Note: I was so relaxed out on vacation, I didn’t get a chance to post this until now. Next blog: Photo recap of the nuptials 
One might ask – what does one do on a six hour plane ride from Seattle to Kauai en route to paradise and relaxation, with only four business days left in the office before moving 7,000 miles away from home and starting a new job, just five days away from what promises to be a lovely wedding celebration, with only four full hours of sleep from last night, a fast-asleep husband to her left, sunshine and clouds 35,000 feet above ocean water to her right, complimentary mai tai in hand thanks to Alaska Airlines, laptop hanging open as if it’s ready for vacation, too…
A perfectly normal person would probably be sleeping right now. Or reading their Nook or watching a movie on their iPad2 like everyone else.
Not me. Nope. I’m sorting through and writing captions to 1,300 photos from our Bolivia bloggers trip, writing up notes for work meetings next week, wishing I had some good music on my computer and some fresh fish tacos waiting for me upon arrival.
(Just now: Flight attendants giving away fresh leis to the couple on flight that has been married the longest. Sigh. Not us. We lost to a couple that’s been married for 57 years.)
Earlier on this flight, just before being taxied out to the strip (not the Las Vegas strip), Colin and I thought we lucked out and had an empty seat on our side of the aisle. This has never happened to us before. You may have seen this instragram of our happiness…
YESSSS! Just scored an extra seat next to us on the plane!
…Only to have it squashed by the epitome of the Pacific Northwest.
Dude coming in looking like he seriously just got done hiking… zip off cargo pants that double as shorts (need I say more?), those shoes (the kind that match the pants), a faded hat, and giant Costco sized bottle of mixed vitamins. Guess we won’t be trying out our luck at lotto tickets later as planned.
This will be our first real brain break in about three months. From the moment we seriously starting considering moving to New Zealand, our mental capacity and health as been maxed out.
Turns out, nobody we know has moved to New Zealand before – or to any small, island nation, for that matter. So basically, 130 pages of visa applications, no Bella, hours of embassy phone calls, and time stalking anyone we know in the southern hemisphere later…We are moving with the comfort of our love and, in three more weeks, eight suitcases of our life. Stuffed in our bags will be the essentials, bits and pieces of our life back home, Friends and Modern Family, and a Facebook status waiting to say… “We officially live in the land down under” (or something like that).
Of course, right now, it’s easier for me to think of the more difficult parts of moving… the logistics, the stress, packing… family.
Vacation has probably never come at a more perfect time. We’ll have no issue embracing sunshine, poolside tans, sand between our toes, broiled fish dinners and purple sunsets. It won’t last as long as we want it to, because vacation always ends too early. But we’ll do our best to breathe in each breath of Hawaiian air with relaxation, appreciation and bliss.
One hour left before landing in paradise…Three things this flight has caught me: 1) Embrace sleeping on flights (Lord knows we have a lot of those coming up,), (2) Invest in one of those goofy travel pillows and the $14 digi-player, and (3) No moment is ever quite as long as you wish, so enjoy every one while it lasts.
Okay…. (deep breath). Next stop: relaxation.
