At the airport!

As I'm writing this, Stacey and I are sitting in LAX waiting at the gate for Air New Zealand flight NZ5. Our flight is at 11:00 pm, and we're hoping (planning) to take some Ambien and sleep most of the flight. We've arrived in Los Angeles yesterday, and were able to spend a day visiting with Scott and Jeff, two of Stacey's oldest friends (and mine, too, now that I think of it...having known Scott for about 16+ years). Thanks are in order to Scott for hosting us at his place, and to Jeff (and his Auntie and friend Marko) for ferrying us around today.

Los Angeles, near-site of Stacey's birthplace and home to the U.S.'s most prominent global "brand", Hollywood, was a fitting send-off location. We sampled some excellent restaurants, spotted a celebrity or two, and enjoyed glorious weather. In honor of tonight's flight, I devoured a tasty scoop of Kiwi sorbet from a Gelato place in Santa Monica. It felt quite appropriate.

We also had the opportunity to see Andrea and Tom, former co-worker pals from Turner who had relocated to LA a couple of years ago. (Thanks are also owed to Andrea for picking our sorry butts up at LAX on arrival!) Much like us, they took the plunge and left Atlanta in search of a new life on the other side of the country. Consequently, I listened with keen interest as they shared the trials and tribulations of the experience. I could not help but wonder what manner of evaluations we'll use in a 6 months, or a year, or two years, to determine whether we had made the right decision.

I do know this: Since this whole NZ thing first came up, there has never been a question as to whether or not it was optional. We knew we had to do it, or we would forever be sorry. Yes, we've struggled with the minutia & details along the way, sometimes greatly. Doubts and worries have been part of the mix, but they have never overshadowed our desire to see it through.

What I look forward to now is getting started. I'm dying to get 'on the ground' and to know what it's REALLY going to be like. God knows I have imagined every possible scenario for life in NZ. Sometimes it's rosey, sometimes not. The truth is almost certainly to be a blend of both, with flavors I had not even expected or anticipated. What will be great will be at least to know, for sure, what life is like.

So, I guess I'll sign off. Just wanted to write in a short note in case anyone happened to check in. We'll be out of pocket for the next few days, in the air and moving along on the ground. Hopefully will have some news to post once we get to Auckland, assuming I can find a wireless hotspot from which to gain internet access.

-William