We're (almost) off and away!

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!
-Dr. Seuss

That's it. Today, we're off and away...to France! So much excitement! But...

...it's harder than I thought it would be. I wasn't expecting it to be this hard. We've both been a little (okay, a lot) burnt out lately, and even before we found out that France was a go, we had admitted last fall that we both kind of wanted a change of scenery. We didn't know what that might look like, but we knew we needed something new. Maybe relocate to Charleston? Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill? Maybe just look for new jobs in Greenville, buy a house, just a small shake-up of our normal routine?

We knew we needed a little something. And then this happened. We're both ready to move to France. But we (or at least, I) never expected leaving to be so difficult. We're only going to be gone for six months! But saying goodbye to my yoga teacher and community, our dear "murmuring" friends (don't ask), my grandparents, my brother and sister-in-law, and oh, heavens, our dog...it's been incredibly hard. My in-laws have already left for PA with the pup, so B has had to say goodbye to his parents. I get to say goodbye to mine at about 4:00 at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. I can already just go ahead and tell you, that sobbing girl in the security line? Yeah, I know nothing about that. Why do you ask?

I am 31 and B is 29. We are grown, independent, fully functional adults. I haven't lived regularly at my parents' house since I was 18, and I have pretty much lived fully independently since 22. It doesn't happen often, but sometimes if we're busy I do actually go six months without seeing my parents. So why is it so hard to think of not seeing them once we'll be abroad? Especially because they're going to come visit us about halfway through?! It isn't even going to be a full six months!

For whatever reason, it's hard to leave those you love, even for just a little while. We are so thrilled for our journey and what lies ahead, and we cannot wait to see what France has to offer. But a little part of me is always going to wish my sweet chien noir is there with us...not to mention my mommy.

When I studied abroad in Italy, my mother said, "The umbilical cord does not stretch across the Atlantic." But I think it does. We're carrying with us cords that tie us to every single person in the U.S. who loves us and who we love - and there are lots. It's less of a cord and more of a woven net or rug of some sort. Thanks to all of you who have supported us, encouraged us, been excited for us, given us tips on various places in Europe, demanded to see pictures, asked a billion questions, and just made us feel about as loved as two people can feel. I truly can't wait to bring you along with us. We love you all!

xoxo,
E and B

P.S. - I said this before, but I'll say it again for good measure. If you sign up for email delivery of my posts, please note all emails will come from Feedburner (not from me). Make sure they're not going into your spam folder. Also, you'll have to verify your email before you start receiving any updates. Don't skip this step, or you will not receive any email updates! And let me know if you have problems, because you won't want to miss a thing!

Saying goodbye to our sweet Luna-bug :(