Hard saying good-bye

-
I'm just back from spending a few hours at the Pear Tree pub with Jackie, Nick, Nikki, Tina, John, Joanne, and Tony. It was a nice evening and a pleasant way to spend my last night here in England. But each time I hugged someone good-bye, I had to fight back tears.

When Steve and I come here on holiday, it's always a bit sad saying good-bye. But this was different. Clearly, I got attached to everyone during my ten weeks' stay. I think I feel more a part of this family than I ever have because of the time I spent here. So, yes, it's quite hard to say good-bye.

At the same time, I am beyond excited to be heading home to Steve tomorrow. I can't imagine how good it's going to be to be back with him. But I'm fretting. The flight today was late enough arriving in Atlanta that if it happens again with my flight tomorrow, I'll miss my connection to Jacksonville. There are three more flights after mine, so I'm sure I'll get out that evening. But having to wait when I'm only an hour's flight away from Steve will be agonizing!

I'm also a bit fretful about the weather. Thunderstorms are forecast. I'm not a happy flyer under the best of conditions. Not having my security blanket with me (aka Steve) makes it that much harder. I'm not sure how well I'd do if we hit storm-related turbulence. Especially after Air France. No, my plane is not an Airbus, but my imagination doesn't really care about that.

And finally, I'm a bix anxious about handling my bags. They're close to their weight limit, but I think I'll be okay there. But I have two carry-ons - my rolling computer bag and a jute shopping bag packed full of goodies for Steve. These bags are heavy and unwieldy. You figure I have to take my computer out to go through security, and take off my shoes, so that will be a nightmare. And then I have to schlep them through two airports and on to two planes. Oh, and in Atlanta, I have to collect by two checked bags and recheck them after I clear customs. Talk about headache!!

I tell you, traveling alone SUCKS! If being away Steve for ten weeks hasn't made me appreciate him more (which it has), then my jaunt through the airports tomorrow will certainly do the trick!

So as I conclude this, my final blog from England, I do so with mixed feelings. I look forward to seeing Steve again, but I truly despair in saying good-bye. Parting really is such sweet sorrow - which makes me glad we're coming back here in May.

Comments

  1. Karen CousinsJuly 9, 2009 at 5:23 PM

    Deanne, I enjoyed reading your final blog from England. After eight weeks, I said goodbye at the archives yesterday and as several employees hugged me goodbye, I had to fight back tears too. I thought, good grief! I can't start boo-hooing in the AGI!! Overall, I'm excited to be heading back home ... we leave tomorrow, but will linger in Spain for a couple more days as we drive along the coast so I can see the coast of Africa across the straits of Gibraltar. See you soon!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Inverewe Gardens

-
Image
We stopped at Inverewe Gardens on our way home at the recommendation of one of Steve's work mates. It's a property within The National Trust for Scotland, so admission is free to Trust members. We had been pondering joining since we first moved here and decided to just bite the bullet and sign up whilst we were at the gardens. We only have to visit about four more places to have the membership pay for itself. Since the Culloden Battlefield near us in Inverness is part of the Trust, and our membership also grants us access to England's National Trust locations, we figure our membership will end up saving us quite a bit within the year. Inverewe Gardens was once the estate of Osgood Mackenzie. He built his mansion house on a rocky promontory overlooking Loch Ewe in the mid-19th century. He dreamed of having a walled garden of flowers and vegetables and set about excavating a raised beach and building retaining walls and terraces. By 1870, Osgood had created a productive gar...
Read more

The Clootie Well at Munlochy

-
Image
Munlochy is a village nestled in the Black Isle northeast of Inverness. The clootie well there harkens back to an ancient Celtic tradition where people would visit holy wells and springs in search of healing. They would take a strip of fabric or a rag (known in Scots as a clootie), saturate it in the holy water, and tie it on a nearby tree. Originally, the pilgrims prayed to the local spirit or god. After Christianity arrived, Christian saints supplanted the local deities. The Munlochy well was dedicated to St. Boniface, who served as a missionary in Scotland circa 620 AD. Today, the Clootie Well attracts tourists who festoon all manner of fabric-esque items all over the trees in the area. Steve and I visited the well early on a Sunday morning. I found myself of a divided opinion about the perpetuation of the tradition. On the one hand, I love keeping old traditions alive and like that so many people want to be involved. On the other hand, it's obvious that many people are doin...
Read more

Grad School

-
I posted something on my MySpace blog and then completely forgot about this one. I received a reply from UF a couple of weeks ago. It was a very slim envelope, so I knew as I pulled it from the mailbox that it was not good news. Sure enough, it was a notice that I had not been selected for UF's history grad program. I was devastated. My professors were as stunned as I was. I couldn't rest on my laurels, though. So I began the process of applying to UNF's master's degree program within days of the news. UNF is a smaller state university in Jacksonville. It doesn't offer a doctorate program, but it has a decent master's degree one. And while the opportunities UF offers are superior, I think UNF's program may be a better fit for my needs. For one thing, it has a more balanced approach, so I'll have an equal dose of American history to go with my European history focus. I like that. Plus, shortly after starting my application process, I got an email from the...
Read more