Here I sit in my empty room... my bags are packed.. I never thought this moment would come where I would have to say goodbye to the strangers who welcomed me into their home and quickly became my family.
My last day was a wonderful one. Brad was working so Lynda and I brought the boys to Kings Beach.. although it was very rainy and dreary out.. it was absolutely breathtaking. The waves were monstrous and the bare beaches were were beautiful.
We stopped and had hot chips, fries, for lunch at an under cover park. It was so great- the place was like a lone desert..no one was around. We splashed around in the waves and rain on various beaches taking the the sound of the waves one last time.. wishing I could just bottle it up forever.
On the way home we stopped at Lorraine's for some afternoon tea. Lorraine is just wonderful, she gave me some lollies to bring home to my family. We had a great time chatting with her and when she hugged me goodbye saying such sweet words and to tell my family hi for her I lost it...
The car ride was quiet for a bit.. no one knowing what to say.. I was trying to hold it together in front of the boys. So we stopped at the bottle shop for some moscato.
When we got home I got a few more things together and messaged Leah back and fourth a bit because she was coming to say goodbye! Brad, Lynda and I had tea together in the formal dining room.. my favorite place to eat tea. Soon, Leah showed up with her unmistakable smile. She jumped right into our conversation, had a glass of wine with us.. then we made "aussie" s'mores ... they do not have graham crackers here so we used honeycomb timtams and roasted marshmallows in the fireplace! So much fun.. the boys had a blast as well!
We kept talking for hours, laughing, and reminiscing on this experience and other trips and crazy people we have all met in our lifetime journeys. I kept putting off checking in online for my flight tomorrow because I thought I would just do it in the morning.. I was sure my flight was at 1:00pm or something like that...... but I had a feeling I should double check my memory from the last time I took notice of my flight information. Well, I could not find it anywhere.. so I looked online and found it thank goodness and HELLO my flight is at 10:25am!!! I was NOT expecting that.... good thing I double checked.....! Or I would be staying in Oz a bit later than expected...hmmm...
Leah stayed until about 11pm tonight talking with Lynda and I. Sadly, it was time for her to leave and me to finish packing. *sigh* Leah has the most beautiful and kind heart you can ever imagine.. she gave up a friend's birthday party to come hang out with the Coogan's tonight. She would do anything for anyone and I am so blessed to have her as an international friend.
So tonight I am done packing. Re-set my alarm to coordinate with my flight and I am...ready to go home. NOT ready to say goodbye. It will be such a hard morning.. but I have such wonderful family and friends I am going home to. I cannot wait for graduation, summer, Chelsea's baby, Brie's wedding, etc etc etc! I know I will see the Coogan's again. I hope they know how much they have touched my heart and I will always hold a very special place for them. Words cannot describe how much I appreciate what they have done for me here. I hope someday I can pay it forward.
I look forward to seeing you all soon! Thank you to everyone who has been following my blogs..It feels so nice not writing to cyber space! :) This experience has been unforgettable, I wish you could all experience what I have been so lucky to have been living for the past six weeks.
Next step: graduation! Cannot wait to celebrate with family and friends!
love always
Mel xoxo
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