visits/farewells of the week, and came home with home made remembrances from some of her little patients. Despite the number of things that still had to be done, we decided to go out to dinner at our favorite local restaurant since it would be our (gulp!) last chance to have dinner together for some time.

Unbeknownst to Leslie our youngest son Jason had finished his classes for the day, attended a meeting of one of his on campus organizations, then borrowed a car and drove the two and a half hours home so that he could see her off in person! When he got off of the highway he sent her a text asking her if she was excited and nervous, and if she needed a cyber hug. Shortly after she replied that she did indeed, he walked through the front door and said "would in person be better?" There was a long, tearful hug that followed, then a great deal of conversation. All of that probably didn't help the checklist get any shorter, but it was a wonderful and richly appreciated gesture from the fine ( if I may say so ) young man.

Thursday morning arrived much too quickly...Champ was in his usual suitcase induced funk, but there was an easy cure for that - "want to go for a ride?"

We got to the airport without incident, secured a porter for Leslie, and said an all too short goodbye before watching her disappear into the terminal and driving away.

Now I felt it:

Excitement - for reaching this milestone in our plan.

Worry - while Leslie isn't exactly a novice traveler she has a lot on her plate - two suitcases filled right to the weight limit as well as a carry on soft sided cooler and a backpack. She's never driven on St. Thomas before, never backed onto the car barge. And she's never visited St. John without me...

OK - that last one stirred up a little bit of envy as well...

But the day was mostly given to worry and anticipation. I got a text when her plane landed in Atlanta (yeah, I know - crazy route) and she sent me this when that plane was in the air:

The smile says it all!

Then, in order, the following;

Wheels down on St. Thomas!

No sign of the rental car people.

Got the car - following Hank - can't text

Hank is a guy we met on our last visit. He and his wife moved to St. Thomas six months or so ago. We spent a few hours hanging out with them after the 8 Tuff Miles race and they have offered, over and over, to help us out in any way that they can during our move. So he was escorting Leslie to Red Hook so that she wouldn't take any inadvertent wrong turns and delay her arrival!

Guess where I am? (On the car barge)

Then she posted the following on Facebook "The Car Barge is My Bitch!" (Hank told her that the barge people would put the car on for her if she needed, but she decided that she needed to learn some time, so she may as well start now).

 Now the worry was being replaced with relief and pride! Once she got to St. John I knew she'd be OK.

She was unable to find our rental digs using the directions given to her, so she decided to take a friend up on her offer to spend the night with her in her condo "in town". Dinner, some rum drinks, and a fun evening with some of our on island and frequent island visiting friends ensued, topped off by enjoying the performance of our favorite St. John reggae band, Inner Visions! Yeah, envy was kind of ruling the roost at this point!

PS - Leslie had a fun first night on island. She and the friend she stayed with stayed up late talking, and she woke up this morning to the sight and sounds of this:

She found the house, has her stuff moved in, and is headed into town to take care of a couple of relocation business items, then (as I told her to do - not that I had to twist her arm or anything) she's heading to get wet in that wonderful Caribbean water.

Half. Way. There.