She’s doing it again… But this time, it’s only for Winter

Of course, there are those that doubt I am only staying for the winter season.  I’m wondering if there is a pool of people wagering whether or not I’ll stay the summer season as well.

So here I am, at my parents house, all packed up and ready to go eat breakfast.  I am also ready to go.  I think.  I still have to weigh my luggage and possibly readjust some things prior to heading to the Brunswick airport.  Have I mentioned that it rocks that I have amazing parents who are going to take me to the airport?

I have made a promise to my parents, Debbie and some other people that I would blog at least once a week.  Even if it is boring stuff like “It’s cold.  It’s dark.”  I promise to write something.  Just to make sure you all know that I’m alive and I haven’t been pulled down to the dark depths by a colossal squid.  Yes, you can read into that and assume that I’m going to be doing the polar plunge again this year.  That’s the plan.  My bathing suit is packed and I bought goggles.  If I can find a tutu, to do it in, you can bet I’ll wear it too.  But I won’t take a waterproof light.  Nope.  Not gonna get beaked.  But I digress.

It’s now just after 8am.  I’m flying from Brunswick to Atlanta at about 12:30.  From there I will fly to LA, and from LA I will fly to Sydney.  I will skip February 1st.  Sure, it’ll turn Feb 1 while I’m flying, somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, but I’ll be crossing the International Date Line and when I land, it will be February 2nd.  The plan is to stay in Christchurch for 2 days before heading to the ice, but I’ve heard of some weird stuff going on with the flight schedules so it is possible that I will end up on the ice earlier than planned, but who knows.

Right now, I know that I’m looking forward to the adventure.  I didn’t get much sleep last night since I was still going through things mentally and trying to figure out if I had enough stuff or if I had too much.  I remember thinking last time I headed down “Do I have enough wool socks? (I took 10 pairs).  Do I have enough long underwear? (I took three sets of tops and bottoms).”  This time while packing, I found myself wondering “I can fit more fake flowers/makeup/fake fish/glitter/skirts/bright colored tights/crocheting yarn/other random stuff in my suitcase if I pack them in ziplock bags!”  It’s amazing how your priorities change when you go there.  I’m also crossing my fingers that my 13 boxes I shipped myself make it there.  13.  12 large flat rate boxes and 1 larger box that has a bunch of my yarn in it.  I’m really really hoping it gets there.  All of them might not make it, but hopefully some of them do.  It’s all stuff that I can live without, but I’d prefer to have a few luxury items with me.  And truthfully, that’s all that I have in those boxes.  Luxury items.  Items that I will either skua (most likely) or pass off to somebody when they come in for the summer season.  I’m hoping that my box ‘o stuff that I kept down south will still be there, or it will be a cold season without having a hairdryer.  

If you’re wondering what I’m most excited about, here it is, not in any particular order:

• Seeing friends
• Working again (this is the longest time I’ve been without a job since I was 19)
• Seeing Auroras (and using my snazzy new camera to take pictures of them)
• (Hopefully) losing more weight – Lost 60 lbs last time I was there, hope to do the same this time
• Getting the chance to photo a wedding in Antarctica – my boss and her fiancé are tying the knot
• Learning how to knit (Debbie B. taught me to crochet last week)

If you’re wondering what I will miss the most:

• My family (let’s face it, they’re amazing)
• My boyfriend (we still don’t know for sure if he’s going to get to come down or not) so pray, cross your fingers, wish for good luck for him, or whatever, because he’s my best friend and I’m going to miss hanging out with him if he doesn’t come down
• My friends (especially Debbie because she’s awesome)
• Driving (no, I’m not driving down in Antarctica)
• Shopping options
• Grass, trees, rain, lightning, thunder, dogs, cats, birds (penguins don’t count), kids, fresh produce…

Things that I will not miss:

• Bugs
• Heat
• Traffic
• Paying for gas
• Cell phones (eh, more like other people talking loudly on THEIR cell phones)  I like mine.  It’s how I get to talk to my boyfriend.
• Tourist season

Okay, I need to go weigh my luggage and possibly rearrange things, because you know, I NEED everything I’m taking and I don’t want to leave anything behind!