Headed Left

It's official.  My journey has begun.  Here is a basic outline of what I'll be doing for the coming year:

August 4th-14th: I will be in Prescott, Az and Las Vegas hanging out with my dad

August 14th-20th: I'll be in Los Angeles hanging out with friends

August 20th-26th: I will be in Hong Kong where I'll meet up with my friend and backpacking partner, Josh.  We will be staying with his friend Ka Wai and her family for a few days.

August 26th-September 15th: Josh and I will be backpacking throughout Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. 

September 15th-???   I'll start off in Sydney and then who knows!

So I just took off out of Houston around 3 pm (I'm writing this on the plane) and headed to Phoenis to spend my ten days with pops.  I'm still not sure how I feel about this adventure to be honest with you.  It's funny, when I began planning this trip a few months back; all you think about are the amazing sights that you'll see, the different cultures, etc.  You fail to think about what it's going to be like to pack everything that you'll need for the next year inside two measley suitcases, having to sell your car, making sure all your affairs are in order, and most importantly...saying goodbye to those that you love.  

Yesterday I had to say goodbye to the most influential person in my life...my mother.  Mom and I have had a pretty tumultuous relationship, especially in the past few years.  When I realized that I was going to have to move in with my mom for 2 months I was more than anxious.  I have lived with roommates all through college and was able to do whatever I wanted.  I didn't have anyone to tell me to clean my room, put up the dishes, take out the trash, etc.  I was certain that once I moved back home, I would immediately have to revert back to being 17...something I wasn't really willing to do.  Turns out my mom and I got along extremely well...much better than we ever had before in all honesty.   Yeah, she bugged me about the clothes on the floor or the fact that I didn't put the toilet seat down, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated.  One of the best times of my day this summer was lunchtime with my mom.  I always looked forward to it because it gave the two of us the opportunity to sit down and visit while we ate out sandwiches and watermelon.  I'll tell you what, if you would have told me back in May that I was going to cry when I said goodbye to her, I would've bet you money that I wouldn't...so let's just say that I'm glad no one approached me with such a wager because I surely would have lost.  This coming year is going to be really tough without being able to see her, but I know it will make our relationship stronger.

I'm also going to miss my great friends from college, my sister, my dad, my aunts, uncles cousins, grandparents, good food (I hear Aussie food is lousy), LSU football, shoot...LSU in general, driving my car, the list goes on.  As amazing as this trip will be, it will be equally as challenging.

Spending time with my dad should be great.  Dad and I haven't been able to hang out with one another much over the past few years due to him living out in Az, so it'll be neat to experience his life out here.  I think he has some fun things planned like skydiving, a trip to Vegas, hiking in Sedona, etc.  

I'll keep you posted.

Wade