The beginning of a new chapter...

Greetings blog readers!

  I am so happy that you have decided to join me on this mission.  No fancy blog writing today, just very simple thoughts from this frazzled, semi-comatose brain.
  In just a few short hours, my long awaited adventure will commence.  In case any of my readers do not actually know what is going on in my life, I will be joining Mercy Ships' 'Africa Mercy' for a two years stint working in the off-ship dental clinic.  The first leg of this journey is a 5ish week detour to Texas, where I will participate in a long-term crew training program. 
  Yesterday was not one of my better days.  I took a ridiculous amount of time to pack, only to find that I had too much stuff.  So the familiar unpack and edit of luggage contents began.   My to-do list began to shrink as I completed one task after another, but as a result, my brain suffered a mild panic attack. 
  After a calming few hours with friends, I felt relaxed and rejuvinated topped up with a fresh cup of coffee.  Time to return to this mammoth packing task. 
    How does one decrease the contents of their suitcase when they had already thought that they had packed the mere essentials?  "Can I buy it in the ship shop?" I asked.  Yes? Great, one more thing that I can leave at home.  "Can I buy this item when the ship goes to the Canary Islands in the summer?"  Yes?  Great!  Switch that from the 'bring' pile to the 'leave' pile.  "Did I have even the slightest doubt that I might need this item on my travels?"  Yes?  Well, then it probably is not that important.  Hours later, 1 piece of luggage and 1 carry on had been filled with what I had deemed necessary.  Of course I could have done the obvious thing and just brought more luggage with me, but then I would have no bragging rights as to my amazing packability. 
  OK, so as lovely as this blog-writing activity seems to be, it would appear that my ride to the airport will be leaving in about an hour, so I must dash!  No time for spell-check, no time to ensure that my thoughts have been coherent. 
  "I'm late!  I'm late!  For a very important date!  No time to say "Hello" - Goodbye! - I'm late! I'm late!  I'm late!"