40 Hours

It’s official… Right now I have only 40 hours of official work time left before vacation! Of course that doesn’t count overtime, which I do seem to work every day. But who can count overtime hours on the countdown to vacation?

On this vacation, I’m taking a trip and it’s just for me. It’s going to be a 5 state journey into past, present and future.

Part of this trip is to visit longtime friends… folks we have known for 18 years. With much pride, we have watched their son grow from a cute little boy into a man and a soldier. We’ve shared each other’s pain in times of trouble. We have rejoiced together and laughed and teased. It’s become tradition to spend Thanksgiving with them. And it is always good.

Part of the trip is to discover my past and my family. I’ll be meeting my birth father’s 3 sisters… my aunts, for the first time. When I met my birth father, it was a great experience. I can expect no less from his sisters because they have been equally as wonderful to me over the phone.

Part of this trip is to discover my friends. I have a great group of online friends, a couple of whom I’ve met previously. This trip, I get to see one of them for our 3^rd Annual Day After Thanksgiving Breakfast and then I get to meet more of them as I travel. It will be cool to see who they are in person compared to who they are in my mind and heart.

When they meet me, I wonder how the real me will compare to the person they have in their minds and hearts.

So far, when I’ve gotten to meet people from this online group, it’s been a feeling of coming home to friends I’ve known forever. I cannot imagine this would be any different… and I am so excited!

Oregon, Washington, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama… a whirlwind 5-state journey of discovery and fun.

Hoping the 40 hours pass quickly…