7 Days and Counting

down to vacation. I am very excited and amazed at how seamlessly the preparation has gone! As of today, I am all packed and other than a pocket knife, there is nothing else that I need to put in my bags. Also, I am thrilled that I did not over pack because I packet the items that were on the list. This means that for 17 days, I have 4 pairs of pants, 1 pair of shorts, 4 shirts, and 5 pairs of socks. I have been told that laundry facilities are available in the hotels where we will be staying. We will only be away from hotels for 2-4 days so i have enough clothes for each of those outings. I will be carrying a total of three bags but only 1 of them will be with me unless we are changing locations.

I have matched all power cords with their charges and all chargers with the associated batteries, with the associated electronic device. I have done this about 4 times to make sure that I have everything that I am going to need. Thank God for great friends because they have mentioned little items that I will need and/or have bought me things that I didn't think of. If one more person asks me about what snacks I'm bringing, I will scream...heeee. You can all rest assured that today, I put 21 packs of snacks in my bag, along with all of the cash and Visa gift cards that I have been given! Thanks to everyone that is funding my trip.......heeee I should go away more often. Hmmmm.....are you all paying me off to go away????? LOL!

I have also treated all of my clothing for mosquitoes and ticks. So, I should be well protected from those vicious, potentially deadly bites. I also got my yellow fever vaccine 2 weeks ago on Tuesday. The shot was not bad but the side effects of "flu-like" symptoms were horrible. Then there were the side effects from the flu vaccine.....I had to have someone drive me home I felt as though I was going to pass out. Then, there was the cold that quickly followed the cold which of course came both times with a lost voice. Funny thing, my voice is back, for the most part, but now I get a terrible sore throat every evening. I am starting to believe that I should have left the flu vaccine alone. I am also debating whether I should pay a visit to my doctor tomorrow for some meds.

Speaking of meds, today I tried the Malarone (for the prevention of malaria) and Diamox (for elevation sickness) and both had no negative effects. I actually think I may have a bit more energy but of course that could be my excitement for leaving the country.

Oh and to those of you concerned about how I intend to get to the airport/home, I have now addressed the latter. My dad is going to take the 5th off so that he can come and pick me up. How will I get to the airport, it's a Saturday, so many people to pick from. It is my intent to be at the airport by 1130 on Saturday to make sure that I get to my gate on time. I figure it might be pretty busy the weekend before Christmas.

Again, thanks to all my very generous and loving friends - I feel like a kid being sent off to camp! Love you all!

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