And The Countdown Begins. . .

You know all those things you've always wanted to do?

       You should do them. . . 

Next Friday morning our little group of five departs from various places (Portland, Oregon; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Grand Island, Nebraska; and Kansas City, Missouri) and meet in New York City.  We will spend the night and on Saturday morning set off for our long flight to Johannesburg, South Africa.  Then a layout over before we hop another flight to Port Elizabeth.  

While we have all been planning and anticipating for months, it seems like all of the sudden, IT'S HERE! 

Now, the packing, the list making, the slight panic at what I'm forgetting.  Are all my electronics charged up? Do I have enough SD Cards and batteries?  Are all the bills paid before I leave?  Do I have enough cash? Don't forget to call the credit card companies.Do I have enough room left in my bags for souvenirs?  Do I have enough books downloaded for reading? Snacks, sunscreen, shooting glasses, . . . . well, you get the picture.  I did get my tetanus shot and boy was my arm sore. 

I think I'll go check out the guest room again where I have all my stuff laid out to see what I need to re-think, re-pack, and go get.  I'll be doing this right up until Thursday evening.  And still that's part of the anticipation of getting ready for a wonderful trip with great friends.