The past few days have been incredibly crazy. For weeks we have been packing and trying our hardest to get everything squared away to leave. So much goes into an international move, especially when you have things at several different houses while your packing. We had boxes and MORE boxes. Trash, yardsale, donate in USA, bring to Panama to donate, pack in container, pack in suitcases, store at sister's, store at in laws, carry on, etcetera. Aside from the tedious packing, we had important doctor appointments and visits with friends and family we had to fit in.
The night before leaving, my parents house (where we were staying) had an incident with the fireplace that left ash all over the house and the house smelling horribly of smoke. I knew the boys couldn't stay the night there so we packed them up and brought them to spend the night at my sisters. Nathan and I still had some last minute packing to do so we headed back to brave the smoke and get everything together. Our AMAZING friends Matthew and Shawna came over to help (as they did many days leading up to our departure). We did not finish until 4:30am and as exhausted as we were, it was such a blessing to have that time to spend with them. Once we said our tear filled goodbyes, we headed back to my sister's house to get some rest.
The next day was a whirlwind. I know at some point I had to do one of the hardest things I have ever done and say goodbye to my sister and her family. By this point I had said my share of goodbyes, but they never got easier. Through misty eyes, we waved our final goodbyes and drove off for the airport.
I could barely keep my eyes open on the way and before I knew it we were pulling into the terminal at Newark. My father in law and brother in law helped us wheel our huge load of luggage into the airport. We checked in and through more tears we once again said goodbye to more family and headed through security.
Our flight went smooth and after about 6 hours of flying we landed in Panama City. We were greeted by my mom and Pastor Edwin who loaded us up and we headed to the hotel for some much needed rest. It was around midnight when we were settled in for the night so we quickly accepted any sleep we could get before the sun rose. Our plan was to get on the road by 10am so we had a relaxing morning and grabbed breakfast before heading out. The drive from Panama City to Boca Chica where we were staying is about 6hrs. We made a few stops for potty breaks and food and arrived around 8pm.
It has been an exhausting couple of weeks and we are excited to be here safely and to have the opportunity to take a few days to rest up. Thank you so much for all of your thoughts, prayers, and well wishes along the way. We truly appreciate everyone who has taken the time to write us a quick note or say some prayers for our travels.
WE ARE HOME!
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